Time to take W110/111 Fintail saloons more seriously

Sixties Mercedes saloons just look better and better. Long eclipsed by the more dashing W108s, the Fintail cars still have wood trim, vertical speedos and mostly white steering wheels. Yet despite their period Stuttgart charm prices have stayed resolutely flat.

Last January SWVA sold a blue ’63 220S with 52,000 warranted and four owners for only £6250, followed in August by Anglia dispatching a beautifully restored ’64 220S in dark red for £15,960. In March 2016 CCA sold a cracking factory black ’66 230S with red trim for £10,120. These feel very cheap cars now.

As all Mercs from the Sixties and Seventies continue climbing, the ’59 to ’68 110s and 111s have been left in the slipstream of Pagodas and 190SLS. But their familiar silhouette and dinky tailfins mark them out as the definitive Benz of the period and we should be taking them more seriously. However, there are signs of movement in the trade. Cheltenham Motor Works is offering a green ’63 300SE with 53k and full history just out of long-term storage and needing recommissioning for £50k while Auto Cave in Belgium is selling a mint ’64 restored ex-peruvian ambassador 220Sb in metallic grey for £17,350. But the odd cheap one still pops up, like the ’63 220S with PS Autos in Surrey. A straight example needing underside welding, it’s up at just £5000. As the lowest-priced classic Sixties Benz, the Fintail has to be worth a look. Fine examples are currently available at a fraction of what you’d pay to restore one.

VALUE 2012 £9500 VALUE NOW £16k