Home » The Mercedes 450 SEL 6.9 Isn’t The German Muscle Car You Expect But It’s Perfect If You Can Ambush Someone With A Cup Of Coffee

The Mercedes 450 SEL 6.9 Isn’t The German Muscle Car You Expect But It’s Perfect If You Can Ambush Someone With A Cup Of Coffee

Mercedes 450 Sel Ronon Ts
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By now you are probably aware a few weeks back I spent an enjoyable few days at the Car Design Event Classic in Germany. I got to see some amazing cars at the Nationales Automobile Museum, and stayed in a hotel that formed part of the Leica HQ. From a selection of classic cars bought along by some of the OEMs supporting the event, we asked you what you would like to see me drive, and I did my best to fulfill your wishes.

There were only two afternoon sessions allocated to driving, so time was a bit limited. But because I’m ungovernable, cantankerous, and generally bloody minded I took as long as I wanted anyway. Thanks to an odd quirk of German car registration because it had only just been purchased, this 450 SEL 6.9 was on red (dealer) plates, which meant it could only driven by the owner, or if someone else was driving (i.e. me) with the owner on board.

Vidframe Min Top
Vidframe Min Bottom

That person was one of the organizers of the event, so prizing him away for a couple of hours for a drive meant turning my British charm up to 11.

It Was Three Times The Price Of A Cadillac

A long time ago I owned a baby one of these, a lowly 350SE. My then-best friend had bought it on a whim but couldn’t live with the frightful fuel economy, so we did a straight swap for my MkVI Escort 1.6S. The front fender was a bit crusty, but to my amazement at the time (about 2003) parts were still available brand new from Mercedes Benz. That car was over twenty years old but the rest of it was immaculate, and I had a fun few months smoking around east London in it getting about 15mpg. It even had painted wheel trims; no fancy bottle cap-style alloys for me.

Mercedes 450 SEL 6.9
Image credit Car Design Event

Mercedes 450 SEL 6.9

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That kind of summed up Mercedes back then. A Mercedes was a quiet statement of class, refinement, and dignity. They were not flash and gaudy, unlike today’s Middle East nightclub Benzes. You weren’t paying for features – you were paying for million-mile build quality and unimpeachable engineering. And you did pay – when it was introduced in 1975 the 450SEL 6.9 would have cost you about 70,000DM in Germany. In North America, according to Wikipedia the list price was $38,230 (about $190k today). For comparison a 1975 Seville, then the most expensive Cadillac and a car specifically targeted at luxury euro imports like the W116, was $12,400. The 6.9 was about a third more expensive than the smaller-engined versions in the range, like my old 350. Pulling up at the country club in one of the big Benzes left no one in any doubt you had all the money.

This wasn’t the first time Mercedes had dropped their biggest V8 into their full-size sedan – they had previously crowbarred the 6.3 liter V8 from the 600 limousine into the W109 to create the 300SEL 6.3, which in time formed the basis for the AMG Rote Sau (Red Pig). Due to tightening emissions regulations this was no longer considered sufficient for the new model, so the engine was knocked out to 6.9 liters (417cu in for your muscle car comparisons). Fitted with a Bosch mechanical K-Jetronic injection system, it made 286bhp but more impressively over 400 lb-ft of torque. And it needed it, because this 16’6” (5 meter) Panzer weighs – are you sitting down – about 4400lbs (2000kg).

Mercedes 450 SEL 6.9

Mercedes 450 SEL 6.9

It Pulls Like A Train And Steers Like A Boat

You feel every single pound out on the road, but not in a bad way. Despite contemporary tests likening it to a German muscle car it’s just not that kind of visceral experience. What it is, is an unstoppable bahnstormer. Long travel accelerator pedal to the carpet and sixty comes up in just under eight seconds – slightly saddled by the auto box only having three speeds. The engine, which slightly disappointingly is barely audible, simply pours out a huge swell of torque that you just ride and ride all the way to three figures. Even then it’s still pulling like the DB Intercity Express between Hannover and Berlin. The big Mercedes feels like it will do this sort of thing all day, and just not stop. You would have no hesitation in pointing the 6.9 at the unrestricted sections of the Autobahn and showing much younger cars what 400 lb-ft can do from 80mph.

