By now you are probably aware a few weeks back I spent an enjoyable few days at the Car Design Event Classic in Germany. I got to see some amazing cars at the Nationales Automobile Museum, and stayed in a hotel that formed part of the Leica HQ. From a selection of classic cars bought along by some of the OEMs supporting the event, we asked you what you would like to see me drive, and I did my best to fulfill your wishes.
There were only two afternoon sessions allocated to driving, so time was a bit limited. But because I’m ungovernable, cantankerous, and generally bloody minded I took as long as I wanted anyway. Thanks to an odd quirk of German car registration because it had only just been purchased, this 450 SEL 6.9 was on red (dealer) plates, which meant it could only driven by the owner, or if someone else was driving (i.e. me) with the owner on board.
That person was one of the organizers of the event, so prizing him away for a couple of hours for a drive meant turning my British charm up to 11.
It Was Three Times The Price Of A Cadillac
A long time ago I owned a baby one of these, a lowly 350SE. My then-best friend had bought it on a whim but couldn’t live with the frightful fuel economy, so we did a straight swap for my MkVI Escort 1.6S. The front fender was a bit crusty, but to my amazement at the time (about 2003) parts were still available brand new from Mercedes Benz. That car was over twenty years old but the rest of it was immaculate, and I had a fun few months smoking around east London in it getting about 15mpg. It even had painted wheel trims; no fancy bottle cap-style alloys for me.
That kind of summed up Mercedes back then. A Mercedes was a quiet statement of class, refinement, and dignity. They were not flash and gaudy, unlike today’s Middle East nightclub Benzes. You weren’t paying for features – you were paying for million-mile build quality and unimpeachable engineering. And you did pay – when it was introduced in 1975 the 450SEL 6.9 would have cost you about 70,000DM in Germany. In North America, according to Wikipedia the list price was $38,230 (about $190k today). For comparison a 1975 Seville, then the most expensive Cadillac and a car specifically targeted at luxury euro imports like the W116, was $12,400. The 6.9 was about a third more expensive than the smaller-engined versions in the range, like my old 350. Pulling up at the country club in one of the big Benzes left no one in any doubt you had all the money.
This wasn’t the first time Mercedes had dropped their biggest V8 into their full-size sedan – they had previously crowbarred the 6.3 liter V8 from the 600 limousine into the W109 to create the 300SEL 6.3, which in time formed the basis for the AMG Rote Sau (Red Pig). Due to tightening emissions regulations this was no longer considered sufficient for the new model, so the engine was knocked out to 6.9 liters (417cu in for your muscle car comparisons). Fitted with a Bosch mechanical K-Jetronic injection system, it made 286bhp but more impressively over 400 lb-ft of torque. And it needed it, because this 16’6” (5 meter) Panzer weighs – are you sitting down – about 4400lbs (2000kg).
It Pulls Like A Train And Steers Like A Boat
You feel every single pound out on the road, but not in a bad way. Despite contemporary tests likening it to a German muscle car it’s just not that kind of visceral experience. What it is, is an unstoppable bahnstormer. Long travel accelerator pedal to the carpet and sixty comes up in just under eight seconds – slightly saddled by the auto box only having three speeds. The engine, which slightly disappointingly is barely audible, simply pours out a huge swell of torque that you just ride and ride all the way to three figures. Even then it’s still pulling like the DB Intercity Express between Hannover and Berlin. The big Mercedes feels like it will do this sort of thing all day, and just not stop. You would have no hesitation in pointing the 6.9 at the unrestricted sections of the Autobahn and showing much younger cars what 400 lb-ft can do from 80mph.
The reluctant ball power steering is both effort and feel-free, so you haul on the big rim and hope for the best. All round disc brakes shed the speed quickly enough that you won’t be scraping the door handles hauling this German frigate through the corners. It does roll a bit, but body motions are well-controlled so you won’t get seasick. Mountain hairpins are not really it’s happy place though; it’s a wafter not a carver. When I was driving the Integrale I rapidly came up behind someone else driving this car and was loudly imploring them to put their foot down. After driving the 6.9 myself I realized they probably had the thing on the floor.
