Mercedes-Benz 220SE (1959)

Mercedes-Benz 220SE

The "Fintail" (German: Heckflosse) was a series of luxury cars produced by Mercedes-Benz from the late 1950s to the mid-1960s. Though never officially designated as such, the cars gained the nickname because of the distinctive rear-end which incorporates small tail fins, thought to be an understated attempt to appeal to the United States market at the time (with their outrageously finned cars, such as the Cadillacs and Buicks of the times).

Models

The fintail models consisted of three basic platforms:

+ W111 - Standard 6-cylinder luxury cars, introduced in 1959
+ W112 - Ultra-luxurious variants with air suspension, introduced in 1961
+ W110 - Cheaper, 4-cylinder models with a shortened hood, introduced in 1962; "Kleinflosse" in German

As is standard practice for most automobile manufacturers, several different engine combinations and interiour trim options were applied to the basic platforms, to create many different models.

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