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The reluctant ball power steering is both effort and feel-free, so you haul on the big rim and hope for the best. All round disc brakes shed the speed quickly enough that you won’t be scraping the door handles hauling this German frigate through the corners. It does roll a bit, but body motions are well-controlled so you won’t get seasick. Mountain hairpins are not really it’s happy place though; it’s a wafter not a carver. When I was driving the Integrale I rapidly came up behind someone else driving this car and was loudly imploring them to put their foot down. After driving the 6.9 myself I realized they probably had the thing on the floor.

Mercedes 450 SEL 6.9 Door panel

Mercedes 450 SEL 6.9 Interior

Mercedes 450 SEL 6.9 center console

What Color Is The Boat House At Hereford?

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There’s a scene in the seminal John Frankenheimer car chase thriller Ronin where De Niro’s character Sam stands up in the sunroof of a 6.9 and fires a rocket launcher at the car they’re chasing at high speed. This is possible because the 6.9 was the first Mercedes equipped with a full self-leveling hydropneumatic suspension system, preventing dive and squat under pedal-to-floor braking and acceleration. If your day job involves being a shadowy government operative, there’s plenty of room for your squad and gear, and it’s a stable high-speed weapons platform [Ed Note: John Frankenheimer, the director, owned one of these and I got to see it at the Petersen Auto Museum. – MH]

You might not have a lot of toys to play with compared to a Cadillac, but with standard climate control, something lesser models didn’t have, you won’t be sweating when the operation goes sideways.

Mercedes 450 SEL 6.9 engine bay
Images credit classix.se via Car and Classic

Mercedes 450 SEL 6.9

You might be sweating when it comes to owning one though, and not just because of the sheer size of the thing. The owner had only driven the car a couple of times before graciously handing me the keys, so it was a case of the blind leading the blind as we tried to figure out some of the controls–it’s got a US-style umbrella handle and pedal parking brake for instance. There apparently is a way of adjusting the suspension but we couldn’t find it. The climate controls remained an unfathomable mystery. And these 6.9s have a lot of unique parts compared to other W116s – the battery alone is big enough to jump-start a Lufthansa 747. The engine has a dry sump to make sure it fitted under the hood – and it swallows 12 liters (about 13 quarts) of oil. The EPA has the economy at 10/14 city/highway. The owner told me he gets about 12 imperial. So like a lot of Germans it enjoys a drink.

You have to imagine the Mercedes engineers had gone hard on the breakfast beer when they came up with the 6.9. It’s a crazy thing but in a very measured, sensible German way. It’s one of the forerunners of the many hot rod sedans that would go on to build in the future like the W124 500E, and the various AMG cars. You could have 85% of the same experience with a standard 350 or 450 and their economy is scarcely any better, but there’s no fun or financial ruin in that. If there’s one thing the Germans are known for, it’s their sense of humor.

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Mercedes 450 SEL 6.9
Image credit Car Design Event

Top graphic: Robert Deniro in Ronin via YouTube screen grab

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Kevin B Rhodes
Kevin B Rhodes
21 minutes ago

I’ve driven one of these – I thought it was amazing. The big difference between this and the usual muscle car of the day was the gearing – those old big-engine American boats were geared for about 120mph max at the redline. At 120mph, one of these is loafing – it was the fastest four-door sedan in the world in it’s day at 140+, and it would literally do that from one side of Germany to the other, all day, back and forth. So those gears are TALL, and there are only three of them.

I find it amusing that the author feels like 4400lbs is heavy. That is a featherweight by modern standards, at least here in the supersized USA. It was a tank by the standards of the 70s, of course. I’ll also say that Mercedes recirculating-ball steering is usually nicely weighted, so if this was feel-free there is probably something wrong with it.

Lardo
Lardo
23 minutes ago

 If there’s one thing the Germans are known for, it’s their sense of humor.” what a closing line. Well done.

Shop-Teacher
Shop-Teacher
42 minutes ago

“Pulls like a train and steers like a boat,” Is exactly what I would have expected.

World24
World24
42 minutes ago

Screw how hefty that thing is, that 6.9L V8 takes how much oil?!
I can understand, like, the Cummins 6.7 or the Viper V10 needing 12/11 quarts of oil, but a luxo-barge needing 13 just sounds absurd to me.

