Test Drive! 1966 Mercedes Benz 230s

Hi! I just put a better engine in this ol' Mercedes "Heckflosse", lets go for a drive! I bought this car about a dozen years ago, but now I can actually use it. It seems to be running well on the Holley carb I adapted to replace the twin Zeniths. A mostly original car, I painted it metallic black a few years ago when I rebuilt all the jacking points. Thanks for checking it out!

[@LMacNeill]

Oh yeah, there's nothing like the view looking out over the hood of a classic Mercedes like that. That car is a real beauty. Make me miss my 1980 W123 240D that I sold about 18 months ago.

[@coldwarmotors]

Thanks, and thanks for watching! I really like this old Merc; it is a treat to drive with the huge steering wheel and 4 speed. It is such a terrific counterpart to the Citroen DS, showing how cars used to all have different personalities, unlike today. Stella likes it, too!

[@tony64t]

Brings back memories of my childhood in Haiti during the early 70s. I used to be driven to school in a similar model. Black exterior, blue leather interior, European spec headlights, full hubcaps with whitewall tires. It wasn’t a diesel, but it had a manual transmission. A sweet ride I’ll always remember.

[@hallieboy]

I had a 1960 220Sb. a 1964 220b, and a 1966 250S. Loved those cars! I'm now driving a 320CLK. Mercedes rules!

[@donsharp57]

Love the car.....love the barn.....love the dog!

[@coldwarmotors]

@WhoSaidTyler Thanks. Glad you liked it. It is a fun old sled, especially with the 4-on-the-floor.

[@rogershattuck7334]

My folks had the same car. Dad went to Germany to buy it. He was trying to impress his Austrian father in law. I still have the shop manual for it. I found it on my last visit to my folks in NH this past Christmas. I'll be sending it to Y'all with some other goodies.

[@coldwarmotors]

Thanks so much Roger! Very kind of you... I will pass any M-B literature to Jim, who bought the car off me a couple years ago and has installed a much better engine...Cheers!

[@rogershattuck7334]

@@coldwarmotors yeah, unfortunately the Rust Fairy took out her teeth in the late 70's.

[@EnriqueLopez-hb5jn]

Wow!That 1966 230 S looks awesome, is that gasoline or diesel, at first, when I heard the engine, I thought it was a diesel, black on black, you have, a rare combination.

[@dougcoxon5472]

Hmm hearing familiar voices, Details Dave in the background. The yard was boring back then, no second hand area . Lol

[@folkestender2025]

I drove a used 230 S Automatic from 1964 in ther years 1972 until 1975. A wonderful car, but the Devil Rust severed my marriage with him. Congratulations, that you can hold yours for so long. Greetings from northern Germany.

[@DannoTull]

I had one of these mid 60's Mercedes straight six's they have great power. this one looks to be in great condition.

[@roadmasterk6019]

Very impressive, this upload...

[@unimogman404]

Thank you so much for sharing with us. What an awesome car you drive ! This is really driving with style ! I have a W123 300 D and enjoy each and every minutes behind the steering ! Video well done and I like the co pilote ( the dog ! ) ;-) Keep on posting !

[@coldwarmotors]

@IanTC12 Glad you liked it. I have never seen the stone guards you mentioned, but I sure could use a set when the bugs are thick here in the summer!

[@thistime4you]

Had a 64 230S in Grey over red hides. Superb car

[@guntherv.springborn6123]

Diesen Auto habe ich so gern gefahren!

[@jakespeed63]

She’s a real beauty! Would be right at home in downtown Winter Park, FLA.

[@ostrand11]

Stella or the car?

[@mholland888]

I've been shopping around for a classic Mercedes Benz. I have decided, it is this one.

[@christiansanden8005]

Fantastic the old Mercedes! Much better and nicer then the new ones, i drive a 350 SE 74, its a tank!

[@coldwarmotors]

+Christian Sanden The old ones are so much better, right? Thanks for the note and enjoy that ol' 350 SE!

[@christiansanden8005]

+coldwarmotors Yeah i will! Thanks

[@coldwarmotors]

Thanks for checking it out! A 230e hearse! So cool... must really stop traffic.

[@Chr.U.Cas1622]

Hi there again. This is a beautiful car. My parents drove a white 230S, former owned by my grandfather, when I was a kid. After having a twodoor Ford 12m P4 (with a V4 = a halfed V8 engine indeed) it was like heaven. At this time (up to 1996!) Mercedes played in a complete other league! Just a class of it's own, far far away from other cars (not like today). O.K., this automobil rusted too (like all other cars). It had a huge trunk but "drunk" too much (because of the big double carburator!). It had H4- frontlights so that everyone thought it was already high beam. And and and.... Good luck with your "Heckflosse", I really like/enjoy your videos very much! P.S. Your 6cyl. engine isn't running as smooth as it is able to be!? Wrong oil maybe?

[@malkie638]

had a 63 190c,,,the panels in front of rear wheels were all Gone,,,, all of them,,,and as you know there are many inner curved ones,,,sadly at 17 years old I had not the patience or skill to make new ones,,,,,anyway that one is running Sweet

[@robertshemory3541]

❤😊 cheers Scott.

[@marcomalo02]

Stella looked like she was finally being chauffeured in a manner commensurate with her position. Great car by the way. This was the car many people said would last a lifetime. Or until the new models hit the showroom.

[@dougcoxon5472]

Didn't know you had the Merc in your collection , nice cars but even more expensive to fix then Citroens

[@luisrondon2968]

Majestuoso ese Mercedes benz

[@rayinpau.s.a.6351]

Seems Odd not seeing all the cars lining the driveway ! Cheers

[@TylersNeighborhoodGarage]

That's a great old car!

