Discovered! Fabulous Fintail with 14k miles.

200d 14k collage 1

What began innocuously enough with a craigslist ad for a 200D with ‘low miles’ ended with the acquisition of one of the finest fintails in the world. Gorgeous in 519 medium red with 116 grey MB tex and with only 14k miles on the clock, this fin appeared and behaved as a new car.

The Finest Fin!
Breathtaking 14k mile 200d

Have we found the best fintail in the United States? Maybe. Responding to a Craigslist ad for a 1968 Mercedes 200D with ‘low miles’ has resulted in an epic find. When I asked the seller on the phone what the ‘low mileage’ was, he calmly replied ‘just over 14,000’. Of course, based on dozens of similar mileage claims, I presumed it was another private party misinterpreting the 5 digit odometer. But you never know…

I was immediately on the road and was knocking on the seller’s door in half an hour. Once the garage door went up a dazzling – and I mean DAZZLING – 519 medium red end-of-series 2 liter diesel fintail was revealed. I was happily stunned!

The 200D is achingly dull and with a laughable 60hp would normally be an ignorable ’60s Mercedes sedan. But wait. The odometer in fact reads a mere 14,088 miles and the car shows essentially zero evidence of use. Zero.

“I couldn’t hand a check over quick enough and the ride home reflected just what the original owner felt when he headed home from the selling dealer on June 29, 1968; no steering freeplay, taught gearbox operation, consummately tight structure with zero creaks/rattles, confidence inspiring brakes and the reassuring thrum of the bulletproof four cylinder diesel”

Mindbending perfection

A closer examination revealed a mind boggling original fintail. Every nook and cranny looks…well…new! Trunk – perfect. Interior – zero wear. Paint and chrome – perfect. Engine bay – essentially perfect with all appropriate stickers and cardboard placards in place. Should we call the salesman who sold the car new on 6-29-68 to see how the deal went down? Original MB salesman Bobb Crane’s business card is still in the perfect owner’s handbook.

The original spare tire still had its green whitewall protection in place. Brightwork was essentially factory new. The tool roll was still in its unopened plastic bag and a flawless fully complete handbook packet rested in the glove box. The dash board hardware glistened against the perfect dash face wood and every item functioned exactly as Mercedes-Benz intended.

14k 200d collage 3

A close inspection revealed an absolutely untouched museum quality 1968 200D. Every supporting document was on hand and all the arcane decals/cardboard reminders were in place. Spare was untouched and still had the green protective coating on the white wall.

I couldn’t hand a check over quick enough and the ride home reflected just what the original owner felt when he headed home from the selling dealer on June 29, 1968; no steering freeplay, taught gearbox operation, consummately tight structure with zero creaks/rattles, confidence inspiring brakes and the reassuring thrum of the bulletproof four cylinder diesel. Extraordinary.

roy spencer/editor mercedesheritage
photography/mercedesheritage

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