West Coast Classics are proud to present an absolutely exceptional example of this extremely rare and mostly all original survivor, apart from one repaint in 'Black' (MB code 40) color paint, of a long time southern California owner 1972 Mercedes-Benz 600 Limousine with it's original and rebuilt 6.3 V8 engine, rare factory BEHR air conditioning and sliding sunroof and original 'Cognac' leather interior! The 600 series was built by Mercedes from 1963-1981 and was one of the lowest production Mercedes-Benz car's ever built post 1950 with only 2,190 '600' 5/6 passenger SWB limousines (of which only 714 were built for the US) and only 487 '600 Pullman' 7/8 passenger LWB models built (with only 99 built for the US) and 59 'Laundelet' versions. In 1972 only 172 Limousines were built in total and 38 Pullmans. Supremely fast, legendary race driver Stirling Moss famously drove a 600 around the 'Brands Hatch' racing circuit in southern England with six passengers aboard and came within 5 seconds of the lap record for sedans!
According to the information from the Vehicle Data Card and build sheet this particular model was born with the following factory installed options:
462 Tunis Beige Metallic
250 Cognac Leather
401 Single Front Seats
461 Sliding Roof Hydraulic
491 US Version
524 Paint Coast Preservation
580 Behr Air Conditioner
669 Packed for Shipment
Options which have since been added:
238 Halogen Fog Lamps, Crystal Clear US Version
551 Ivory Steering Wheel
630 Radial Ply Tires
900 Flagpole Left
901 Flagpole Right
This ultimate Mercedes-Benz incorporated fuel injection, overhead camshaft engine, air suspension and shock absorbers adjustment, disc brakes on all four wheels, automatic four speed transmission and power steering, central vacuum locking system for the doors and luggage compartment, adjustable steering wheel and two separate heating and ventilating systems. It was a truly a majestic car of the highest order and an honorable descendant of the distinctive Mercedes automobiles of former years.
This particular example has been repainted 'Black' from it's original factory 'Tunis Beige' color and is in very fine condition throughout. The original 'Cognac' leather interior is in simply stunning condition as is the 'Rosewood' burled walnut, original carpets with factory mats, all the original gauges, knobs and dials are all in a virtual time warp and there are no signs of any damage from the elements. The car boasts its original factory manuals and brochures, factory 'Becker Grand Prix AM/FM radio, flasks and shot glasses, power steering and original working factory BEHR air conditioning and power sliding sunroof and this rust and accident free example would prove a worthy classic addition to any serious collection.
We only recently acquired the car from the estate of a long time southern California owner who had purchased the car with 104K miles in the year 2003 and who had kept the car garage covered and who was a long time member of the renown 'M100 Group' of enthusiasts who are "dedicated to the preservation of the M100 powered cars; the Mercedes 600, 6.3 & 6.9 automobiles"! The owner was a very well known participant in M100 events and rallies and his car was painstakingly restored and maintained by him as required over his years of ownership with virtually every conceivable issue that was not up to par being fixed or replaced with OEM parts primarily by the renown M100 specialist Peter Krausert of 'Herr 600' in Costa Mesa, CA and we have a suitcase and large container full of receipts and notes pertaining to the history of these repairs and fixes showing literally tens of thousands of dollars in receipts being spent on this particular car's preventive and required maintenance, including both cosmetic and mechanical. It is a superbly comprehensive file like none other we have ever seen in our long history of sales.
It should come as no surprise that the 600 was in an exclusive territory of only those who could afford the very best, and who were fortunate if they could even obtain one of these rare imports from their local Mercedes Benz dealer, such was the exclusivity and demand of this amazing motorcar. Hand built with generously applied chrome fittings, combined with the finest natural materials available, provide an unmatched ambiance of luxury and wealth in its lavishly appointed interior, with fine ROSER leather, exquisite 'Rosewood' burl wood and chrome plated fittings abound, including for example even the door edges; the standard of craftsmanship apparent everywhere on this car is nothing short of astonishing in these hand-built Mercedes luxury cars. This particular car still boasts it's almost completely original interior including original 'Becker' radio, an Ivory steering wheel, 'Cognac' leather and wood with rear seatback picnic tables and stored shot glasses and flasks and original factory air conditioning and sunroof!
