All Entries Tagged With: "560SEC"
Online Trip To The German Candy Shoppe
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG Garage Current
SOME day, I will go there. Garage Current. I will!
It’s almost a mantra at this point.
I will. I must. I’m destined!
The sheer quality, caliber, and quantity of really excellent examples of near-classic German cars is just too potent, too fabulous for so ardent an enthusiast like yours truly to ignore.
A roundtrip ticket to Yokohama to visit Garage Current then? Well, if the thought had occurred to me earlier last October, I would’ve made the pilgrimage when I was touring Tokyo.
Woulda, shoulda, coulda. Next time ’round.
In any case, let’s let our minds wander as we add up the must-have’s from their superlative collection.
Only trouble is… Once you’ve collected all these Teutonic toys, you could only drive them one at a time.
[Linked: GarageCurrent]
Retrospective: BMW E24 M6
By Christopher P. Davis
AT first glance BMW’s original M6 looks horribly angular.
The 2+2 coupé looks stiff – stolid, even. But look at it once more. If you think back to those decadent go-go days (or remember watching Wall Street) slowly the car for all its stodgy portent starts to make a lot of sense.
You can’t help but be drawn to it.
Paul Bracq, the same man who designed the Mercedes-Benz 600 (after changing employers MB-BMW), penned the “younger” Bavarian coupe. The styling, I now realize is a masterpiece of utilitarian simplicity.
It best represents the traditional German ethos of form following function.
Although the M6 is not as a beautiful as Mercedes’ S-Class coupé (W126 SEC) that Stuttgart produced at the same time, it does represent a more youthful demographic. BMW slotted the M6 (or M635CSi) for a man in his 40s, the SEC was for the a gentleman well past his 50s.
Pop culture fact: Cliff Barnes of Dallas drove a non-M version of the 6 for many episodes.
No matter how much I like the 560SEC, I have to concede that the M6 is the better car. In this coupé, BMW engineered one of the first edgy performance grand touring cars that set a high standard of driving enjoyment, performance, and comfort that remains admirable two decades on.
M POWER
With M Power under the hood, the more youthful Bimmer wrought beastlike power. The US catalyst version of the 3.5 liter inline six produced 256 bhp and 243 lb feet of torque (Euro versions: 282 hp and 246 lb-ft)- stats similar to a late model Mercedes-Benz E350 (albeit SAE horsepower standards were different in the 80s).
Coupled with a 5-Speed manual transmission a good specimen will still rocket from 0-60 in 6.8 seconds – certainly not a laggard, even by standards set by today’s sub-five second sprinters.
Only 5,855 M6s were produced from 1983 to 1989 and only 1,767 of these were delivered to the North American Market.
A TALE OF RESTRAINT
I first became aware of this model a short time ago, during a perusal of one of my favorite classic car dealer websites. The example they were offering for sale amazingly had only 1,640 miles on the clock.
Its description was an terrific story of restraint. A father had wanted to commemorate his son’s completion of medical school. So he purchased a 1988 M6 finished in Cinnabar Red and White Lotus Leather for the young grad. In the 20 years the newly minted doctor owned it, he put an average of less than 100 miles per year on it.
When I read this story I was immediately enchanted with the car and had instant admiration for the doctor. To be able to drive such a truly awesome car, so little, is an amazing feat in self restraint.
Then again, the BMW E24 M6 for all it stylistic restraint in era that never knew the meaning of the word, is at its base one amazing car.
[Linked: BMW CCA E24 M6 Board]
Vintage Benz Photo Montage For The Enjoyment of Online Teutonophiles
By Gunnar Heinrich
I could go on writing posts about late 80s Benzes. So, I will.
What registers most about the amount of good content featuring old German cars is that there’s a severe lack of good content featuring old German cars.
For the Teutonic aficionado, the online absence of professional photos, thoughtful commentary, and accurate data on the late model cars that many of us love is sad, to be sure.
So, ADL is doing its part to fix that.
And considering the number of ADL posts written last week that featured some of Stuttgart’s finest, yours thought it best to consolidate the various scanned images from my own 1986 Mercedes-Benz North America brochure and to create one, centralized post to encapsulate the whole lot.
Click to enlarge. And enjoy.
You know I do.
Completing The 560 Range: Benz’s Magnificent 560SEC
By Christopher P. Davis
IN a perfect world, the elves from the Black Forest pictured a three-car garage.
In it sat a 560SEL – which would propel you to your daily slayings in the corporate world – to the right, a 560SL – for open-top boulevard cruising and of course the occasional weekend picnic – and, finally, the 560SEC.
Sporty yet refined. Classic yet modern. Sadly, one of Benz’s best is now just some forgotten coupe. Perfect for a night at the opera, and maybe a Friday car, like the current CL-Class, the SEC was an expensive, low volume choice. So much so, the “E” is SEC should have stood for “exclusive.”
Arriving in an S-Class coupe, you made a statement, frankly, that money was no object and that practicality was for “the little people.” Sure, for a little less money (the coupe’s MSRP was north of $70,000) you could have a 560SEL and two more doors, but who bothered to count? You had accountants for that.
Confronted by a 560SEC, there’s little room to doubt that it is a true Mercedes-Benz. The Tri-Star logo, representing land, air, and sea is prominently featured, much in the way it currently is on the CL and on the new C-Class Sport.
