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Fintail buyers guide
Mercedes-Benz had slowly recovered production, reintroducing pre-war models (mainly the 170), then moving on to new developments. Those were, amongst others, the 220, the 300 “Adenauer” and the Ponton. The idea of the “brick shape” ponton design, where hoods and fenders would not be individual items but an integrated part of the whole body had just struck the automotive industry and in the US, designers had moved way further ahead by designing more and more extravagant cars. We all know the apogee of this is –arguably – best expressed in the gigantic design of the ’59 Cadillacs.
Of course this trend did not go unnoticed in Stuttgart and the designers inspired themselves from Detroit. Right in line with the saying “Eleganz ist, in Rufweite hinter der Mode zu bleiben” (“elegance is to stay within calling distance behind fashion”), they created a Mercedes limousine that showed a very trendy outfit for a company renowned for its conservatism. Most people will agree that there has never been a Mercedes closer to fashion and trends than the fintail series.
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Nb. We will be discerning between three basic models throughout this text. The W110, the “small” fintail, the W111, the “big” fintail and the W112 (the 300SE). all the details and other models will follow step by step but this is the general identification scale.
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| W110 | W111 | W112 |
The fintail sedans were introduced in August 1959, with the models 220b, 220Sb, 220SEb, all being W111’s. BTW the b is only taking place to state the difference between the fintail 220S and the ponton 220S and does not appear on the trunk badge, for instance. The 220b was the replacement for the Ponton 219, while the other two replaced the earlier models of same appellation. The 220b was supposed to be the bottom line six cylinder model, and in that it had small taillights (the same later used on the W110’s) and a single rear bumper, plus less chrome trim. Early b’s didn’t even have the chrome hub rings or the chrome grill at the ventilation air intake in front of the windshield.
b and Sb had the M180 2.2 liter engine initially used in the 220 and then the Ponton, the SEb had the M127, an evolution of the ponton M127 engine with more power. The b had smaller carburetors and less power than the Sb, which was also the most bought of the three. The SEb had mechanical fuel injection which resulted in an extra 10 HP.
In 1961, the W110’s were introduced. The 190c and Dc had the same bodywork as the W111’s from the firewall onwards, but the front (wheel wells, hood and fenders) was six inches shorter and there was a lot less chrome trim and luxury, inside and outside. Single bumpers front and back, round headlights, turn signals on the fenders, small taillights and almost no chrome at all. The interior had black bakelite plastic wherever the 111’s would have wood.
While they were supposed to replace the 180, 180D, 190 and 190D ponton, models those were continued until late 1962, probably for the more conservative customers.
Then, still in 1961, the 300SE W112 came out. Again, in the spirit of a common platform and shell, the 300SE had the same body as the W111’s but with lots and lots of additional chrome and wood. Chrome stripes are carried along the side of the car, the trunk badge is framed, the ventilation decors on the C pillar say “300SE”et caetera. Inside, there’s wood, velours and vinyl everywhere. The 112 was also available as a long wheelbase version which would give an additional four inches of legroom to the back seat. It wasn’t labeled as such but this car is the genuine ancestor to all “SEL” cars Mercedes has sold throughout the years.
Also, engine and drivetrain were quite exceptional: with a complicated air suspension system, and an aluminum engine (derived from the Adenauer engine) with mechanical fuel injection, it showed everything that the most modern technology could offer. (The only way to top this extravaganza was to buy a 600 but that’s a different story.)
In 1965, the next generation of Mercedes cars was presented. The common platform philosophy had not found too much applause with the more exclusive Mercedes customers because at first glance their 300SE was not necessarily discernable from the farmer’s Diesel. Of course, on the other hand, for the bottom line customers this was a blessing because the 190’s had the spacious interior and much of the drivetrain in common with the more expensive models.
So the break had to be made again. As of the summer of 1965, the top of the line was now the 108 model. The “big” fin 220Sb lived on with a re-bored engine as the 230S, and the W110’s got some trim items changed and added which made them look a little less cheap and basic than the 190’s came along. This concept had already succeeded on the pontons, where the 190 line was basically a 180 with added chrome trim and modified mechanics.
The 300SE was dropped completely and replaced by the infamous W108 300SEb which was only available for two years.
An exception to the rule "small fin = four cylinder, big fin = six cylinder" was the 230, supposed to be the replacement of the 220b as a cheap six cylinder model. It was a W110 shell with the six cylinder engine, first with less power but as of 1966 with the same engine as the 230S, which made the smaller and lighter car a sleeper with its exterior that was shouting “Diesel”.
