Mercedes-Benz S-Klasse

Mercedes 6.9 selges på vegne av kunde, vennligst ring direkte til kunden. 90506676. Fargen er mocca brun metallic. Klarlakk er ødelagt av solen i California. Helt rustfritt karosseri. Teknisk og mekanisk i meget bra forfatning. Seter har rifter. De er enkle å skaffe originalt skinntrekk til, evt. nye seter. Selger hjelper med dette. Europeiske frontlykter er kjøpt, men de må ferdigmonteres. Det er lys, så det er ok, men de må inn i holderne. Enormt musikkanlegg med egne basshøyttalere og forsterker plassert i bagasjerom.

Ønsker du nylakkert bil? Ok, ikke noe problem. Legg til kr 20 000. Nye skinntrekk i setene? Enkelt, og selger bidrar med dette.

Kjøper betaler reg/miljø/avgift. En feilfri bil med automat kan vurderes som innbytte. Kom med forslag eller bud.


En utrolig bil, kanskje de aller sprekeste som noen gang er laget. Motor som er bygget for 2 millioner kilometer! Stort samleobjekt i deler av verden, og i land som Sveits, Japan og Tyskland går fine eksemplare for en halv million kroner.
En bekjent i Husum i Tyskland, som har to slike 6.9, fortalte følgende: "Disse bilene ble oppgitt med en toppfart på 234 km/t for å tilfredsstille tyske myndigheter på den tiden, da ingen biler skulle gå fortere enn 250. Bilene gjør fint 300 km/t, og ingen følger meg fra 150 opp til 250, selv ikke nyere biler med et alfabet bak på bilen".


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4ZxN8MXjGU

En annen film om bilen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWZH4V9-J6k
Dette er den ultimate Mercedes fra 70-tallet. Helt utrolig i både komfort og ytelse. Et dreiemoment på hele 550 Nm gjør bilen selv i dag til en av de aller sprekeste når krefter skal måles. Da den kom, var den verdens raskeste sedan-utgave, og raskere enn både Jaguar V12 og Aston Martin Lagonda.






http://www.alabbasi.net/accident/test.gif

Torrsumpsmörjning är ett system för smörjning av fyrtaktsmotorer där motoroljan lagras i ett kärl (oljetank) separat från vevhuset. Oljepumpen har här två uppgifter, förutom att som vid våtsumpsmörjning bygga upp oljetrycket i motorn, även pumpa oljan i retur till oljetanken.
Främsta fördelen med torrsumpsmörjning är att konstruktören är friare att placera motor och oljetråg utifrån aerodynamiska och/eller viktfördelningsmässiga synpunkter. En annan fördel är att systemet rymmer mer olja, vilket gör oljanlättare att kyla. I en våtsumpssmord motor finns dessutom risken att oljan vid kurvtagning dras mot oljetrågets ena sida av centrifugalkraften, vilket kan leda till att oljeuppsamlingsröret hamnar ovanför vätskeytan med följden att motorn ej får tillräckligt mycket olja
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A Most Remarkable Automobile
This automobile has several features that predated what is considered to be new technology. The 6.9 set the standard for today s automobiles some 20 years or more ago. After having test driven newer cars on the die hard performance models can even attempt to give the same feeling of power and control and mechanical acumen and comfort. It would take at the least $35,000-$50,000 new dollars to even become a serious contender. So in short a Restored 6.9 would out shine as well as out perform and under cut the cost of today s luxury performancesedans and coupes. A 450 SEL 6.9 in good running condition is indeed a performance bargain. I would further like to interject here that the 286 HP rating is rather conservative based on the EPA restrictions imposed in the middle to late 70 s on all makes and models of cars. In 1979 the 6.9 was the fastest sedan tested and second fastest overall according to Motor Trend magazine. This Mercedes was only bested by a true sports car the Ferrari 308. That s pretty good for a 4door 4400 plus lbs. automobile.
The self leveling suspension is a dream. The legendary Citroen SM was one of the best riding cars in the world and the auto tracking headlights were a real touch of technology. Although the Mercedes did not have the Floating head lights it did share the floating suspension, which in the real sense allowed the 6.9 to truly float likea butterfly and sting like a bee whenever the accelerator was engaged for business. Watching the suspension adjust for passengers or cargo or stiffen for war is quite a treat and reassuring to know that your automobile cares about performance conditions as much you do. The amazing thing is this car s functions are all mechanical and not computer driven, or simulated responses. The adjustments are all made from real world stimuli and not a range of computerized predictions and guesses. This is indeed the car for the purist where excess is just enough. What would a car like this cost today? It s beautiful aerodynamic predecessor the S600 V12 cost in the neighborhood of $132,000 or more and is a very wonderful car. And of course the SL 600 profits from today s technology. But yester year s performance model can still run with today s for about 100-125,000.00 less dollars and is soon to become a collectors item we hope cause they ain tmakin these babies no more.
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Mercedes-Benz V8
by F. Wilson McComb
CHAPTER 5 - 6.9 Litres
A sad side-effect of the New S Class's arrival in 1972 was that it killed off the 300 SEL bodyshell, and with it Europe's favourite motorway cruiser, the 300SEL 6.3. At the time it was still selling steadily, and some owners were anxious to buy another, the earliest examples being then three years old. Daimler-Benz assured them a replacement was on the way. Neither they nor anyone else knew that this 135 mph limousine would have no successor for a further three years, at least.
The formula seems simple enough: takethe best bodyshell in your current range, cram the largest available engine into it, and there you are. However, Stuttgart's methods were no longeras crudely direct as that. In this case they were very keen to refine the basic concept a great deal, and some of those refinements had to keep step with developments elsewhere in the model range. Then there was the fuel crisis of late 1973, making it a tactless time to announce a large car with the kind of performnance that causes any self-respecting conservationist to go purple with righteous indignation. So although the new 450 SEL 6.9 Mercedes-Benz could have been released at the 1974 Geneva Show, if not sooner, they decided to hold it back for another year. Even then, it was to be a low-profile exercise because there was a waiting-list of several hundred who wanted the car now, whatever its specification might be. Shown to the European press in May 1975, the new model was still unobtainable in Britain or America until late 1976.

 
For the 450 SEL 6.9-litre of 1975, the Series 116 suspension layout was combined with a highly sophisticated system of nitrogen-filled pressure reservoirs and oil-filledstruts with gas-filled dampers. As before, it was self-levelling and adjustable for ride firmness and height while on the move.
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The 6.9 is meant to be the flagship of the entire Mercedes-Benz fleet.
Beneath the surface there are all kinds of fascinating bits of technica curiosa. A dry-sump engine, for instance. Self-leveling hydropneumatic strut suspension, á la Citroén, for another.
Specially modified three-speed automatic transmission, beefed up driveline and a very sophisticated Watts linkage applied to the already superior Mercedes independent rear suspension to enhance anti-dive and anti-squat performance on hard braking and acceleration.
How does it all work? Superbly.
The 6.9 feels more nimble, more agile than any other Mercedes we can remember.
The new suspension, combined with the extra power of the 417-cubic inch engine makes it possible to toss the big sedan around like a bug-eye Sprite.
It accelerates 0-60 in a little over seven seconds andhasa top speed of nearly 140 mph.
It is rock-solid and practically silent on the road, at any speed, and the engine's mid-range performance makes serious high-speed mountain driving a positive joy.
Its predecessor, the 6.3, was a little crude, a little brutal in the way it went fast.
The 6.9 is not quite so fast as the 6.3, but far silkier and more sophisticated. Additionally, it enjoys all the benefits of the 450SEL body-tightness, security, stiffness and aerodynamics that not only make the shape slippery but keep the windows clean as well.

The Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 6.9
Upper nobility



Launched 30 years ago on May 15, 1975
Second to none: The car s formidable engine
Hydropneumatic suspension: For top-notch comfort

The oil crisis in the early 1970s had deeply shocked the western world, causing, among other things, the launch of a unique model from Mercedes-Benz the 450 SEL 6.9 (W 116 series) to be postponed. An engine with a displacement of 6.9 liters was, after all, difficult to sell, to put it mildly. And yet the strategists took the risk and in May 1975, one-and-a-half years later than planned, presented the car to a public that was instantly intrigued by the car.



Among the car s beguiling features were its performancefigures. The gigantic engine generated an output of 286 hp (210 kW) at 4250/min and a maximum torque of 56 mkg at 3000/min, providing the car with top-notch sports-car performance. The sedan accelerated from standstill to 100 km/h in 7.4 seconds and had an official top speed of 225 km/h motor journals measured even higher speeds. But it was also the engine s power development that was quite extraordinary. Drive torque was available in abundance at all times, permitting anything between a leisurely pace and hard driving.



Another beguiling quality of the 450 SEL 6.9 was its refinement at the highest level. The car was, after all, the noblest representative of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class in the 1970s, and noblesse oblige. The interior was fitted out with the discreet luxury of the automotive top league. Leather-covered seats were an optional extra, for instance the standard seat covers were made of quality velour. The car was popular among customers employing a chauffeur, hence great store was set by the comfort of the rear seats. Electrically adjustable rear seats and seat heating were optionally available. Reading lamps in the rearmost roof pillar enabled passengers to go through their files on long journeys, or to relax reading an entertaining book after a long working day. The same level of comfort was lavished on the person at the wheel, who also benefited from the standard-setting ergonomic design of the cockpit.



All occupants were pampered by the hydropneumatic suspension, a standard feature on this car. The much-quoted comparison with a sedan chair is acceptable here by way of exception: a more comfortable ride would hardly have been conceivable, also at high speed.



The list of options also included an item that was still a great rarity in the 1970s but available from Mercedes-Benz as a matter of course: a car phone. It cost aroundDM18,000 money that would have bought two small cars at the time.



This abundance of comfort had not come about by coincidence. The 450 SEL 6.9 derived its genes in part from the 600 (W 100 series) some of the 600 s outstanding engineering features were also made available for the S-Class flagship, among them the V8 engine. The latter had, however, been thoroughly revised it that it had been given a larger displacement for greater power, a new engine management system and more effective dry-sump lubrication.



The engine s power was transmitted to the road by a three-speed automatic transmission which received nothing but top marks in contemporary test reports. Its characteristics were perfectly matched to the powerful engine, with outstanding acceleration being on tap when required but excelling first and foremost in smooth cruising. The 450SEL 6.9 was, after all, frequently driven over long distances by its buyers. A 96-liter tank gave the car an adequately large range.



From 1978, the 6.9 was also available with the anti-lock braking system (ABS) a safety system that made its debut in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and once again moved the series into the top league ofinnovative engineering.



After its launch in 1975, the 450 SEL 6.9 cost DM 69,930. In the last year of production, 1979, the car was available at a price of DM 81,247. Not exactly peanuts, but the courage of the Mercedes-Benz strategists in launching the car onto the market paid off. A total of 7,380 units were built until 1980, and most of these were exported to the USA. This volume figure looks rather small at first glance, but one mustn t forget the car s belonging to the top luxury segment where production figures are seen in a different light. And the 6.9 was, afterall, not the only S-Class model.



The 6.9 with its formidable engine was acquired by politicians, industrialists and show stars from all overthe world. Quite of few of these did indeed go for the highest levels of luxury but preferred to wear the fur on the inside, so to speak: many 450 SEL 6.9 units were ordered with option 261, omission of the displacement figure on the trunk lid. Which meant that the model was identified by the initiated only by its wide tires and larger tailpipes. Luxury lies in the finer nuances at times.



Press review of the Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 6.9



Automobil Revue, Switzerland, May 15, 1975:
It is highly gratifying to see that at a time like this, a car appears that offers the highest levels of motoring enjoyment to the connoisseur at all speeds. The 6.9 bears witness not only to the confidence those responsible have in the future but also to their courage to stand up for their beliefs.



Car, England, June 1975:
A car of such speed and weight must have demonstrably good roadholding and handling, and this one is no disappointment in anything from a hairpin to a three-figure bend: the suspension soaks up the bumps, the transmission is wonderfully smooth and admirably easy to control (either by a sensitive accelerator foot or a hasty hand at the lever), and the steering is servo-assisted in a way that highlights the nearly neutral responses of the vehicle.



auto, motor und sport, Germany, no. 21/1975:
In measurements carried out by auto motor und sport on this, the most powerful German sedan, we recorded acceleration from standstill to 100 km/h in 8.2 seconds and 28.8 seconds for one kilometer from astanding start. We also registered a top speed of 234 km/h. While these figures are highly remarkable in themselves, the way in which they are reached in the perfect interplay of engine and automatic transmission iseven more astounding. Notwithstanding the car s weight, the overwhelming power of its quiet and smooth engine generates the highest levels of comfort and motoring pleasure.


