The car is a 190c, serial number 110-010-10-036xxx, with sunroof, starting-up date: 22.11.1962. I bought the car in 1985 from his 4th owner. It didn´t pass the German technical inspection called "TÜV", so the previous owner decided to sell the 190c. It had some defects, the cloth under the roof was teared, one outlet valve was burned up, the front fenders were full of rust, the brakes pulled to one side and some more little things. At the end of the day I bought the car for 900 DM (around $450). I already owned a 190 Dc and decided the 190c to be the winter car. But after an intensive inspection together with a good friend (He has a 1959 hearse 220Sb) we were very surprised, the frame and floor were in an excellent condition for their age. We welded some little holes, repaired the engine and the drum brakes. Afterwards the car passed the technical inspection without any problems. In this state I drove the car for 4 years and had a lot of fun with it. In 1988 I started my study as an engineer and I hadn´t the time and the money to take care for the car in daily use. So it slept for 4 years in a garage. After I gained my first money I thought to myself: now it´s the right time, all or nothing and began to strip the body. I changed the engine to a 200 gasoline, because the car still had the original engine and I did not want to ruin it on the last 50.000 km. Since then the engine sleeps in a corner of my garage, waiting to be revived. I changed the drum brakes to the more reliable disc brakes by changing the front axle. The rear axle began to make noise, quickly I implanted a new one. The undercoating was on the first sight in an excellent condition but I liked to have 100% safety. So I removed all of the coating and painted the floor with a painture normally used for ships. The finish coating is RAL 3000 "fire red". The cooler and the heater are new as well as drive shaft, wheels, tires, door sealings, exhaust system, rubber dampers, shock absorbers, dozens of srews and clamps, most of the tubes and pipes and some chrome parts and and and... The original colour is 158 grey white, now the car is painted in the combination 158/573 bordeaux red. In 1997 we pased the obligatory TÜV. Not all of the work is done but it´s fun to take care of the car. The 190c still has the first license plate and is exactly 2 days older than me. I love the car and never will sell it.

Greetings Lutz

I've got this forgotten car from a friend of mine that left the car just parked outside his home for over a year since he went abroad for his study (imagine, just parked outside ! not in the garage !) he also had the same experience when the car is being abandoned on the late 1980s by the first owner whose family doesn't willing to travel using this car anymore !! Nowaday, my 'w111 220sb 1962 heckflosse' got his new colour and interior, put off his original body-painted Light Ivory, wheeling across the street by his chrome hubcaps wheel with the original inline 6 cylinders machine respirated by his two Solex carbs' and brake booster added from Volvo 740... Do you know the heckflosse in Indonesia got his nickname "BATMAN" since it's tail reminds people of the Marvel Comics character.....? What a fin-tail ...

I would like to know how many of these are still around out there - to my knowledge the production total was 188.
If you have this kind of car, please let me know!

The owner of a used car import operation called me. He had the car on a ship coming to California. I was able to buy while it was still on the ship at sea. Neither he or I knew how rare this car was at the time I bought it.

You can see more of Bob's car in my History section, see chapter 9) 1967: The seven seater Heckflosse.

Click here to visit Bob's website with used and new Mercedes parts: The Onager Corporation.

This vehicle (110.001-10-141829) is Rappold commission number 4-171. This is the 171th hearse built since Rappold was founded in 1948.
Rappold Karosseriewerk is one of the lager hearse builders in Germany. In 1966 Rappold built a total of 17 Mercedes-Benz hearses. 7 were 200's, 3 were 190c's, 4 were 220b's and 3 were 220Sb's. The total number of hearses of all vehicles types built by Rappold in 1966 was 40. Approximately 200 hearses are built in Germany each year. The bare chassis, less superstructure, was shipped to Rappold Karosseriewerk on November 12, 1965. The body work on the hearse part of the body was completed on January 28 , 1966. This is the only one of these 1966 hearses know to still exist. Current mileage 186,00 KM (115.00 miles)

Miscellaneous facts:

• Daimler-Benz built 418 of these W 110.001 model 200 chassis from July 1965 to February 1968 for used as ambulances, station wagons, and hearses. I believe that this number did not include the W 110.001 model chassis used for Universals.
• It is equipped with 5 x 15 inch wheel. (All chassis used for special superstructure are quipped with 15 inch wheels).
• This body has been stretched 4 inches behind the rear axle. This is to accommodate the casket.
• The roof has been raised and is similar to the roof line of an ambulance.
• The left door is a half door for access under the rear floor. This space is used for the storage of the jack and the tool kit. If this vehicle were an ambulance a heater would have been installed in this space.
• The right rear door has a fixed window.
• There is a small attendants seat on the right side.
• Rappold used the 300SE exterior trim package.
• This vehicle also has the 300SE wood trim on the front doors.
• The rear interior dome light is a genuine VW bus part. Rappold installed this light. Rappold also used VW upholstery material on the seats and door panels.

According to the data card this chassis came without the following items: outside mirrors, radio, or interior components (Seats and door panels). The paint code indicates the paint was only a preservative coat.

Click here to visit Bob's website with used and new Mercedes parts: The Onager Corporation.