In parallel, “specials” were built. From 1960, a 220SEb coupe and a cabriolet were available. They were designed based on the limousine but the two-door setup made the car much more slim and elegant. As of 1962, the two door cars were also available as 300SE coupe and cab, again with additional chrome trim and exclusive details. Unlike the fintail sedans, the two doors were carried on until 1972 as the models 250SE, 280SE and 280SE 3.5 – with subsequent modifications mostly to the front grille area. I guess it’s safe to say they remain amongst the most popular Mercedes-Benz cars ever built.
Other unusual cars were the Universals, station wagons based on either the 200, 200D, 230 or 230S. They were available through the dealer network in 1966 and 1967 and were built by IMA in Belgium. There were other coachbuilders who built wagons and ambulances but they were never sold by Mercedes-Benz directly and not in significant numbers.
The last exotic fintail to mention is the 200D seven-seater Pullman (or LWB, long wheelbase) limousine. This was supposed to be an “airport taxi” for hotels and limo services, but with the heavier elongated body the 2 liter diesel engine would not deliver any noticeable acceleration. Those cars remain very rare though and are rather interesting to look at.
The main focus of the following discussion will remain on the 110 and 111 sedans. Noticeable facts about the 300SE and the two door cars will come up but I have too little experience with those. If you have (Drew?), why don’t you add your knowledge to this page?
To check out a car, always carry the following with you:
Now to the facts. Let’s start with what all the cars have in common:
NOW: There are three major points on the body to check on any fintail car: Rust, rust and rust.
The concept of integrated car shells was quite new back then in the automotive industry, and while they quickly caught up on how to design a sheetmetal construction to make it stronger and stiffer, nobody was trying to elaborate this on a long-term timeline and any areas that are not painted in the final paint process simply had the zinc coating it got after the sheetmetal forming process. The result is fatal for many many fintails: they simply rust to death.
The reason for that is simple: the self-supporting construction of the body shell requires a great number of boxed and closed profiles, like the rocker panels and other support members. Anytime surrounding air gets trapped in a relatively closed environment (like those profiles), water will condense while the temperature changes over days, weeks, and months. Also, any dust and dirt that gets into those areas will remain there and capture additional moisture.
And what do we get from that? Rocker panels that let you see the street from the driver seat, wheel wells that will rust from inside out, non-existent crossmembers and removable headlights.
While this may seem like pushing a little farther than reality, the fact remains that there are no rust-free fintails out there. You can be lucky and find a California car that will have two quarter sized rust areas or you can find a cosmetically nice sedan that will turn out to have more bondo than sheetmetal on its body. I know what I’m talking about, I have both in my garage.
NOW: What we want to do is look for traces of a collision. dings and scratches are ok, as well as simple sheetmetal damage (depending on your expectation regarding the exterior and the amount of money you'd be willing to invest). The killer will be any damage done to the main frame and drivetrain supports. Another picture to illustrate what I mean:
The exception to this is the 300SE; it has an aluminum engine (inline six, not Aluminium V8) and judging from their price you'd think its parts are made of iridium plated platinum. Don't touch the 300's except if you have the money and the patience.
Soo.... before you turn the key, look under the hood. first off, check the upper radiator hose's temperature. if its warm, the car has been warmed up before you arrived because it has a cold start problem. this can be an issue on the late version carb engines (Zenith carbs with automatic chokes) and the SE's because they have a complicated cold start setup, or it just has the plain old "bad tuning". Also, make sure you don't see any pink plug wires, butchered connections or other stuff that looks weird. on a six cylinder carb engine it should look like this:
These are the Zenith carbs mentioned earlier. Earlier versions of that engine had Solex carbs that are much "skinnier". Now, open the screwed lid on the valve cover (see note 1). look inside, you'll see a portion of the camshaft. it should look nice caramel brown and not show too much wear. open the radiator, take a look. Is water in there (you'd be surprised!), what does it look like? we're not trying to find any defects but merely trying to get a general idea of the car's condition.
now, (finally) fire it up. look into the rearview mirror to check the amount of smoke emanating at cold start. On the gas engines, it shouldn't be too much. How much? oh well, you'll know if it's too much. let the car warm up and stand in front of it, listening. they do a number of clicks and clacks but it should sound healthy. A loud taka-taka-tak-tak-takatak tells you one of the rods blew a crankshaft bearing. Ask to be excused and go home. Listen to the idle speed, too. a high idle speed can indicate either badly set carbs or some other problem that makes the engine stall at correct idle.
