Mercedes-Benz S-Klasse

Beskrivelse

MERCEDES MENER SELV AT DETTE ER VERDENS BESTE BIL, med en motor som ble kjørt i 260 minutter, derav 40 minutter på fullt turtall uten kjøling før den ble montert i 6.9. Dette gjorde de for å vise hvor unik motoren er i kvalitet og styrke. Den har denne uken vært gjennom EU-kontroll med følgende mangler: Bytte bremsevæske. Justere frontlys. Skifte vindusviskere !!! Nå er det 5 år til neste kontroll.

Som en kuriositet kan det nevnes at denne bilen bilen ble brukt i NRK-dokumentaren "Folkets Konge".

Jeg kjøpte bilen i California for 13 år siden ( $ 50.000) av en samler som hadde i alt 18 store Mercedes og eget verksted i Malibu.

Dette er kanskje én av de aller fineste til salgs på verdensmarkedet. Den er gått i California, ikke et fnugg av rust, og behandlet med Mercasol. Viskose-vifte er byttet ut med termostat/ny elektrisk vifte. Det er en bedre løsning, fortalte de meg på Mercedes Classic i Sindelfingen.

Den har en sjelden fin fargekombinasjon, sort med cognac-farget skinn-interiør.

Bilen har aldri vært kjørt i regnvær, og den starter på første slag ved oppstart om våren etter vinteropplag i tørt lokale.  Det som er forkrommet på bilen ser ut som om det er nytt. Kvalitet varer !

Barock-felgene er glassblåst på begge sider, og det er lakkert med samme type lakk som benyttes på nesepartiet på jagerfly. Tre lag samt klarlakk, og på begge sider. Kan holde i flere ti-år.

Den hydrauliske fjæringen fungerer perfekt, og det samme gjør klimaanlegget.

Da det ble foretatt Mercasol rustbeskyttelse av bilen, spurte han på verkstedet: "Dette må være en retro-produsert Mercedes, fordi understellet ser ut som nytt".

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. Den kostet to ganger hva en Rolls Royce Silver Shadow kostet. Jeg har fått opplyst at det ble solgt én ny 6.9 i Norge. Det var i 1977 og den kostet 1,7 millioner kroner (hele 25 årslønninger den gangen). En ikke ukjent skipsreder var kjøperen.

Hva jeg kan huske å ha utført av arbeid på bilen: Byttet dynamo og motor til elektrisk vindusheis i høyre bakdør.

Jeg liker ikke at det er satt på sol-film på glasset for å beskytte mot varme. Trolig er det enkelt å fjerne?

Jeg har hatt en super dialog med Mercedes-Benz Classic Car Center i Fellbach, nær Stuttgart. Der svarer de på alt, og verkstedmesteren har selv en 6.9, og noen av hans uttalelser som jeg husker: - "Du har verdens beste bil som varer i 50 år til". "Den er ferdig innkjørt ved 300.000 kilometer".

Selv har jeg hatt 7 stykk 6.9, og jeg beholdt det mest edle eksemplaret som nå er til salgs.

De andre ble solgt i Norge, til Japan og Tyskland.

Det er utrolig mange spørsmål om kjøring i bryllup, konfirmasjoner etc. etc, så den som har interesse av det, kan få vesentlige inntekter i løpet av sommeren.

En samler av 6.9 (fra Flensburg) besøkte meg for fire år siden og ville kjøpe min, men da var jeg ikke klar for det. Han fortalte at "de fint gjør 300 km/t". Han tok meg med i sin egen 6.9 og viste at han kunne dra av på en sidevei i 90 grader i 170 km/t. Den krenget ikke, for det spesielle hydrauliske dempersystemet fungerer helt perfekt! En utrolig opplevelse.

Mercedes selv påstår at dette er første bil i verden med diagnose-punkt i motorrommet.

Det har jeg ikke prøvd å finne ut selv, men til info.

Bilen er blitt kjørt kun 511 mil hvert år, altså i gjennomsnitt.

Fine 6.9 er også dyre mange steder i verden:

Her ligger en som koster vel én million

http://www.classic-sterne.de/en/cars/car-details/mercedes-benz-450-sel-6-9-w116-4.html

Og denne ble solgt for vel 1,2 millioner på auksjon i Paris for fire år siden.

https://rmsothebys.com/auctions/pa20/lots/r0055-1979-mercedesbenz-450-sel-69/

Jeg er glad i bil-prat, men kun med personer som er interessert i å kjøpe bilen :).

Ingen innbytte av verken traktorer, gamle biler eller snøscootere (Håper du forstår det).

Det eneste jeg kan vurdere, er en super strøken SL500, fra 2002 og nyere.

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Alt som jeg legger ut under streken er bare for spesielt interesserte, men noen videoer som er objektive og supre til informasjon, finner du her:

https://youtu.be/6ZS_ig_QP74

https://youtu.be/5esg0wcAsKE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZS_ig_QP74

Også en artig sak

https://juan314.wordpress.com/2011/03/16/cetait-un-rendezvous-by-claude-lelouch-1976/

https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/cars/article/mercedes-450sel-review

http://totalcarmagazine.com/classicandbeloved/2014/02/25/mercedes-benz_450_sel_6_9_w116_1979/

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Bare for spesielt interesserte:

Franz Beckenbauer kjøpte tilbake sin 6.9 fra en venn da han nylig kom hjem fra USA

https://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/fussball/franz-beckenbauer-nach-44-jahren-hat-er-seinen-blauen-traum-wieder-77038130.bild.html#remId=1657983107653686497%3FjsRedirect

https://germancarsforsaleblog.com/king-juan-carlos-i-of-spains-1978-mercedes-benz-450sel-6-9/

"The Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 had a justifiable claim on the title of 'best car in the world' when it was launched in 1974. With huge power and torque and an amazing suspension system, it had everything going for it - and strong overall sales back that up".

https://www.mercedes-wiki.com/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_M100_engine

"The M100 featured a cast iron block, aluminum alloy heads, and aircraft-style sodium-filled valves operating against hardened valve seats. As in all Mercedes-Benz automobile engines, the crankshaft, connecting rods and pistons were forged instead of cast.

Each hand-built unit was bench-tested for 265 minutes, 40 of which were under full load. As introduced, it utilized a mechanical fuel injection system designed and built in-house by Daimler-Benz. The 6.8 L (6,834 cc) version used a Bosch K-Jetronic Continuous Injection System."

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 46 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.