DRIVEN: Mercedes 450 SEL 6.9 - Classic Cars for Sale
Today, the richest 1% glide through city streets in monstrously powerful symbols of opulence like it’s nothing. The over-engined S-Class has become a symbol of power, a new money V-sign to petty concerns like fuel prices, austerity and public opinion. In fact in May 1975, when the 450SEL 6. 9 went on sale, more than a year after the official unveil at the Geneva Motor Show, this fuel-guzzling statement car was even more dramatic, as the oil crisis of the early 70s sent petrol prices through the... Mercedes delayed the launch when the pumps ran dry, but eventually had to let the best saloon in the world free. It was the wrong time for a car of this ilk but, at the time of its inception, Mercedes was determined to overthrow the Jaguar XJ12. It also wanted a successor to the world’s first real Q car, the 6. 3-litre W109 300SEL 6. 3, created by MB... Aluminium cylinder heads, hardened valve seats and sodium-filled valves, together with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection and dry-sump lubrication were all revised for the handbuilt 6. 9. This was an engine that was designed to make an impact on the... 1976 World Champion Hunt declared: ‘It looks like a taxi, goes like a Ferrari. Source: www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk
