1978 Mercedes-benz 450sel 6.9 Sedan 4-door 6.8l on 2040-cars

Year:1978 Mileage:197036

Location:

Memphis, Tennessee, United States

1978 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 Sedan 4-Door 6.8L, image 1

1978 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 Sedan 4-Door 6.8L, image 2

1978 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 Sedan 4-Door 6.8L, image 3

1978 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 Sedan 4-Door 6.8L, image 4

1978 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 Sedan 4-Door 6.8L, image 5

1978 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 Sedan 4-Door 6.8L, image 6

1978 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 Sedan 4-Door 6.8L, image 7

Advertising:

Up for sale is my all-original, two-owner, 1978 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 that I affectionately named “The 7 Litre.” It is a virtually rust-free Southern car that has lived its entire life in Memphis, TN. It is a complete car but is not running at this time.

I am the second owner – having purchased the 7 Litre on February 21, 1988 (see picture of sales document). I have cropped out my name and address for privacy of course, but the new owner will receive the untouched copy along with the title. The new owner will be pleasantly surprised when they see that the car, title, owner, and address all match to this day – dating back to 1988.

The previous owner was Mr. Robertson who owned the first Mercedes-Benz dealership in Memphis – Robertson Motors at 2950 Airways Blvd. Mr. Robertson had a tendency to get new cars frequently (as dealers do), but this 6.9 was just too much fun to pass on. So he ended up keeping it in his collection for 10 years before selling it to a competing used Mercedes dealership in town – Benz Bavaria, Ltd. At 3466 Park Avenue. That is where I purchased the car for $16,700 less my trade-in.

The car was in remarkable condition when I purchased it for my wife. Finished in grey blue metallic paint with parchment leather and burl walnut trim, it was quite a beautiful car. Having an engineering background, I was impressed with the sophistication of the 6.9 Mercedes as well. The M-100 engine, with its dry sump lubrication and hydraulic valve gear actuation, truly was a marvel. The hydro pneumatic oil/nitrogen struts and self-leveling rear suspension was quite novel as well. Even though the car was 10 years old when we took possession of it, it was still cutting edge. Even the newer body style 560SEL at the time could not keep up with this car.

For 10 years, we had a ball with the 7 Litre – including the time in Alabama when I took her up to 135 mph with still more room in the pedal (I backed off though questioning the last time the tires were replaced). It was so effortlessly fast, and unbelievably well mannered over bumps and in corners. We took care of it, and it took care of us.

Sadly, the car got away from me after my wife passed away in February of 1998. With 4 cars in my driveway, it was difficult to keep everything going. The last time I drove this car, in 2001, it was in tip-top condition inside and out. When I went to start it a few weeks later, it did not want to fire up. When I circled back to it a few weeks later, the battery was dead. From there, it sat until about 6 years ago when I charged up the battery and tried it again with the help of a Mercedes mechanic who at that time made house calls. We were able to get it to run by pouring gas into the intake, but that was it. I was not really interested in throwing any more money into the car, so I chose to let it sit.

With the help of a family friend who is a car guru, I recently tried to get the 7 Litre running again. Unfortunately, we determined that the engine is now locked up (quite surprisingly in my opinion). We pulled the belts and cooling blade off to access the crankshaft bolt. Despite a generous soaking of WD40, PB Blaster, and Marvel Mystery Oil in the spark plug holes we were unable to make the crank turn. Granted, we were a bit timid – not wanting to break the bolt. So perhaps the right mechanic with the appropriate knowledge and tools will have better luck.

The Bad News Is:

Besides the non-running engine, you can see that the car is in need of cosmetic attention. There is surface rust on the hood and gas filler cap. The paint is oxidized. The interior (seats, headliner, carpeting, and wood) has been badly damaged by stopped up/leaking sunroof drains.

The Good News Is:

The car is complete and missing absolutely nothing. From the original spare Michelin XWX tire specially made for the 6.9 Mercedes and untouched Bundt wheel, to the perfect glass all around, to the rust free chrome, to the straight as an arrow bodywork that has never been in an accident. The car has a transmission in it that was replaced by AAMCO Transmissions less than 100 miles ago – to the tune of over $3,000. I had brand new brake rotors and pads replaced all-around less than 500 miles ago. The car has a brand new water pump in it – which was extremely expensive for the part and labor. Luckily, I had the sense to place cinder blocks under the car, so it has remained in the up position all this time. Given that the suspension system was working properly before I stopped driving it, hopefully it will work fine once the car runs again.

Please understand that parting with this car will be like parting with a family member – a well regarded one. I have owned The 7 Litre for nearly 27 years after all. I understand the condition is wanting and repair costs are not cheap. However, I have a lot invested in this car, a lot of memories, and I truly hope that a Mercedes mechanic or collector will find a way to pump new life into it.

Thank you for looking, I am happy to answer any questions you e-mail me, and I look forward to passing the torch to a new owner soon.