[@ferrochinabisleri1587]

You should change the headlights with the more stylish European ones (which have concave oval glasses and built-in turn signals).

[@Sardikar]

Class.

[@coldwarmotors]

@donsharp57 Thanks! "Car rides" are Stella's favorite.

[@retrobastards]

Used to have a 1969 bmw 2500 with those zeniths set. Despite the car had 150+ thousand km and had been sitting for 30 years, i somehow made them work properly even without rebuild kits. But yeah, they're a real pain in the ass anyway)) two separated warm up systems and 4-piece body...such a fuckery And to the word about difference of impressions you get behind the wheel of benz and other contemporaries. Let us take unrestored dailydrivers and Benz surely gives that feeling of reliability, whoknows why, maybe it's the image of brand, or the spirit of engeneers and artists who put their souls in it, or the real quality of materials they used... And riding a, for example, bmw you basically have primary thoughts like "DAMN PLEASE TAKE ME HOME WITHOUT STALLING IN THE FUCKIN MIDDLE OF CROSSROAD"))) but yeah, they all look cool when standing)

[@henrikstenstrom79]

These are great cars, with the rust protektion of today, They would last forever. A swedish cab driver driove his 500K on the same engine and transmission, then another 400 before retiring it. I

[@lornefortin]

Another beauty!

[@mantolaman]

Nice old Benz... Might be time to revisit?

[@Fdbdrl]

Wow! Nice kebaboom!! I really want it!

[@coldwarmotors]

@marcvie9 Yes, it has lap belts.

[@paolo-px9gm]

Lucky dog

[@corvetteddie]

I was concerned about my 95 c220 having lifter noise on the start up, yours still has it when it running, My guess is I shouldn't worry about it so much.

[@1205juergen]

A fine german car ...

[@oxfd611]

If I saw that following me on a country road I probably think I was being tailed by a KGB shadow team.

[@qatar9925]

اثبتت وجودها مع من قبلها ومن بعدها اجمل مرسيدس على الاطلاق

[@OberstGenosse]

great car....

[@CreepyGomez]

I might look at a 1966 230. Are the factory twin carbs difficult to deal with?

[@coldwarmotors]

+Brian Jetson HI! Thanks for the note. I found the factory Zenith carbs temperamental. Not because they were a bad unit, but the ones on this car were badly worn and the rebuild kits cost more than I paid for the car. I ended up making an adapter kit to run a single holley carb in this case, but my ideal solution would be a pair of the simpler Solex carbs from a slightly earlier model. Best of luck! Cheers from us here at CWMC.

[@LongIslandCityLayout]

I always loved those cars? would you ever recommend owning one?

[@coldwarmotors]

Hi! Sure; they are great cars; beautifully made and very durable. Rust is the enemy; most of them no longer have the jacking points intact as it is a fairly involved repair. This car was decent and I still had to build 3 of the 4. Cylinder heads are a possible issue; they will burn a lot of oil if the valve guides fail or the stem seals wear out. Rough 4-doors rarely worth the trouble. Good 2 doors getting pricey. Good 4 doors are hard to find, but worth looking for. Parts are expensive. New trim pieces hard to find; mechanical stuff is easier but can be pricey. The twin Zenith carbs are troublesome; earlier models had twin Strombergs, much simpler. Fuel injected models best of all, I think. Real wood on dash, top-quality materials throughout. Steering is amazing, especially if you are used to American cars. High speed highway driving is a treat. Best bet is a really nice low-mile example. Bad ones not really viable restoration projects unless you really like the process more than actually driving. All the best; hope you find a good one!

[@granskare]

I prefer the 'ponton' body (no fins)but hey, yours is cool :)

[@brandowitz09]

granskare i like those too but the fins just give it that classic look

[@granskare]

Brandon Markowitz I think the fins might have come about when the company tied in with Studebaker. thanks

[@MrShene123]

cool, i had one of those

[@HITHEREFOLKS]

are you entering a ferryboat at the end ? lovely car,lovely ride !

[@coldwarmotors]

Hi! No, just parking in the barn with some of the other cars. Thanks for watching, glad you liked it!

[@HITHEREFOLKS]

coldwarmotors and i'll watch it again occasionally !

[@marysour4672]

My faveur car

[@sspaul294]

Did you restore it or buy it in this condition? I have a '66 but it's in need of serious restoration...not sure if it's worth it...

[@coldwarmotors]

Hi! I bought it in fair original condition. I did a bunch of welding to the jack points and the sheet metal behind the back wheels. I also did full brakes and exhaust. I painted it black metallic about 10 years ago. I'm looking for an engine now after the timing chain let go. Ouch, haha.

[@sspaul294]

Nice...thank you for the reply.

[@moparedtn]

Awww, Stel.... :-(

[@k.j.g.9601]

That thing is beautiful, to this day I don’t think the French have built anything that could stop it over running their borders.....

[@carlstclair-it8ij]

any American Motors products you guys have

[@ThatsMrMoronToYou]

Original hoodstar?

[@ikehelly]

Fab. I have a fintail and i might have to sell it. I don't want to

[@jonfklein]

Check out Jay Leno's '72 Mercedes 600: kzbin.info/www/bejne/an3ReZeNnLGffKs One of the most insane cars ever built.

[@Awsom47Merc]

* SHUT IT OFF ! SHUT IT OFF ! IT DOESN'T HAVE ANY OIL IN IT ! Oh wait a minute... It's a diesel ! 🤭👍

[@2121547]

very very bad