1968 Mercedes 230 Fintail

1968 Mercedes-Benz Other

I've owned the car for 3 years and have maybe put 4k miles on it. I own several cars and am thinning the herd to make way for another toy. I just didn't drive it all that much. I take it out on nice days a couple times a month. The longest trip I've taken in it was to Pittsburgh, 500 miles roundtrip, and had no issues. I bought it from a guy in Ohio who bought it from Mel Ramos, a famous? Pop Art painter who was closely associated with Andy Warhol. I have the original title with Mel Ramos's name on it. I dare you to Google his name (NSFW).

The car has never been hit, other than a couple quarter-sized dings on the bumper. I did recently paint the hub caps in correct 034-Hellblau color.

I do have the record book showing the first owner's repair records, as well as all the records of the work that's been performed since I've owned it. The service records indicate low mileage, and the 2nd owner (who I bought it from) only got to enjoy it for 6 months before being relocated to Europe. The lack of rust and the condition of the underside lead me to believe the 44k mileage is correct.

The body is in great shape. I took two photos showing the visible rust: some bubbling under the right rear wheel arch, and one spot on the right front rocker panel. The car has been in a heated garage since I've owned it and I don't take it out if rain is in the forecast. I've ran magnets around the entire body and there is no known filler. The underside is in great condition, although my photos don't do it justice. It appears it was coated underneath, possibly from the factory (as there is blue paint over the coating). Per the VIN plate, the paint code is 034 - Hellblau. I did recently repaint the hubcaps with the correct paint. Despite the photo I took of the VIN plate, where there is some surface rust, the engine bay is actually really clean. There's a couple spots of surface rust in the trunk, but its very limited (no holes, no cancer), primarily near the seams.

Under my ownership, a lot has been done: I had the bottom end rebuilt, as it had a blown connecting rod bearing in cylinder 2 when I bought it. It runs great now and pulls strong in the hills. It's had new wheel cylinders, new clutch, new guibo installed. All of this work was done by Dave's Classic Cars in Baltimore, Maryland. Dave specializes is vintage german cars, with a particular bent towards Unimogs and old SLs. I had planned on putting a/c in it and have many of the parts to do so. It's got some small dents and scratches, and some little white spots on the passenger side where the paint is gone, but the primer remains - I'm guessing the previous owner had it under an open-air car canopy and the passenger side bore the brunt of the weather. These are little spots, the size of a pinhead, but they run the entire length of the passenger side. I contemplated painting them, but opted to leave it original. It needs new carpet (the rear passenger carpet has a small hole in it, and the rest of the carpet is rather worn), new rear seat cover (sun cracked on the top), driver door check repaired (door opens and closes fine), new heater vent lever, and new windshield and rear passenger seals (neither leak, but they are crusty). It's a hard to find 4 on the floor model - which is what I spent over a year trying to find. The transmission shifts perfectly. It's got a 2.2 liter M180 6 cylinder gas motor, so it can cruise easily at highway speeds. It spent most of its life in California so the rust is limited to a small section of the passenger rocker. It's got less than 1k on 4 new tires. If I were to keep it, I'd put in an electronic dizzy, and switch out the Zenith carbs for Webers. Then I'd tackle the interior (window and door seals ~$800, rear seat cover ~$440, new carpet ~$520). My friends encouraged me to lower the vehicle, and though I did not acquiesce, included with the car are 4 Fox-bodied Ford Mustang springs, which are a direct fit for someone who wants to go static. Personally, I enjoyed the comfortable suspension - it feels like driving a tank on a pillow. You can steer this car with one finger.

• Condition: Used
• Make: Mercedes-Benz
• Model: Other
• Year: 1968
• Mileage: 44,000
• VIN: 230037371
• Color: Blue
• Engine size: 2.2 liter gas
• Number of cylinders: 6
• Fuel: Gasoline
• Transmission: Manual
• Drive type: RWD
• Interior color: Tan
• Options: Cassette Player
• Vehicle Title: Clear
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