All Entries Tagged With: "560SEL"
Niche Served: Mercedes Young Classics
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img Daimler AG ::: Mercedes-Benz Young Classics
FIVE SIXTY SEL from 1989. One 1968 280SL. Another 560, this time an SE from 1990. Mercedes-Benz’s “Young Classics” seems to answer a question, scratch an itch if you’d like, that no other car maker has even come close to trying. Sure, we know about the Classic Centers in Irvine and Fellbach are where you can have your 1982 300td wagon restored at $200 an hour while picking up a perfect 1933 290 Cabriolet B for $125,000.
But a line of vehicle sales (based apparently from the Mercedes museum in Stuttgart) that caters specifically to the hits from 70s, 80s, and 90s – is a marvelous meeting of the niches if ever there was. Even if it likely comes at marked-up prices.
That-70s-gold 1973 280SE, in particular, is worth a look.
eBay: Mercedes-Benz 560SEL
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img via eBay ::: 1990 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL
IF circa 1985 you had asked Porsche to conceive and build a Rolls-Royce, the Mercedes-Benz 560SEL would have been Zuffenhausen’s answer. Power without temperament. Imperial but measured. Over-engineered and nothing wasted. Germanic to a fault but also elegant in ways that neither its forebear (450SEL 6.9) nor successor (S600) could manage.The 560SEL represents the best of a platinum era in Stuttgart.
The 560SEL pictured silver over grey (so-so color combo) appears to be a kindly preserved example with just over 70,000 miles on the clock. The seller, in particular, seems wistful about letting his big Benz go. Who can blame him.
[eBay]
Fuenfkommasechs Returns! W126 Benz Site Extraordinaire
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG via Fuenfkommasechs.de
W126 Benzers rejoice! Fuenfkommasechs has returned!
There is a lack of quality sites that cover Germany’s best efforts of the 1980s. Fuenfkommasechs was, and once again, is an island in this desert. Following an extensive and beautiful overhaul, the premiere source for W126 info is back.
A veritable treasure trove of insightful commentary, history, archival imagery, technical material, and new photography, Fuenfkommasechs articulates the grandeur that is the W126 generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class, in large, and the magnificent 560SEL, in particular.
There is one catch: the site is published in German.
Luckily, the site compensates with an early online version of ASR, if you will, providing a practical, if rough, translation tool for most any language…including English.
Given that I share with you an undying ardor for Stuttgart’s greatest of elephantine chariots, I could not help but share this most remarkable site.
Enjoy!
Linked: Fuenfkommasechs.de
eBay Christmas Find: 1990 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL
- 1990 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL with 37K miles
- Black over grey + W126 gen = handsome saloon
- New York market car appears to be in great shape but buyer beware
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG eBay
NEW YORK is really hard on cars.
Generally, the city’s washboard street grid system acts as an automotive meat grinder; churning its way through rims, shocks, and tyres while the city’s fair tempered drivers bash their way through impossibly tight spaces in a constant furious flow; taking with them the purity of bumpers, fenders, mirrors, prides…
And those are mere flesh wounds.
Yet, down on the lower westside – a wayward hubcap’s travel from the Javitz (NYIAS’ home) sits a sterling 1990 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL that’s survived the metro area for some 19 years.
That is appears on eBay in such showroom fresh shape, makes it one bid well worth considering. To date, the big Benz has 37K miles to its title. This is in large measure likely why its glorious three-box form appears in such fine fettle.
Black on grey being one of the best color combos for any W126 – those hues trump the once popular tan on beige any day – the S-Class appears to be in original form: the cryptic Becker radio and lack of adhoc aftermarket electronica circa 1999 is a real plus.
Interesting to note, it appears that the Benz is also fitted with the (rare) early version of ASR traction control, which was standard only on the R129 500SL in 1990.