The 6.9 is the only production sedan in the U.S. utilizing a dry-sump engine. The lubricating-oil reservoir is separate from the engine, located at the right front corner of the engine compartment. This gives a very shallow oil pan, despite the 12.7-quart oil capacity of the engine, thereby affording proper ground clearance. (The 6.9's high oil capacity is largely due to the flow requirements of the hydraulic-valve-clearance compensation system, which eliminates the need for manually checking and setting valve lash.)"
"The large capacity not only ensures that there is an adequate oil supply for the demands of the 6.9 engine, but allows extension of the oil-change interval to 12,500 miles - or at least once a year. The lubricating oil does several auxiliary jobs as well as counteracting heat and friction. One is activating the timing-chain tensioner.
To avoid a loose chain at start-up, the tensioner piston has a non-return ratchet feature. As the chain stretches with use, the tensioner repositions its base point so that only a very slight slack is present in the chain even when oil pressure is absent. The timing chain is a duplex roller type, driven by the sprockets on the front of the crankshaft."
"The engine block extends down well beyond the center line of the five-mainbearing crankshaft, and the center three main bearing caps are cross-bolted in racing-engine style. Thrustis taken by the center main."
"Attention has been given to ensuring long valve life. The intake valve stemsare nitrided and the exhaust valves arefilled with sodium, to conduct heataway from their heads, and have chrome-platted stems.
All valves are fitted with rotocaps, and, as on all Mercedes-Benz engines, the valve seats are hardened. Thecylinder heads are aluminum."



After von Manteuffel's presentation, we went to Sears Point. Four of the new cars were there, and we took turns horsing them around the race track. I must have driven twenty or 30 laps in one car or another, four or five more with Phil Hill driving and about a dozen with Leon Mandel at the wheel. Hill drove like a rally driver, screaming into every corner like he'd never seen it before and scrambling for the exit like a startled cat on a freshly waxed floor. It was great fun, but the leather seats were so hard and slippery that I had trouble staying put, even with the harnessbuckled.
Mandel demonstrated the high quality of his own self-discipline/knowledge by driving briskly but not foolishly and never doing anything silly. I drove as quickly as I dared, always with a vision of the $38,230 price tag superimposed on the road ahead.

A race track is no place to drive a car like this one. The 6.9 will go swiftly and smoothly over any public road, probably more swiftly than most people will ever wish to go, but it's out of its element on a track, an artificial environment at best for a thoroughbred road machine.
One of our fellow journalists managed to prove the point by going straight where the road didn't and damaging his fog lamps and air dam.
Far more rewarding was the 4000 miles done on the road. I spent a day driving through Napa Valley with photographer Paul Ryan and a couple of friends, and it was sheer bliss, even if I did get myself nabbed by the California Highway Patrol.
The energetic Mr. Robert Mondavi let us shoot some pictures at his winery, where we'd had a terrific dinner a couple of nights before, and after that we motored over the Oakville Grade, where I rammed up and down the hills and hung the tail out allover the place for Ryan, who is apparently without fear.
The car is so responsive and controllable that one is probably in danger of becoming wildly overconfident.

The suspension and the Michelin tires simply take everything in stride, and no matter how vigorously you hurry the car you always have the nice feeling that all your options will remain open, should you ever come face to face with the Indescribable Awful.




This may be the car that Daimler-Benz has been working toward for 30 years, the culmination of all that pioneering experience with things like fuel injection, independent rear suspension, crashworthy structures, aerodynamics and -- last but not least -- racing. It is curiously appropriate that the people at Stuttgart-Untertürkheim should introduce this particular car at this particular time.
The 6.9 is like an exclamation point on the story of an entire automotive era, perhaps the last great, fast sedan to be offered the public as we enter the puritan confines of the energy crunch.