The star has an angular front, which through former Benz Design Chief Bruno Sacco’s genius avoids being overtly “sporty” or ostentatious. Simply told, it’s the embodiment of the balanced design ethic that was part of every model Mercedes produced in the 80s.
On the headlamps rest diminutive wiper blades, a feature that I always thought to be rather cool and somewhat practical, but overall, just plain cool. On top of the hood where a star ornament would usually stand, is a larger blue-white star and laurel roundel that’s featured on nearly every Mercedes two-door.
From the side, your eye sweeps across the car, as the design is completely fluid, there is no rough spot, just one beautiful automobile. The 560 SEC is a pillarless coupe, a fact that greatly enhances that sweep.
In a December 2006 edition of British Mercedes-Benz magazine Mercedes Enthusiast, Bruno Sacco was reported to have recently acquired, as the writer put it, “(A) low mileage 560SEC in Anthracite with black leather and burr walnut. ‘It is now almost perfect,’ he murmured, eyes twinkling.”
From the rear, the 560SEC is very similar to any other W126. The only difference between the rear of sedan is that the coupe sports a slightly larger rear windscreen.
On the interior, a 560SEC has all the sharp fit and finish of its four door sibling.
One novel feature is a seat belt presenter – a think black plastic arm that extends the belt out for you from a chrome ringed cavity beneath the rear window sill. Although novel in the 80s, it’s a feature that time has shown to be just a tad temperamental.
Between the back seats of the SEC was a beautiful burled wood retractable console. Similar to that found on current CL-Class models, although on the 560SEC it is much larger; the amount of burled wood is stunning!
The 560SEC is a big car by any measure. It weighs in at over 3960 pounds and covers just over 199.2 inches of asphalt stem to stern.
In today’s world of Prius’ (or is it Prii?) the 560SEC is a throwback to a bygone era – the decadence of the 80’s.
Supreme excess.
Owning one today is as much a statement as it was then. It denotes success, style, intelligence, and class. It’s a designer tank, engineered unlike any other car in the world and styled to please even the most fashion conscious.
“Luxury cars” abound, but 560SECs do not – with only 28,929 of these beauties made. What’s more, a well cared-for example will mechanically stand the test of time at least as well as its classic good looks.
The 560SEC is the perfect coupe to complete anyone’s garage.
[Images: 1986 Brochure by Mercedes-Benz of North America, Inc.]
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*Note* An avid reader since early 2007, Mr. Davis is a new contributor to Automobiles De Luxe.
Benz’s Best > Top Ten Postwar Models
10) Geländewagen a.k.a. “G-Wagen” W460/461/463 (1979 – )
The ultimate survivor. Built to military spec., there’s solid reason why the UN and NGO peace organizations use the G-Wagen to get the job done. Utilitarian looks as timeless as the Range Rover County and Hummer H1.
9) S-Class W116 (1972-1979)
This solid, stolid generation of flagships included the legendary might-makes-right 450SEL 6.9. The classic three box German saloon, the 70′s S-Class rolls on as a great vestige of the marque’s grand heritage.
S-Class W140 (Sedan) (1991-1999)
Despite being chastised for running out of step with the times, the W140 saloons set the standard for the 90s. Big and beautiful, these chariots were commodious, luxurious, and represented the last generation of Mercedes sedans to embody the vaunted “vault-like” feel.
7) E Class W210 (1995-2002)
Not as solid as its W124 predecessor, but miles ahead in style. No other model in contemporary Mercedes history generated as much excitement or so revolutionized the marque as this generation E. Hugely popular, the line included the torque rich E55 AMG.
6) SL Class R230 (2002- )
Elegant yet sporty, the current generation SL embodies a classic blend of pure style. The SL is the most comfortable and luxurious roadster Mercedes-Benz has yet built and is also the most powerful. The SL55 and 65 AMG models lifted the bar on performance.
5) 300S W188 (1951-1958)
The start of the greatest flagship series the world has known. Subtle design belies solid quality and luxurious craftsmanship. The first of postwar Benz’s opened topped tourers stands as one of the 20th Century’s grandest.
4) SL Class R107 (1971-1989)
An icon for two generations. Greater than the previous W113 “Pagoda”, this roadster rolls with class, style, and substance. The 500SL and 560SL V8s produced performance times that rivaled Ferrari and Porsche. Among the ultimate boulevardiers of all time.
3) 250/280/300SE cabriolet W111/W112 (1961-1967)
Perhaps the best 2+2 convertible ever built. Precious few cars can rival the SE cabriolet’s classic panache. Instantly collectible and reliably solid, this generation will be remembered as among the finest cars Stuttgart ever built.
2) 300SL Gullwing and Roadster W198 (1954-1963)
Sex on wheels. The roadster may rank as the most beautiful car ever built. The Gullwing may rank as the most iconic Benz ever. The symbol of revival to postwar Germany’s auto industry. The straight-six’s performance set the bar for supercar performance for more than 30 years. It’s easy to justify six to seven figure price tags.
1) S Class W126 (Sedan and Coupe) (1979-1991)
The greatest generation. The longest lived S-Class and among the most commercially successful model lines in Mercedes history. Part of Benz’s golden era of over-engineering, the 80s S-Class rank among the most solid cars ever built. The 300SD, 500/560SEC, 500/560SEL are icons. Bruno Sacco’s grand sedan and coupe – penned in the 70s – influenced industry design through the 90s.