As soon as the upper radiator hose gets warm grab the throttle linkage and revv the engine. again, no unusual sounds should arise. Take off the crankcase ventilation hose (again, see note 1 above). If it looks like a mississippi steamer you have a serious amount of blowby. not a killer criteria, it's not like the engine is going to break down within a thousand miles, but it does announce an engine rebuild will be necessary at some point in the future. If the car has automatic transmission, take the oil dip out, check the level and - smell. If it has a disgusting smell like burnt-something the fluid is bad. your call whether the PO just negliged it or if there's a deeper problem. If you're in doubt, back off.
And last, the automatic transmission. These critters are amazing. It is basically an analog computer with ATF as the operator. If you have a chance, take a look at the assembly drawings in the parts book. it's a number of metal plates with hundreds of recesses, channels and holes that will process the gear to select. The inputs are engine speed, car speed, gas pedal position (via the intake vacuum) and gear selector position. Did I mention it will always start in second gear unless you force it into first (by kickdown, or by putting the gear selector lever on "2")? besides, it only has a hydraulic clutch and not a torque converter so be tolerant with it. you'll find it shifts dodgily and that's just what they do. it will jump from second into fourth and surprise you a number of times with it's behavior. nothing to worry, as long as it shifts promptly and doesn't shake (car shake at start).
Let's check some things out while we're driving. on a parking lot or similar, pull the car straight at slow speed and take your hands off the wheel. it should go on straight. if it pulls to one side it needs either a front end alignment or new brakes. check the brakes at varying pedal pressures. it should always stop accurately and not pull to one side. stop the car with your right foot and stay on the pedal. if it falls slowly to the floor, you need a new master cylinder or more. Firmly pull back the handbrake and lift your foot. the handbrake should hold the car against the transmission in D or a fair amount of clutch on the manuals.
Now, drive it at both suburban and highway speeds. A scratching cra-cra-cra-cra in turns announces the need for a new wheel bearing somewhere. A loud whining tells you the differential is gone. they do that. (the little "wheeeee...." on automatics when you drive off a stop is perfectly OK though). Oh and yes, if it doesn't have power steering it's a bitch to move the steering wheel at slow speeds. Works the biceps.
When you're somewhere between 30 and 50 miles per hour, shift down one gear and revv the engine. Keep your eyes on the rearview mirror and lift your foot abruptly. If you get something that looks like James Bond just pressed the "smoke screen" button we have a problem. if the smoke is oily blue, it's most probably the vacuum diaphragm that is torn. this little critter sits on the transmission and converts the intake vacuum/pressure into a fluid vacuum/pressure as an input for the transmission. if it's torn the engine will suck ATF into the intake any time you'll lift your foot. that's a $20 easy fix.
However, if the smoke is foggy white, we have a leaking head gasket because the engine sucks water into the cylinders. Back off unless you know you can fix it. This is a few hours of work or big money.
OK you're done. if you still feel good about the car after driving it, there's a few things left to check on the drivetrain. First off, shut down the engine, get out. Crouch down in front of a front wheel, grab its top with your hand and let yourself violently fall back as if you wanted to tear off the wheel. If there is any noticeable movement in the wheel there's a problem in the kingpin assembly. ($$$$) Next,put both hands on the front fender above the headlight and weigh in with all your weight like you wanna make it touch the ground. Do it on both sides. If it squeaks like a little piggy, the pivot pins of the control arms have not seen grease in a long time (they need service every 3000 miles) and are rusted. This calls for a front end rebuild as in my opinion, rusty pivots are a safety issue. your call. in any event, it means the car has been neglected and none of the twelve grease nipples have gotten any attention in the last few years.
To check a little more on them nipples, turn the steering wheel fully to one side and look into the fender. you'll see the brake in the wheel, the brake hose, spring and shock, and upper and lower control arm. there's a number of grease nipples on all that (three on the kingpin, two on each pivot pin and one or two others I can't think of right now). put your fingers where they are. put your fingers on the joints between moving and fixed parts. if you have fingers full of grease, you do have a dirty hand now but nevertheless you're happy because the car was properly serviced at least in the recent past.
Next, look under the car from behind. On top of the differential you'll see either a spring or some sort of hydraulic cylinder. If it has the cylinder and the rear end is sagging you've been hit by the hydropneumatic compensation spring virus. These critters are supposed to keep the rear end of the car leveled at any load. They do a fine job but they do break and are virtually unfixable. The replacement is a four dollar figure you have to unload at your local MB shop. The cheap fix is to swap it for the coil spring taken off a parts car or from your favorite junkyard.