But with such low mileage, we have to wonder how long the car was made to sit. Gaskets, hoses, and the melee of hydropneumatic devices (door locks, rear self-leveling suspension, etc.) all can bust if neglected in some garage – to say nothing of the odd water pump or a litany of sensors.
That the seller – Mercedes-Benz Manhattan, Inc. – hasn’t listed the 560SEL on its own site is suspect. Dealers tend to post risky vehicles online rather than include them as part of their own inventory.
So, caveat emptor.
That said, a cared for 560SEL remains one of the grandest cars on the road.
560SELs provide most everything a luxury car driver should care to own: superlative ride, surefooted handling, quiet interior, torque rich, big-bloc V8, superior engineering, safety and classically eye catching style.
To add that such quality is available at a bargain – $8,600 – and is popular (12 bids) proves all the more enticing.
Linked: eBay Motors 1990 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL from Mercedes-Benz Manhattan
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]
GarageCurrent’s Ye Olde Candy Shoppe
Garage Current’s showroom fresh 500SL Benz.
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG GarageCurrent.com
WHAT’S the Japanese for “Yum” anyway?
I can’t help but want everything in Garage Current’s showroom. The Yokohama based car dealer specializes in selling previously enjoyed -* MINT * – Teutonic (mostly) grand tourers turned recent classics. Each car is presented in immaculate form with a full history for the connoisseur.
Drool with me over the following:
Grey over black 1992 500E with 5,100 km and …
Flawless interior.
Charcoal over black 1990 560SEL with …gulp… 4,700km plus…
5540cc V8.
1992 Porsche 911 in electric blue on black with 87,900 km.
Behold the metallic might of Porsche brakes!
2005 G55 AMG in white over charcoal with 31,500 km.
And COMAND-ing view.
And for good measure – 2005 Lamborghini Gallardo in shock therapy blue over…
midlife crisis blue/yellow.
Yum! Like I said, I take the whole showroom. Thanks.
An End Of An Era: The Mercedes V12
By Gunnar Heinrich
TWELVE is such an exotic number.
In the car world, the number of cylinders gives a ready indication of performance. Four is frugal, six is slick, and eight means power.
But 12 is other worldly.
Precious few automakers still produce motors with opposing banks of six cylinders. The marques that do manufacture their own V12s are bound to be, asThe Robb Report might say, “the best of the best.” And surely no such penultimate list would exclude Mercedes-Benz?
Well, according to Autobild, it will.
German print reports that European emissions standards are forcing Benz to abandon its 12 cylinder engine in favor of focusing on more efficient twin-turbo V8s.
If Autobild‘s reporting is accurate, it is a sad day for Mercedes-Benz and the automotive world in that Green politics have triumphed in scaling back the performance ambitions of Germany’s leading automaker and hastened the demise of the horsepower wars (which us auto scribes continue to enjoy immensely).
But it isn’t all bad.
Mercedes-Benz has more history with the V8 than the marque does the V12.
The first postwar V12 Benz built was put in the W140 gen. 600SEL (later S600) in 1992. Accommodating six liters while making 408 horsepower, the mighty three-box flagship boasted more than 100 horsepower over its predecessor – the V8 powered W126 gen. 560SEL.
But there was a catch to this monstrous new machine: the 600SEL was 700 lbs portlier than the 560SEL thanks largely to the weight of the bigger engine. That meant that performance times were only slightly improved and at cost: less than a second difference from standstill to 60 mph with the 600SEL averaging a combined 11 mpg versus the 560SEL’s 13 mpg.
Present Benz V12′s overkill by a similar pattern.
The current S600′s biturbo V12 makes mammoth power; 510 horsepower and 612 lb-ft of torque. AMG’s S63 does similarly well with four fewer cylinders and no turbo chargers: 518 horsepower with 465 lb-ft of torque.
Both sedans lock in at a dead heat from 0-60 in 4.5 seconds; the difference say those who’ve driven both is that the AMG V8 – like Stuttgart’s old big blocs of yore – provides a far more satisfying experience in getting there.
