Amazing: ’79 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9
Mercedes-Benz has a way of creating amazing cars by raiding the parts bin. I guess you can say that about all car companies but the Mercedes-Benz strategy is more subtle. American car companies do it but feel the need to bestow wings, scoops or stripes to announce to the world something special is in the ‘hood. Perhaps a catchy name like Super Bee or Road Runner. At Mercedes-Benz they simply add the engine displacement. In this case it is 6.9. That M100 behemoth engine produced a whopping 360 ft lbs of torque. The 6.9 had every thing thrown into including a hydraulic ride height suspension similar to the one in Citroen motorcars. It was also one of the first cars to offer automatic climate control. All of this came at a price. The 6.9 came to the states at over $40,000 making it one of the most expensive sedans on the planet. More than a Rolls-Royce. Today, a Rolls-Royce from that period might not be worth has much as a really nice 6.9. Car & Driver applauded the return of the “banker’s hot rod”, the 6.3, by declaring the 6.9 the best sedan ever. Today’s is offered by one of our favorite sellers, Goodman-Reed. It is finished in Astral Silver with Navy leather and both are in terrific condition. The 6.9 has covered 44,000 miles. This is an auction however you should contact Goodman-Reed in Santa Barbara directly if you really want this one. Click here for the listing.
The ultimate MB in my opinion….one of these days.