The car is in an ok condition and I use it for everday rides. I'm the 4th owner but the last three have treated it really well. It has an automatic transmission and power steering. A white steeringwheel and original seatbelts make this car kind of unique for me. I'm not a car mechanic but I try to fix little things on my own. Luckyly nothing important has broken down yet :) A thing that really bugs me are the carburators. I should get new ones soon, the car keeps on stalling when it is most embarresing, in the rush hour e.g.
I would be glad to be able to contact people with technical knowledge about the W111, maybe this site helps me to find somebody.

Greetings, Arnd from Aachen (Germany)

This is the story of my first Mercedes. The story starts in May 1970 when I found a 1961 220SEb sitting in a field behind a tire shop. The owner parked it there after it had developed "A rather loud knocking noise in the engine". He also mumbled something about running it low on oil. It was a basic car, as all the 220 series cars were in 1961. It was standard shift and had neither power steering or air conditioning. It even had a cloth interior. The only options it came with were an AM/FM radio and 15" wheels. The body was rust free and the paint was still good. The owner was asking only $ 375 for it. At that price I couldn't pass it up.

I towed it home and started to rebuild the engine. The only surprise in rebuilding the engine came when I discovered that the cylinder head had to be replaced. The price for the new head was $ 136.00 and I thought this was a bit steep. The price for the same head today is $ 2,250.00. Now that $ 136.00 seems like a bargain. With the engine rebuild I stared driving an average of 350 miles per week.

In 1971 I installed power steering. Remember the 15" wheels I mentioned before? Well, the cars handling with them at high speed was excellent, but parallel parking was not for those with weak upper arms. That year I also added European headlights.

Although she performed very well, in 1973 I felt that a little more power wouldn't hurt, so I installed a used 250SE short block. This was a simple operation as the 220SEb cylinder, injection pump and the other 220SEb parts bolted right on to the 250SE engine block. Sure enough, the modified 250SE engine did have more power.

A year later I was lucky enough to buy a 1969 280 SL engine that needed rebuilding. Based on how much the 250 SE engine improved the performance a 280 SL engine would be even better. When I rebuilt the engine I also installed the camshaft used on the European models. The rebuilt 2.8 liter 180 HP engine sure gave my 220SEb a lot of get up and go. At the same time I felt that I could use some creature comforts, so I added an automatic transmission and AC.

In 1977 after driving her over 80,000 miles, I decided it was time for a change. Although she had served me faithfully for seven years, I decided I needed a newer car. So I started looking for another car. In April 1977 I saw the ad for a 1967 230S "Universal" station wagon. The price for it seemed fair, but the car was in Texas so I call on it. Well, I felt a car from Texas should be rust free and it was just the model I was looking for. When called on it, the seller said " There is a little rust and one front shock mount is loose". Based on this information, I purchased the car and had it driven to San Diego.

When it arrived in San Diego I found out that it was not a Texas car at all. In fact, it was originally sold in Philadelphia and then spent many years in Rhode Island. It had been registered in Texas less that a year. The "little" rust he mentioned was actually major. The climate in Rhode Island had completely destroyed the the undercarriage. The shock mount that was mentioned was rusted away. The car was really unsafe to drive and way beyond saving without a miracle.

There is a lesson in this story for anyone shopping for a car that is any distance away from them. Spend the time and money to go and inspect it, or hire someone in the area to look it over for you. If I had done that I never would have purchased the 230S "Universal" Station Wagon.

So here I was with a useless expensive rust bucket and looking for a solution. It took about week for me to figure out what my next move would be. I did find a solution, and it came to me from an unexpected direction. The answer lay in my tried and true faithful 220SEb sedan.

I spent several weeks studying how the "Universal" had been constructed. I measured and remeasured every part that was unique to the station wagon body. The coach works started building these station wagon by using a "chassis only" vehicles. These "chassis only" vehicles came with 4 doors, but no roof or rear body sections. The coach works then built the roof, rear body panels, inner rear fenders, and tail gate from scratch. They also modified the rear doors to fit the new roof line. The chassis numbers started with 111.001 for these special body vehicles. The factory built only 341 of these chassis.

So here I was with two vehicles, one, my old familiar friend the 220SEb and the other, the rusted out 230S station wagon. Was it possible to take these two cars and rebuild one out of pair? Well, the answer was yes. First, we stripped the 220SEb sedan down to a bare chassis basically just as it would have come from the factory for use with a special superstructure. Having completed this task, we then stripped all the usable parts from the 230S wagon. Next came reconstruction of the assorted parts and pieces from the station wagon onto the sedan chassis. We also used the tan interior from the 230S. The "Universal" came with both the optional rear facing third seat and the split center seat.

THe 220SEb's original color was Ivory (code 158). The 230S was Dark Green (code 291). We chose to paint our new creation the Dark Green. I make this process sound easier then it was. It look a great deal of time, energy, and money. I was able, however, to recover over half the purchase price of the Universal by selling the leftover parts. I ended up with the station wagon I wanted and still had my old friend the 220SEb. Many experts have been unable to tell that we had combined the two cars into one.

I continued to used her for daily transportation into 1980 when she was retired and is now used only on special occasions. By this time, I had owned her for over ten years and driven her over 100,000 miles. The replacement car was my M110 chassis 1967 200D Long Wheel Base.

