Vehicle Description
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
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