Spotted in Rockaway NJ at a gas station/auto body shop: a bit of faded class and elegance in a sea of modern mediocrity. This old Benz really speaks to me, and I wanted to share my find with you.
It speaks to me because back in the ’90s I had a somewhat similar model, a 1972 250 which I believe was in the same color, Tobacco Brown. This was an excellent color for these cars, being a sort of brownish-burgundy that I thought looked really elegant and showed off the bright-metal accents really well.
Actually, this 230 is the car I would have preferred, because I thought it looked more “substantial and important” than the later W114s. Classier, more ’50s–with little fins even! The beautiful front end kind of reminds me of my dad’s MG 1100, but more expensive-looking. But in those days, there was no internet to efficiently search for cars for sale, and you had to accept what you could find locally, mostly through small print ads. However, I felt that the low-mileage 250 I found was plenty splendid for me, so that’s what I got.
The thing about these vintage Mercedes cars is–classic beauty and fine craftsmanship. But at 60 years old, this example is really showing its age. It may be parts car status at this point. Even so, as you can see in the photos, the paint (though dirty and neglected) is still shiny enough to produce sharp reflections. I’m sure it would wax up beautifully.
Is this a pre-war classic? No, but in certain places it kind of looks like one.
Someone I knew referred to this as the “bus steering wheel” because it’s so big with a narrow rim. My car had the same wheel, but it was black. My seats were tan M-B Tex vinyl, which was practically indestructible. This car apparently has leather, which doesn’t hold up so well. My 250 was an automatic, but this 230 has a 4-on-the-tree manual transmission, which newbies will have to practice with before doing any serious driving.
I like a car that has a “sculptured” effect on the hood and fenders, instead of just a flat horizontal expanse of steel. Again, another pre-war-like feature. Sadly, the Mercedes star is missing.
I guess I should tell you something about the Mercedes driving experience. Most people tend to think that because it’s a Mercedes, it’s automatically superior to the run-of-the-mill crap Detroit makes. Yes and no. First and foremost, these Mercedes cars are solidly built, and the execution of fine details is superb. Just when American cars were becoming cheesier and suffering from poor quality control, Mercedes maintained a high standard.
So here’s what I remember: The 2.8 liter six cylinder was powerful with lots of torque. But the engine was not “butter smooth”–it had a very mechanical, “sewing machine” sound. The 4-speed automatic transmission was not buttery either. First gear had a really high “stump-pulling” ratio, and under normal acceleration from rest was only engaged for about 1 second before upshifting to 2nd gear. I felt that 1st was usually not needed; there should have been a way to start in 2nd. Power steering was very precise, with a firmer feel than American units, which was actually gave the driver a solid sense of control–one of the Mercedes’ best features. The ride, excellent on some roads, was kind of stiff and harsh on other kinds of surfaces. Also the seats, beautifully made of that ultra-durable M-B Tex vinyl, were a little hard for my skinny little butt, considering that I only weighed about 120 lbs. at the time. I craved a little more plushness.
Nevertheless, I loved driving my Mercedes. But when its transmission started slipping and rust bubbles were appearing all over, it was time to get something new. But what? I wanted something with traditional class, elegance, and “jewel box beauty” like the Mercedes (and not too big). How about a 1990 Chrysler Imperial in Radiant Silver Metallic with burgundy leather interior?
I have to say, the Imperial was much smoother and quieter than my old M-B, with comfier seats and a factory paint job which was even glossier than Mercedes’–and required a lot less waxing to keep it nice. The styling (which I thought looked sharp and crisp) may not have been to everyone’s taste, but I liked the classical, upright grille and the fact that the bumpers were all chrome–no ugly black rubber strips. The Imperial’s biggest flaw was the fact that the steering and handling were not as precise as the Mercedes. But no car is perfect, you know what I mean?
More details of our featured car:
Other side of windshield: A New York inspection sticker expiring May 2024. So two years ago this car was still roadworthy. Why did the owner allow this Mercedes to deteriorate to its present condition?
Ah, yes–my Mercedes had a chrome exhaust tip just like that. The exhaust made a distinctive throbbing sound.
It’s cute–it should be saved. But even partial restoration will, I’m afraid, be too cost-prohibitive given the value of this car. I’ve seen so many cases like this. Eventually the cars disappear, and the world is just a little less interesting as a result.
Note: all photos by the author.
Related CC Reading
Vintage Snapshot: Margaret Ransohoff With Her First Car by Paul Niedermeyer
CC Outtake: 1966 Heckflosse Reporting For Duty by Wolfgang
When I grew up in the Netherlands these fintail Mercedes were everywhere. These always have attracted me more than any Mercedes sedan since.
If it was in Europe I am sure it would be revived. Overall it does not seem too bad. A rear bumper would be high on the list plus some leather repairs. Could get expensive if it needs much mechanically – Mercedes parts are never cheap.
But please, there is no need to restore it to as new condition – why? The body condition is perfectly good as it is now knowing it will never be used as a daily car. As a classic the body condition is not that important anymore as it will always be garaged.
