1970 Mercedes-Benz 600 Series

The Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing and Roadster of the 1950s brought the company racing victories and accolades. The well-engineered series of production 220 sedans and up-market models that included the 190SL, 300S, and 300Sc models were followed by the first Mercedes-Benz V8 engine. This engine would appear throughout the Mercedes-Benz model line, including the 300SEL which would eventually become the world's fastest production sedan. Next came the world's most luxurious limousine ever built, the Mercedes-Benz 600.

The 1963 V8 engine displaced 6,330cc and was given mechanical fuel-injection with large dual air intake tubes and a cam atop each cylinder bank. The unibody 600 was built in small quantities each year at Sindelfingen, from 1963 to 1981. The 7/8 passenger 600 sedan made its debut at the 1963 Frankfurt Auto Show. The design was first seen on the Paul Bracq 230SL roadster design that had debuted at the earlier Geneva Auto Show that same year and penned along the same lines of the earlier new 20 SEb Coupe penned by the director of design Bruno Sacco in 1961.

The Mercedes-Benz 600 sedan had an overall length of 218.1 inches and would eventually become known as the SWB (short-wheelbase version). The larger Pullman version was stretched to a length of 245.67 inches. The 600 SWB sedan weighed 5,300 lbs. and was capable of achieving speeds of 125 to 130 mph. Zero-to-sixty mph was accomplished in 10 seconds. Fuel consumption was rated at 9 to 12 mpg with a just under 30-gallon fuel tank fitted. Disc brakes were found on all four wheels, with dual calipers at the front with regular disc brakes at the rear that was power boosted via the air from the fully independent, self-leveling air suspension. The rear suspension was a swing axle setup along with driver-adjustable shock absorbers via a steering column three-position lever. The ground clearance height could be raised automatically through hydraulics. Five v-belts drove two alternators, the AC, a hydraulic pump, a cooling fan, and the air compressor.

There were over 50 pieces of real wood trim, a full array of blackout curtains, and 13 courtesy lights inside a standard 600. Popular factory options included the choice of velour or leather interior, a sunroof, a glass window divider between driver and rear-seat passengers, refrigerated bars, and flag mounts for the front fenders. Power-operated equipment, via hydraulics with pressures up to 300psi, including all the windows and the interior privacy glass, front and rear seats (the first in a Mercedes-Benz), the sunroof, cowl vent, fuel filler door, rear trunk lid, and doors in the early models.

The interior temperatures were operated through separate warm/cool controls, and the stereo controls were duplicated in the rear seat area. There was an intercom system with a microphone conveniently placed on the steering column. The parking brake automatically disengaged when the 600 was put into gear. The steering column was fully adjustable for angle and distance, and there were remote-control mirrors and vacuum-operated central door locks.

Over the eighteen years of production, a total of 2,667 Mercedes-Benz 600 models were built. Of these, 2,190 were the SWB cars, while another 428 were the 27.6-inch longer wheelbase versions. Some of the Pullman models were six-door versions, although the four-door model was more common. Just 59 were the custom-built 600 Landaulet versions.

by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2019