MERCEDES BENZ 450SEL 6.9




Vehicle type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger
4-door sedan



ENGINE
Type: V-8, water-cooled, cast-iron block and aluminum heads,
5 main bearings.
Bore x stroke ........................ 4.21 x 3.74 in, 107 x 95 mm
Displacement ................................... 417 cu in, 6834cc
Compression ratio ..................................... 8.0to one

DRIVETRAIN
Transmission .................................. 3-speed, automatic
Max. torque converter ................................ 2.0 to one
Final drive ratio .................................... 2.65 to one
Gear Ratio Mph/1000 rpm Max. test speed
I 2.31 12.3 65 mph (5000 rpm)
II 1.46 19.5 103 mph (5000 rpm)
III1.00 28.4 133 mph (4700 rpm)

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Wheelbase ............................................... 116.5 in
Track, F/R .......................................... 59.9/59.3 in
Length .................................................. 210.0 in
Width .................................................... 73.6 in
Height ................................................... 55.5 in
Curb weight ............................................. 4390 lbs
Weight distribution, F/R ............................. 57.1/42.9%
Fuel capacity ........................................... 25.3 gal

SUSPENSION
F: ....... ind, unequal-length control arms, hydropneumatic strut,
anti-sway bar, automatic level control

R: ........... ind, semi-trailing arm, anti-sway bar integral with
1 leading link per side, hydropneumatic strut,
automatic level control

STEERING
Type ...... recirculating ball, power-assisted, center-link damper
Turns lock-to-lock ........................................... 2.9
Turning circle curb-to-curb ..............................40.0 ft

BRAKES
F: .......................... 10.9-in vented disc, power-assisted
R: ........................... 11.0-in solid disc, power-assisted

WHEELS AND TIRES
Wheel size .......................................... 6.5 x 14-in
Wheel type ............................... aluminum alloy, 5-bolt
Tiremake and size ................... Michelin XWX, 215/70 VR-14

PERFORMANCE
Zeroto ............................................... Seconds
30 mph ............................................ 2.5
40 mph ............................................ 3.9
50 mph ............................................ 5.3
60 mph ............................................ 7.1
70 mph ............................................ 9.3
80 mph .......................................... 12.4
90 mph .......................................... 15.4
100 mph .......................................... 20.6
Standing 1/4-mile ......................... 15.7 sec @ 90.9 mph
Top speed (observed) ................................. 133 mph
70-0 mph ...................................... 207 ft (0.79 G)
Fuel economy, EPA mileage cycle ...... 10.0 mpg, urban driving
14.0 mpg, highway driving

