Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
There is no greater example of a car I love but have no interest in owning than the Mercedes-Benz 600. I’ve opined for years about them and every time I see one for sale it’s a new treat. Today’s example, a 1966 up for sale in Portugal, has its surprises and little fun features that always impress me. It also carries a hefty price tag too.
No, your eyes aren’t mistaken and my finger didn’t slip up one digit on the number pad. I meant to type 6.6. Let me explain.
What we are looking at today is a 1969 Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 6.3, a legendary car on its own, that had the M100 engine block opened up to increase the displacement 6.6 liters. Who is responsible for such a thing? Karl Middelhauve, of course. If you aren’t familiar with Karl, he is a man world-renowned for his expertise on M100-powered Mercedes and especially his work on the W100 600. If something can be done with a M100 Mercedes, Karl can do it and probably has already done it. This is just one of his examples. This 1969 up for sale in San Francisco is one of the few ”6.6” W109s in existence and now you can own it for a price. A very high price.
Checking back in with my favorite cars ever. This 600 Pullman is still for sale with a new price of $495,000. That is $100,000 more than the original price. An interesting sales tactic to say the least.
Last week I checked out at a 1972 Mercedes-Benz 600 that looked to be cared for by a wealthy stable owner in north Alabama. Today, we have another W100 to examine, but this one has quite a bit more history to sort through. This 1970 600 for sale in Portland, Oregon isn’t the normal standard wheelbase sedan you are used to seeing but rather it’s the rare Pullman version, which is one of 423 ever produced. Of course, those who ordered these cars usually weren’t your normal private citizens. So who was the original owner of this rolling symbol of power?
A few weeks ago I checked out a 1969 Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 6.3 that needed some work — a lot of work. Almost every surface of that poor M100-powered W109 needed some kind of attention. The paint was a baked mess, the interior was growing mold at an alarming rate and the mentioned M100 engine was a total unknown if it could actually run or not. Despite all of this, the seller was asking a hefty $14,500 for the privilege of dealing with that literal mess. Today’s car is another 1969 6.3 — although this one is the total opposite of that charity case. But as you might have guessed, this one isn’t going to cost you $14,500. Not even close.
Earlier this week I check out a handsome 1973 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 4.5 that looked to be a great driver and probably not a bad buy for the long run. Today, we have another W109 that has a little bit more risk attached to it. This of course is the king W109, the 300SEL 6.3. I’ve covered these many times before and every time I see one pop up for sale I always try to take a look at them. Unfortunately, this 6.3 needs a lot of help and even more money to make it worth it.
