Finding the birthdate of your fintail

[joshhol]

It's just a theory but this is my guess.

Based on the production figures here: http://www.heckflosse.nl/prod4.htm, I think you can find the approximate birth month of your fintail.

Take David's finback that he almost bought. It was listed as a '65 but discovered to be a '63 based on astute observation by the board.
If the VIN/Chassis number is 111 012 12 092380, we might say this is the ninetysecond thousand, three hundred and eightyeth 220Sb built from 1959 on. If you add the production figures for 220Sb's from 1959-62, you have 92,224 Sb's built up until the end of '62. If "David's" is the 92380 built, it is the 156th built in 1963. Given they built 26,236 in '63, divide the total by work weeks- 52- you get about 500 a week or 100 a day based on a five day workweek.

If this theory is at all plausible, that fintail was built on the second work day of 1963.

There are too many unknowns to make this accurate so I would say January to be safe. Variables such as if they worked 5,6 or 7 days a week; the number of national holidays; if they staggered vactations for workers to keep the factory open every week, if the model year corresponded with calendar year, and how much production levels were changed throughout the year.

One reason I think this may be remotely functional is that my fin has serial number 104516. That puts it end of May '63 production date, the purchase invoice that I have was dated the middle of June.
However, now that I think about it, the model year beginning a few months before the end of the previous calendar year probably throws this whole idea in the garbage.

Can anyone say what that month is? Is it around Sep. as my 108 has a Sep '72 production date but is listed as a '73?

[Benzcrusher]

Model year of a car is an American invention. The German system was vehicle model, ie 220Sb... I think it was the start of the /8's that MB mimiced the US system. Under the US system, MB model year cycles ran from what I can gather, July to December, January to June.. So your 9/72 manufactured car is a US 1973 model while a 6/72 would be a 1972 model. On the early US model Heckflossen that I had or looked at, the data plate on the radiator support has a box "Year of Manufacture" and the year is stamped in it..
In Germany, more weight is placed on date of manuacture and date of first registration.

Try contacting MB Classics division with your VIN, they should be able to tell you exactly when your car was made...