Reprinted from Car and Driver, July, 1977

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Special features
The 6.9 was the first Mercedes-Benz to be fitted with the company's new hydropneumatic self-levelling suspension system, unlike the 600 and 6.3 which employed air suspensions. The new system wassimilar to one developed by Citroën in 1955. Using a combination of fluid-filled struts and nitrogen-filled pressure vessels or "accumulators" in lieu of conventional shock absorbers and springs, the system was pressurized by a hydraulic pump driven by the engine's timing chain. Compared to the new Mercedes-Benz system, Citroën's was belt-driven, exactly like a conventional power steering pump; failure of the Citroën system thus might result in loss of suspension. Conversely, every unit of the 6.9 was shipped with hard rubber emergency dampers that served as temporary springsand allowed the car to be driven in the event of a hydraulic failure. The special hydraulic fluid required by the system was stored in a tank inside the engine compartment. Not only was the system totally self-adjusting, ride height could be altered by a dash-mounted push-pull knob underthe speedometerthat raised the car an additional two inches (50 mm) for increased ground clearance. NHTSA decreed this feature illegal in the US market, but it could be enabled simply by removing a limiter at the tank-mounted control valve.
The suspension system gave the 4200 pound (1900 kg) car the benefits of a both a smooth ride and handling that allowed it, in the words of automotive journalist David E. Davis, to be "tossed about like a Mini." The car also featured a model W3B 050 three-speed automatic transmission unique to the 6.9 and a standard ZF limited slip differential both for enhanced roadholding performance on dry pavement and enhanced traction in inclement weather.
Four-wheel disc brakes and four-wheel independent suspension were standard across the W116 model range.
The M-100 power plant
The engine was a cast iron V8 with single overhead camshafts operating sodium-filled valves (as are found in piston-driven aircraft) against hardened valve seats on each aluminium alloy cylinder head. Each hand-built unit was bench-tested for 265 minutes, 40 of which were under full load. Bosch "K-Jetronic" electromechanical fuel injection was standard at a time when fuel-injected cars were uncommon. As in all Mercedes-Benz automobile engines, the crankshaft, connecting rods and pistons were forged instead of cast. In non-US trim, the 6.9 L (6814 cc or 417 in³) power plant was conservatively rated at 286 hp (213 kW) with 405 ft·lbf (549 N·m) of torque helping to compensate for the 2.65 to 1 final drive ratio necessary for sustained high-speed cruising. The North American version, introduced in 1977, was only slightly less powerful at 250 hp (186 kW) and 360 ft·lbf (488 N·m) of torque due to more stringent emissions control requirements. In the interest of both engine longevity aswell as creating some extra space under the hood, a "dry sump" engine lubrication system was used. Dry sump lubrication was originally developed for use in race cars as a way to prevent foaming of the engine oil by the crankshaft,which in turn would create a serious drop in oil pressure. The system circulated twelve liters of oil between the storage tank and the engine, as opposed to the usual four or five liters found in V8s with a standard oil pan and oil pump. As a result, the engine itself had no dipstick for checking the oil level. Rather, the dipstick was attached to the inside of the tank's filler cap (accessible from the engine compartment) and the oil level was checked with the engine running and at operating temperature. The dry sump system also had the benefit of extending the oil change interval to 12,500 miles (20,000 km). This, along with hydraulic valve lifters which required no adjusting and special cylinder head gaskets which eliminated the need for periodic retorquing of the head bolts, made the 6.9 nearly maintenance-free for its first 50,000 miles (80,500 km). The 6.9 required little basic service other than coolant, minor tune-ups, oil changes, and replacement of the air, fuel, oil and power steering filters.
Race track performance
Top speed was factory-rated at 140 mph (225 km/h), but some journalists testing the car saw speeds approaching 150 mph (241 km/h). Among those journalists was Brock Yates. Yates wasapproached by the factory to write promotional literature about the 6.9. He agreed, but under the condition that he could list the car's faults as well as its positives. Daimler-Benz agreed in turn, and Yates was given a US-spec 6.9 to drive from Manhattan to the Road Atlanta grand prix race track in Georgia. There, Yates would drive the car in as-arrived condition at racing speeds for a full 40 laps or just over 100 miles (160 km). The only change made to the car upon its arrival at Road Atlanta was the necessary adjustment of tire pressure. This was a difficult task even for a purpose-built race car, let alone a street-legal sedan designed and geared for high-speed Autobahn cruising. The 6.9 suffered no mechanical problems and averaged a very respectable 72 mph (116 km/h) throughout the test, completing it with little more than excess dust on the bodywork from the Michelin radial street tires on which the car was driven to Atlanta. Yates was so comfortable driving the 6.9 around the track that he reported having run at least one lap with the sunroof open and the radio on, but the high price of the car made him think better of such risky driving and he finished the test with the radio off and both hands on the wheel.
[edit] Price & interior features




All of this technology came at a very high price. At a time when the most expensive Cadillacs, the mid-sized Seville and full-sized Fleetwood Series Seventy-Five limousine each listed for about US$16,000, the 6.9 listed for around $40,000, more thanmost Rolls-Royces. When the car was officially introduced into the North American market for the 1977 model year, the price was well past $40,000 and was nearly $53,000 by the end of production. The only way to get a 6.9 in the US or Canada prior to 1977 was to import one through the grey market. Though the 6.9 was undeniably a luxury car, it was a rather austere one compared to the sheer opulence available in a Rolls-Royce or full-sized Cadillac. The interior was identical to that in the less expensive models except for the push-pull suspension control knob just under the speedometer, a lowsuspension pressure warning and height adjustment indicator lights in the instrument cluster, and wood trim finished in burled walnut veneer on the dash and console. The rest of the W116 lineup was trimmed in striated zebrano veneer.
The 6.9 lacked expected luxury touches such as power-adjustable outside mirrors or front seats, although a unique power rear seat, heated seats and even orthopedically-designed front seats were options. Buyers outside North America could also opt for headlight wipers and washers and/or headlights with a special vacuum-operated linkage whose aim could be adjusted at the dash depending on vehicle load. There was also a new standard feature in 1977-- most Mercedes-Benz automobiles that year were equipped with a sophisticated electronic climate control system developed by Chrysler Corporation for use in their top models. The system turned on the heater, air conditioner or both, depending on the thermostat's setting and ambient temperature, automatically maintaining whatever temperature the driver selected. The compressor was an American import as well, supplied by the Harrison division of General Motors.
Far more modern than the contemporary Cadillac, which still had a live rear axle, and both faster and larger inside than the either the Rolls-Royce or Cadillac, the 6.9 was indistinguishable from its W116 stablematessave for a modest "6.9" badge on the decklid and wider tires.US models also had different bumper rubbersfitted to the "park bench" impact absorbing bumpers. As discreet as the badge was, it could be deleted/ordered with option 261 omission of the displacement figure on the trunk lid at extra cost for those who wanted to avoid attention either from driversof other high-performance cars or from law enforcement. In the words of David E. Davis, the 6.9 was "a $50,000 exercise in going fast."

