Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
I hope you like yellow. I always seem to go hot and cold on the color, and honestly that is because it entirely depends on what car it is. Last week we saw a very rare 1999 Mercedes-Benz SL500 sell for a bunch of money and I’m certain if that car was black, it wouldn’t have sold for that price. However, whenever Designo gets involved, they seem to turn the dial up a few notches. That was the case with this 1998 SLK 320 Kompressor up for sale in Italy. Hold on.
Walking past the Mercedes-Benz dealer the other day, it struck me that there’s not a single car in the lineup that is appealing to me, save for the AMG GT. Sure, the Geländewagen hasn’t changed much in the grand scheme, but its festooned with more chrome and lights than Studio 54 these days. Looking back to a car like this 1967 230, I’m reminded of how Mercedes could get it right, even while employing a styling gimmick such as tail fins. Known as the Heckflosse, or Fintail, in German, this car we see here for sale in California represents the end of the run for the W110, a sedan phased out in 1968. My father owned a very early W110, a 1962 190C 4-speed manual, and this 230 brings back fond memories of that machine.
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 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230 we featured earlier this month is back up for sale once again, this time at no reserve. If you’ve been wanting to delve into the realm of vintage Mercedes but find yourself on a budget, there are few better place to start than with this fintail.
With the explosion of SUVs in the Mercedes-Benz lineup, we tend to forget there was a time when the mainstay utilitarian vehicle in the product lineup was the T-model, more commonly known on these shores as the wagon. While the first factory wagons from Mercedes-Benz were the W123s in the late 1970s, there were a few coachbuilt examples that appeared before that. One of these was the Universal model based on the W110 chassis. This example for sale in California gives the five-door fan a rare chance at combining classic Mercedes looks with the utility of an estate.