If I had it to do over again would I do it? The answer is yes. In fact, I recently rebuilt another vehicle in much the same fashion, but that's a second story for another time. Do I still own her after 30 years? But of course I do, By this time I had learned that you never abandon an old friend.

Bob G.

Click here to visit Bob's website with used and new Mercedes parts: The Onager Corporation.

1965 190c
Chassis # 110.001-20-075687
Engine # 121.924-20-073617
Binz body # 2146
Original cost 15,000 DM
The production date of the bare chassis was June 24, 1963.

The station wagon portion of the body was build by Binz coachworks in Stuttgart. Binz builds primarily ambulances. When they built this station wagon they simply used the same plans that were used for their ambulance body and then added a rear seat to make it into a station wagon. This is the reason for the high roof line.

Only 12 (190c) 121.001-20 chassis were produced from April 1961 to August 1965 with right hand drive. This vehicle was originally sold in Great Britain.

We purchased it in May 1988 with the odometer showing only 01824 miles ( first or second time around?). The car had been in storage for 7 years when we bought it and it needed complete restoration.

Bob Gunthorp

Click here to visit Bob's website with used and new Mercedes parts: The Onager Corporation.

The car was until 1989 in California. So it's nearly rustless! It has Automatic Transmission.

The car is a:

220 SE, 1964, 51000 original Kms., one owner since new: Jose Meouchi from Mexico City.

Bye.

This car was imported from Sweden and is still in an original state.

Meet "The Blue Max", or just plain "Max" for short.

Max is the latest addition to the South Philadelphia Home for Wayward Benzes, M. Mitchell Marmel, prop.

Max is in a remarkably good shape for something pushing 40; as near as I can tell, the paint is original and rust is minimal but the bumpers are being held together by the chrome plating. Replacement is in order.

Max spent most of his life in Delaware. The MB-Tex interior and four on the tree shifter indicate that this 220b was one of the more basic models.

The owner has several other classic Mercedes cars in his collection, naturally they all have their own name.
Click on the name to view his other cars.
More pictures of "Max".
"Rommel", a 220D from 1968.
"Iltis", a 250/8 from 1971.

This is a 280SE Convertible with automatic transmission.

The brother of the owner is also interested in classic Mercedes cars because he drives a Mercedes Pagode (W113) himself and a 220SE Coupé which can be also be viewed in this Photo Gallery.
They both drive a Mercedes for over 22 years now.

Click here to visit Bob's website with used and new Mercedes parts: The Onager Corporation.

This car is imported from Switserland.

The brother of C. Kastelein, M. Kastelein, owns the 280SE Convertible which can also be viewed in this Photo Gallery.

This car is a 200 type. I bought this car in 1997 from the wife of the first owner. He was a pilot and bought the car when he was in England. After his death in 1995, the car was kept in a garage for two years. It had some defects. The headlights and other lamps were not original. I found the original ones and changed them. Chrome parts were rusted. I changed some of them and restored the others. Original mileage of the car is 190.000 km. I use it for weekend rides and keep it in a garage during the winter. Not all the work is done but it is fun to take care of this fintail.

Atilla Bayer

This car was purchased from the first owner. And it is gradually being restored into its most original shape. It has 2000 cc diesel engine, 55 horsepower and manual 4-spd transmission.
Click here to see other pictures of my car.

Yes, I am the proud owner of a FINBACK. My parents bought the 1965 190Dc which now sits in my barn back when I was 14. Then it was my duty to wash that car once a week. During the intervening decades nobody else has put a rag to her but yours truly. I took my first official driving lesson with my learners permit behind the wheel of the 190Dc. I still love to shift the slick 4 speed manual transmission using the column mounted selector. There is great harmony and elegance in shifting in the same plane as you steer. The swing axle real suspension provides spectacular grip with stiff damping and no unwanted compliance. My FINBACK still loves to harry old British sportscars down country back roads.

John Kuhn Bleimaier, Mid-Atlantic Regional Director, Mercedes Benz Club of America.

Just arrived in Finland from America.

I think this is the nicest picture (left) of my Benz ever made, it looks like a painting by Magritte. I am the third owner of this American edition 190. The car has driven in South Africa from 1962 till 1999 and has 187,000 miles on the clock.

Tip for other Heckflosse drivers: should the star on the grille get stolen (just before your wedding day!) and you want to get married, don't despair! Just put a small bunch of roses in the hole. (picture on the right)

I don't have much history on the car, but here are some bulltet points:

- 1967 230
- Original California car with black license plates
- 4-Speed manual on the floor
- Sunroof
- Power steering
- Tinted windscreen
- MB-Tex interior
- Odometer shows 88kMiles (but that is probably incorrect)

Cheers,
Claus

I live in germany and own a 220 SE Coupe built on january 30 1964. The colour is DB 573. I bought the car in 1987 from the first owner, did some metal-work, painting and brakes, and since than did over 100.000 km and every single kilometer was great driving. In 1989 it was my wedding car. The car was delivered to the first owner with the following special equipment: 41/1 sliding roof, 42/3 automatic transmission and power steering, 54/0 intermediate cushion, 55/1 ivory steering wheel, 58/7 armrest front (single long type), 64/1 white wall tyres and complete 300SE chrome that doesn´t appear in the data-card!? (Was mounted from the first day, the first owner told me). I installed safety belts in the rear for my kids, and a towing bracket. Through the last 2 years the engine and the front axle were rebuilt, and I replaced the complete front end.

Greetings from germany,

Andreas

benz 1967 , w110, 200 gas with twin solex carb. ,from manila, philippines

Hello,

I run the section in the British Mercedes Club and I have a 1964 300 SE (W112), I would like to contact other owners.

I know there are not many 300 Sees left, There are very few left in England. I bought my 300 SE in 1989 for £900, in more or less the condition it is now.
I have been to many Rallies in England, Germany and the 1994 Club Rally to Holland (a very nice country). My car is well known in England as it has been in a number of magazines, the last one was Decembers Thoroughbred & Classic cars, nice photos but poor story

This is a 220Sb with a Hydrak transmission, you still have to shift gears manually but there is no clutch.

Marks baby, A 1964 220Sb automatic. I restored the benz 11 years ago but is curently needs some mechanical attention, but soon I will be racing around the roads with her again, WATCH OUT.

My ambulance was used until 1975 in Kunzelsau Germany when the current owner bought it. He drove it several hundred kilometers before putting it in storage for 25 years. The current mileage is 78,000 Km ( 49,500 miles).

It is a 110.005 chassis. These chassis are 400 (16 inches) longer than the standard wheel base cars. It was built by Miesen.

It has some rust. However, there is less that one would expect. It is fairly complete. Most of the pieces you see missing are inside of it. I will have a great deal of fun trying to being it back to original. It is very yellow, not the original color. The original color was a Light ivory to light yellow. I am thinking painting it 158 Light Ivory.

Here is a photograph of my 300SE. I am the third owner of this beautiful car. I use it as my daily driver. It has red leather, a sunroof, and a little over 100,000 miles on it. The paint is worn, the leather torn, but this automobile brings me much driving pleasure. These fintail models don't seem to be very popular in the U.S. but they are my favorite of all Mercedes'.

My name is Drew Tibcken and this is one of my three 300SE LWB's. This car was in storage for 20 years when I found it and is a very nice original example. I had to replace all the airbags and one valve along with the fuel tank and then some major cleaning and routine maintenance items to make her roadworthy. My other two cars are undergoing a very slow restoration process. I live in the US in North Carolina and I love fin cars. I bought my first, a 220b, when I was in high school and haven't been without one since. I enjoy talking with other owners about our cars and welcome any correspondence. I go to Germany once or twice a year with some of my car nut friends to go to cars shows and search for parts.

My name is Karl Wezmar, I'm currently in my hometown of Waverly Pennsylvania, studying autotive techologies at tech school and going part time to Penn State University for bachelors Mechanical Engineering. After turning 16 fours years ago, i drove Mercedes, diesel ones. Thus far I've had a 77 300d, 81 300sd, 86 300sdl, 89 190e 2.6 (gas..too fast for me) and now a 1963 190d (just right.) I had a 95 Audi A6 quattro for 9 months, but it literally came apart and died at 82,000 miles after catching on fire 2 times. For 5 years now, I've been looking for an old mercedes that needed little mechanical work, but moderate cosmetic work. A month ago, I pick up a local paper and look in the car ads for a car for a friend of mine and I come across my car, and it was only 40 miles away..for 1700$!. To my amazement, it only had 107,000 miles. The man selling it was the owner's nephew; he inherited it and had no use. The guys uncle was a diesel engine engineer, so that has to say something as to why he bought this car in germany and brought it here himself. It came from florida, so it never saw salt or snow much to my liking. Although the car can never be all original again, I can go from the east to west coast on 2, maybe 3 fill-ups. Feel free to e-mail me at Wezzy1@aol.com anytime. Be well...Karl Wezmar and "slug"

I have a 190c 1963. I really take good care of it. I have had the car for a couple of years now. Here in my home country Colombia, these W110 are quite popular. Especially from the 65 and up, but mine is a little rare. I have the records of the car since its arrival to Colombia. Only 2 owners before me!

The car was originally in one of those weird Mercedes green with combined interiors Black and red. The owner before me changed the interiors to all black and gave the car a different shade of green, a very dark one almost black. I gave the care the off-white top which I believe brings the car back to life (it was looking too dull only dark green), as well as the white wall tires. The car came with some of the deluxe accessories, most of the trimmings, fog lights which I thought was not common because it was only a 190c. But after I discovered, that apparently those days, it was common here to special order the cars or to add some extra stuff of more luxurious models when they had arrived.

The overall condition of the car is great. Needs little details here and there but looks and runs great. Engine parts and maintenance for these oldies are really affordable down here. Nicely put, these are the advantages of living in a 3rd world country!

Here in my country there's a law that encourages people to have classic cars, cool huh! By law if the car passes a very strict revision and it is determined by a committee that the car really did passed the check up and it is all in original condition you get special tags that exempt you from paying taxes on your car. So I am really working towards that.

I would like to hear from people that have done full or at least some restoration to another 190c. I am looking for some pieces for the interior.

This beauty is completely restaured and in perfect shape..
And 3 years older than his lady driver!

My name is Max Woodruff and I live in England. I bought the car 10 Months ago. It had been dry stored for 28 years. The car was originally Horizon Blue DB 304. I am led to believe that the original owner did not like the colour and had his handyman paint the car its present colour for him. It is a 1965 model 230 automatic with the 6 cylinder engine.The engine did require work on the cylinder head but it did run when I bought it even after 28 years rest.
I am currently having the body resprayed its original colour and rechroming some of the trims.The interior is as new and needs no work at all.
The original registration LUC 641D is not on the DVLA records and I am in the process of trying to obtain a document. The only documentation that I have is the small card with all the cars serial numbers on. Maybe someone out there knows of any previous history on the car. I would be very interested to here from fellow finney fans.

Yours,
Max Woodruff.

Hello:
I am Elvira, and I am Spanish. This is a picture of my brother's car, a Mercedes Fintail 220 SB. I am the owner of a Mercedes Fintails 200 D, (weiss) and I want to say to you that my brother and me are real fans of Mercedes Benz, specially, Mercedes Fintails. We believe that Mercedes is the best car in the world.

Good bye,
ELVIRA.

Note: I am the girl with black and short hair.

This is my 220SEb Coupé, the registration number tells me that it's made in 1960 but I don't think it's true because there were only two made in 1960. It is recently arrived from Italy and I am proud to own it. It has not been restored, it only had a respray once. I use him every week and of course he sleeps inside!

Greetings,

Ric Vergeer.

This is my Heckflosse, his name is Menio.

My name is Chris Johnson, and I'm located in Stagecoach, Nevada USA. I concentrate on W112 cars specifically. Right now I have 16 W112 vehicles, including 4 SWB cars and 5 LWB cars.

Hello there guys!!
My name is Oscar "Devil" On Wheels and let me introduce you my girlfriend and lover. Her name's MayBelline (W111 fom 1963) and we've been together for over three years. I met her in a lonely garage in a little Spanish town called Sant Pere de Ribas (Tarragona) and the first owner didn't ask me much money to take her home with me. There ain't no other pleasure like cruisin' beside the sea on a sunny saturday. That's enough to keep me happy. Keep On M.B.Fintailin' Forever!

Oscar - From Spain.

Hi How you doing? I´m Juan Ramón, spanish and my grandfather had a MB 220-Sb dated 1.959. Unfortunatelly, my grandmother sold it when he died, 29 years ago due lack of use. From this date, though I was very young when that happened, every time I saw a car like this, not very often, I remembered my grandfather´s car and my childhood. Last year I decided to find again this car if still was running. It was a hard work, after 41 years perhaps the car was in a cemetery but is worth try to find it. After several enquiries I found it. It was a big ilusion to know that the car still was alive & kicking in Madrid. Last 8 years the car had been stopped in a parking. I persuaded the owner to sell me the car...It was not very cheap but it was a sentimental question. . In spite the owner changed some things like the engine to Diesel, the rest was in goods conditions, including the same Radio Becker where I listened so many songs, same old Air conditioning Frigiking, etc. Of course the car needs some help, woods, seats, paint, some rush...change the engine, etc, so my work now is leave the car as it was 41 years ago. The picture corresponds the first day I picked up, now is dismantled to repair all defectuous, oxidated or broken pieces and I hope leave it in perfect conditions for this summer. I will send pictures when restaured. Thanks for this page & rgds to all Mercedes fans.

I purchased this car over a year ago and I store it in heated garage. There is over $110,000 in restoration done to this very rare coupe, (only 710 made in 1965). I have won a number of classic car shows and best of class in a concourse show. I really enjoy this car and it is fun to drive. Everyone that sees it is truly impressed by the condition. Everything has been redone, engine, transmission, interior, and exterior. I also have the original wheels and hubcaps, that are in the same condition as rest of the car perfect! I will probably put it up for sale sometime in the near future and start another Mercedes project. If anyone's interested the price will be in the $40,000's and you can email me at rmcevers@aol.com.

Hi there,

my name is Gerardo Cuatepitzi from México city and this is my car.
This is the history...this car was imported to méxico for the embassador of germany in 1965. In 1994 I found the car for sale and after a inspection and driver it...i not could be happy whit out it. Now it's my proudy friend and all my family take care of it, 'cause it's part of my family. The car has only 18 000 kms.

Hello!

greetings from NorthFinland !
Here by my Old Lady she is from 1963 and she has been in Monte Carlo Rally 1964 driver was Onni Vilkas and car  looking well after 38 years  ! 

About three weeks ago, I purchased this 1966 250 SE Coupe (W111). She spent most of her life in Italy, and was brought to America about 12 years ago.
She is completely original, with 68,000 km (about 43,000 miles)... With a small amount of body work, she could be perfect! I'm still trying to find a good name for her, although, my friends refer to her as "Beulah".. I've done minor work (tires/exhaust/fuel injection checkup) and now I use her every day! Love It!