Still, for fans of the discontinued 6.3 or for those who simply had to have a car which Car and Driver proclaimed to be "the greatest Mercedes-Benz ever built," it seemed that money was no object. At its launch in 1975, the 450SEL 6.9 cost DM 69,930. In the last year of production, 1979, the car was available at a price of DM 81,247. Even though this was far from inexpensive, the courage of the Mercedes-Benz strategists in launching the car onto the market paid off. A total of 7,380 units were built by 1980, and most of these were exported to the USA.

This volume figure looks rather small at first glance, but production figures tend to be significantly smaller in the top luxury segment where this model competes. Also, the 6.9 was not the only S-Class model, and was purchased by the rich, the famous, and the powerful despite the rising cost of gasoline brought on by the Arab oil embargo. Thus, the 7,380 total sales volume is quite respectable once the price and contemporary economic climate are taken into account.
The 6.9 today
In a poll conducted byBritain's Classic & Sports Car magazine and printed in their April 1999 edition, the Mercedes-Benz 6.9 ranked fourth on their list of the "world's greatest saloons." [1] The May 2004 edition of another British publication, Mercedes Enthusiast magazine, ranked the 6.9 number fifteen on their all-time top twenty list of great Mercedes-Benz automobiles. Even with such accolades,a 6.9 is a reasonably priced collectible automobile despite its rarity. The online NADA UsedCar Guide lists a top value of US$20,000.

Famous Owners
Since the original owners of the cars were among the world's most wealthy and famous, it should come as little surprise when one turns up with a pedigree:
Sir Bernard Ashley - Chairman of Laura Ashley department stores owned a left hand drive version, finished in blue with a matching blue velour interior. Bought new in Picardy, France, where Sir Bernard lived at the time, the car was kept in storage at Llangoed Hall Hotel from 1992 and serviced regularly - Sir Bernard having moved to the US. The car sold for $4,239, including buyer's premium, at Bonhams & Brooks Olympia London auction, 4 December, 2000.
James Hunt - the F1 racing driver owned two of the 287 cars imported in to the UK [2]
John F. Kennedy, Jr. - a slightly rough 6.9 was sold via an eBay auction with documentation linking ownership to JFK Jr, and prior to that, his uncle, Sargent Shriver.
A contributor to the International M-100 Group bulletin board (see link below) purchased a unit in Pasadena, California that was fully documented as being purchased by Howard Keck, former CEO of Superior Oil, owner of a two-time winning Indianapolis 500 team and head of one of the world's largest philanthropic organizations, the W. M. Keck Foundation
Shah of Iran - with its reserves of power, the 6.9 was a natural for conversion into an armoured car. One such version that had been owned by the Shah of Iran was put up for auction in New York City
Edgar Rosenberg - the British-born television producer owned a 1979 black-on-black US-spec version.
Frank Sinatra - a US-spec unit auctioned on eBay in October 2006 was claimed to have been purchased by Sinatra as a gift to an undisclosed friend and business associate in California.
Claude Francois, French singer and original compositor of "My Way" drove a 450 SEL 6.9 from November 1976 till March 1978. He was attacked in this car in 1977, and several bullet holes were found in various areas of the car. Heescaped by luck but also because of his ability to drivethis car to its full performance level.
Telly Savalas, In an unprecedented coup, the Greek-American actor negotiated a 6.9 and 450 SL in exchange for 2 days of promotional work for a German company.
Robert Snow, The Orlando entrepreuer first owned a silver 450 SEL and currently still owns a brown 6.9.
Claude Lelouch, who used his 6.9 to film the infamous C'était un rendez-vous in the streets of Paris.
Joey Kramer the drummer for the band Aerosmith, owned one of the first US cars.

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