(first posted 3/30/2011) The Mercedes 450 SEL 6.9 (just “6.9” in the US) is a pinnacle vehicle, of one sort or another. Writers gushed about it then. Writers gush about it now. Everyone holds it in revered esteem. It was the biggest, baddest, fastest sedan of its time, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. It cost almost as much as a Rolls Royce. But in order to truly understand the 6.9, and how such a car came to be, one has to know this: it had manually adjusting front seats. If one can properly comprehend that contradiction, then one has truly understood the German folk soul that created it.
The W116 Mercedes, and the 6.9 in particular represent perhaps the peak of that that oft-used term of German arrogance. The W116 was a mighty big, wide and heavy barge to launch into the teeth of the energy crisis. Of course, it was developed just before it. But the W116’s similarity with GM’s arrogant launch of its 1971 barges cannot be overlooked. Germans don’t have an exclusive on that quality.
Except of course that the two cars couldn’t be more different, with the exception of the their power plants, in general terms, anyway. The 6.9 used an enlarged version of the M-100 engine developed for that truly all-time über-Mercedes, the 600. Which of course was also used in the 6.9’s direct predecessor, the W109 300SEL 6.3 (I’m still looking. Update: found one, need to write it up).
The M-100 engine had every possible technical über-feature known to Swabians at the time: hand-built, bench tested and run for 265 minutes, 40 of them at full load; sodium-filled valves, 12 quart-dry sump oiling system, piston rings made from unobtainium, etc… Somewhat curiously, it had a cast iron block.
In Euro-trim, the 417 CID (6814 cc) V8 made 286 hp. The US version, challenged by the EPA, made 250 hp (both net). Don’t ask why I’m stuck on this comparison, but that’s the same as the Olds 455 made in 1972. In fact a Delta 88 from that (big) year weighed about the same as the 6.9. Except in a straight line (and gas consumption), any other attempts to compare the two would be futile. But the Olds did have power seats.
Brock Yates was given a 6.9 to drive from Manhattan to Road Atlanta, to there drive at full chat for 40 laps. It averaged a respectable 72 mph, and was none the worse for it. No wonder Car and Driver called it the Greatest Mercedes Ever.
Instead of power seats, MB poured its engineering efforts into its hydropneumatic suspension, a first for them. Similar to the Citroen system, it was of course more reliable, but it did include rubber suspension stops, just in case. Mercedes drivers couldn’t be caught with the dreaded Mark VIII droop.
Its rated top speed of 140 mph (225 kmh) was commonly breached, probably more readily with the spunkier Euro version (is that what Yates was given?). Ultimately, 250 hp will only push a 4200 lb brick shit house so fast. Certain laws of nature are immutable, even by German engineers.
Just like GM, Mercedes got slapped around a bit by the W116’s dimensions and thirst. It’s successor, the W126, was svelte in comparison, narrower, considerably lighter and significantly more aerodynamic. And there was no more big-block version. But there sure as hell were power seats.
For another fifteen years or so, Mercedes would still be at the plateau of their peak years. Around 1990 or so, is when the beginning of the long Benz slide began. Is it a coincidence that it coincides with the unification of Germany? Did Germans feel like they had accomplished a national goal, and could relax a bit?
I remember perfectly walking into the exquisite W.I. Simonson Mercedes store in Santa Monica, which had previously been a Packard dealership, and built for that purpose. It was 1977, and the first 6.9 had recently arrived.
Let’s just say I wasn’t quite as well received and indulged as I had been as a kid at Iowa City’s GM dealer. Perhaps I was too young to notice or care back then. But the silver 6.9 sitting behind the left window there was locked, and the aloof and cool salesman eyeing me gave no indication of having it be anything otherwise.
For what it’s worth, the 6.9’s interior was really no big deal if you’s spent time in any W116. The only obvious difference was that burled walnut had replaced the plebeian striped zebrano wood. That pretty much goes for everything else about the 6.9, in terms of outward appearances. For almost double the price of a very adequate 450 SEL, the 6.9’s value was a bit of a stretch. I remember vividly looking at the $40+ k sticker, and having a hard time relating to it.
That price, inflation adjusted, comes to about $200k (in 2022), almost exactly what Daimler asks for one of its Mercedes-Maybach sedans today. That does come with power seats, along with a slew of other conveniences. And I imagine a typical twenty-four year old would feel about the same inability to relate to its price.
The difference is whether twenty four year-olds even aspire to that kind of thing anymore. An impressive ride, undoubtedly, but utterly lacking in the German folk-soul that had us drooling over the 6.3 and 6.9 in its day. The long decline of Mercedes; and it all started when they put in power seats.