What Color Is The Boat House At Hereford?
There’s a scene in the seminal John Frankenheimer car chase thriller Ronin where De Niro’s character Sam stands up in the sunroof of a 6.9 and fires a rocket launcher at the car they’re chasing at high speed. This is possible because the 6.9 was the first Mercedes equipped with a full self-leveling hydropneumatic suspension system, preventing dive and squat under pedal-to-floor braking and acceleration. If your day job involves being a shadowy government operative, there’s plenty of room for your squad and gear, and it’s a stable high-speed weapons platform [Ed Note: John Frankenheimer, the director, owned one of these and I got to see it at the Petersen Auto Museum. – MH]
You might not have a lot of toys to play with compared to a Cadillac, but with standard climate control, something lesser models didn’t have, you won’t be sweating when the operation goes sideways.
You might be sweating when it comes to owning one though, and not just because of the sheer size of the thing. The owner had only driven the car a couple of times before graciously handing me the keys, so it was a case of the blind leading the blind as we tried to figure out some of the controls–it’s got a US-style umbrella handle and pedal parking brake for instance. There apparently is a way of adjusting the suspension but we couldn’t find it. The climate controls remained an unfathomable mystery. And these 6.9s have a lot of unique parts compared to other W116s – the battery alone is big enough to jump-start a Lufthansa 747. The engine has a dry sump to make sure it fitted under the hood – and it swallows 12 liters (about 13 quarts) of oil. The EPA has the economy at 10/14 city/highway. The owner told me he gets about 12 imperial. So like a lot of Germans it enjoys a drink.
You have to imagine the Mercedes engineers had gone hard on the breakfast beer when they came up with the 6.9. It’s a crazy thing but in a very measured, sensible German way. It’s one of the forerunners of the many hot rod sedans that would go on to build in the future like the W124 500E, and the various AMG cars. You could have 85% of the same experience with a standard 350 or 450 and their economy is scarcely any better, but there’s no fun or financial ruin in that. If there’s one thing the Germans are known for, it’s their sense of humor.
Top graphic: Robert Deniro in Ronin via YouTube screen grab
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- How Bruno Sacco Made Mercedes Design So Perfectly Timeless
Funnybot vigorously agrees with your final line.
The 450SEL 6.9 has another cinematic credit. Director Claud Lelouch also owned 6.9 and used it as the camera car for C’était un rendez-vous since the air suspension made it a much better camera platform. The Ferrari engine noise was dubbed in later.
Good point. I knew this but it completely slipped my mind when writing the piece.
I like the headlights, so classy. Its like a fancy German Bluesmobile with long freeway flyer gears. Similar lowish output like the 7.2L Dodge… about 280hp with torque for days
What’s the green car parked directly in front of the Benz in the penultimate photo? I’m so curious because I don’t have enough information to figure it out.
Opel Senator 2.8. That car was my ride back to Frankfurt after the event ended. It’s part of the Stellantis heritage fleet. I posted pictures of it on Instagram.
Ah, I can see now – the first Senator based on the Commodore C?
Possibly. I’m a bit hazy on the big Vauxhalls and Opels of that era because they all looked the bloody same.
This sounds very similar to driving my mother-in-law’s old W140 S500. That car replaced her beloved W126 300SD (also impressive but SO SLOW). I was probably as excited as she was when she got that big slab sided vault of a car. She let me drive it quite a few times. We nicknamed it “Der Commandant” because it was such an imposing car for it’s owner who stands at about 5′ 4″. She had to sell it years ago because the upkeep was becoming financially brutal. We both miss that car.
I love Ronan, but at 2:24 in this clip, they show the cars going down the gravel/ dirt road. There’s a quick shot of the lead car, but the dirt from the camera car at the front of the pack is being kicked up on the lead Citroen. That always bumped me.
Thanks. Can’t unsee.
“They were not flash and gaudy, unlike today’s Middle East nightclub Benzes”
Ha, absolutely killing it! Great description of what is so wrong with them, and how OVERSTYLED they are.
