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Mercedes-Benz 600
- See also Mercedes-Benz 600 (disambiguation) for other models called "600"
| |
| Mercedes-Benz 600 | |
|---|---|
| Mercedes-Benz | |
| aka | Type aka here, not up there |
| Production | 1963 - 1981 2677 units |
| Class | Ultra-Luxury |
| Body Style | 4-door, 5-seat Sedan 4-door, 5-seat Pullman Limousine |
| Length | length - type here |
| Width | Width - type here |
| Height | Height - type here |
| Wheelbase | wheelbase - type here |
| Weight | Weight - you get the point |
| Transmission | transmission + drive |
| Engine | 6.3 litre M100 SOHC V8 |
| Power | N/A hp @ N/A rpm N/A lb-ft of torque @ N/A rpm |
| Similar | similar (competition) |
| Designer | Paul Bracq |
The Mercedes-Benz 600 was a large luxury automobile, intended to represent the absolute pinnacle of automobile engineering. When introduced in September, 1963, it had few competitors, except Rolls-Royce and some US-made limousines. It was intended to be driven primarily by a chauffeur, not the owner, thus a power divider window separating the front seats from the rear bench seat was available.
See Wikicars' comprehensive Mercedes-Benz 600 Review.
Background
Production began in 1964 after considerable ramp-up, with most styles built through 1972. The oil crisis, as well as the introduction of new range of S-Class models, slowed demand. Modest production continued to 1981, however. During this time, 2,677 vehicles were made.
Mercedes made two coupés, one of them as a gift for Dr. Rudolf Uhlenhaut when he retired. He had designed the car, together with Fritz Nallinger and Karl Wilfert
Some companies altered the car, according to wishes of customers. A funeral coach (hearse) was made from an SWB car. This car, and the two coupés mentioned above, survive to the present day in the United States.
The 600 was so heavy that the largest engine of Mercedes at that time, the 6-cylinder 300, was inadequate. Instead a new engine with more than twice the capacity was specially developed to move the vehicle and its hydraulically powered amenities, the massive 6.3L V8 "M100" engine with single overhead camshafts, dry sump and Bosch mechanical fuel injection. Adjustable air suspension gave the car a smooth ride and good handling over any road surface. Although the car's agility was inevitably compromised by its mass, the top end speed still was only equalled by the new Porsche 911.
Produced from 1964 to until 1981 in low numbers, this model had no equal in the Mercedes-Benz lineup until the introduction of the modern Maybach 57 and 62 models.
The 600's "M-100" engine and air suspension were fitted to the 300SEL 6.3 model in 1968, providing the lighter (and more affordable) car with more competent propulsion. Upon the introduction of the "W116" chassis, a larger version of the M-100 was installed in the limited-production Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9.
Apart from German and other governments and the Pope, famous owners of the 600 include numerous celebrities (Hugh Hefner, Elizabeth Taylor, John Lennon, Jason Kay, Aristotle Onassis, Jack Nicholson, Simon Spies, Bob Jane, Elvis Presley, Rowan Atkinson, Jeremy Clarkson<ref name="clarkson-mx5">Template:Citeweb</ref>), Communist rulers (Nicolae Ceauşescu, Josip Broz-Tito, Fidel Castro, Pol Pot, Kim Il-Sung, Mao Zedong, Leonid Brezhnev,<ref>{{#if: Mercedes 600: Dahingleiten wie Breschnew
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The model was featured in the film Trading Places, while the 600 Pullman was featured in the film Dragnet. Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson's Green 600 Grosse was shown during Episode 5 of Series 11, when it was routinely referred to as "the Big". The Grosse was a 2007 Christmas present from his wife, Frances Cain<ref name="clarkson-mx5"/>.
Styles and Major Options
The 600 featured many luxuries, including a complex hydraulic system which powered everything with a pressure of 150 bar, from the windows and seats to the automatically closing doors. The model came in two main variants:
- short wheelbase
- 4-door sedan, similar to a modern S600 sedan in layout.
- 4-door sedan, but with a power divider window separating the front seats from the rear bench seat.
- long wheelbase chassis Pullman
- 4-door limousine, featuring additional two rear-facing seats behind the driver compartment which was separated by a power divider window (in all but three built)
- 6-door limousine, with two forward facing jump seats stationed at the additional middle two doors and a rear bench seat.
- A few of the limousines were made with a convertible top over the rear passenger compartment and were called landaulets. This was mainly intended for government use, by the Pope, or by the German government, e.g. in 1965 during the visit of Queen Elizabeth II, when she was accompanied by Kurt Georg Kiesinger in open-top tour in Baden-Württemberg. Production of this model ended a year early, in 1971.
Unique Attributes
Horn
One of the Mercedes-Benz 600's unique attributes is its horn which is the loudest than any car horn ever. In Series 11, Episode 5 of Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson got stuck in the indoor parking bay and as a traffic of cars build up and the drivers were getting cross, he decided to activate the car's horn. The 600's horn was so loud that it can be heard from a distance from the parking bay in London.
Technical Specifications
| Mercedes-Benz | 600 | 600 Pullman | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Produced: | 1963 - 1981 | |||||
| Engine: | 8-cylinder-V engine (four-stroke), front-mounted | |||||
| Bore x Stroke: | 103 mm x 95 mm | |||||
| Displacement: | 6330 cc | |||||
| Max. Power @ rpm: | 250 PS (247 hp/184 kW) @ 4000 | |||||
| Max. Torque @ rpm: | 500 N·m (369 ft·lbf) @ 2800 | |||||
| Compression Ratio: | 9.00: 1 | |||||
| Fuel feed: | Sequential fuel injection, Bosch injection pump | |||||
| Fuel tank capacity: | 112 L (29.6 US gal/24.6 imp gal) | |||||
| Valvetrain: | SOHC, duplex chains | |||||
| Cooling: | Water | |||||
| Gearbox: | 4-speed automatic rear wheel drive, axle ratio 3.23:1 | |||||
| Electrical system: | 12 volt | |||||
| Front suspension: | Double wishbones, air suspension, rubber springs, stabilising bar | |||||
| Rear suspension:: | Low-pivot swing axle, radius arms, self-levelling air suspension, rubber springs, stabilising bar | |||||
| Brakes: | Disc brakes (Ø 291 mm two-caliper front, 294.5 mm rear), power assisted | |||||
| Steering: | Recirculating ball steering, power assisted | |||||
| Body structure: | Sheet steel, unibody construction | |||||
| Dry weight: | 2600 kg (5732 lb) | 2770 kg (6107 lb) | ||||
| Loaded weight: | 3050 kg (6724 lb) | 3340 kg (7363 lb) | ||||
| Track front/ rear: |
1587 mm (62.5 in) 1581 mm (62.2 in) | |||||
| Wheelbase: | 3200 mm (126 in) | 3900 mm (153.5 in) | ||||
| Length: | 5450 mm (214.6 in) | 6240 mm (245.7 in) | ||||
| Width: | 1950 mm (76.8 in) | 1950 mm (76.8 in) | ||||
| Height: | 1500 mm (59.1 in) | 1510 mm (59.4 in) | ||||
| Tyre/Tire sizes: | 9.00H15 Supersport (6PR) | |||||
| Top speed: | 207 km/h (129 mph) | 200 km/h (124 mph) | ||||
| Fuel Consumption (estimates): | 24.0 L/100 km (10 mpg–U.S. / 12 mpg–imp) | 26.0 L/100 km (9 mpg–U.S. / 11 mpg–imp) | ||||
| Price Germany USA: |
DM 56,500 (1964)− DM 144,100 (1978) $ 22,000 (1965) <ref>US prices: Mike Covello: Standard Catalog of Imported Cars 1946-2002, Krause Publication, Iola 2002, ISBN 0-87341-605-8, p. 533</ref> |
DM 63,500 (1964)− DM 165,500 (1978) $ 24,000 (1965) | ||||
Photos
See Also
| Mercedes-Benz road car timeline, 1946-1970s Template:Edit | later--> | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Class | Type | 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | ||||
| 4-cylinder | sedan | W136/W191 | W120/W121 | W110 | W115 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| roadster | W121 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6-cylinder | sedan | W187 | W105/W180/W128 | W111 | W114 | W123 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| coupe | W187 | W180/W128 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| large | sedan | W186/W189 | W111 | W108/W109 | W116 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| luxury | W188 | W112 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| limousine | W186/W189 | W112 | W100 (600) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| sports | roadster | W198 | W113 | R107 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