Hmmm. If I’m remembering correctly, the US model version dispensed with the “450SEL” badge and had only the “6.9” on the back. That coupled with the one-piece headlights leads me to suspect this is a grey market car.
These things were never “common”, but I remember seeing them periodically around Mill Valley in the late seventies/early eighties. Regular 450SELs were common as dirt.
Last time I saw a 6.3 was in the tow yard I worked at in 1981
gotta agree about the headlights. everything except gray market cars in ’77 had round headlights because the halogens were verboten here!
p.s. love the taillight detail. mb used to advertise that the corduroy lights were designed to be visible even after they were splashed with mud.
This is of course part of a gentlemans essentials, for those evenings on the way home from the opera, when one suddenly decide to do some mudbogging with your fellow ceo’s and their wifes.
Those mudproof taillights were tha bomb, (die bombe) and got you all the honeys.
hehehe. I love them on my W116; not sure if I prefer them to the ‘flush’ look on the W114/115s.
And self cleaning.
This is a US model where someone installed the Euro spec headlights which is a popular part for owners to swap as the Euro specs look much better. The bumpers are the give away here but there are a couple other signs. One of the few options available on the US model was the automatic climate control. While there are a couple examples of euro spec models with this I highly doubt this is one. Also the majority of Euro spec cars have Velour interior and this one.
I currently have one of these in Euro spec and I love it. The ride is smoother then old W140 Benz and the power is great. The only thing I which Mercedes did differently on it was use a 4 speed transmission instead of a 3 speed. But the torque monster of an engine has no problem doing 0-60 in just over 7 seconds if you don’t break the tires loose.
I almost owned one of these.. My former in-laws were renting a house to a recently divorced guy that was in a bit of a pickle. The price was right but the fact that it sat un-used for 15 years made me shy away.
It may have been nothing special for an MB product, but compared to what I typically drive this thing was a Rolls Royce.
If I were looking now I’d probably go for a late 80s 560.
My parents had a 450. The interior does bring back memories. Perhaps that is why I like saabs…the center mounted window switch pack.
I remember asking my Mom what was the most expensive car in the world….and being very impressed with the answer of a Rolls-Royce. Had no idea a Merc could get up there……
I’ve seen a couple of these (one looking very neglected) around Pasadena. I think the M100 cars tend to wind up in the hands of people who aren’t prepared for the time, effort and money involved in keeping them in shape, and then pass them along to the next overambitious victim, er, enthusiast. (One joke I’ve heard is that the “6.9” or “6.3” refers to the multiple of the purchase price you’ll spend on fixing and maintaining the car.) But when they are well-kept, they’re still handsome and imposing cars.
As for me…I think a W116 300SD might be more my speed. 😉
The suspension is part of why a 6.9 was used to make Rendezvous. When I was a kid I remember thinking it would be a cool car to have but I was influenced by stories of Stirling Moss using a 600 Pullman to terrorize 6 passengers at a time.
Lovely car. It looks to be parked next to a well maintained early Taurus SHO, which also catches my interest.
Can you believe it, I got so wrapped up in shooting the 6.9 never noticed the SHO until I looked at the pictures at home. They’re hardly easy to find either.
There is a circa-1985 635 CSI in one of the photos too.
Not on the same planet in terms of desirability, but perhaps equally rare, there appears to be an Isuzu Stylus on the back row in the same photo as the E24.
One of the few Mercedes I’m interested in. If that thing was any more German they would have sold it to you with the trunk filled with sauerkraut and sausage. (I say that as a proud German-American whose great-grandmother ate sauerkraut every day of her life till she died at age 92.)
I once worked for a guy in Dallas in the 1980s that one of these, a lovely gray-market car. He took great joy in demonstrating how the hydropneumatic suspension could soak up a line of 8 inch speed bumps at 50 mph. That was until he blew one of the rubber oil/air bags that cost thousands to replace. Worse, the shop that federalised it was busted by the DOT and EPA and he had to spend a ton of money to get it re-certified. Remember the gray market heydays of the 80s when the dollar was so strong? Resulted in a lot of really bad cars brought in from Germany.
I do; LA in the eighties was swamped with them, and there were little shops doing it everywhere. It was a hot little business, until it popped.
I would be very interested in reading your treatment of MB’s slow descent…
Mercedes decline began when they drastically shortened the cycle of design leading to a model release in the early 1990s in response to other luxury brands on much shorter cycles like Lexus and Infinity. The “overengineering” MB was famous for was lost.
Those extended “American” bumpers really spoil the look of it.
I had a 6.3 while selling used cars in NY (silver with blue leather). I always looked for odd balls and never owned a 6.9 but had plenty of the thirsty 4.5s. It was quick but you were aware that it was a barge.. I was really frightened of the hydraulic suspension failing which never happened. I previously had a rusty 6.3 W109 which would never get off it’s belly and I had to sell that one for parts (I kept the 6.3 emblem which I still have today). The best part of owning the 6.9 was knowing how scarce they were. It’s true that only the interior wood distinguished it from the standard W116. It was and is a rare bird. A personal mercedes mechanic would come in handy if one choose to own one. The scary part would be trying to get parts for the hydraulic suspenison….good luck!
“Just like GM, Mercedes got slapped around a bit by the W116′s dimensions and thirst. It’s successor, the W126, was svelte in comparison.”
Here are the dimensions from wikipedia (FWIIW):
W116
Wheelbase 116.7 in
Length 199 in
Width 74 in
Height 56 in
Weight 4,285 lb
W126
Wheelbase 120.9 in
Length 203.1 in
Width 71.7 in
Height 56.7 in
Weight 3,682 lb
The W126 is narrower but longer, and might have been lighter.
Are you going to call “The Dude” and ask him if his car made it home ok?
Any chance of seeing a Pullman 600 s parked nearby, Paul?????
That’ there is my lottery car!
I always liked the 6.9 and when I had a little cash in my pocket, I found one for sale outside Portland. I made an appt with the owner and before he tossed me the keys, I asked him if there was anything I should know about the car- driveability, quirks, etc. He said nope and I went down Hwy 26. I stopped after about 10 miles and tried the lights, horn, wipers, ac, etc. It all seemed to work well aside from some dry rot in the back seats. I got back on the hwy and noticed that I did not try the sunroof. I hit the button, the sunroof went back and I heard a great whooshing sound and the sunroof was gone. I checked the rearview mirror with horror to see a semi right behind me and I expected the worst. But nothing happened. I pulled over and found that the sunroof was still attached by the opening/closing cable/tube thing and sitting on top of the roof. It became pretty apparent that there was no way I could get things back to the way they were. I drove back holding the sunroof in place and profusely apologized. I thought the owner was going to get his gun. He was pissed and made a bunch of comments about “one more thing about this car”, “the mechanic said it was fixed”, “I’ll never sell this car.” I did not buy the car.
Re: The manual seats – When I had my 1992 400E (great car!) I had to laugh the first time I wanted to adjust the mirrors – the passenger side was powered by a little joystick on the conter console, but the driver side was a manual adjustment…makes perfect sense to me as a German, but funny to experience. And the 400E was new for 1992 and significantly more expensive than the 300E (but a lot less than the 500E)…
I remember that! But thanks for reviving it.
In the BMW E9 coupes (1968-1975), standard equipment for Europe is rear windows electric and front ones crank. Makes perfect sense to me: put motors where you can’t reach the crank!
i had an mb 240d with manual windows and an electric sunroof. my mother had a volvo 240 with electric windows and a manual sunroof. neither make much sense to me!
Give me a manual sunroof in a SAAB or a Volvo any time!
I had a 81 BMW 518, with power outside mirror on the left side, but not the right, and no power steering, manual choke and an adjustable steering wheel. 4 doors, no power locks.
Thanks to Canada’s 15 years old limit (opposed to 25 in US), a few years back I owned a similar Japanese-spec (but LHD) 1992 400E I brought from Japan with 25 000 miles on it. When new in Japan, it had a whopping sticker of $80,000 (then, not in modern $).
I was thinking the exact same thing! The very first new Mercedes I bought was a W124. In the showroom I noticed this send asked why, the response was “because the engineers decided there is no need to have power assistance for the drivers mirror, only the passenger side because the driver cannot reach yo that died while looking at the mirror to adjust it”. Perfect sense and a touch of that German arrogance, which is justified by being correct! During this era, as I recall, Mercedes refused to instal those in-car computers (BMW were very fond of them) because they did not think they offered any practical value. They certainly have changer their tune on that subject!
Of course they would have realised in the end that when producing cars in both left and right hand drive, having the same system on both sides would be more efficient and probably less expensive. The 124 was a fabulous car though and Mercedes were much rarer then than now.
Build quality on all 116’s was fantastic. I have an R107 SL of this era and the strength of it and quality of materials really are streets head of anything else at the time.
As for the M100, this was the very first V8 Mercedes ever made and it was a very complex beast indeed. Within Mercedes collector circles there is an international group devoted to just this engine – the M100 Group – I think you have to own one to join. There is a guy in the USA, a very German surname which I forget and first name Karl, who is considered the absolute global authority on these engines and also on W100’s. He will build you a supercharged version if you wish! I think Jay Leno has one.
I always liked the fact that MB called it 450SEL 6.9 instead of 690SEL.
Oh, and Paul, shouldn’t it be “Deutsches” instead of “Deutscher” ? Heavy Metal would be a das, not a der.
Jim
Yes; my German grammar is atrocious.
Well, it would be seeing as how you are Austrian… 🙂
Jim
one of my favorite cars of all time. as a high school prank, my friends and i went hooning in one when a classmate borrowed his parents 450 sel. not sure if it was the 6.9, but boy did he fling that thing through the local mountain curves with five teenagers onboard. if he had tried that in a gm product, i wouldn’t be writing this now…
I bought a black one that had been sitting forlornly in the back of an import service lot 2 years ago. In 1979 I was bopping along Puerto Rico Highway #2 at about 95 MPH in a 1969 Mach 1 when this big, metallic brown THING whooshed by me. Try as I may, I couldn’t catch up with it, even with 3.25 gears and a 4 speed top loader. By the time I finally got a good look it was parked at the Chicken and Pizza Palace outside of my home town; that was it, from then on, I drooled over anything AMG, RUF or M class. Fast forward to the present, so far I’ve rebuilt the leveling valves and hydropump on the black bastard myself (yes, you can do it, lightning will not strike you) replaced and retorqued the head bolts, replaced the windshield and backlite gaskets and rebuilt the front calipers. I am now stripping the walnut panels and shall get them relacquered by a pro, as I refuse to make a fool of myself through overreaching self-expectation. The thing is capable of breaking traffic laws all day, it is most certainly a car after a connected European criminal’s heart. My wife calls it the Cosa Nostra car, and seems embarrassed to cruise in it; therefore, I shall further aggravate her by de-dinging and respraying the car, and adding the chrome fender-flair trim.
My dad brought home a black on black version back in the 70’s. The owner of the dealer (who was also his client) let him use the vehicle for the weekend to give him a better idea of what the car was like to own. Our current Mercedes at the time was a black 1969 280 SEL (6 cyl.). Needless to say there was an amazing difference between the two vehicles. It was a very special car with very loud in-tank fuel pumps that came alive seconds before ignition. To my young ears it sounded like a space ship. The gas consumption was staggering by any frame of reference which is probably why he didn’t purchase the car. He waited until the early 80’s and bought the 300SD.
Apparently the 6.3 engine size was decided upon because Royce engines were 6.25 litres. When RR engines were increased to 6.75 litres Benz increased to 6.9 litres! I’m told this is the case, if anyone knows otherwise please correct me! A case of, we lost the war but we’ve still got a bigger engine than you!
I’m reasonably sure these didn’t have tilt steering column either…I had 2 W116s, a 280SE and a gray market 450SE in a horrible Granny Smith green with saffron velour, and as far as I recall both had fixed steering columns.
I remember reading about the fixed-position Mercedes-Benz steering column. An engineer was asked when their cars would offer tilt-and-telescoping steering wheels.
“We spend years researching the perfect angle and you want to CHANGE it?”
A bit of that swagger remains. M-B still expects to sell cars at $40K with MB-Tex (aka vinyl) interiors.
David ;
You couldn’t be more wrong ~ M-B Tex is far beyond (! better !) leather , most folks looking at my 32 year old Mercedes seats think they’re leather and they’re not , they’re M-N Tex , a thing I vastly prefer to leather because all one needs do is keep it clean ~ no oiling or other treatments .
I recently found a like new if filthy beyond the pale passenger seat in a Junk Yard , I need the base springs out of it for SWMBO’s 240D and will also try to use the M-B Tex cover on my slightly worn (407,XXX mile) Coupe , the Junk Man flat refused to believe it wasn’t leather (not a crack anywhere on it) and so charged me $75 for the entire seat , way too much for a filthy Junk Yard seat but cheaper than buying a new spring .
-Nate
A similar story was reported in an Australian magazine, which went on along the lines of “And I suppose the radio volume is locked to the correct level?” 🙂
I too would be very interested in reading your analysis of MB’s decline…..your articles are great. Please keep it up!
When I was 14 (1983) a buddy’s dad bought a used 6.9 with low miles and it was an amazing car to ride in. The power felt like nothing I’d ever riden in, and the brakes were equally powerful. Huge velour seats, powerful rumbling v-8 and big brakes all working together in complete balance. My father helped me understand how completely different a car the 6.9 was from their other mercedes, a 300sd of the same body style, or ours a 1982 300d and a 1981 300td.
Years later I spoke with a Mercedes mechanic who said the only Mercedes he wouldn’t accept for free was a 6.9 as you have to pull the engine to do nearly any maintenance on the car.
Fast forward to today and a guy I know with a 1993 500e said how much of a “pig” he thinks the 6.9 is, having driven one himself. Heavy and slow was his description.
