Mercedes 220

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Purchasing classics there

My father drove very early in company cars. After an Opel Olympia and an Opel Rekord there was a Simca 1500. Then a Simca 1501 Special Break. About that time, the chemicals business of the Dutch Chemical Sales Office, the NVCP, was going so well that my father and his colleague Rob Bakker went to the editor to report that the two salesmen of such a successful company should actually drive Mercedes . The management thought that was a good plan.

Measure acceleration times with a calendar

The company's first two Mercedi were 200Ds. Cars so slow that truck drivers saw them as full-fledged colleagues. Cars that ran ten kilometers faster in cold foggy weather than under 'better' conditions.

The economy continued to boom

The next Mercedes were Mercedes 220. On petrol. My father's was later taken over by a fellow villager who modernized it by adding 'ribbed taillights', an then very current 'upgrade'. Meanwhile, the NVCP was taken over by the AKZO and the Mercedes era came to an end. The subsequent Audi 100s were also beautiful cars. But management's reprehensible influence had begun. My father's last 'kumpannie cart' was an Audi 100 Avant.

Meanwhile a very real classic

A beautiful Mercedes 220 type 115 (1968 to 1976) has since become a highly regarded classic. This type was also referred to as / 8 (“Strich-Acht”) because of the introduction year 1968. This series was an absolute sales success for Mercedes with more than 1.850.000 units sold. In the 8 years that this model has been in production, there has been only one recognizable facelift, in 1973. Most characteristic were the rear lights with ridges, ridges that prevent pollution and thus 'blinds' of the rear lights. Rumor has it that the ripple idea came about when a Mercedes test driver nearly crashed into the back of a Ford with dirty brake lights. That had to be better!

Bought to cherish

The for us highly nostalgic Mercedes 220 in the pictures we found at Garage de 'l'Est, a site of usually French-born classics in immaculate condition. The Mercedes is still of the first type, externally immediately recognizable by the front spoiler with chrome strip, the vent windows in the front doors, the small exterior mirrors and the smooth rear lights.

Some people buy cars with foresight. Some people forget that cars are actually just made to drive. And that certainly applies to Mercdessen. Our model rolled off the production line in August 1968 and was not delivered until April 1, 1969. The Mercedes 220 has always been in collectible hands, hence the extremely low mileage. The Benz has only 14.000 correctly documented kilometers on the odometer. The interior is even equipped with original Mercedes covers to protect the blue fabric upholstery.

Hit the road. Or not ?

The perfection of this car is his biggest pain point. Because in this condition, the Mercedes 220 is more of a collector's item than a fantastic, ZGAN car. And a car is such a condition? Who do you want his miles ?!

Also interesting to read:
- Mercedes-Benz S-Class W116 (1972-1980)
- The Mercedes Benz W201 / C-Class Club. Fun and professionalism
- 'My father's car' A Mercedes-Benz 240 D
- The Mercedes-Benz T line
- Multiple scoop: driving the Mercedes Benz 240D 3.0

Mercedes 220
Mercedes 220
Mercedes 220
The common optical update ...

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5 comments

  1. Nice mistake Dolf: that they went to the editorial office to ask for a Mercedes. At the editorial office of the newspaper, we asked the management - not that we got it 🙂

  2. The (only) problem with the added value of an extremely low mileage is that it disappears as soon as you actually drive the car. Therefore no less beautiful of course.

    The W115 was still a castle on the road compared to the competition back then. And yes, the 200D was slow, but also virtually indestructible with its cast iron OM615 engine. In normal use, this engine only needed extra attention at 500.000 kilometers, such as new injector needles and new pressure valves, valve springs and non-return valves in the pump, whereby the camshaft bearings were also included and in the block the timing chain and guides and tensioner. Then such a block could continue to the million without any problems. Or two million or more.

    The technique is largely still found after 1976 in the W123, after which the W1984 took over in 124 with 72 horsepower from the OM601 engine.

    With the W210 in 1995, the bookkeepers in Stuttgart had the say instead of the engineers.

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