The Mercedes W110 190c/200/230 fintail (1961 – 1968)
When the first Mercedes W110 four-cylinder model was launched in 1961, it was the logical continuation of a new concept introduced already two years earlier with the six-cylinder 220b series. A whole new line of vehicles was to be built on the same platform and with a body that was identical on all cars from the A-pillar backwards. Naturally not all customers were willing to follow that idea, but was initially not really anticipated.
Internally the new 190c and 190Dc Benz were called Mercedes W110 and compared with their ponton predecessors they were now fairly big cars. The bodies of the four- and six-cylinders differed only in the length of the front, which was shorter on the smaller vehicles, as their engines needed less space.
It was the first time in the Mercedes history that car owners had complained, the four-cylinder versions looked too close to their own more expensive six-cylinder models. This had happened before, albeit to a lesser extent, with Mercedes ponton owners. In order to avoid similar complaints with the new fintail and its uni-body style, Daimler-Benz made the front look different by installing instead of the signature vertical headlights single round ones. Designers also used the four-cylinder ponton’s indicators on top of the fenders. And the bumpers looked now different, as they did not have the over-riders of the six-cylinder Benz.
Design considerations aside, the public loved the new Mercedes W110 vehicles for their space, comfort and superior road holding capabilities This was naturally no surprise as the chassis was shared with the larger 220b series. All the latest safety features, a hallmark of the six-cylinder vehicles, were of course also incorporated into the design of the Mercedes W110 series. The closeness of the different line of cars caused a bit of unwanted internal competition, as the 190c was almost as fast, yet much cheaper than the entry-level six-cylinder 220b. Except for the front both cars were otherwise absolutely identical, interior included.
One year after the introduction of the Mercedes W110 a newly developed four-speed automatic transmission became available. Other improvements had only been minor. Another three years later a successor to the 190c was unveiled. Aside from some minor alterations, the new 200 body remained more or less the same. The front turn lights were now located underneath the headlights. They had the same form as the fog lights, which were previously available on the 190 as an option. In Europe, they also incorporated now small fog lights as standard equipment. For the US these were only turn lights. Fog lights were not anymore on the options list. At the rear the chrome on top of the fins had been removed. Instead there were now two chrome bars underneath the rear lights and one running along the whole body underneath the trunk lid.
But it was not only the body of the Mercedes W110 that received improvements, also the engines were upgraded. Instead of previously three, both cars had now five crankshaft bearings, which made especially the diesel run noticeably quieter under load. While the diesel’s output was unchanged at 55 hp, the petrol engine’s was increased from 80 hp to 95 hp by raising the compression and increasing the cylinder bore.
When production of the 200 series was discontinued in 1968, the body was almost eight years old. Yet the Mercedes W110 enjoyed such a reputation that sales did not suffer during the last years. While some 130,000 units of the Mercedes 190 could be sold, the petrol driven 200 could still manage to find around 70,000 buyers from mid 1965 to early 1968. In both cases the diesel was more popular with some 225,000 units sold of the 190Dc and still a respectable 162,000 of the 200D. From 1961 to 1968 both series combined found 628,282 buyers. In the Mercedes history the fintail Mercedes W110 managed to become the best-selling Mercedes vehicle during the two decades that followed World War II.
