Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 6.9

Vehicle Description

This 450 SEL 6.9 is a reimport from the US. The big Benz has, after 35 long years, recently returned to its home country. Typical for the American version are the large bumpers that had to comply with the US road safety regulations. The vehicle was painted in metallic grey, but the metallic effect has mostly faded due to UV radiation. The cracks in the dashboard can likely be attributed to the same cause.

The black leather interior is in fair condition. In addition to the rich standard equipment, which includes hydropneumatic suspension and automatic transmission, this vehicle has the very rare automatic climate control, as well as a sunroof, radio and even cruise control, some of which are not working.

To put it in a nutshell: This was once the pinnacle of German automotive engineering. In this case, some work is required in order to visualize it, but at least the substance is present.
Due to various optical and technical deficiencies, this vehicle is being offered as an unroadworthy restoration project.

In 1972, the W 116 series S-Class was presented to the public, and as early as one year later, Mercedes had plans to top off the model range with 6.9 litre V8. Due to the oil crisis, the big car with the even bigger thirst got delayed until 1975.

It had everything that was technically feasible in the 1970s. Hydropneumatic suspension and air conditioning were standard. Heated seats, cruise control, ABS (shortly before the end of the construction period) or even a car phone came at a neat extra charge. But money had better not be an issue in the new acquisition of these vehicles anyway – 7,380 units found solvent customers. They then drove “the best car in the world”, with the largest engine of all post-war Mercedes, boasting the still-impressive figure of 560 Nm of torque and an acceleration on a par with the Porsche 911.

An epoch-making automobile – luxurious, exquisite, of stable value. Only for the notorious Swabian thriftiness, it’s a double yellow!

Vehicle Overview