1969 MERCEDES-BENZ 600 PULLMAN
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LeBaron1973
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6.3 litre V8 300 HP (50 used to power hydraulics).
Quite a car from the days when engineers ran the company.
Quite a car from the days when engineers ran the company.
twostick
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That will be expensive.
Kevin
Kevin
LeBaron1973
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Indeed, expensive to buy, expensive to restore, expensive to run, but, if you can afford such a car, the costs don't matter.
Would far rather have this than today's Rolls Royce or Bentley.
Would far rather have this than today's Rolls Royce or Bentley.
Carmine
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LeBaron1973
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Checker isn't it Carmine? I guess such a vehicle had to look like that.
Carmine
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Correct. A long-wheelbase version.
Although I can appreciate elements of the technical and material quality, the design does nothing for me.
Maybe it's a form of OCD, but I notice things like the boat-trailer marker lamps, Radio Shack switch gear, exposed trim screw heads, massive empty space between the grille and headlamps, etc. and it just strikes me as a soulless transportation appliance.
Unlike...
I'd love to take a stab at creating a fuselage limo. Something better than the ones that have been done, which I find awkward. Something closer to the Ghia works of art.
67Monaco
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The 600 was quite a car.
What I remember reading about in the later '60s was the "Grosser" Mercedes, which was a shorter-wheelbase limo that had (at that time) a strong V-8 (the 5.0L I mentioned), could run WOT on the Autobahn all day (140+mph) as an "executive transport" of sorts. Oh, and it could turn corners, too! I remember being very impressed by it, from the article, in the late '60s.
But when I finally got to sit in a '73 Mercedes sedan, I was NOT as impressed as I thought I should be. HARD seats, unsophisticated switchgear, Becker radios that were NOT stereo, etc. Nothing to make me shy away from a '74 New Yorker at all!
Back then, Mercedes had the reputation of engineering greatness, which I respected. But the tactile things turned me off for a "luxury" brand vehicle.
Remember, too, that in the USA, we only see SOME of the total Mercedes line of vehicles. The better ones. Like when we found a gray-market place in Dallas that was converting E-class German-spec cars to USA specs. Rather than a nicer leather or MB-tex interior, it was plaid-insert vinyl that looked more like a taxi cab. A Checker would have been envious, though.
Checkers were mainstream "people movers" and little more. Utility rather than low-level "niceness". Geared toward the taxi industry than to replace normal citizens' cars.
CBODY67
But when I finally got to sit in a '73 Mercedes sedan, I was NOT as impressed as I thought I should be. HARD seats, unsophisticated switchgear, Becker radios that were NOT stereo, etc. Nothing to make me shy away from a '74 New Yorker at all!
Back then, Mercedes had the reputation of engineering greatness, which I respected. But the tactile things turned me off for a "luxury" brand vehicle.
Remember, too, that in the USA, we only see SOME of the total Mercedes line of vehicles. The better ones. Like when we found a gray-market place in Dallas that was converting E-class German-spec cars to USA specs. Rather than a nicer leather or MB-tex interior, it was plaid-insert vinyl that looked more like a taxi cab. A Checker would have been envious, though.
Checkers were mainstream "people movers" and little more. Utility rather than low-level "niceness". Geared toward the taxi industry than to replace normal citizens' cars.
CBODY67
I love Checkers. A friend of mine's father had one. A freaken rattle bucket but strong.
I owned as a kid a Mercedes 220 1960 4 door. It had a 4 speed manual on the column, fully independant rear end and would out corner most of the cars I encountered in the mid 70's on skinny tires. Two one barrel carbs on a straight 6.
Neat car with a beautiful real wood dash and a tube Bendix radio with auto scan if I remember correctly.
I owned as a kid a Mercedes 220 1960 4 door. It had a 4 speed manual on the column, fully independant rear end and would out corner most of the cars I encountered in the mid 70's on skinny tires. Two one barrel carbs on a straight 6.
Neat car with a beautiful real wood dash and a tube Bendix radio with auto scan if I remember correctly.
LeBaron1973
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Everything on that car is hydraulic, sunroof, seats, windows, everything.
MOTOR TREND tested a 190 Diesel in the middle '60s. 4-speed "on the tree". Seems that they optimized the suspension for those skinny tires. It leaned, but still cornered well. Looked like it was getting ready to "pull the front wheels" on a quick take-off, but still took about 20 seconds to 60mph. Several things, like the IRS, were exotic at the time, by USA standards, but many Euro cars had them as a matter of course. Up until the later '60s, Studebaker was the "importer" of Mercedes cars into the USA.
CBODY67
CBODY67
Carmine
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I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but 300 (or 330, I forget) horsepower isn't going to push a 5000 lb aerodynamic brick to 140 MPH, let alone sustain it.
And speaking of 300... I'd rather have a large electric motor opening sunroofs or closing windows than 300 psi of hydraulic pressure waiting to pop a seal all over my fine leather interior.
And speaking of 300... I'd rather have a large electric motor opening sunroofs or closing windows than 300 psi of hydraulic pressure waiting to pop a seal all over my fine leather interior.
cm23uoc
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You could get that engine in the smaller W109 300 sel 6.3, which would be more to my tastes.
This Version had a top Speed of about 130 mph, so I agree with Carmine, this oversized brick won't do it.
Of course you could get this Kind of Performance with a bit less refinement from a Detroit assembly line for a fraction of the Price. It was also the starting Point for AMG becoming a well known MB tuner as they raced one of These rigs with some respectable results. Known as the red pig in its initial form. The original ended up as a highly modified test mule for airplane tires including the Concorde IIRC and is lost now, a replica was built some time ago.
This Version had a top Speed of about 130 mph, so I agree with Carmine, this oversized brick won't do it.
Of course you could get this Kind of Performance with a bit less refinement from a Detroit assembly line for a fraction of the Price. It was also the starting Point for AMG becoming a well known MB tuner as they raced one of These rigs with some respectable results. Known as the red pig in its initial form. The original ended up as a highly modified test mule for airplane tires including the Concorde IIRC and is lost now, a replica was built some time ago.
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