It’s quite amazing how far cars have come, that you can get a Kia Optima with as much horsepower as a 6.9 and twice as many gears.
I’ve always liked this generation Mercedes-Benz SEL. I love the European headlamps. 🙂
No power seats? I’ll bet there was a set of mechanical adjustments, though, and I’ll bet the knobs and levers were very, very precisely engineered. That certainly was German luxury as we experienced it in those days. And don’t forget high quality materials, too. It’s sort of like an old Dual 1229 turntable I have. It has a clean, no-nonsense visual style that was utterly modern and contemporary in the early 1970s, and engineering to match, with no play in any of the controls but rather a silky, quiet response to the touch. The platter is over 7 pounds of cast, machined, balanced aluminum alloy, with bearings and a drive system to insure quiet operation. And that heavy platter acts as a flywheel to smooth out any tiny speed variations. It still sounds good today.
That’s German luxury.
I have a Dual 1229! It needs to get started again though. Darn motor won’t turn on.
I had a similar problem with my 1219 a few years back. The motor shaft had almost seized, and the platter barely moved. I was able to remove the motor and disassemble it. The motor halves can be separated with a bit of gentle persuasion after removing the bolts – it’s a friction fit. I cleaned & oiled the shaft, reassembled the motor, and it’s been spinning like a champ ever since.
I lusted after a Dual 1229 when I was in high school. But I could only afford the cheaper one, with the 10″ platter, a 1019.
My parents still own, and occasionally use, an early 70’s Dual 1009f. I’ve tried to persuade them to give it to me on several occasions; no luck. Definitely built to last.
I preferred the the more stripped down Thorens TD-160 from Switzerland. Philosophically still very German. No ornamentation and only 2 controls.
Thanks for the write up Paul. I would like to respectfully request a write up on the ls400 (unless it’s been done already) and its impact on Mercedes.
I bought a 1976 6.9 “project” last year. Yes, I am well aware of the “a cheap Mercedes is a very expensive Mercedes”. Over the years I looked at many 6.9s and there was always glaring flaws such as rampant rust, coil springs installed to replace the air bags suspension, interiors in shreds…etc. Then I found this one on CL, a European model (1976 models were not imported to the US officially), in green with green velour interior. That sold me. It has low miles but is has not run in a number of years and there is rust in the shock towers. For me this is a keeper.
The Maserati Quattroporte which was a contemporary of the 6.9 carried a sticker price of $68k in 1978-1979. The QP is a very simple car compared to the Mercedes.
So who needs power seats? Just more electrical crap to eventually fail.
And an adjustable steering column is nice, but if engineered properly from the start, again, not necessary.
(And yes, I’m somewhat hypocritical here, as both Buicks have power seats. But they were bought as used vehicles. I can’t even BUY a new car outfitted to my liking, because I’d eliminate a bunch of power-everything stuff that will also fail eventually, and sadly, they’re not manufactured that way any more.)
Hmmm. I certainly agree with the concept that stuff in general inevitably fails, but power seats are pretty much a deal breaker for me in cars. I can’t tell you how many different cars I’ve been in that I couldn’t find an ideal seat back angle on a conventional lever operated seat. Let’s just leave it at “many”. This is okay for short stings but gets pretty excruciating on long drives. These days I won’t even rent anything that doesn’t have a power seat. And then, not all power seats are built equal, either…
Anyway, I got love for these Mercs, but come on now, for a car priced into the stratosphere like that it’s kind of ridiculous not to feature such a basic – and necessary for long hauls – amenity.
The rake of front seats of the 6.9, as on all W116s, is adjusted by a rotary control on the inboard side. No levers, no notches like a lawnmower deck. Most people can be accommodated easily.
To address orthopedic issues, the box for special seats needs to have been ticked when ordering.
If all this fails retire to the rear bench which was optionally available with a powered adjustment varying the rake of the squab and sliding the base forward and aft.
LOL – I didn’t mean orthopedic issues. But the notches – I reckon you’ll agree – in general have limited usefulness, especially for people who are over 6 feet tall and spend long highway hours in cars with low rooflines. What you describe with a rotary control sounds like a step above that primitive setup and basically a power option in all but technicality – it simply doesn’t utilize an electric motor. But it sounds nothing like the conventional lever+notches recliner design that 99% of non-power seat equipped vehicles use.
Basically, to describe this car as not having power seats is somewhat misleading then…
And to further elaborate, Jim’s particular 6.9 is one of the more lovely methods of covering long distances that I have been privileged to experience…
Your right. Most seat and column adjustments are only made twice, once for him and once for her. A friend got burned on the price of a power drivers seat as it would not lock and failed the MOT!.
