Here or There: ’66 Mercedes-Benz Fintail Station Wagon
You know by now that we have some degree of respect for Mercedes Benz large sedans from the 60s. They have this curious nickname, Fintail, because of tiny little fins flared out on the rear. The designers and engineers said they were for stability but we know it was for shear style. Right. 
We wonder what they would have called a ’57 Plymouth Fury. Mercedes never built a wagon version but they did allow some to be built along with Ambulances and Hearses. Most were made by a local coachbuilder and referred to as Universals. They are very rare and even more so here in the US. Now this is where it gets interesting. The feature car is in Portugal. It is marketed as a Universal but our experts say that it is not. It is yet another special bodied version built in Portugal by Movauto. It has been restored and there is a huge ask of 19,950 Euros. Click here for the contact information.
If we have whet your appetite for a vintage Mercedes Wagon, we know of another one in Arkansas! It is a ’67 originally purchased in St. Louis by the wife of one of the nation’s largest shoe manufacturers. She sold it to the current owner in 1972! He and his wife enjoyed the car for 25 years, using it often especially during the energy crunch of 1973. Here is the semi-cool part. About 15 years ago, he parked it in a small building. The owner states he built a bigger building around it because he just had so much stuff. That makes it pretty unaccessible. He said it ran when parked and is in pretty good condition. The pictures you see here are all he could get without moving mountains. We are trying to get a price and will report back when we can.
Furthermore, it was designed by Bertone, another Ferrari first. Why the departure from Pininfarina you ask? Bertone had packaging experience building 2+2, mid-engine sports cars. They had some success with the Lamborghini Uracco so Ferrari gave them the project. And they did quite a credible job. In today’s automotive landscape, the 308 GT4 represents an example of the wedge-shaped design influences of the 1970s. Like many designs, they are in favor and then they are not. Today, it stands out in a crowd. The 308 GT4 fell out of favor for a while and during that banishment many examples were turned into track cars or suffered from deferred maintenance. 
But they are experiencing a resurgence as people have come to recognize the level of performance and handling at a good price point. And that leads us to this particularly fine example. You can check off all the boxes with this one – California car, low mileage, no deferred maintenance, books, tools, A/C and a rare sunroof. And of course, it is finished in Rossa Corsa with fabulous black leather interior. This is a get in and drive it Ferrari for the price of a well-equipped JEEP Wrangler. If you stay on top of these, they will reward you with years of excitement and admiring onlookers. Just realize that you will not be the custodian of the next Ferrari GTO or other rarity. Little upside appreciation here in the near future but we don’t think you lose anything either. Offered at $37,900. 
This Spider is a 1750 twin-cam originally equipped with the diabolical SPICA mechanical fuel injection system. It has been converted to dual Webers, a common practice among Alfisti. Truth is the SPICA is tough to get right but when it is, its pretty good. 
