RE: PH Heroes: Mercedes 450SEL 6.9

[FourWheelDrift]

Strawman said:

911F said:

Are you sure it was £71K+ new in 1975???

Good spot, I think those figures should be reversed, so cost new £15-£20k, value now £71k(? seems a bit high).
The American article I posted a link to has the price in 1977 as $38,230. which was about £20k back then.

Just noticed that myself, did a search. Cost new in 1975 DEM69,930 which converts to £27977. Last year of production it was DEM81,247

[Mermaid]

911F said:

Lovley car, But I would prefer the 300SEL 6.3, far more elegant, and 0-60 in the sixes!

One word - CLASS.

[405dogvan]

Blown2CV said:

911F said:

Are you sure it was £71K+ new in 1975???

Lovley car, But I would prefer the 300SEL 6.3, far more elegant, and 0-60 in the sixes!

that is fantastic, how much can one be had for?

This US (LHD) model is available in Ireland for £25K

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C303923

I'm going to have a little lie down now...

[pSyCoSiS]

911F said:

Are you sure it was £71K+ new in 1975???

Lovley car, But I would prefer the 300SEL 6.3, far more elegant, and 0-60 in the sixes!

That is pornographic oppulence!

Edited by pSyCoSiS on Monday 30th July 02:48

[Ftumpch]

405dogvan said:

Blown2CV said:

911F said:

Are you sure it was £71K+ new in 1975???

Lovley car, But I would prefer the 300SEL 6.3, far more elegant, and 0-60 in the sixes!

that is fantastic, how much can one be had for?

This US (LHD) model is available in Ireland for £25K

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C303923

I'm going to have a little lie down now...

They often come up for sale in Australia (RHD!) for less than $25,000 – That’s £17k to you.

Yep, The 6.3 is the shyte. The 6.9’s a great piece of engineering, but by god it’s ugly!

[craig_m67]

Aust. RHD A$5K here, add a grand for shipping

Edited by craig_m67 on Monday 30th July 07:50

[sisu]

The good investment - if you can find one. Is the 80's version of this big engine in a standard Merc saloon.
A Brabus w124 500e 6.5 litre - U can't touch this.. ohhhhh whoooo ohhhhh stop Hammertime

[petrolveins]

Who owns that car? I'm 99% sure I've been in it before, and around a track, was so much fun, absolute blast. Never has a lap of a circuit resulted in so much giggling.

[Lagerlout]

My beast, being restored at the moment.

[don logan]

jke11y said:

I couldnt agree more. I will have one - when I have somewhere to keep it.

I have been seeing this blue black one near me regularly and it always looks great. First spotted it on a grey rainy December day and it looked mega. I dont even mind the tints.

HA! I see this car a lot on my way to work!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited by don logan on Monday 30th July 12:25

[don logan]

Lagerlout said:

My beast, being restored at the moment.

COR!

[Blown2CV]

don logan said:

Lagerlout said:

My beast, being restored at the moment.

COR!

That's amazing. Get it inside!

[Whiters]

What a fantastic way to make progress. Wonderful cars. Cliched, I know, but they are built like tanks. Our neighbours had one in the early 80's, a 350 rather than a 450, but still a W116. They had a head-on with an artic in France. Badly injured but survived. A lesser motor (of which most were) would likely have seen a very different result.

[Gridl0k]

sisu said:

The good investment - if you can find one. Is the 80's version of this big engine in a standard Merc saloon.
A Brabus w124 500e 6.5 litre - U can't touch this.. ohhhhh whoooo ohhhhh stop Hammertime

I'm getting displacement envy reading this thread.

[Dan Trent]

Lagerlout - loving that. Huge kudos to anyone taking on one of those as a restoration but, having driven one, I can fully support the desire to do so!

And, apologies ref. the new price originally quoted. This was Deutschmarks, not pounds and has been updated accordingly. A touch over £21K new, this at a time when a Jaguar XJ12 would have cost you £8,700.

Speed/fuel consumption/torque not the only heroic numbers involved in this car it'd seem.

[graemel]

Lagerlout said:

My beast, being restored at the moment.

you are a brave man.
A few more of my old beast. They could have be twins

[Gridl0k]

Looks like another 3-pointer lurking in the background there too ^^^^ ... Lovely motor.

[pSyCoSiS]

Beautiful cars.

Just by looking at them you can tell were / are something seriously special and expensive.

[Martin 480 Turbo]

"My research for this story started with the mental image of a Mercedes 450SEL 6.9 joining a deserted motorway somewhere, the most outrageous cloud of tyre smoke erupting from its rear wheels in a symbolic evocation of all that is incongruous and wonderful about this monster of a car."

As the whole first paragraph of your text circles around that picture I'd expect you
to come back to that idea in the last sentences and resolve the reader tension.

This article is useless without the pic! Okey the fangio bit kind off makes up for it...

Martin 480 Turbo

[dave stew]

sisu said:

The good investment - if you can find one. Is the 80's version of this big engine in a standard Merc saloon.
A Brabus w124 500e 6.5 litre - U can't touch this.. ohhhhh whoooo ohhhhh stop Hammertime

Yep, lovely car. One of last tank like built ones too before the accountants took over the company!