A fabulous automobile. Loved them then, love them now.
W.I. Simonsen looks the same now as it did then (though the service department has been significantly expanded over the years). My aunt and uncle bought a new 450 SL there in late ’77.
Fantastic cars. But, I look at the 6.9 engine bay (not pictured above) and I shudder at the thought of working on most of what’s in there. Tight quarters doesn’t begin to describe it!
There’s a certain temptation here to say it’s a technological singularity from which even money cannot escape…
Solid cars the W116’s were .
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The ” Klima I ” HVAC was actually Chrysler’s Air Temp II under license and it’s beyond troublesome , I’ve owned Mercedes with it and will never do so again .
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ICE COLD AC when working properly ! =8-) .
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Until you’ve tried and enjoyed the old tech Mercedes seats you cannot possibly understand how good they are .
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After my Moto accident and to this day when camping , I like to sleep in the passenger side front seat because I can adjust it to suit what’s left of my spine and neck .
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-Nate
(who vastly prefers the W123 series Mercedes)
Agree 110%! On my R 107 380 SL the seats are superb and that recline winder lets you stop at any point you like, no notches or anything. Of course on the 107 one can only recline so far before being prevented from going further by the soft top housing.
I also have a 108 280 SE and a 111 280 SE 3.5 coupe – all have simllar winding mechanisms for recline and great seats. On all three you can feel the seat base springs moving in concert with the suspension to isolate you from bumps.
The 107 and 108 both have MB tex which is still original and looks and feels new. The 111 coupe has leatHer which had to be replaced throughout and there is lots of leather in that car (inside the glove box, the rear parcel tray, side panels, dash top – all that before you get to armrests and seats!). I love MB Tex!
Looks better with standard wheels and without chrome trim.
I fully agree. It looks much better especially without the El Pimpo chrome wheelarches. Horrible, just horrible.
The most common reason for those atrocious wheel arch trims is to cover rusty arches. I’d be concerned if I ever were considering purchase of a car with them.
The wheels themselves, I actually don’t mind. The deep inset adds a little attitude, and while newer than the car they’re not drastically so.
Or is it vice versa: The most common reason for rusty wheel arches are those atrocious wheel arch trims ?
Bye the way: My father’s son told me, the only really fittig wheels here were forged Fuchs rims …
The 450 SEL badge on the back isn’t straight, someone’s messed with that.
No way would the German’s build a car with a crooked badge.
I’ve never been very moved by these — certainly not as much as the W109 6.3, although in many respects the W116 6.9 is an objectively better car. Since it’s slower than the 6.3 or the later 500E (one of which I spotted recently, come to think of it), its engineering ends up seeming like overkill, and unlike, say, a Porsche 930, it doesn’t take it far enough to astound. (I would not want a 930 and I’d be leery of even driving one lest it kill me, but if I had a hat, I’d doff it to that car, which I can’t say for the 6.9.)
Oh boo hoo! No power seats. No tilt wheel. Plus having to live with very slow power windows.
And what about white walls and vinyl roof?
There’s more quality engineering in the ribbed tail light lenses of the S class than in an entire Oldsmobile that was certainly a better car by those simple measures.
And that over engineering came with a high cost! Good luck restoring this car as a tailight that probobly costs more to re place now than to rebuild an Oldsmobile engine!
That Oldsmobile also provided similar comfort, and reliability while being significant less cost to maintain and own.
You can bow to alter of the Germans, but I am more proud of what Detroit provided the masses.
I never understand the “but it costs more” argument. It just doesn’t matter. It’s not cheap to restore a Rolls or Ferarri either but people do it. If you want to play with these pony up the cash. If you don’t want to spend the dollars, get that Oldsmobile and be happy, but that does not give you the right to be critical of people who see the value of real engineering and design anymore than they have the right to criticise your choices. Each to their own.
Ashley ;
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The deal is similar to older GM vehicles in that an old Mercedes will still run long after it’s on it’s death watch .
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So , folks buy them and do _zero_ maintenance then dump them on unsuspecting fools who then attempt to make everything work again….
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Truly : the MOST EXPEN$IVE car you’ll ever own , is a ” cheap Mercedes ” .
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I’m a Mercedes Mechanic and I’d never allow any friend to buy one of these .
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-Nate
(who’s saved from the crusher 407,XXX mile Diesel Sports Coupe is parked out side awaiting my beck and call)
I’m not going to cry about the lack of power seats, but I wouldn’t put a tilt wheel in the same category as whitewalls. Then again, I’m not one who thinks being able to tailor the most important automotive control to suit drivers whose potential height and weight spread may run to 18 inches and more than 150 pounds.
