Went For a Drive

"RPM esq." (rpm3)
05/23/2020 at 21:09 • Filed to: Wagon, social distancing, Mercedes-Benz, 300 TE

That is all. Have a nice weekend, everyone.

DISCUSSION (22)

fintail > RPM esq.
05/23/2020 at 21:22

Looking good, I am sure a few people noticed it. You should head over for an eastside drive sometime, good time of year to drive around Lake Sammamish. I also had my old car out for a drive today, and took a pic:

Kinja'd!!!

Nom De Plume > RPM esq.
05/23/2020 at 22:00

Looks very nice other than a smoking related accessory I can’t look past after seeing them.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > fintail
05/23/2020 at 22:07

I don't think I've ever seen that angle of the fintail. Such a beautiful car, especially in person when the proportions can properly sink in.

fintail > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
05/23/2020 at 22:27

Once an unloved design, it now has fans.

dumpsterfire! > RPM esq.
05/23/2020 at 22:34

I love your ride

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > fintail
05/23/2020 at 22:49

It was a pretty flashy design, especially for a German car of the era. That was a car you showed up in. Not one you really see all that often either. How many miles does yours have on it?

fintail > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
05/23/2020 at 23:10

Quite flashy for a German car - the fins became dated fast, and I think that added it to it becoming unliked. Via that, survival rates for sedans aren’t high, as many were ran into the ground, and they were not rust-resistant. However, fintails now have a dedicated cult behind them, as they drive nicely and have a competition history, along with being a unique and somewhat cool design - fins and chrome will always have some appeal.

My car has a 13 year gap in records, 1976-89. In that time it either went ~8K miles or 108K, so it has ~160K or ~260K. Around 60K of those miles have been by me.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > fintail
05/23/2020 at 23:25

Crazy. I guess you can’t find registration and mileage paperwork that far back on a state and local level.

I love them though and there is something about an underdog as well. Cars that weren't preserved have their own appeal. You are right about sedans typically having less of a following. When's the last time you saw a 4 door corvair? I recently saw a four door Geo Metro and I was astounded because they don't have the cult following the two doors have.

fintail > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
05/23/2020 at 23:30

I think at that time here they didn’t track mileage anyway, unless ownership changed. And even then it might have been old enough to be ‘exempt’.

A Corvair is a good example of that, you’ll probably find 3 convertibles before a sedan. I see older Metros here now and then, almost never a first gen 4 door.

RPM esq. > fintail
05/24/2020 at 00:01

Awesome

RPM esq. > Nom De Plume
05/24/2020 at 00:02

I live in Seattle and driving around in the rain with the windows open is fantastic

RPM esq. > dumpsterfire!
05/24/2020 at 00:03

Thanks!

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > fintail
05/24/2020 at 00:04

Yes, there are some cars no one has bothered to preserve. There simply isn’t the demand to keep all but the best examples of the rare but formerly more common sedans wagons etc away from the crusher. There was a fairly cheap corvair sedan for sals near me that the seller said he would finally just have to scrap it if no one bought it because it had been too long. Sad, really, but I wouldn't have been the one to save it.

fintail > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
05/24/2020 at 00:31

Yep. If you want say a 60 Ford Sunliner, I can find one for you tomorrow. If you want a 60 Ford 4 door HT or Country Sedan, good luck.

Especially in the earlier part of this century, I saw a few fintails I could have had for free or nearly free, simply to haul them off before they went to the junkyard.

fintail > RPM esq.
05/24/2020 at 00:32

Likewise.

Are you in the MBCA? If there’s an annual show and shine this year, I know your car would be welcome.

Nom De Plume > RPM esq.
05/24/2020 at 00:36

Seeing out the windscreen is never overrated. Can’t disagree with that.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > fintail
05/24/2020 at 01:02

Its sad that some are still falling victim to the crusher like that poor four door corvair. It does make for some incredible survival stories though. Imagine an immaculate 4 door Metro at a car show 20 years from now. It’d be the star of the show for people who could appreciate the odds of its survival.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > RPM esq.
05/24/2020 at 01:41

So good.

I'll be driving my jalopy tomorrow.

fintail > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
05/24/2020 at 13:33

Every day 50s and 60s cars still meet the crusher, too far gone to be reclaimed. That does make the survivors special - it takes some good fortune to avoid abuse and neglect over a 50-70 year timeframe.

90s cars are the 50s cars of the future - some day that nut who stashed away his pristine Geo will have fans.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > fintail
05/24/2020 at 13:52

Exactly. You are already seeing this when I hear of some mundane but pristine car showing at a radwood event or something like that. Imagine if in even just 20 years from now you saw a Chevy Captiva in good condition. Crazy.

Taylor Martin > RPM esq.
05/26/2020 at 18:36

Driving is good. Keep doing that.

RPM esq. > fintail
05/26/2020 at 20:31

I am not, although perhaps I should be since I have two of the things.