1965 Mercedes 190D Wagon
This wagon is a very unique vehicle. My godmother gave me her, knowing that i would know what to do with it :) ... so as the story goes, the wagon was purchased at the dealer in Germany, 1965. The buyer, a embassador, traveled all over india, africa with the wagon. Somehow ended up in the states, with a bunch of parts in the back, and now sits in her delapidated garage with rusted floors and a "blown engine". Currently, I am awaiting drier weather before i remove her from her decade resting spot, and really dig into her and see how much rust damage there is.
Photo Albums
 Intro |
 Initial Tear Down |
Pages/Links:
1965: The Universal Estate By IMA
Exerpt Found from
The Fintail (W110: 1961-1968) Mercedes usually didn't lower itself to following automotive fashion trends. But in 1961, it introduced a new midsize model with…tail fins. Just like a Plymouth or Cadillac. It was also virtually indistinguishable (except for size) from its larger Mercedes sedan brother (which was almost six inches longer).
It's those small tail fins that gave the new W110 sedans their nickname "Fintail." But the fins aren't the major contribution of the W110 to the E-Class legacy. The really important developments included on the W110 were front disc brakes, an automatic transmission and a six-cylinder engine.
Other than the fins, the W110 differed from the Ponton car it replaced by being just over nine inches longer and over two inches wider overall. The hood was shorter than the Ponton's, however, and that left much of the car's extra length in the tail where it resulted in an enormous trunk. Inside, the W110 was exceptionally roomy for its still modest size, and the dashboard notably featured a tall pod directly in front of the driver outfitted with thermometer-style instrumentation (imagine a speedometer that fills up like a fund-raising drive's poster as the car's speed increases).
Under the skin, the W110 carried over the basic suspension and chassis design of the old W120. The front end was still supported by double wishbones, while the rear suspension still consisted of swing axles now blessed with a horizontal spring to help compensate for differences in side-to-side weight distribution.
The W110 hit the market in '61 as 190 and 190D models (sold alongside some versions of the W120 through '62), carrying over the gasoline-fired 80-horsepower, 1.9-liter four and the 2.0-liter diesel four. In '62 an automatic transmission (a semiautomatic four-speed unit) was offered on the 190 for the first time.
For the 1965 model year, the 190's engine grew to 2.0 liters and output snaked up to a full 95 horsepower and the name changed to 200 (the diesel, which already had a 2.0-liter engine, became the 200D). But the big (literally) news was the availability of six-cylinder power for the first time in a midsize Mercedes with the introduction of the 105-horsepower 230. The 2.3-liter OHC six used in the 230 was familiar from the larger 230S sedan, and slightly detuned for use in the smaller W110. Besides the extra power, the 230 distinguished itself with new headlight assemblies that combined the turn signals and headlights into one unit capping the front fenders. Four-cylinder 200 models continued to carry separate round headlights.
Like the Ponton model before it, the small Fintail (as opposed to the larger "S" Fintail) was easily the most popular car in the Mercedes line, accounting for 59 percent of total production. And the ruggedness and economy of the diesel version made it a hugely popular cab around the world. But by 1968, after 622,453 Fintails, it was time for a new car.
W110 "Fin-body" Sedans
| Chassis | Engine | Model | Years | HP | Weight |
| W110.010 | M121.924 I4 | 190c | 1962-65 | 90 | ?? |
| W110.010 | M121.940 I4 | 200 | 1966-68 | 105 | ?? |
| W110.011 | M180.945 | 230 | 1965-66 | 105 | ?? |
| W110.110 | M621.912 | 190Dc | 1962-65 | 60 | ?? |
| W110.110 | M621.918 | 200D | 1966-67 | 60 | ?? |