1965 Mercedes-Benz 600

The Mercedes-Benz 600 was built for luxury and comfort, and served as a worthy successor to the 'Grosser' Mercedes-Benz 770 of the pre-war era. Its spacious interior and extensive list of accouterments were complemented by its state-of-the-art engineering that included an air suspension system with variable ride control, disc brakes, power steering, and separate heating and ventilation systems for the front and rear compartments. Mercedes-Benz took inspiration from George Mortimer Pullman who quite literally defined what it means to travel in style with his innovative railroad sleeper cars and coach-built auto bodies. They eventually contracted with Mr. Pullman's company to create ultra-exclusive coach-built variants of their 1920s and 1930s automobiles. This was the start of a relationship that has continued to this day.

Introduced in 1963 at the Frankfurt Auto Show, the 600 series (W-100), also known as Grosse Mercedes or simply The Grosser, which instantly raised the bar of luxury transportation. It was offered in two versions, including the short-wheelbase Saloons and the long-wheelbase Pullamns.

The Mercedes-Benz 600 replaced the W189 limousine (1957-1962 / nicknamed the Adenauer) and succeeded the W112 (1961 to 1976) in using a pneumatic self-leveling suspension. Operating at 2,000 psi pressure, it powered everything from windows control to door locks in absolute silence. When production of the 600 ended in 1981, a total of 2,677 examples had been built, including 2,190 examples on the short-wheelbase and 428 on the long-wheelbase platform. Additionally, 59 examples were Landaulet body styles.

Body Styles
The SWB (short wheelbase) had a 126-inch wheelbase, was 218.1 inches long, and stood 59.1 inches tall. The four-door SWB saloon was avaialble with a power divider window that separated the rear bench seat from the front seats. The LWB (long wheelbase) had a 153.5-inch wheelbase, was 245.7 inches in length, and was 59.4 inches tall. The LWB four-door 'Pullman' limousine had two additional rear-facing seats separated from the driver compartment by a power divider window. A total of 304 examples were built in this configuration. Additionally, a six-door limousine was available on the LWB platform with two forward-facing jump-seats at the middle two doors and a rear bench-seat.

The Landaulet (four and six door) had a convertible top over the rear passenger compartment, built as either a long roof or a short roof configuration. The short roof opened only above the last, third row of seats and was the more popular of the two configurations. The rarer long roof setup with 6-doors was known as the Presidential roof and a total of nine were built. Production of the landaulet versions of the 600 ended in 1980.

The Pullman Limousine and the Landaulet were popular with the Vatican, royal households, and government officials. Former Grosser owners include Elvis Presley, Elizabeth Taylor, Coco Chanel and Aristotle Onassis. They were used by the most wealthy and influential people in the world, from Queen Elizabeth II to Mao Tse Tung.

Two one-off 600 Coupes were built for chief designer Rudolf Uhlenhaut and the other for the head of research and development Fritz Nallinger. These two coupes were built on a shortened (by 8.6 inches) SWB saloon platform.

Very few Grossers were built in right-hand drive configuration.

Engine Specification
The Mercedes-Benz was powered by a new 6.3-liter (6,332cc) M100 V8 engine with single overhead camshafts (SOHC) and a Bosch-made intermittently injecting multipoint manifold injection system. The engine output was rated at 247 hp (250 PS) and was paired with a four-speed automatic transmission.

Mechanical Specification
The front suspension was comprised of a double-wishbone hydraulic setup, while the rear received a low-pivot swing-axle with an adjustable hydraulic self-leveling system. It had power-assisted steering and four-wheel servo-assisted hydraulic disc brakes.

The 150-bar (2,176 psi) hydraulic pressure system was used to operate the car's automatically closing doors, boot lid, windows, seats, and sunroof.

Despite its not inconsiderable weight, the 600 was endowed with highly respectable performance, reaching 100km/h in a little under 10 seconds and exceeding 200km/h flat out.

The End of Production
When production of the 600 ended in 1981, it signaled the end of the ultra-luxury model for Mercedes-Benz. The heritage began with the Simplex 60 hp in 1903 and would include the pre-war SSK, 380SSK (W22), the 500K (W29), and the 540K (W24). After a two-decade-long hiatus, Mercedes-Benz would return to the ultra-luxury segment with its Maybach 57/62 and later with its Mercedes-Maybach S-Class.

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2023