A “we did it because we could” effort from Mercedes, and the world is a richer place for it. Shockingly expensive, shockingly complex for the time, and not much of a performer by modern standards, but for the era? It must have been a total revelation. The late 60’s through the early 90’s are Peak Mercedes indeed.
In 1979, my third-grade classroom overlooked WI Simonson’s overflow lot on the east side of 17th street. It wasn’t a bad view. I don’t know why it never occurred to me to sneak over and browse the inventory.
Also realizing none of our family friends had a 6.9. Definitely would’ve been rarer than Silver Shadows, which seemed almost as plentiful as regular 450 SELs.
You could start an article about Daimler’s decline with a note about the biodegradable wiring required by the German gummint, and lead all the way up to the bad chain sprockets in the early V-6 motors. Somewhere in there is the acquisition and shedding of Chrysler. Just my 2 cents.
It is still bad – see my comment below on picking up a brand new Merc E Class today……my wife’s Maserati Levante, a Stellantis (i.e. Chrysler/Fiat) product is very well made and solid, with a beautiful paint job, as it should be for the asking price.
Even our 2016 Grand Cherokee was better made and painted than the E Class.
Looks like only one of the partners in the “Merger Of Equals” learned from the experience…..
I was enthralled by these cars when they first came out. I read several MBZ buyer guides and saw the warning that these were particularly expensive and difficult to maintain. I thought I would wait until depreciation brought them into my grasp. I sent away for a publication from Star Motors, a 6.9 specialist. When I saw that a starter cost five hundred dollars I thought that a 560 SEL might make a better alternative. As the opportunity to buy one of these models used presented itself I was now enamored with the Northstar powered Seville STS which would out perform the 560. I chose the STS which for a few years was a great experience. My father in law had a 450 SEL which he had bought when it was about five or six years old. He liked it so much that he parked his 1981 Fleetwood for a few years. I got the chance to drive the 450 several years before I chose the STS. I was impressed by the solid handling, good steering feel and overall feeling of quality. I also liked the dignified styling. Now it seems that when I see a large Mercedes of this vintage it is either a diesel or a real beater. Which is a real shame. There doesn’t seem to be many of these SELs being preserved. They were real gas hogs but did they project class with a capital “C”.
This particular model has been for as many years as I can remember and still is one of my favorite offspring of the MBZ family. I remember my parents considering one back in 1978, but were absolutely aghast at how a car with power everything could cost twice what American luxury cars were commanding. They ended up buying a Lincoln Continental Mark V Cartier Edition, which according to my father, had power everything and was much more impressive overall to him.
Eight years later it looked terrible and had rust in various places and I remember my mother arguing with my father why we didn’t buy that 6.9 and how half of the electronics along with the paint have gone out the window! It also comes to mind what some mechanics I knew called the used 6.9’s – rolling banks. Lots of money from various people safely deposited within them LOL!
Last thought on the MBZ culture back in it’s heyday (60’s-90’s): Once upon a time I strolled in all of my 17 years into a dealership nearby where we lived in Southern California wearing my Sunday church suit to impress the salesmen into letting me check out a new (at the time) 1986 420SEL. None of them even bothered to greet me as a walked slowly around each car in the showroom. After 20 mins. or so, the phone receptionist took pity on me and put a brochure in my hand and gently but firmly saw me to the door. They must have realized I didn’t have quite enough $ to warrant a test drive or even an acknowledgement I existed. Good times…
Sounds like how to alienate a potential future customer to me!
Looks like W.I. Simonson never took the Packard badge off their facade. I’m glad they didn’t.
I have never understood the need for power seats. Adjustable, most certainly, but why put heavy space-robbing electric motors down there when they might go for weeks, months without being called upon? Fore-aft is pretty much set and forget unless you regularly cycle between differently-sized drivers, and even then a lever mechanism isn’t (or shouldn’t be) hard to use, and a properly-designed infinitely adjustable backrest can give you whatever angle you need. Lumbar support, thigh support and other such niceties can be manual too.
It seems to me you’d only need power if your manual mechanisms aren’t properly designed and engineered, or if you subscribe to the ‘power everything’ mania. I’m with the old-school Daimler-Benz on this one. Or am I misunderstanding something here?
It seemed like the overwhelming majority of late 70s-early 80s MB in the US were diesels, I guess to counteract the gas consumption of this one. IIRC, their MSRP was lower than the petrol versions.
Right you are. In fact, *all* W123s built for the United States in the last four years of production were diesels…and until the 190E came about, the only gasoline-powered cars available were the V8 Sonderklasse and SL models.