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2015 Belgian Grand Prix is a return to scheduled programming

Mon, Aug 24 2015

With summer intermission over, the second half of the Formula One season commenced in the Belgian countryside at Spa-Francorchamps. After qualifying, it looked a lot like the first half of the season with just a few minor changes. Lewis Hamilton was even more dominant in his Mercedes-AMG Petronas than usual, regularly taking half a second out of his teammate in just the middle sector of the circuit. Teammate Nico Rosberg tightened it up a tad for his final hot lap, but Hamilton still took pole by 0.45 seconds ahead of Rosberg in second. With his Williams back at a power track, Valtteri Bottas got himself up to third, although more than a second behind Hamilton. Romain Grosjean in the Lotus in fourth had his best qualifying performance since his fourth-place grid spot at the 2013 US Grand Prix. This was a huge boon for Lotus, the team facing another financial issue off track that threatened to have its cars impounded as soon as they left the circuit. Grosjean had to have his gearbox changed before the conclusion of six races, however, so the five-spot penalty meant he'd actually line up ninth for the race. Sergio Perez put the Sahara Force India in fifth, where we're more used to seeing his teammate Nico Hulkenberg, just ahead of Daniel Ricciardo in the Infiniti Red Bull Racing in sixth. Felipe Massa got the second Williams in seventh, in front of the second Lotus of Pastor Maldonado in eighth. Then came the first and only Ferrari in the top ten, Sebastian Vettel qualifying ninth after a disappointing Saturday for the scuderia; teammate Kimi Raikkonen suffered gearbox issues and qualified way down in 16th. Carlos Sainz took tenth in the Toro Rosso. A new start procedure in Belgium meant drivers had to handle clutches on their own, without the engineers finely tuning bite points between the garage and the start line. That was in conjunction with another rule limiting the kinds of radio messages possible between engineers and drivers, aiming to put more of the car in the drivers' hands. After an aborted start when Hulkenberg's car quit while sitting on the grid, Hamilton made the most of the new procedure. His start wasn't amazing but he beat everyone else off the line, while those behind were alternately getting bogged down or leaping ahead. Midway through the first lap the top ten was Hamilton, Perez, Ricciardo, Bottas, Rosberg, Vettel, Maldonado, Grosjean, Massa, Marcus Ericsson. At the end of 43 laps, Hamilton would still be in the lead.

2015 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG Coupe

Wed, Dec 17 2014

Conventional wisdom would dictate that adding more power and several key performance enhancements to an already very good car, like the 2015 Mercedes-Benz S550 Coupe, will end up equaling an even better car. In the case of the 2015 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG Coupe, conventional wisdom sort of applies, but perhaps not as much as we'd have initially guessed. We'll get into the nitty gritty details in just a moment, but here's the most immediate takeaway we had in our minds as we walked away from this super coupe: The S63 AMG is excellent, but so is the slightly more mundane S550 Coupe on which it is based, and which is priced some $41,000 less expensive than its more powerful sibling. Chew on those figures while we examine what differentiates the two S-Class Coupes. Drive Notes As expected, the single greatest highlight of the 2015 S63 Coupe is its engine. As a powerplant, it's a gem. As a hand-built engineering exercise, its 577 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque are just as impressive in real life as they sound when recited from stat sheets. Not that the old CL63 AMG was lacking in power, but the new S63 AMG Coupe boasts 41 more horses and 74 more lb-ft than the outgoing engine. The run to 60 miles per hour takes a scant 3.9 seconds, according to M-B, aided in no small part by the car's 4Matic all-wheel-drive system and other assorted electronic brains deciding where, exactly, all those ponies should be sent. The rear-biased system is tuned to send two-thirds of the engine's power to the rear wheels in a bid to make the car feel more like what performance-minded drivers expect. Top speed is electronically limited to 186 miles per hour, which is plenty fast enough, even in the days of 200-plus-mph sedans from M-B's former corporate cousin Dodge. We didn't get anywhere near the car's maximum velocity, but our brief trips into triple-digit territory were quiet, comfortable and completely free of drama. The seven-speed automatic gearbox responds quickly to requests of your right foot, but the steering wheel-mounted paddles don't change gears as quickly as we'd like when in Manual mode. Controlled Efficiency (which we'd call Comfort) maximizes efficiency, keeping the transmission in higher gears and shifting earlier than when in Sport mode, and we didn't find much fault with the computer's shifting algorithms in either setting.

Autoblog Podcast #404

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Episode #404 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Chris Paukert and Brandon Turkus talk about the BMW i8 and i3, this week's SEMA show, the looming Ferrari spin-off and the passing of Tom Magliozzi, longtime co-host of NPR's Car Talk. We start with what's in the garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the rundown below with times for topics, and you can follow along down below with our Q&A. Thanks for listening! Autoblog Podcast #404: The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. Topics: BMW i8 and i3 SEMA Ferrari to be spun off Tom Magliozzi of Car Talk passes away In The Autoblog Garage: 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG 2015 Mercedes-Benz C300 4Matic 2015 Ford Mustang GT Hosts: Dan Roth, Chris Paukert, Brandon Turkus Runtime: 01:54:34 Rundown: Intro & Garage - 00:00 BMW i8 and i3 - 36:18 SEMA - 01:00:53 Ferrari IPO - 01:12:44 Tom Magliozzi - 01:21:12 Q&A - 01:32:45 Get the podcast: [UStream] Listen live on Mondays at 10 PM Eastern at UStream [iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes [RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [MP3] Download the MP3 directly Feedback: Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show in iTunes Auto News Celebrities Earnings/Financials Podcasts SEMA Show BMW Ferrari Ford Mercedes-Benz SEMA 2014 mercedes gla45 amg