I think part of what makes 80s/90s Teutonic design so appealing is that they all showed a lot of restraint. If there was performance, it was hinted at with maybe a badge and a lip spoiler. If it was real crazy, maybe it got wider flares. The base design, however, was clean, and restrained to the point that they just tended to look under tension.
IMHO 90s cars hold up better from a visual standpoint than 00s/10s because they’re just less gaudy and more minimal. It ages more gracefully, kind of like a classic suit and tie.
Well put. As we’ve discussed before, that Bauhaus-ian style of design makes things timeless in the best possible way. The Germans chasing the styling fads was the worst thing they could do, and it even seemed to lead toward their chasing other fads like cheaping out on long-term quality in favor of short-term pizazz.
It took a while, but the American MBAs made their way across the sea eventually.
I have an ’86 560sel, and it’s neat seeing the similarities between a w116 and and earlier w126. There’s obviously a lot that improved between generations – similar power with 1.4L less displacement, weight by about 400lbs (almost 4000lbs was certainly heavy for the day, but the power reclining back seats are worth it over the lesser SWB cars), and some creature comforts (if the AC worked, I might be able to tell you how well the auto climate control worked). But the big takeaway I wanted to reiterate is price. We have the original window sticker (and a lot of records, which is pretty fun to dig through). In 1986 it was a $63,900 car (plus $1500 gas guzzler tax in the US). That’s about $190k today. Like Adrian’s note on the more plebian S-classes of the time, I believe a 420 was in the low-mid 40s. It was a HUGE price premium to get the big motor and all the bells and whistles that came with it. And to think, we got it for $1300 and put 17k mostly trouble free miles on it.
The odd thing was the 420 motor produced 201hp in US spec – 47.86hp/litre – which was pretty darned good.
But the 560 only produced 237hp in the sedan and coupe – 42.32hp/litre – even less in the SL – which not so great.
That, with the excessive fuel consumption and the price difference, is probably why the 420SEL is far more common.
Yeah, the US spec being de-rated by something like 40hp was surely problematic. Not just in ’86, but in the few years following when new models were coming out with DOHC heads and competitors were launching much more competitive alternatives. I read a (maybe motertrend) review from I think 1992 or 1993 that showed it held up OK against the big 7-series, the Jag, and the LS, which was surprising because they were all pretty fresh designs and the w126 is practically a w116 refresh, so 15+ years old at that point. Their big gripe was that the interior felt dated.
The 4.2-litre M116 and 5.0/5.5-litre M117 had various power figures from 1985 to 1991, depending on the markets, catalysators, type of petrol, cam profiles, compression ratios.
In Europe and many international markets without emission regulations, the both M116 and M117 engines could be ordered without catalysators called “ECE-Variante”. The 5.5-litre V8 had 295 bhp, which was highest ever offered in W126/C126 model.
Another variation is “RÜF-Variante” (Rückrüstfahrzeug, meaning retrofittable vehicle), allowing the owners to switch between lead-free and leaded petrol as it wasn’t widely available in Europe during the 1980s. At the later date, the owners could retrofit their RÜF-Variante with catalysators.
Both ECE and RÜF variations have hotter cam profiles, higher compression ratios (10.1), and higher rear axle ratio (2.65). The US versions have 9.1 and 2.47.
The SL had smaller catalysators and silencers than SE/SEL/SEC due to the tighter underchassis space. Thus, less-than-stellar power figure for SL. That’s why Mercedes-Benz didn’t offer 500 SL in the US when 500 SEL and 500 SEC were introduced in 1984. 560 SL was sort of “we’re sorry you the Americans didn’t get more powerful SL. Here’s the 560 SL that isn’t sold in Europe!”
“…they made haste in the Brown Sedan
They drove to Fifty Five Secret Street…”
I’ve driven one of these – I thought it was amazing. The big difference between this and the usual muscle car of the day was the gearing – those old big-engine American boats were geared for about 120mph max at the redline. At 120mph, one of these is loafing – it was the fastest four-door sedan in the world in it’s day at 140+, and it would literally do that from one side of Germany to the other, all day, back and forth. So those gears are TALL, and there are only three of them.