World24
World24
1 minute ago
Reply to  Adrian Clarke

I spend $40 on oil and filter for my Jeep.
Holy crap lmao

D0nut
D0nut
36 minutes ago
Reply to  World24

My 3.0L 6-cylinder in an old 911 takes about the same amount of oil. I’m guessing it has to do with being dry-sump. On the Porsche it was also a source of cooling :).

Kevin B Rhodes
Kevin B Rhodes
27 minutes ago
Reply to  World24

Most dry sump cars take a TON of oil. You have to fill the tank, the lines, the pump(s) etc.

World24
World24
1 minute ago
Reply to  Kevin B Rhodes

I should’ve assumed that, but seeing 13 quarts was not something I’m used to!

Cerberus
Cerberus
12 minutes ago
Reply to  World24

A Lamborghini Espada takes 14 qts and only 4.0L and is wet sump.

Jatkat
Jatkat
34 seconds ago
Reply to  World24

Right?? I have a 7.4 liter V8, and it takes a measly 7 quarts!

No Kids, Just Bikes
No Kids, Just Bikes
42 minutes ago

I can’t get any work done with all the Adrian articles.

Squirrelmaster
Squirrelmaster
51 minutes ago

I grew up with my dad’s grey-market ’76 280S. It was a tank, but it was also smooth – the straight-6 and the suspension were just always smooth, no matter the road conditions. We always kept an eye out for an imported 6.9, but never found one we could afford. Great car.

Last edited 51 minutes ago by Squirrelmaster
Acrimonious Mofo
Acrimonious Mofo
51 minutes ago

That car chase sequence from Ronin hits a little different if you have driven some of those roads. Driving in the mountains outside of Nice is a blast, and highly recommended.

Dr Funkhole
Dr Funkhole
52 minutes ago

When the 6.9 made it’s US debut, my stepfather received and invitation for the event at the local Mercedes dealer. The invitation did not include a photo or any information about the vehicle. My stepfather wasn’t keen to go since, judging by the displacement, he was sure the thing would be a truck, but he caved to my car-obsessed middle-schooler importunings, and we went to the swanky wine and cheese party. I was thrilled. The big car with the big engine was cool to see. There was also a 300SL convertible on the showroom floor, which was even cooler. My stepfather dragged me away as soon as the dealer started trying to sell him on the stratospherically priced sedan.

Lardo
Lardo
19 minutes ago
Reply to  Adrian Clarke

I sent a letter as a child and was sent the whole sales package for this line of Mercedes-Benz. My parents thought it was beyond funny, Dad is 90 today.

AlterId
AlterId
1 hour ago

It does have its issues (what’s going on with the wheels?) and there’s a reserve, but if they’re serious about the Copart cross-promotion, there’s one up for bid.

UnseenCat
UnseenCat
1 hour ago

You could have 85% of the same experience with a standard 350 or 450 and their economy is scarcely any better, but there’s no fun or financial ruin in that. If there’s one thing the Germans are known for, it’s their sense of humor.

Ah, yes. It’s no laughing matter…

Chronometric
Chronometric
1 hour ago

God I love Ronin. My takeaway, don’t bring a French car to a gun fight.

I owned a B5 Audi S4 at the time and my boss bought an A8. Audi was winning LeMans in their petrol powered R8s and life was good.

Tarragon
Tarragon
38 minutes ago
Reply to  Chronometric

Ronin’s car chases (plural) are absolutely my favorite movie chases.

If you haven’t, watch with the Director’s commentary. It’s not like most commentaries which devolve into movie trivia. There’s almost film school level detail about why shots are the way they are and the intended.

His discussion of time passing in cuts finally clarified why a bunch of cuts in the matrix films felt wrong to me.

I’ll be back in a minute, gotta add some Frankenheimer films to my must watch list.

ChefCJ
ChefCJ
6 seconds ago
Reply to  Tarragon
Acid Tonic
Acid Tonic
1 hour ago

Oddly if the luxury brands built cars this way today I would actually want one. Thankfully they dont so I dont have to make any tough decisions. Im only paying up for the exact reasons here, million mile build quality and refinement. Not “features”.

