Mercedes-Benz 600 W100
| 1963 to 1981 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Mercedes-Benz |
| Production | 1963–1981 2,677 built SWB: 2,190 LWB: 428 Landaulet: 59 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Full-size limousine |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Mercedes-Benz W112 (direct) Mercedes-Benz W189 (ideological) |
| Successor | No Direct Successor Mercedes-Benz W221 S600 Pullman (ideological) |
History
Production began in 1964 and almost 600 variants were built until 1972. The oil crisis, as well as the introduction of new S-Class models, slowed demand. Modest production continued until 1981. During this time, 2,677 vehicles were made.
Models
The 600 came in two main variants:
- short wheelbase
- 4-door sedan
- 4-door sedan with a power divider window separating the front seats from the rear bench seat.
A single example of 4-door landaulet was built by Mercedes in 1967. The vehicle was commissioned by Count von Berckheim, the ex-racing driver. This car combined the handling qualities of a short-wheelbase design with the traditional virtues of the landaulet.
- long wheelbase chassis
- 4-door Pullman limousine with additional two rear-facing seats behind the driver compartment which was separated by a power divider window (three built).
- 6-door limousine with two forward-facing jump-seats positioned at the additional middle two doors and a rear bench-seat.
- A few of the limousines were made with a convertible top over the rear passenger compartment and were called landaulets. This was mainly intended for official use, by the Pope, or by the German government, e.g. in 1965 during the visit of Queen Elizabeth II, when she was accompanied by Kurt Georg Kiesinger in open-top tour in Baden-Württemberg. Production of this model ended in 1980.
Mercedes also made two coupés, one of them was made by Mercedes as a gift for Dr. Rudolf Uhlenhaut when he retired. He had designed the car, together with Fritz Nallinger and Karl Wilfert. A third coupe was constructed from a 600 SWB by Karl Middelhauve and Associates.
A SWB car was also converted into a funeral coach (hearse). More recently, in the 2000s, two SWB cars (one a 1965 model and the other a 1966) were converted into Chevrolet El Camino-esque pick-up trucks. Both are virtually identical but with different paint schemes. The cars were created by Karl Middlehauve of Wausau, Wisconsin along with a handful of craftsmen.
Mechanical
The 600 was so heavy that the largest engine of Mercedes at that time, the 6-cylinder 300, was inadequate. Instead a new engine with more than twice the capacity was developed to move the vehicle and its hydraulically powered amenities, the 6.3 L V8 "M100" engine with single overhead camshafts (SOHC), and Bosch mechanical fuel injection.
The 600's "M-100" engine and hydraulics were fitted to the 300SEL 6.3 model in 1968, creating - at that time - the world's fastest four-door sedan. Upon the introduction of the "W116" chassis, a larger version of M-100 was installed in the Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9.
The 600 featured many luxury features, including a complex hydraulic 150-bar (2,176 psi) pressure system that powered everything from the windows and seats to the automatically closing doors, sun-roof, and boot lid. Adjustable air suspension gave the car a good ride quality and handling over any road surface.
Owners
Apart from the Pope and governments, famous owners of the 600 have included celebrities such as Coco Chanel, Hugh Hefner, Elizabeth Taylor, John Lennon, George Harrison, Karen Carpenter, Jay Kay, Aristotle Onassis, Jack Nicholson, Simon Spies, Ronnie Wood, Bob Jane, Frank Packer, Elvis Presley, Rowan Atkinson and Jeremy Clarkson. Notable dictators including Park Chung-hee, Nicolae Ceauşescu, Pol Pot, Enver Hoxha, Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-Il also owned a landaulet (both seen in the 65th anniversary parade in Pyongyang on October 10, 2010) and religious leader Guru Maharaj Ji. African revolutionaries Idi Amin Dada, Jomo Kenyatta and the former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos had four 600s including a Landaulet, a 1981 bulletproof and a six-door version.Sadaam Hussein owned a long roof landaulet that was recovered after fall of Baghdad that's now owned by the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles.
In television, a Mercedes Benz 600 limousine was used by Angela Channing, matriarch of the fictional Channing/Gioberti family, in the American television series Falcon Crest. Images of the car driving from San Francisco over the Golden Gate Bridge to the Falcon Crest vineyard were featured in the opening credits of the first four seasons.
The Mercedes 600 has also featured in the James Bond films, most notably as transport of the villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Diamonds Are Forever. Kamal Khan is also seen leaving Sotheby's in a 600 in Octopussy.