I find it amusing that the author feels like 4400lbs is heavy. That is a featherweight by modern standards, at least here in the supersized USA. It was a tank by the standards of the 70s, of course. I’ll also say that Mercedes recirculating-ball steering is usually nicely weighted, so if this was feel-free there is probably something wrong with it.
I feel like that whole 4400 lbs sentence was sarcastic.
It wasn’t, because i was genuinely shocked. For the time this thing was a tank.
It was not significantly heavier than other cars in it’s class (not that there were many), and lighter than a LWB Rolls-Royce that was arguably it’s closest competitor. Of course, relatively speaking all of those luxo-barges of the day were massively larger and heavier than the standard European family car of those days, but not much at all heavier than the standard American family car of the day, never mind a Cadillac or Lincoln.
“ If there’s one thing the Germans are known for, it’s their sense of humor.” what a closing line. Well done.
“Pulls like a train and steers like a boat,” Is exactly what I would have expected.
Screw how hefty that thing is, that 6.9L V8 takes how much oil?!
I can understand, like, the Cummins 6.7 or the Viper V10 needing 12/11 quarts of oil, but a luxo-barge needing 13 just sounds absurd to me.
So your filters and plugs will run you $300, and the oil comes to $1000.
I spend $40 on oil and filter for my Jeep.
Holy crap lmao
Ballparking off the vintage Merc oil service and inspection I wrote for a different car just before lunch, it would be about $250 in our shop.
Yeah I was pulling figures out of my ass for comedic effect.
As usual, I’m about three steps behind
There’s nothing comedic about your arse
Hell, the local BMW dealer gets about $200 for just the oil change. Plugs? Who knows? I do know that the local inde wants $275-350 to change the fluid in my DCT, just for labor. Five got the $25/qt fluid & the filters.
My 3.0L 6-cylinder in an old 911 takes about the same amount of oil. I’m guessing it has to do with being dry-sump. On the Porsche it was also a source of cooling :).
Most dry sump cars take a TON of oil. You have to fill the tank, the lines, the pump(s) etc.
I should’ve assumed that, but seeing 13 quarts was not something I’m used to!
A Lamborghini Espada takes 14 qts and only 4.0L and is wet sump.
That’s even more ridiculous!
I’m might go on a little internet adventure to see what other vehicles take such massive amounts of oil!
I had a guy at AutoZone give me crap for bringing in “so much used oil” basically accusing me of being a mechanic and using them as a free disposal (I have an awesome heavy duty “milk” jug I store used oil in. An old motorcycle nut of a boss gave it to me and I have no idea where he got it. Only down side is it gets fairly heavy even at 3/4 full.), which was about 3 or 4 oil changes on my old car, or about what an Espada takes in 1 give or take a couple quarts (which I know as I had looked hard into buying one for $22k years ago). I told the guy it was a single oil change for a Lamborghini V12 and offered to carry it for him, but he apparently preferred muscle strain to dented pride (even though the damage was done in my eyes).
Anyway, I heard some HD trucks can take a lot of oil, too, and they’re not uncommon. I don’t know if that’s diesels or gas, I’m not into trucks.
The Cummins in the Ram HD’s take 12 quarts, but I expected that because it’s a big industrial-based diesel engine.
I definitely believe someone who works at Autozone not believing you though. I’ve seen some real good-ol crack pots in the ones I’ve been to.
My 15l Cummins takes 11 gallons in an engine only twice the size of a 6.7 HD ram Cummins. Imagine taking that oil to Autozone
Right?? I have a 7.4 liter V8, and it takes a measly 7 quarts!
I can’t get any work done with all the Adrian articles.
I should hope not. I come first, everything else second.
Adrian uber alles.
I’m just happy seeing some UncleGoth articles. Did you need an extended brood? Or were you plotting world dominantion?
I went to Oslo for a couple of days to see friends, then literally a week later I was off to Germany for this event. I actually stayed the rest of the week in Frankfurt because the difference in flight costs basically paid for five nights in a hotel. Then i was sick when i got back and to top it off had a load of family drama bullshit to deal with.
Understandable. My condolences on the sickness and drama. Never a fun combination.
Thank you. I’m quite a delicate flower and always get sick when I fly.