And while, true, AMG does produce a biturbo V12 for the S65 AMG, there’s every reason to believe that the tuner’s boffins will be able to match or beat that engine’s 604 bhp with 738 lb-ft torque figures down the road with another biturbo V8.
Not as exotic a performer as the V12, to be sure, but it’ll be more effective at making swift progress.
[Linked: Mercedes AMG | Autobild ]
Fat Cat Capsizing: Much Fun Had In Benzland
By Gunnar Heinrich
I’VE run out of platitudes to praise Johannes Schlorb. Needless to say, he’s a great photographer.
The blogger and very talented photographer runs a site featuring the magnificent Mercedes-Benz 560SEL. Occasionally, his camera lens will find other classic Benzes in addition to W126 generation S-Class sedans and the content – to use gray media language – proves to be every bit as entertaining.
From what I got out of Babelfish (his site’s in German), Herr Schlorb attended a “safety training” get together orchestrated by a local Benz Club somewhere south of the former West German capital Bonn.
As many of the Teutons taking part in the Tri-Star slip ‘n slide were old enough to carry the label “Made in West Germany,” (a practice discontinued after 1985) the location was apt.
It’s not every day that you see a W108 SE drifting running over traffic cones or an R107 SL sideways; which is part of why the event’s shots are so compelling!
Many more polished images are available for sale or simply to peruse through via his website. Never has safety training looked like so much fun.
[Linked: Fuenfkommasechs.de]
Brock Yates & The 450SEL 6.9
By Gunnar Heinrich
BACK in the day (late 70s), Mercedes-Benz of North America paid renowned auto rag writer Brock Yates to compose an advertising piece on the most powerful S-Class Stuttgart had yet built – the monumental 450SEL 6.9.
In Mr. Yates, MBNA found, “one of the most respected writers in the automotive community, to devise a no-holds-barred evaluation. One that would reveal the full potential of this extraordinary car.”
Happily, the adoration seemed mutual.
In a Daimler-Benz product, Mr. Yates waxed adoringly, “I know before driving the machine that high standards of quality and fabrication will be met; I know too that road-holding, steering, stopping and passenger safety will not be compromised; and I am confident that the new automobile will attempt to make some major engineering statement that transcends simple commercial instincts.”
Considering that Mr. Yates had previously saluted the standard 450SEL as, “the best all-around car in the world,” MBNA had some assurance to have confidence in Mr. Yates’ paid-for appraisal.
“In accepting this assignment, Mr. Yates imposed only one condition: that he be permitted to describe negative aspects as well as the strengths of the 6.9. We had confidence enough in the 6.9 that we readily agreed. The observations in the following article, then, are Brock Yates’ own.”
Tap the link to read the article in full.
(Thanks for the link, HD!)
[Linked: Brock Yates' 6.9 Evaluation | Just What Is The Difference Between a Mercedes-Benz 450SEL v. 450SEL 6.9? ]
Funfkommasechs Strikes Again! Superlative PhotoShopping
By Gunnar Heinrich | Image von Johannes Schlörb
SIX HOURS of labor went into the photo shopping.
Not too mention the time taken to shoot the same magnificent navy blue Mercedes-Benz 560SEL time lapse style over the course of 10 minutes – just before the sun rose over Germany’s verdant lands.
I’ve spent my own time waxing enthusiastic on just how talented I find Herr Schlörb’s photography. Lucky for him, I’m not the only one. The image you see will be the front cover of one Germany’s Mercedes enthusiast publications.
Johannes seems circumspect about just which one that is…
There’s poetic justice to the photo’s location. Apparently, to replenish the 23.8 gallon tank full of premium unleaded requires a stout heart and pockets deep enough to stomach $200 fill-ups.
Dark times to be sure. But as we’re shown, even the grayest horizon can act as canvas for the most brilliant rainbow.
Now if only there’s a Shell card on the other end.
[Linked: fuenfkommasechs]
