Mercedes-Benz 230 S

This rare W111 was found a few years ago in a barn and made roadworthy with little effort. The black paint is convincing, and the JR chrome wheels give the linear sedan a special look. With different springs (lowered), the whole thing would look a bit better, and they will gladly be fitted upon request. Those who prefer the original look can of course fall back on the original wheels that come with the car.

The engine runs like it's brand new, and the transmission, which is operated from the steering wheel, also does its job without complaint. The car's condition is good, and it can serve as a daily driver as well as a restoration project.

Here's the video of the W111

Model history:

Daimler engineers took the slogan «The Best or Nothing» very seriously and consistently introduced innovative new features, especially in their top model, the S-Class. In this case, the innovation was primarily found in occupant safety, and although the term «S-Class» was still a long way off, even Mercedes-Benz marketing employees praised the W 111 as such, of which it was indeed the grandfather. At the introduction of the W 111, however, the «S» still stood for «Super» and was also found in smaller model series. In the base model of the W 111, the 220b, the «S» was even omitted entirely.

The W 111 was equipped with the so-called «unitized body,» which replaced the aging pontoon body of its predecessors. The design, with its American-influenced rear, led to the nickname «tail fin.» With a shorter front end, there was the "small tail fin" for the upper mid-range, the W 110, and from 1961, the W 112 was available, which was visually similar to the W 111 but featured an air suspension instead of coil springs.

The department led by Karl Wilfert was responsible for the distinctive design. The team designed a sleek sedan with generous glazing, a panoramic rear window, a chrome grille with a star, and vertical headlights. Inside, the vertical speedometer stands out alongside neatly arranged gauges for fuel level, oil pressure, and water temperature.

Occupant safety was a top priority in the 111, and based on the knowledge of designer Béla Barényi, a holistic safety body with crumple zones at the front and rear was built for the first time. In 1959, the Daimler Group launched crash tests on a large scale, initially using a hot water rocket attached behind the test car. The steam pressure accelerated the rocket and vehicle on rails to the desired speed and propelled them against other cars, buses, trucks, and walls, as well as over a ramp to simulate a rollover. This led to the development of wedge pin door locks, in addition to crumple zones, which could still be opened after an accident.

Surprisingly, the W 111 and W 112 were used by the factory in motorsport and started in various rallies, such as the Monte Carlo Rally in 1960 and the Acropolis Rally in Greece, as well as the 6-hour race at the Nürburgring. In what was then the world's most demanding race, the Gran Premio Argentino de Turismo Carretera, covering over 4,700 kilometers across the country, the ’Heckflosse" (tail fin) dominated for four consecutive years: In 1961, Walter Schock/Manfred Schiek won; in 1962, the all-female team Ewy Rosqvist/Ursula Wirth achieved a spectacular victory; and in 1963, Eugen Böhringer/Klaus Kaiser took first place – a success they repeated in 1964.