Sharing a pressureized tube with the unwashed masses does that.
I grew up with my dad’s grey-market ’76 280S. It was a tank, but it was also smooth – the straight-6 and the suspension were just always smooth, no matter the road conditions. We always kept an eye out for an imported 6.9, but never found one we could afford. Great car.
For several years I had a grey market ’77 280S – I loved that car! When I first drove it (I bought it at an auction) I was disappointed and didn’t understand the hype. But the longer I had it the more I understood the incredible depth of capabilities and engineering it had.
Like you say, it drove exactly the same on every road surface. I have never before or since owned a car that seemed so imperiously immune to road conditions. There was a beat up long drive to where I was working at the time. It was rough enough that my E28 528i would bottom out if you were not very slow and careful. Day after day I ran that Benz over that road at 20-30 mph, and it felt almost as smooth as the highway. A W126 is a better highway car, but they feel downright fragile next to a W116 on a bad surface.
Exactly. It felt solid and smooth no matter the terrain. The straight-6 wasn’t powerful, but it had a nice, linear power delivery that had no problem keeping up in traffic. It was just a great cruiser.
That car chase sequence from Ronin hits a little different if you have driven some of those roads. Driving in the mountains outside of Nice is a blast, and highly recommended.
When the 6.9 made it’s US debut, my stepfather received and invitation for the event at the local Mercedes dealer. The invitation did not include a photo or any information about the vehicle. My stepfather wasn’t keen to go since, judging by the displacement, he was sure the thing would be a truck, but he caved to my car-obsessed middle-schooler importunings, and we went to the swanky wine and cheese party. I was thrilled. The big car with the big engine was cool to see. There was also a 300SL convertible on the showroom floor, which was even cooler. My stepfather dragged me away as soon as the dealer started trying to sell him on the stratospherically priced sedan.
Wonderful.
I sent a letter as a child and was sent the whole sales package for this line of Mercedes-Benz. My parents thought it was beyond funny, Dad is 90 today.
Many happy returns to Mr Lando Sr!
It does have its issues (what’s going on with the wheels?) and there’s a reserve, but if they’re serious about the Copart cross-promotion, there’s one up for bid.
Those are AMG Penta wheels.
Ah, yes. It’s no laughing matter…
If you ask a Mercedes with the MBUX system to tell you a joke, it will reply:
”I’m sorry I don’t know any jokes, all my engineers were German”
God I love Ronin. My takeaway, don’t bring a French car to a gun fight.
I owned a B5 Audi S4 at the time and my boss bought an A8. Audi was winning LeMans in their petrol powered R8s and life was good.
I weep for all the XMs they destroyed during filming.
Ronin’s car chases (plural) are absolutely my favorite movie chases.
If you haven’t, watch with the Director’s commentary. It’s not like most commentaries which devolve into movie trivia. There’s almost film school level detail about why shots are the way they are and the intended.
His discussion of time passing in cuts finally clarified why a bunch of cuts in the matrix films felt wrong to me.
I’ll be back in a minute, gotta add some Frankenheimer films to my must watch list.
You should watch this:
https://youtu.be/JPnTm8C_OfY?feature=shared
Ooooh, I’ve never seen that. Thanks
Edit to add: I have never actually seen Grand Prix. I’ve known I’ve needed to, but just haven’t.
Oddly if the luxury brands built cars this way today I would actually want one. Thankfully they dont so I dont have to make any tough decisions. Im only paying up for the exact reasons here, million mile build quality and refinement. Not “features”.
I almost thought Cadillac might go there after the CT6 (a CT8 luxury barge) – but then they reverted to tiny cars.
My money is still safe.
I love everything about this era of Mercedes. They just built quality. Comfortable seats, well appointed interiors, capable engines that would last forever, just everything about them was quality. This is a car you can take across the country and back time after time and never really have it fail, and enjoy the miles everytime.
You’re probably better off with a W123 from this era but those have hipster stink on them now.
They do, even though they’re great cars. I’d personally take an early 80’s W123 wagon but those are hard to find
I hate W123 dashboards. Something about the shape seems swollen and intrudes into the interior in a way that slowly drives me nuts. Although similar, the W116 doesn’t bother me in the same way.