Exterior styling looks significantly influenced by the early 1960s Volkswagen EA 128 you profiled last week.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/automotive-history-vws-stillborn-big-wide-car-for-america-the-amiwagen-or-911-sedan/
My boss gave me his 1977 6.9 in 1995. It looked pristine but it was not mechanically so. It was pastelgrau with velour interior. Had the Euro headlamps but US bumpers. (Which I am the oddball that does like the US bumpers)
It took about $55K in 1995 dollars to get it mechanically sound again. I really enjoyed the car, but it was the most unreliable Mercedes I have ever owned. (1980 300SD, 1986 420SEL and now 1998 SL500) I simply got tired of it being in the shop as much as it did and costing as much as it did to repair.
It was still an eye catcher, though even in the 1990s in jaded Los Angeles. I once left the gym and found someone lying underneath my car. When I interrupted him he told me he was just looking to see if it was an actual 6.9 or just a re-badged 450SEL. I told him he only needed to look through the windshield and look for the suspension lever at the steering wheel for authenticity. Still, it was weird.
I also once got rear ended on Sunset Blvd at Beverly Glen. My US bumpers looked unscathed, they did need to be reset but the Ford Taurus assailant was toast.
I sold the car in 2000 and bought my current ’98 SL500. (currently only 51K miles) which I love. The 6.9’s buyer shipped it to the south and contacted me a few weeks later and told me he’d totaled it in an accident. I was jealous of the insurance payout.
‘scuze me: fifty-five thousand dollars’ worth of repairs ($104,337 in today’s dollars)?! What on earth cost that much?
It’s been a while since 1995, however, I was “given” a 1977 6.9 that looked mint and drove like a skateboard, so my memory is rusty on all the unpleasant details, but I recall the hydropneumatic suspension alone was $11K to repair. Transmission rebuilding, air conditioning, It was a long list and a huge folder of repair receipts. Everything done in that car was a premium. Before 6.9, I had my 420SEL, which was, of course, never a bother. When it did break down, it had fairly reasonable repair costs for a Mercedes. My 300SD as well has fairly reasonable repair costs, but the 6.9 did not and really did me in. The mechanic I used one day joked, “for the amount you spend in repairs, you could buy a brand new SL500”. My mind clicked and I thought….So, I bought a used 1998 SL500 in the year 2000. I still drive it today. The same mechanics son still services it, and it has never had to have any major repairs, except for the top mechanism twice, which is notorious for letting you know when it has bit the dust.
Ironically, the only car my wife or I have owned in 47 years of car ownership that had power seats, was German, though a bit newer than this 6.9: a 1981 BMW E12 528i. Our current fleet is 2015, 2016 and 2022, the two newer ones with sticker prices north of $35K and $45K respectively … no power seats. I wouldn’t mind having them, but don’t miss them. The 2016 has heated seats which I do like.
Why’d they call it a 6.9, then, instead of a 6.8? Daimler-Benz were taking arithmetic lessons (specifically in rounding) from Ford?
The Mercedes-Benz 600 had power seats long before the W124 taught everyone how power seats should be controlled. The 600’s seats were adjusted hydraulically rather than electrically though. Mercedes seemed to have the same aversion to electrically powered features that my father who was raised in Toronto did. Until about the mid-’80s, he just considered them to be windows and mirrors that didn’t work in the winter. Mercedes seemed happier to power locks with vacuum hoses and seats and windows with hydraulics from a similar aversion, although the 600’s power features were reputed to be silent when everything was working right.
…they are also silent when nothing is working right.
Sometimes they shoot a stream of fluid under sufficient pressure to cut through flesh, which probably isn’t a silent failure mode.
But I’m sure the stream of fluid is in compliance with all applicable provisions of all applicable DIN standards, and it is also shot with full compliance, in accord with the homologation papers which are of course to be kept in the car at all times.
450SEL 6.9, Northern Territory, Australia circa 2001 when there were still no speed limits on the outback highways. Top speed was an indicated 235 km/h (146 mph) or 227 (141) with the sunroof open. They were an extraordinary machine by the standards of the 1970s and any W116 still seems remarkably modern to me. A great advance in so many ways over the old 300SEL 6.3 but the earlier car was more fun.
Apologies, must be a jpeg size limit.
Hmm, talking of Mercedes quality…Picked up a brand new E class wagon today (8km on the clock) and am returning it tomorrow – pebble-dashed paint, bad brake pull to one side (not fun when it sends you sideways slowing from 220km/h) and the rear parking display 90 degrees out – hilarious!
Paint an orange would be proud of…..
Oh, and the gearbox judders when changing down – aargh!
80.6km insgesamt gelaufen – ich glaube ich habe ein Montagsauto erwischt. Anders gesagt – eine Zitrone!
The best or nicht our 1977 6.9. #2760