It’s sad seeing a beautiful car like that withering away in plain sight. When I was much younger (maybe 35 odd years ago) there was a similar vintage black Heckflosse parked outside the small block of flats in our neighbourhood. This car was always there, parked outside covered in dust, rust and a whole lot of “patina”. I eventually found out it belonged to a very elderly couple that lived in one of the flats. Then one day it was gone! In it’s place was an aqua green VW Beetle, which seemed to fare a little better but also eventually vanished when those old folks shuffled off, never knowing how young me lusted after both of those cars enough to remember them now. Hopefully someone will save that lovely car and give it the care it deserves, having lasted so long despite the neglect.
Over here in Tasmania in 1975 , fintail Benzes normally had the arched headlamps. One day at age 17 I saw a beautiful Benz for sale with those rare circular headlights and it was a 190. Beautiful condition, Arctic white exterior and black interior. It had an extremely rare 4 on the floor manual gear change. Not a column shifter like most. Was very tempted to buy it but father was devoted to Buicks and didn’t really like European cars, so no loan there.The Benz was the only one of its type I saw in Tasmania and I really wish I had bought it.
In Oz, the six cylinder W111 Finnies, with the big glass egg headlights were sold alongside the four cylinder W110 cars similar to the one above: the body is mostly the same except that that round nose is actually about 6 inches shter (and the fours always much more starkly equipped). When the new unfinned W108/109 came out in 1965, Merc didn’t stop making the four cyl Finnie bodies like the above, but they did add a 2.3 six to that shorter body, presumably as a sort of cost bridge to the new car. The point of this long ramble is that the round-lighted Finnie Mercs sold in about the same numbers here as the egg-lit ones, so they weren’t especially rare. And yes, I did have to look this up again to remember!
I actually prefer the “plainer” look of the small lights, but if the car you saw was a 190, you mightn’t have loved it in reality – that 1.9 four was pretty vocal and certainly underpowered for hauling round such a heavy car.
Actually the W111 230S/SE was still being made alongside the new W108 250S/SE until 1/68. But as of 1965, it did have the larger 2.3L engine. And as you noted, the cheaper 220 was now a 230 (like the featured car) in the W110 body.
That Mercedes was in the cheaper body series, the 110, I had a 1961 220Sb (b denoting the new 111 body that was new for the US that year. Ity still had 4 wheel brum brakes, 2.2L six with dual Solex progressive 2 barrel carburetors. The rear axle gear was a 4.10 and the 13″ wheels meant it definitely “buzzed” at 65 mph on the interstate. My older son learned to drive in that car. Engine finally got to the point (somwhere upwards of 500,000 miles) that the two center main bearings would effect the oil pressure dramatically depending on throttle setting.
I scored a 1965 I believe, 220SEb as a parts car, and swapped the 220SE engine and centrifugal feed pump into my car. I wanted to do the brakes but that involved dealing with the king pins, so I passed on them. Car finally got to the point you could check the front tires through the floor rust, and the rear was just as bad.
I grew up in southern Ontario and I got my driving licence when I was 16. The year before my parents decided to get a second car, and purchased a Corvair with a 4 speed so that my brother and I could learn to drive a standard transmission. We had a summer cabin on a lake north of the city and we would spend our summer vacation there. The first summer I was driving, one of our neighbours had her brother visit for the weekend with his family. Mercedes were not common in those days, but he had a 230S (twin carbs and a 4 speed floor shift). He knew that I was interested in cars, and offered to take me for a ride. He took me for a “spirited” drive up the gravel road to the highway. He then got out and said something was not right. It turns out that one of his sons had left a coke tin on the floor of the back seat and he could hear it rattling when driving on a gravel road. He then astonished me by asking if I would like to drive back to the cottage. Of course I accepted, and as a 16 year old, I got to drive a Mercedes. It was a wonderful experience.
The last production automobile to sport a fake external radiator cap?
Most of the comments to your article will be regarding the classic fintail Metcedes, indeed a fine automobile. However, I’ll respond due to that other beauty, the Chrysler Imperial. I loved the 1990-1993 Imperial. I had a much plainer Dodge Dynasty (1990) with the optional V6 and it was a decent car. But I thought the Imperial of that era was gorgeous, especially the front view and interior with optional Mark Cross leather seating. I only specifically remember seeing two of them out in the wild back then. They’re often derided as one of Iacocca’s cynical responses to what he thought people would buy. And I guess because I have the same brougham tastes as he did, I loved them. Yours looked very comfy and posh!
I still remember the day I saw one of these in a local Wal-Mart parking lot. It was identified as a 1967 model on the For Sale sign that was in the windshield. I studied over that car for probably 20 minutes. This was probably in the early or mid 2000s and it was in really great shape for its age. but I decided at the time that I was not the right guy to own that car. I knew nothing about them and did not have the spare time and money that it would undoubtedly need to treat it properly. I still wonder if I made the right decision passing on it.
The steering wheel shot brought back memories of my childhood friend whose parents had a Fintail 190 with 4 on the tree. I still knew him in high school and drove the car quite a bit; it was definitely the first column shift I’d driven at that point and while it felt awkward compared to the floor shits I was used to, it wasn’t bad. Not as good as the Peugeot 504 column shift 4 speed another friend’s parents owned, but better than an average three-on-the-tree domestic.
Heckflosse is the German slang for the fin tail cars. Many Curbside Classic posts have taught me that.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_Fintail#:~:text=Mercedes%2DBenz%20Fintail%20(German%3A,Mercedes%20from%201959%20to%201968.