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The term “cool” is overused a lot in the English vernacular, but if one car I’ve ever discussed on GCFSB could be described as such, it’s this rare Mercedes-Benz 230S estate. Fully restored, in a very fetching color combination, replete with a 4-speed manual gearbox on the column, it doesn’t get much better than this for the five-door enthusiast. These estates were produced by IMA in Belgium, who were producing knock down kits of Mercedes sedans, as well. I have a personal connection to the W111 chassis 230S, as my father used to own a 230S sedan with a 4-speed manual on the floor years ago. Could this 230S be the ultimate chariot in which to carry the family to the country club?
Even when you consider their historical involvement in motorsports, there are some Mercedes-Benz vehicles which, on the surface, seem ill-suited to racing. Such is the case with this rally prepared 1967 230 for sale in California. The Mercedes tradition in my family began with a 1962 190C, so I have a soft spot for these W110s. The late 1960s would spell the end for the Heckflosse, or Fintail, but today, they are one of the most accessible Mercedes-Benz classics to be had.
The 912 had a fairly short run as Porsche’s entry-level coupe. Though it had a lot of early success and seemed well liked, its appeal seems to have waned rather quickly and after a short 5 year production run it was replaced by the 914 as Porsche’s cheapest offering. It did reappear for one year as Porsche transitioned from the 914 to the 924, but it is that first run that was most interesting. Perhaps the 912 simply was too similar to the 911, a trait that now stands as one of its best features, and as Porsche released the 911T the writing on the wall was clear, the 912 would be replaced. Nearly identical in appearance to the 911, the 912 used a 1.6 liter flat-four derived from what had been standard in the 356. This smaller and lighter engine had the effect of creating a more balanced chassis relative to the 911 and early 912s were reputed to handle better than their more expensive sibling. On the short-wheelbase models produced from 1965-1968 those dynamic differences were at their most pronounced. In 1969 Porsche decided that with the release of the 914 and 911T that production of the 912 would no longer be viable and the model was discontinued. Here we have what looks like a very nice example of one of the short-wheelbase models: a Bahama Yellow 1967 Porsche 912 Coupe, located in Oregon, with 58,516 miles on it.
We tend to focus a lot on low mileage, mint condition examples of our favorite German vehicles here at GCFSB, but we can also appreciate original cars with patina to remind us how things once were. The Mercedes-Benz 230S was the car that started my fascination with the Three Pointed Star, as my father owned one shortly before my birth in the 1970s. His 230S was a 1967 just like this car we see here for sale in Missouri, except his was black over palomino with a 4-speed manual on the floor. This particular 230S we’re featuring today was originally a German market car that found its way to the US in the late 1980s.
Volkswagen specials are nothing new; cheap, reliable and easy to obtain parts, the basic construction of the original Beetle has been the basis for numerous custom hot rods and replicas. One of the more interesting, though, didn’t come from Germany at all. Built from the remnants of the DKW-Vemag custom business in Brazil of making modified DKWs, Puma was launched in 1967 now with Volkswagen underpinnings instead of the now Volkswagen subsidiary DKW. The look of the new coupe – dubbed the 1600 GTE – was reportedly based upon the Lamborghini Miura, though hints of other Italian exotics certainly show through. Still, as with most of these customs, finding a nice one you’d actually drive it pretty unlikely. But the seller of this custom custom went to great lengths to mimic Ferrari inspiration, and I have to say the results are impressive:
