Well folks, I have postponed it for a while. I wanted to never have to do it. But I am afraid here it comes. The “Sorry I have not written enough posts”. It’s awkward to do, and very annoying, but on the bright side it is at least a damn sight easier than the job of restoring this Mercedes 600 will be.
I must admit that the entire point of doing this post is that it gave me an angle for this particular 600. My employer, who graciously took me from the rows of NEETdom around the same time my writing output plummeted like the resale value of a Golf TDI, seems to be undergoing what can best be described as a case of project ADHD. Project ADHD may be fun to watch from the comfort and safety of another department, but it gets tiresome when you’re in the middle of it.
It’s only by a (couple?) of project ADHD that I can imagine one of these cars ending in what you could call “Curbside spec”. Complete with delicious patina which begs to be preserved with some clearcoat and an interior that speaks more about rough trails and benign neglect that loving care and rivers of leather treatment. Even on a similar vintage 280SE something like this would be relatively rare, what with price curve for vintage Mercs resembling more of a cliffside than a curve.
But a 600? A car which sat square on that pedestal reserved for vehicles which did not really depreciate and whose engineers never heard so much as a syllable of the words “Budget”, “Parts-sharing”, or “Cost-effective”? Someone must’ve gotten a screaming deal on an estate sale, something blew up, they saw the repair bill and sold it. Rinse. Repeat. See the tragic story unfold.
Just the interior itself would send shivers of fear into any wannabe car-restorer with a sense of fiscal responsibility. It should also send shivers of any that has ever actually sat down and calculated how much did their previous endeavor cost. Maybe the backs of the rear seats could be saved with a couple dozen hours of billable labor, but everything else will need upholstering. And I hope you know a damn good wood guy to refinish what’s salvageable and make what isn’t.
The trunklid is damaged. That would be about fifteen grand for the hinge and all the assorted hydraulic sorcery to make it work again. That hydraulic sorcery also allowed the electric windows to close at whatever speed the passengers please. Excellent for dramatic window raising when you’re finished speaking to a prole or finger-severing speed in case your proles had enough of that schtick and have decided to seize your means of transport. It also means every window switch is also fiendishly complicated and should run about five figures per switch. At least it has air suspension, so after spending another large five figure number to make it work again the can stand tall and proud as you figure what exactly is leaking like a sieve this time.
I suppose it could be worse. At least Mercedes-Benz continues to give support to every model they’ve made through Mercedes-Benz Classic. Every part you could ever want for that car is still available straight from the source.
For a price.
So please, if you decide you have extremely deep pockets and that $37,500 seems like a fair price for a shell. And you are aware that you will be spending about ten times that to leave it showroom fresh. AND you realize that the best way to go around this is to phone Mercedes Benz Classic and present them with a blank check. You can check out more of the 600 by clicking here. Just don’t get into another project while they are working on it. In my experience, that will lead to about six months of people having to be briefed on things that they are already working on. Maybe I can write a couple of things on the meantime.
Donate it to Mercedes Benz Classic museum and take a tax write-off.
Oh glory that’s a fright pig. No, no, NO!
I recognized the seller from the photos alone. The advertising dealer seems to take amazing pride in presenting their wares with amazing high definition photography against a backdrop that really highlights their assets and flaws. They’ve had a few cars on Ebay over time that were interesting, in a “now isn’t that interesting” kind of way, but between the pricing and often condition I’ve frequently wondered what they’re smoking. The rusting shell of an MGA fixed head coupe comes to mind as a recent offering.
Sends chills up my spine.
That car has Jonathan Ward’s name written all over it. (grins). Make an interesting ICON restomod.
A car only Jeff Bezos could afford.
What’s with the wide white-walls? And did these come with chrome fender lip moldings?
Looks like an ex-pimpmobile rescued from an impound lot, to me, where the last owner is now spending his time in a…government facility…
The wide whites actually work on this…and I’m very much NOT a fan of whitewalls in any way shape form or fashion…
For what it is
It’s pretty far down the road of neglect and after restoration it won’t ever be original so…. Flip flop candy paint and 30 inch rims would look great. A nitrous fed LS motor and Mickey Thompson’s on the back would also be an excellent choice.
Option B, all the way! As to donks…if we all agree to never speak of them again, maybe they’ll just fade away…one can hope, right?
To hell with restoring it to concourse condition…roll with the rat rod look. Fix anything that’s not working right, like the trunk issues, maybe recover the seats enough to be presentable and not falling apart. Clear the patina, and repower it with something more in line with a rat rod. If not the billionth SBC, maybe a 4 cyl turbodiesel or a modern Mercedes V8. It could be VERY cool, but the question is ‘how much money ya got to burn’ as has been said.
$37,500 is not a fair price for a worn out shell. Only BHCC could possibly think that.
And what’s with those wheels and tires? Says to me some stance kid has already jacked with this turd.
The 600 really should’ve been built as a pickup truck first, with the sedan and limo as spinoffs. No air suspension, no power window’s of any kind, no a/c and a heater only for the chauffeur’s “cab” on models with a divider. That would’ve cut way down on the ridiculous complexity of what’s an attractive car in a brutalist way.
Needs neoprene wetsuit seat covers and a Ford Pinto 4-cyl., the latter so it can’t go fast enough that something else falls off.
Sorry, the rows of which, now?
As to the car, it goes well beyond moneypit; it’s surely more of a black hole, and its restoration would be an event horizon with such gravitational pull that no money can escape.
Also, the U.S. headlamps on this car are a crime against all that is good and decent.
NEET: A NEET or neet is a young person who is “Not in Education, Employment, or Training”. The acronym NEET was first used in the United Kingdom but its use has spread to other countries and regions including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States.
Oh!
Swamp buggy. All you need is a 1 ton pickup chassis, a couple 2 1/2 ton axles and some tractor tires.
Okay, I’d like to know the story behind this car and its owners. Who lets a 600 get this badly trashed?
That being said, the best thng anyone could do with it is the Jonathan Ward treatment, as
PolarBear suggested.
Given the condition, perhaps 24 Hours of LeMons would be good use of this Grosser Mercedes…
Good luck convincing Murilee you got it for under $500 😉
“Absolutely, my dear. It was well under $500! (Cough – Per Pound – Cough)”
“What was that?!”
“Nothing, sweetheart! I’m off to Autozone for some parts!”
Ah, that’s better. I’m like Dan Strayer; unless this car was stolen and trashed, how did it get to it’s present state?
One thing that strikes me is the lack of trunk space, given its size. That was something noted in a vintage article posted on CC a few years ago, comparing this car to the Fleetwood, Continental and Imperial, among others.
It is hard to imagine a car like this getting so neglected, but there are some plausible scenarios. The first owners splurge on their dream car, then maybe business and the family fortunes take a turn for the worse. Maintenance on the car gets put off, and later perhaps someone is left the car in a will. There are too many memories to just sell the old vehicle straight off, but maintenance is still expensive, so the car sits. And sits. Later reality sets in, and the MB is finally sold to someone who didn’t realize quite the investment these cars are, so it sits some more. And so on. Sad, but you can see how it could happen.
This is a great “resto mod” candidate. It’s too messed up to restore and too good to scrap.
Aside from the decklid it looks pretty good as-is. (I hate and love “patina” at the same time.) The wide whitewalls even seem to work somehow..
I’ve never liked vertical lights on a Merc, I consider ’em ugly cars. The following three generations of S-Klass (until year 2000) were nice looking, I think that started when Paul Braq started working for the MB. The current generation of S-Klass is okay.
But if anyone has enough means to pay for the restoration, it’s their choice. To me – it’s a lost cause.