Fred Riss
New York

It is currently in San Leandro (Oakland) California awaiting transport back to Florida. It is all original, having come from the estate of a gentleman who passed away in January of 1996. He was the original owner and lived in Berkeley, California. The car has 105,000 miles on it and is complete for the most part. The only thing missing is the windows! While the car was in storage with the estate vandals broke into the warehouse and smashed the glass out of everything they could find. Fortunately they did not damage the car itself other than the glass, lights and lenses. The car had been moved recently and as a result the driver's window was rolled down, saving it from damage. The body is very clean with a few minor dings. Nothing is missing from the exterior or interior. Even the original Blaupunkt AM/FM/SW radio is intact and operational! Everything on the car is functional and it has been driven. Amazingly enough the air suspension is in very good condition and at last check had supported the car for over 4 days without operating! The only reported problem is a stuck horn circuit, probably a short in the wiring or something that's gotten in between the horn ring and ground. A donor car (1964 220S) has been located in the Bay Area and parts will be salvaged from it to address the missing glass as well as other minor items.

I also have a Web page set up for it at:

http://home.tampabay.rr.com/62300se/

Hello,   
I'm attaching a picture of my 1963 MB_220.  I purchased the car from the 2nd owner in California.  It  has 62,000 original miles.

Don Braaten.                                                                  
Janesville, Wisconsin

Hi,

This is our beautiful 1966 300 SE Coupe. We are her third lucky owners. In 1966 she was purchased by the Monaco Consul and shipped to their consul in Melbourne, Australia. They sold her in 1981 to the gentleman in Sydney that we recently purchased her from. She still has her original service (log) book and information handbook and apart from some cracking of the leather on her seats, she is in excellent condition. Pat and I have always dreamed of owning this exact model and feel very fortunate that we now have a such a fine example of this beautiful automobile. We plan to enjoy her for a very, very long time to come. Happy motoring to all our 'fintail' friends out there!

Ross & Pat
1966 300 SE Coupe

This is my 1966 200 gas automatic.  I bought it six years ago for USD $500, and have replaced the floor panels, overhauled the engine and carbs, and drive it once a week.  I still have some interior work left, but it runs just fine for now. Glad to see a heckflosse site!  If anyone has a decent universal or 300se they want to sell, please let me know! I am located in Texas."

Hi this is a photo of my 1965 220Sb. I live in Canada, and it has 38,000 original miles on it.  It is in incredible original condition as you can see.  I have the first bill of sale since I bought it from the first owners nephew.  It has the factory options of ivory steering wheel, automatic transmission and the original red leather interior in perfect condition. The straight six engine with two carburators starts to purr as soon as you touch the key.    It is kept in a heated dry garage and has never been driven in winter.

This car is so much fun to drive.  It attracts a lot of attention because so many people have memories of that style of car, but have not seen one in years. Please E-Mail me with your comments and experiences.

David Armour

homeinthepark@hotmail.com

Hi, I´m Manuel Martin from Spain. Here is a Picture of my car. It´s a ´63 220Sb. The decoration was for the day I married. It original colour was blue, but a previous owner painted of white colour. Also he changed the gasoline engine by a W115 240D engine, making more economical his use. The first owner was an ambassador in Madrid, and after there has been four different owners. The car runs fine and makes a lot of kilometers by year, but I´m ready to start a complete restoration, including a 6 cylinder gasoline engine, air conditioning and painting of his original colour. It´s a lovely car and you note the quality and comfort of this car when you drive any other car.

Hello !!

I' m frenche and i have also a 220SEB

I am a proud owner of a 1962 Fintail and I am in the process of restoring it. I drive it a couple of days a week and hope to drive it more when it is complete. If you have any advice, I would greatly appreciate it.

Stan,
Sydney, Australia

I live in northern california and the car is a '67 230s sedan.

Adam Laverine.

My name is Ian Millar and this is my 1963 220S sedan. The photograph was taken just last week under the canopy of trees at my house in Sydney, Australia. I live and work as a patent attorney in Hong Kong, but the car now sits on blocks under a custom-made cotton cover back in Sydney. The car is in pristine, concourse-winning condition, having been restored over a 13-year period by her previous owner (a spray painter by profession) to an immaculate showroom standard.
I saw this car about five years ago, when it was advertised for sale, but did not purchase her, as the asking price was high. Instead, I have kept a photograph of her on my desk in Hong Kong.
Finally, on my last trip to Sydney I purchased her, despite the price. She is in beautiful Mercedes Moss Green (acrylic enamel) and the chrome trim has been refinished. She has her original engine and fluid coupling automatic transmission (both completely overhauled and on new rubber mounts). Rebuilt twin Zenith carburetors from a 280S are fitted. She has a highly detailed engine bay and a completely restored interior including pale green (near-white) upholstery and door trim, refinished high-gloss timbers, a new ivory steering wheel and a new dashboard top, new original factory headlining, door, window and boot rubbers and new carpets. There is even custom-fitted carpet in the boot over the original rubber floor mat and on the inside walls of the boot and under the dashboard on a custom-made panel on which discreet speakers for the Becker Mexico tape deck are mounted. Almost every surface has either been refinished or replaced. She has a heavy-grade stainless-steel exhaust system and 14 by 6.5 inch wheels (from a 6.3 or 6.9 litre, SEL ? …with the additional internal cooling blades) and new Continental tyres. I have fitted new Bilstein gas dampers. She starts first time (first crank of the starter motor) and drives smoothly, powerfully and quietly, having specially integrated sound deadening materials under the bonnet and at the firewall. Although I will only see her once or twice a year, she will be carefully maintained and serviced by my friend. She sits alongside her companion, a 1961 190b "roundie" in a similar colour (soon to undergo restoration).

