1965 Mercedes-Benz 190DC 4 Door Sedan
The W110 was introduced in 1961 and was among the first cars ever tested by Mercedes for occupant safety in a crash. The first series of the W110 was introduced with a 1.9 liter gasoline engine or a 2.0 liter diesel engine as Mercedes was pioneering diesel technology at the time. In the end, production of the Dc models exceeded that of the gas powered engines by 100,000 units. Engine and cosmetic changes would come for the W110 for the 1966.
For consignment, a 1965 Mercedes-Benz 190Dc 4 door sedan, showing 49,863 unverifiable miles due to the title reading mileage exempt. This one comes with a fantastic story of a neighbor admiring it, watching it moved to outside storage, and finally making a deal to buy it and enjoyed for 24 years as school transport, for church services, cruise-ins, to the Carlisle Import nationals, Shepherdstown, West Virginia, and AACA events in Virginia. The car comes with manuals, literature and receipts that span beyond the consignor's 24 year ownership.
Exterior
Our consignor notes that the car was repainted around 1970 and while presentable at 15 feet, could really use a paint job. As such, he has compiled many seals, gaskets and body parts in preparation for such a job and these will accompany the car, saving the buyer countless hours of research and purchase. As is, the Ivory car is a handsome automobile and is "fintailed," a term used to refer to the German unified platform of cars. The round headlights front the rounded fender tops, remnants of earlier pontoon shaped models. Horizontal tail lights run perpendicular to the polished edges of the fins and are underlined by a wraparound chrome bumper. And speaking of wraparound, the rear window is deeply curved cutting into a C-pillar while the windshield has a less dramatic curve but does indeed have a slight dome shape and along with the side and quarter windows, provides avenues of light and visibility for occupants. The roof shows unevenly colored paint and other imperfections include touches up, body filler, scratches and patches, some rust above the rocker panel, various checking, chips, and scratches.
Interior
Red leather makes a bold appearance on the interior and starts at the door cards which have diagonal stitched panels over smooth lowers, separated by a black ribbon which picks up on the header and door handles. There is some minor wear and discoloration on the front doors but they're intact and otherwise clean. Red low back bucket seats in front look good with some patina, and our consignor states modern seat belts have been added front and rear, where a bench seat is found in very good condition. The Ivory steering wheel definitely shows some age with cracking throughout and a discolored center and it shares its column with the shifter with an indicator on the dash. The vertical design of the gauge cluster is absolutely unique and we've seen very few cars with anything like it. It leaves the rest of the dash to house horizontal levers for the air conditioning, an AM radio, vents, a clock, and various knobs, all in a black base with polished trim. The floor is covered with a textured mat and fitted rubber mats for further protection. A perforated white headliner is above and in good shape and the ceiling hosts handles for the occupants. The large trunk is flat and clean and also topped with a rubber mat.
Drivetrain
Under the hood, we find a 1.9 liter SOHC inline 4-cylinder engine in driver quality condition and rated at 60 horsepower. It's a fuel injected diesel and is tied to a 4-speed automatic transmission that sends power to the rear wheels and 3.90 gears. Power brakes are supplied on the Benz and are configured as discs in front and drums in the rear.
Undercarriage
It's solid underneath, albeit with some grease, some residual oil, and typical road dirt. It has a single exhaust that tracks back to a stock style muffler in back just before exiting under the rear bumper. There's typical surface rust on untreated metal but really nothing of glaring concern on this side of the car. Coil spring suspension is utilized up front and a 3-link with coil springs in the rear. There's also a mechanical compensating coil spring over the rear differential, common on fintail cars, that provides a degree of self leveling when the car is under load.
Drive-Ability
We light the diesel four banger up and off we go around the test loop. After all these years, the car feels solid and, as expected, provides great visibility. It's not the fastest car at the mall, but rolls along smoothly, perfect for Sunday drives, and feels rather stately with its boxy cabin. A few things of note include the horn blowing when the shifter arm is pushed forward, the radio is not working, and the right rear taillight is also inoperable. All other functions, including that very interesting gauge cluster, work as intended. While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your purchase.
When was the last time you saw a 60's era 190 at a car show? These are not particularly common, and this one presents a prime opportunity to fully restore as it doesn't need much as a lot of the prep has been done for you. You could also drive as is as we have no doubt people will want to learn more about it. There are already some great stories associated with it but it's time to write your chapter in its history book. And if you're one of the thousands like us who had the Lesney, (Matchbox), "Binz" ambulance from back in the day, here's a car that brings it to life!
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8 acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy listening. You can also watch on YouTube!