My choice for cross country work would be a W116 280se. Slower than the V8 cars, but they sound and handle better, and are much easier to work on.
I once owned a $1,200 300 SDL. It had over 250,000 miles on it when purchased. The windows didn’t work. The locks didn’t work. Most of the vacuum was shot. No climate control. No radio. There were rust holes allowing the trunk to flood in the rain.
But the damned thing ran great and would do 120 mph without a hiccup. I took that car on many cross country trips for my job. It rode like a floating couch.
I eventually replaced it with a $4,000 300 SDL in much nicer shape where everything worked, and relegated the $1,200 on to the status of “parts car”.
Both could take endless abuse of the throttle without issue.
That center console shot cranked up my MB Tech PTSD. There are so many small bits and pieces to the console fascia that need to come out to get to the rest of so many bits and pieces of the HVAC system crammed in there. Then there is the Chrysler sourced control unit under the hood with all the vacuum hoses that run all the various vent doors… hope the parts department has at least two in stock if needing to r&r because at least one unit you pull out of the box will be faulty. The same failure rate was seen in other controllers and even brake master cylinders.
Mercedes-Benz Classic Center keeps these in stock by the dozens.
They sometimes even run specials.
Different but good as Ronin, didn’t Roger Loggia drive one in anger in Lost Highway as well?
Can’t make out the badge, but maybe someone who recognizes the minutia of details of a 6.9 can confirm…
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116922/mediaviewer/rm648844545/?ref_=ttmi_mi_all_108
Never mind, imcdb provided the answer. Yes, it is a 450 SEL 6.9.
Nice! I mostly remember Loggia’s calmly laying out the virtues of its quality as juxtaposed with his violent, gunpoint rants about traffic safety. So wonderfully Lynchian.
Robert Loggia. It’s been a long time since my last watch of the movie but I do have the soundtrack that includes some dialog with the Loggia character stating something about “xxx American horsepower”.
I had it on CD back in the day! Great use of Nine Inch Nails.
Robert Loggia was so cool, the alt version of James Caan. Just like John Saxon was the alt version of Michael Ironside.
“This is where mechanical excellence and one thousand four hundred horsepower pays off.”
Thank you. I used that bit of dialog on a mix tape way back when.
I love that movie probably a bit too much and it’s what introduced me to Lynch. I remember seeing it in the theater on a date thinking it was some type of vampire movie from the trailer and walking out after thinking, I have no idea WTF I just saw, but I get the feeling that I loved it. The MB in the movie had a twin turbo setup and, even with that, the power number was ridiculous, but it could take a number with much of the stuff in the rest of the movie.
Plus a very unsettling Robert Blake. “I’m talking to you…right now.”
Part of that scene was in the trailer, which is why I thought it was some kind of weird vampire movie. Unsettling for sure, especially after he murdered that actress IRL.
“ The reluctant ball power steering…”
It’s “recirculating” ball steering.
You have obviously not driven one of these leviathans.
I have driven one of these – if the steering had no feel, the car is broken.
It’s no Miata, but it’s not a mid-70s American barge either.
Truth.
The steering box needs servicing.
Not uncommon for these models at this age.
I had an E34 535 for a couple of years. I imagine that old buss felt like a sports car compared to the Merc.
Despite having an engine only half the size.
Pretty sure that was intentional.
I shouldn’t have to say this, but it was absolutely intentional.
Cornering in my 1978 LTDII coupe was ‘hoist the spinnaker, batten down the hatches, prepare for boarding”.
Ding, ding! Hard a’port! *tires squealing for mercy*
Eyye, Captain.
As an engineer who never broke through to automotive I respect.
Can confirm. 70’s era Ford’s recirculating ball steering was more nautical than automotive in flavor.
Cornering in my high school 1978 LTDII coupe was ‘hoist the spinnaker, batten down the hatches, prepare for boarding”.
Are you new here?
Sorry, I read this right after DTs break/brake thing.
I’ll let you off this time. Next time you’re going on The List.
Thank you sir.
*backs away from throne*