Mercedes-Benz W111 is First Produced

The "Fintail" (German: Heckflosse) was a series of luxury vehicles produced by Mercedes-Benz from 1959 to 1968 under the W111 chassis code.

Though never officially designated as such (they were designated Peilstege, marking the end of the car in rear view mirror), the cars gained the nickname because of the distinctive rear-end which incorporates small tailfins, thought to be an understated attempt to appeal to the United States market at the time (with domestic finned cars, such as the Cadillacs and Buicks of the times).
The Fintail is considered part of the lineage of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class flagship model, particularly the initial 6-cylinder W111 and more luxurious W112 models. A 4-cylinder version, the W110, was introduced in 1962. In the S-Class lineage, the Fintail models were succeeded by the larger W108/W109 lines. A special version was made for the US market from 1960 to 1964. The front headlamps were "stacked" to meet US lighting requirements giving the car a unique look. Some of the earlier 220S models exported to the US also sported a chromium strip on either side of the car.
The Fintail models were pioneers of the automotive safety feature of crumple zones, which absorb the energy of a collision. The idea for crumple zones came from Bela Barenyi who worked as an engineer for Mercedes-Benz.

The Sechzylinder series came out 1959 and covered the models 220 b, 220 self-service, 220 SEb and starting from 1965 the 230 S. the engines of the sedans were all row six cylinder with 95 to 120 HP: 220 b with 95 HP, 220 self-service with 105 HP, 220 S with 110 HP, 220 SE and 230 S with 120 HP. The final model 230 S did without the complex fuel injection system with the two-stamp pump and two three-fold distributors. It reached instead the increased output of 10 HP in relation to the otherwise to a large extent same carburetor model 220 S with a capacity increase on 2,3 litres.

The b in the type designation 220 b or 220 self-service set the tail fin series off starting from 1959 from the type-named-same predecessor models the so-called "„pontoon "“- series.

There were still two further tail fin series beside the Mercedes Benz W111: on the one hand "„the small "“Mercedes Benz W110, which exhibited a shorter porch, as well as the air-fitted with springs Mercedes Benz W112 of the type 300 SE, to which, equipped with the basis engine of the and pneumatic cushioning the Topmodell "„of the fins "“represented. This 300er reserved also the variant "“300 SE optionally extended by 10 cm was long"”, which is to be found expressed rare.

and Cabrios

In the series W111 and W112 were arranged beside the four-door vehicles ("„tail fins "“- sedans) also the and Cabrios: in flatter Design, with rounded, only Finns recognizable in the beginning.

As W111 there were it at first with the same technology of the sedan model 220 SE as 220 SECONDS and Cabrio). However the was a full-coming new development, so that hardly some of the sedan could be used. This led also to the nearly twice as high purchase price of the Starting from 1965 then the models came 250 SECONDS with 150 HP, with the engines of the series W108/109 as well as with the introduction of the disc brake at the rear axle. Starting from 1967 they were built as 280 SECONDS with 160 HP. The point motorizing was ...