The W110 "Fintail" (German: Heckflosse) was Mercedes-Benz's line of midsize four-cylinder automobiles in the mid-1960s. The line was introduced with the 190c and 190Dc sedan in April, 1961, replacing the W120 180c/180Dc and W121 190b/190Db. The W110 line was refreshed in July, 1965 to become the 200 and Diesel 200D (model year 1966 for North America); at the same time, a six-cylinder 230 (successor to the Mercedes 220) became part of the W110 line. Production lasted just three more years, with the W115 220 and 220D introduced in 1968. This was the first series of Mercedes cars to be extensively crash tested for occupant safety.
First Series (1961-1965)[]
The 190c replaced the W120 180c/180Dc and W121 190b/190Db as Mercedes-Benz's line of less-expensive four-cylinder sedans. The "D" denoted a Diesel engine, a technology pioneered by Mercedes-Benz and championed despite widespread derision in the motoring press.
Models[]
| Chassis code | Years | Model | Engine | Number built |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W110.010 | 1961–1965 | 190c | 1.9 L M121 I4 | 130,554 |
| W110.110 | 1961–1965 | 190Dc | 1.9 L OM621 Diesel I4 | 225,645 |
Second Series (1965-1968)[]
The second series of 4-cylinder cars lasted just a few years. Production of the new 200, 200D and 230 models commenced in July, 1965, at the Sindelfingen plant. All three cars ended production in 1968 with the introduction of the W115 220 and 220D.
Models[]
| Chassis code | Years | Model | Engine | Number built |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W110.010 | 1965–1968 | 200 | 2.0 L M121 I4 | 70,207 |
| W110.011 | 1965–1968 | 230 | 2.3 L M180 I6 | 40,258 |
| W110.110 | 1965–1968 | 200D | 2.0 L OM621 I4 | 161,618 |
Estate car[]
An estate car version of the 230S four-cylinder-engined car was introduced in 1965 and achieved modest success in certain markets including Germany, Belgium and the UK. The car was actually the result of a conversion carried out by the Mechelen based company Société Anonyme pour l'Importation de Moteurs et d'Automobiles (IMA) which was already assembling saloon version of the cars from CKD kits and which was also the Belgian Mercedes-Benz importer. With the reduction in tariffs that followed the development of the EEC, small scale assembly of this kind within the EEC but outside Germany no longer made sense, and assembly of the Mercedes-Benz cars at Malines stopped in 1973, by which time the plant had assembled 78,568 four-cylinder Mercedes-Benz cars based on the W111 and its successor model.G
Gallery[]
.jpg "Cars at Southend (6).jpg (232 KB)")