One last detail to check: What kind of wheels does it have? THe original wheels were thirteen inch size (Universals had fifteen inch, that was available as an option on the other cars too). The fourteen inch wheels from the 108 and the fifteen inch wheels from the 114/115 and later models do fit the cars without modification. The bundtcake wheels go on them as well. In the end you should decide whether the wheels are OK and what you want your car to look like. I prefer the original thirteen inch wheels but that's just me.
First off, let's split the easy one off: the 300SE had four disc brakes and a dual circuit brake system during all of its lifetime. No changes were made here.
However, in the beginning the W110's and W111's had a single circuit brake system and drum brakes all around. The w110's and the 220b did not have a brake booster (it was an option). From April 1962, 220Sb and 220SEb had disc brakes in the front. From August 1963, Sb and SEb had dual circuit brakes. From September 1963, the W110's and the 220b had disc brakes and a brake booster. Got it? Re-read the last paragraph if unsure :)
So technically, you should go for a car that was produced in late 1963 or later. That car would have the best brake setup that was available on those cars. In any event, don't make this the only decisive argument. You gotta take what you get. Sure, the drum brakes are dodgy, discs are safer and the single circuit brakes might feel unusual in today's standards, but they are good cars and you're not gonna race them. (And if you do you'll drop in a 108 rear end with disc brakes anyway).
Of course there's always the possibility of a retrofit towards a later front end with disc brakes. It's basically an R+R operation; don't miss the opportunity to change the subframe mounts if you do that. The modification from single to dual circuit brakes is something I wouldn't try though. It involves heavy modification of the brake system and in the end you'll have a hacked car. Go for a dual car up front if you want that, you'll be better off.
The most important point about the interior will be what state it's in. You'll hardly find a fabric interior that is still in presentable shape, they are R.A.R.E.! A vinyl or leather interior will likely have been reupholstered in more or less satisfying quality. Again, it's your own call to decide whether you want the car perfect and original or just nice. Let me just say that there are NO, absolutely positively NO upholstery or door panel items available through Mercedes-Benz. The dashpad is available in black, and that's about it. So my advice is, make sure it's halfway decent in there.
While you're inside, check the top of the transmission tunnel directly under the heater core for moisture. You'll most probably have to remove the cardboard cover that should somehow still be there after fourty years. There are two small hoses at the bottom of the heater box and you need to take the heater out to change them. As you need to take half the dash apart for that, nobody does it, so they will either seep like hell or blow one day. Neither is satisfying, as well as driving without heat isn't. Check the blower motor as well, it's the same procedure as for the hoses to get to it and they are expensive to replace.
Also, make sure the seats move properly in their adjusting rails. The driver seats tend to stick on high mileage cars. Oh and does it have an armrest (a single, not the double 108 style) and the center cushion? Taht was an option that makes the car a six seater.
As for the options, there were dozens and dozens available. The most common being power steering and automatic transmission. I recommend you find a car with PS or get the parts and have it retrofitted. They are so much nicer to drive! shifter or slushbox is stricly your call, no objection either way. Otherwise, the options mostly are gimmicks to make life nicer so you can live without them or not. Head rests are very unusual and sought after. A radio should be a hybrid tube/transistor Becker or Blaupunkt if claimed original. Becker Mexico and Blaupunkt Koln were the common ones, and on the 300's it would be a Becker Grand Prix.
A sliding sunroof is really nice in my opinion, an electric one would be extreeeeeeeemely rare. They did it though, like, in 1968 on the last five cars or so. I've seen it. Rear window defroster, rare rare rare. tinted glass, very nice and not quite so rare. The options for front, side and back were separate so having only the windshield tinted is perfectly OK, factory-wise. OH, BTW: Personally I would not recommend a car with air conditioning, as the early compressors caused excessive crankshaft wear and will cause engine problems in the long term (bearings). Your call.
One thing to note about late cars is that they adopted many details of the 108 series. For instance, the interior door latch on late 67-early 68 cars will be the square 108 type and not the round 111 type. Incidentally, late 110's went back to the ponton style fishing hook... Go figure. Also, those late cars will have a plastic rearview mirror instead of the chrome 111 one. Some very late cars even had some of the dash buttons changed to the 108 style (flat 1" diameter instead of 111 style 1/2" tulip shaped).
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