Best regards to all those who admire these wonderful "finnies",
Ian

This is a  photo of the Mercedes my father bought new back in 1960. Its a 220Sb (40 color) that still has all the original interior less the headliner (we replaced it with vinyl instead of the original an stain prone cloth). The seats, the carpets (only in the back), the dashboard, the steering, etc. etc. is all original and in working order. It also has the original Becker Mexico radio with the rare original speaker, the original white steering wheel that is like new, the original clock, etc. I installed some years ago a VDO tach with out making any hole, just to help tuning the engine. The car has the original engine with Mahle pistons of the first measure, Zenit carbs (we have the Solexes in  boxes), four drum brakes. We still have all the manuals of this car. I installed the original (aluminum) bright work to the exterior that once adorned a 300SE, just because I really like the way it looks. The car still has the original spare tyre and I bought a set of Bf Goodrich 7.25X13 Silvertown white walls a few years ago.
The photo is from the Concourse D' Elegance held this year here in Mexico.
Best regards,

Ricardo Peralta

Here is a picture of my W110 which bought last year in Danmark. Its a 230 from 1966 with 6 valves. I dont have so very much informations about the history of this car. Except that it was driven many years by an old man in sweden. Its in a fairly good condition but it will get painted in august. I will do some restaurations by time to time. I will have to find out, where I can buy some spare parts. I enjoy the old way of cruising around and hope you all are doing the same.
Regards
Lars

Hello, this is my 1967 250SE Coupe. I bought it in 1999 in San Jose California where it lived most of its life. I recently painted it to its current scheme (which is not orignal) and converted from the American style headlamps to European Style. Hope you like it!
Eric

This is my first MB but have wanted one for many years. I bought this one from Ebay for less than $1000.00 It needs a some tlc but is solid and will be around for many years to come.

This is a 1967 230 I bought from a place in California on April 2002. And now it found a happy home here in Wisconsin and has been named "El Meche". The body condition is wonderful, it has the original paint, and has no rust at all. The interiors and steering wheel are white. I just installed a Becker Europa, which isn't the same as the original Becker Mexico, but it's close enough. It had some funky audio work made to it by the previous owner, but I'm bringing it back to normal. I won't drive it around here through winter though.

I am enclosing some photographs of my other Mercedes Benz 220Sb. It´s a 1964 model my father bought in 1972 as a "used" car.  It was love at first sight. The fact is that my father gave the previous owner cash and another 220b for this car (a white car with black roof my mother loved). The car has many items of a 280, such as the bumpers, grille, seats, gearbox (with the level in the floor). Once it had a M130 engine complete with oil cooler. Now it has the M180 with the 280 distributor, Zenit carbs, Bosch alternator, etc.  I am planning to install again the 280 engine, maybe this year (I just got a spare cylinder head in good shape).  So, this car is not original, but almost all the modifications are Mercedes. 
Some are as follows:  Becker Europa II radio with 3 speakers with reververance sonic module, 280 seats with headrests, wool cloth and carpets, large Nardi Steering wheel, disc brakes (front only), Cibié rally lights, auxiliary Cibié yellow fog lights, double exhausts (one per 3 cylinders), big flexible fan mounted in 280 water pump, electric fan, electric fuel pump next to the gasoline tank, platinum Bosch spark plugs, Lucas coil, silk cables, aluminum 14' wheels mounted on Toyo tyres or Semperit mounted on steel 14's.   The M180 engine was overhauled with Mahle pistons of the first measure.
This the Mercedes we prefer for long trips, because it has a good cruise speed (it has a 3:90 rear axle instead of the 4:10, also the double exhaust helps a lot and sounds beautiful).  My father drove more that 250,000 kilometers in long trips all over Mexico, with the 280 of course, and my brother and I other 150,000 with the 220S engine.

This ´63 220 SEb Convertible has been restored in the U.S. and was imported into Austria in 2001.  It is now based in Vienna.   Please note the toddler´s seat in the back for Sunday picnics in the Vienna woods. 

I have this car since 1996. After nearly 20 years in a old garage there was a lot to be done. The engine, automatic transmission and brakes are redone. Runs great. Original Dutch registration.

This car was born on January 12 1965, and started it's career in the South of France. It had two previous owners in France, before it was brought to The Netherlands in 1993. Between 1998 and 2000 it underwent an almost complete restoration. The car was repainted in the original Mercedes two tone, Light Grey ( DB 140 ) for the roof, and Graphite Grey ( MB 190 ) for the body.
I have been looking for quite some time for a reasonably good Fintail in Belgium, without any success. After advertising on several Classic Mercedes Sites, in the Wanted Section, I got an email from a private person in Holland, with some pictures. Looking at these pictures, I knew that this one had to be my car. Just to compare, I went to see a few others with some dealers, also in Holland, but they were no match, and for almost the same price.
So, I bought the Heckie.
Since almost al pictures are front and side, I choose to sent the backside picture. It's something different, and as they said in the October '99 issue of the German Magazine Oldtimer Markt, it's " Eine Orgie in Chrom ".

My car is a 1963 220SEb cabriolet, Vin 111.023 120 39550 with a M127.984 engine. With exception of a later model Becker Mexico stereo cassette radio and recored hi-efficiency 3 row radiator with coolant recovery tank, it is a rust free original with 89,000 miles on the odometer. This model car, along with its European headlights is a rare sight here in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Regards,  Gregg Bambo

This 200d was bought by my father (who served in the army) in 1967, and directly importe from Germany to Sidi Ifni, a little spanish colony in the west coast of Africa, the spanish shara. It had the badge IF-740 until spain lost that colony, being then moved by ship to La Coruña (Northwest of Spain), where my father lived. It was re-painted and repaired in 2001. It has 91000 km.

Here you have a photo of my Mercedes Benz Heckflosse.

Hello to the Heckflosse community,                                       
My relation to the Heckflosse goes back to 1967, when my father ordered an new 200 D at the Mercedes-Benz center in my home town of Stuttgart, Germany. I have driven many other "E-Class" models since, but the Heckflosse is something special.
Here's my 200 D Automatic, employed near Stuttgart on August 11, 1967. Built at this date and later, all MBs have the newer steering wheel, mirror and some other details of the successive 1968 "/8" models. Mine is medium blue (a regular color) with cognac interior.
This 200 D has automatic transmission, mechanical sunroof, MB-Tex upholstery and was primarily equipped with white wall tires. Today, I prefer Michelin zX and a white steering wheel, but all other details were maintained up to strict original standards. At now 99.000 kilometers!
Since 1995, I am the 2nd owner driving some 2000 kilometers per year. In July 2002, we participated in the "2000 Kilometer durch Deutschland". At Germany's greatest classic car rallye event, my car colleague Peter and I were 4th in the 1965-72 class.

I wish all other Heckflosse owners the same long-lasting pleasure with this special star,
Dr.Thomas Giesefeld

Hello, we send you this picture - it's our 3.5 SEC - we had buy this car in the early 2000 - its only a second hand car - but this MB travelled first in Monte Carlo City, Switzwerland and Iran... This 3.5 SEC was built in june 1971 with an origine Behr Climat system. We travel every year 10.000 km... with an enormous pleasure ! See you on the road !
Christine & Jacques

Hi this is LADY LUCY, an immaculate 1966 230s Mercedes Benz Fintail. She wears silver with red leather seats and was brought up in the dry climate of Johannesburg, one of the most dangerous cities in the world... one year ago she escape unscathed to Cape Town, the mother city of (South) Africa, where she enjoys regular late afternoon sunset "cruises"...

I was lucky to find a 1963 220Sb automatic which I now use as my daily driver in the small country town of Mudgee, 300 kms north-west of Sydney, Australia. My Benz, called Brunhilde, has done 166,000 miles, and its engine and interior are first class, except for the dash which will need some restoration before long. The original colour was off-white and it was resprayed in silver 16 years ago, and still oooks good. The second owner, from whom I bought the car two months ago, had put a 300SE chrome strip along either side. In some respects I wish that the car was more original, but as finntails are hard to find, and especially in such good condition, I couldn't resist buying it. I eventually intend to construct a website on Brunhilde. I was also lucky to acquire a lot of the paperwork and logbooks so important for a classic car. I would also like to put some white wall Michelins on the car when the current set of tyres start to wear.
Cheers and greetings from Australia
John Broadley

Hi, since 1992 I am owner of a 230 S, first time registered in 1968 in California. When I got the car, it was totally down in technical sight, but perfect and rust free from the chassis. So I started restoring the car for about 6 years, the last and most expensive approvements were done by guenter Lehmann, well known as the best restorer of Fintails in Germany. The original colour is 158 and is has tinted glass, it has MB-tex in black and a kuehlmaster a/c, no opening roof und an automatic transmission from the origin.
More photos of the car can be seen at our stammtisch homepage www.mbsh.de, my car is the one with the german license plates MTK-RW 52 H and as a sign of its original delivery status in California it has kept the US headlamps.

This US version W111 was bought in 1961 from the MB dealer showroom in Manhattan, NY. It was shipped to Manila the following year and has remained with the first owner's family until today.

I've owned my fintail 300SE for about 5 years. I believe this car has been in dry Arizona for most of its life. I've kept it all original, down to the wheels. While it is titled as a '63, it is a '62 by serial #. I would be interested in knowing how many of these 300se W112 cars are still around.

This is my fen mercedes 200D -68,i have had this for 3 years and it just running.I been driving mercedes most all time of my life and i like these old fen-mercedes most attractive.

This is my 190 from 1964.

This is my 220 se . I love this car and grew up with exactly the same model in midnight blue. I never forgave my father for swopping it for a "Golf". I'm from Cape Town in South Africa
Cheers
Pierre Bruwer