ChefCJ
ChefCJ
1 hour ago

I love everything about this era of Mercedes. They just built quality. Comfortable seats, well appointed interiors, capable engines that would last forever, just everything about them was quality. This is a car you can take across the country and back time after time and never really have it fail, and enjoy the miles everytime.

ChefCJ
ChefCJ
42 minutes ago
Reply to  Adrian Clarke

They do, even though they’re great cars. I’d personally take an early 80’s W123 wagon but those are hard to find

VS 57
VS 57
1 hour ago

That center console shot cranked up my MB Tech PTSD. There are so many small bits and pieces to the console fascia that need to come out to get to the rest of so many bits and pieces of the HVAC system crammed in there. Then there is the Chrysler sourced control unit under the hood with all the vacuum hoses that run all the various vent doors… hope the parts department has at least two in stock if needing to r&r because at least one unit you pull out of the box will be faulty. The same failure rate was seen in other controllers and even brake master cylinders.

Jack Trade
Jack Trade
2 hours ago

Different but good as Ronin, didn’t Roger Loggia drive one in anger in Lost Highway as well?

MaximillianMeen
MaximillianMeen
2 hours ago
Reply to  Jack Trade

Can’t make out the badge, but maybe someone who recognizes the minutia of details of a 6.9 can confirm…
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116922/mediaviewer/rm648844545/?ref_=ttmi_mi_all_108

MaximillianMeen
MaximillianMeen
2 hours ago

Never mind, imcdb provided the answer. Yes, it is a 450 SEL 6.9.

Jack Trade
Jack Trade
1 hour ago

Nice! I mostly remember Loggia’s calmly laying out the virtues of its quality as juxtaposed with his violent, gunpoint rants about traffic safety. So wonderfully Lynchian.

VS 57
VS 57
1 hour ago
Reply to  Jack Trade

Robert Loggia. It’s been a long time since my last watch of the movie but I do have the soundtrack that includes some dialog with the Loggia character stating something about “xxx American horsepower”.

Jack Trade
Jack Trade
1 hour ago
Reply to  VS 57

I had it on CD back in the day! Great use of Nine Inch Nails.

Robert Loggia was so cool, the alt version of James Caan. Just like John Saxon was the alt version of Michael Ironside.

Cerberus
Cerberus
11 minutes ago
Reply to  VS 57

“This is where mechanical excellence and one thousand four hundred horsepower pays off.”

Captain Muppet
Captain Muppet
2 hours ago

“ The reluctant ball power steering…”

It’s “recirculating” ball steering.

Nic Periton
Nic Periton
2 hours ago
Reply to  Captain Muppet

You have obviously not driven one of these leviathans.

Kevin B Rhodes
Kevin B Rhodes
19 minutes ago
Reply to  Nic Periton

I have driven one of these – if the steering had no feel, the car is broken.
It’s no Miata, but it’s not a mid-70s American barge either.

Last edited 18 minutes ago by Kevin B Rhodes
Captain Muppet
Captain Muppet
17 minutes ago
Reply to  Nic Periton

I had an E34 535 for a couple of years. I imagine that old buss felt like a sports car compared to the Merc.

Despite having an engine only half the size.

LMCorvairFan
LMCorvairFan
2 hours ago
Reply to  Captain Muppet

Pretty sure that was intentional.

Tbird
Tbird
50 minutes ago
Reply to  Adrian Clarke

Cornering in my 1978 LTDII coupe was ‘hoist the spinnaker, batten down the hatches, prepare for boarding”.

Tbird
Tbird
41 minutes ago
Reply to  Adrian Clarke

Eyye, Captain.

Tbird
Tbird
45 minutes ago
Reply to  Adrian Clarke

As an engineer who never broke through to automotive I respect.

Last edited 44 minutes ago by Tbird
Tbird
Tbird
57 minutes ago
Reply to  Captain Muppet

Can confirm. 70’s era Ford’s recirculating ball steering was more nautical than automotive in flavor.

Last edited 57 minutes ago by Tbird
Tbird
Tbird
52 minutes ago
Reply to  Tbird

Cornering in my high school 1978 LTDII coupe was ‘hoist the spinnaker, batten down the hatches, prepare for boarding”.

Captain Muppet
Captain Muppet
19 minutes ago
Reply to  Adrian Clarke

Sorry, I read this right after DTs break/brake thing.

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