This car must be seen to be believed and driven to be fully appreciated - in summary, this must be one of the finest, to say nothing of one of the rarest example's left available of a mostly all original 1972 Mercedes Benz 600 5/6 passenger Limousine with recent full service history showing absolutely no expense spared in its required mechanical or cosmetic restoration; this is a worthy investment for any Mercedes enthusiast to add to their collection or simply a fine daily driver for any classic car enthusiast!
The 'Grosser' Mercedes-Benz 600 was the car of choice for Popes, Potentates, Dictatorial Regimes and of course the ultra wealthy and connected for almost twenty years. The square, uncompromising styling of the 600 has a simplicity that has ensured that it has never gone out of fashion and it therefore looks as modern today as it did in 1963. It was crafted by hand on an as needed basis and was unprecedented by European standards and a high-end large luxury sedan and limousine produced as the company's flagship and most expensive model built between 1963-81. Its few competitors included Rolls Royce and Bentley and maybe the Cadillac 75 Series Fleetwood. Three production models were listed with a standard 4 door wheelbase, a longer 'Pullman' 4 door and the largest incarnation was the 'Pullman' 6 door. 59 State 'Laundelet' models were built with a fold down rear fabric section for open air exposure for the passengers and division windows to separate the chauffeur from his passengers and which were mainly built for parades and heads of state. Generally, the short-wheel-base (SWB) models were designed to be owner-driven whilst the long-wheel-base (LWB), often incorporating a central divider with power window, by a chauffeur. The first regular Mercedes model to use the massive 6.3 liter V8 was the incredibly fast 300SEL 6.3 sedan of 1968, the fastest production sedan in the world at the time.
The 600 was introduced at the Frankfurt Auto Show in 1963 and came in two main variants:
A short wheelbase 4-door sedan limousine with a 126" wheelbase for 5/6 passengers, available with a power divider window separating the front seats from the rear bench seat, although most were built without this feature.
A long wheelbase 4-door Pullman limousine with 153.5" wheelbase for 7/8 passengers (with two additional rear-facing seats separated from the driver compartment by a power divider window, of which 304 were built), and a 6-door limousine (with two forward-facing jump-seats at the middle two doors and a rear bench-seat).
The cast iron block overhead camshaft engine with alloy heads with a four speed automatic transmission was designed specifically to be used in the 600 and was intended to provide smooth, effortless operation combined with more performance than any other sedan in the world. The enormously complex chassis featured air suspension and electro-hydraulic controls which help drive the 600's great size and weight and as it's numerous hydraulically driven amenities required more power than Mercedes' largest engine at that time, the 3-litre 6-cylinder could produce, a new V8 with more than twice the capacity was developed, the now legendary 6.3 L M100. It featured SOHC and Bosch mechanical fuel injection. It developed 300HP however the total usable output was more like 250HP as 50HP was used to power the hydraulic convenience system.
The 600's complex hydraulic pressure system powered the automobile's windows, seats, sun-roof, boot lid, and automatically closing doors. Adjustable air suspension delivered excellent ride quality and sure handling over any road surface. It is a self leveling system pressurized at 260psi by means of 2 valves, front and rear. There are hard and soft settings and the suspension can be raised up to 2" for extra ground clearance.
These exclusive cars employed top flight engineering from the world's best automotive engineers and gained a reputation and following from the world's elite who required the ultimate luxury and ride in limousines. These are the most imposing Mercedes one can own and have earned a 'Milestone' classic car status.
Given it's 130mph capability, the heavy 600 needed the best brakes in the world and Mercedes therefore fitted four wheel discs that have separate hydraulic circuits front and rear. Each front disc has twin calipers.
As previously stated in 1968 the M-100 engine and hydraulics were fitted to the much smaller but still substantial 300SEL 6.3 creating the world's fastest four-door sedan. Upon the introduction of the W116 chassis, a larger 6.9 liter version of M-100 was installed in the 450SEL 6.9.
