220sb

[subman60]

In the mid 80s I owned a mid 60s 220sb. I've talked to people about it and looked on the net but can't seem to get much info about the sb. Were they a rare car?

[compu_85]

Some info here: The Mercedes Heckflosse (or Fintail) Homepage

[meltedpanda]

love the fintails!

[wbain5280]

They made lots if them, my chassis number is in the 180,000 range.

[strelnik]

Originally Posted by wbain5280

They made lots if them, my chassis number is in the 180,000 range.

The 220Sb was the mix of the last ponton carburetted motors + new fintail body. They are a wonderful mix of the 50's design respect for the motoring car, made for short and for long trips before the Autobahn and faster speeds were everywhere.

The car was made to cruise about 55 although it would do 70.

Not economical, made as land yachts for the burgeoning upper middle class of the 1960s.. Later models such as the 230S (the great utility player in the line-up) and the 250 series were the last of the carburetted cars with an inline six, as DB started to move toward larger engines and electronic fuel injection.

For those of you who didn't know, the US imposed a limitation of twenty years on Germany and DB before they could make certain displacements and styles of engines, which is why there are no eight-cylinder MB passenger cars until 1964-65.

The 220 and its successor 220SE models filled the gaps.

Great cars and part of the evolution of the Mercedes line-up, when people actually considered lineage and history important (my two cents).

[subman60]

It was a great car to drive. It had some body rot and lots of miles, over 300,000. I'd just graduated from college and could not aford to keep it up. Thats why it's gone.