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1979 Mercedes-benz 450sel 6.9: Exceptional, One Owner, 42k Mi, Entirely Original on 2040-cars

Year:1979 Mileage:42618
Location:

Santa Barbara, California, United States

Santa Barbara, California, United States
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Offered for sale is a truly exceptional, low mileage, one owner, completely documented, entirely original 1979 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9, finished in factory original and ever-popular Astral Silver Metallic (DB 735) over Black leather seats. Sporting only 42k original miles and correspondingly negligible wear, this W116 6.9 is arguably the finest available on the market today, the very best of Mercedes’ very best. Sporting the fabled M100 6.9L V8 engine, a hydro-pneumatic self-leveling suspension and more technological advancements than any other car available at the time, owning this wolf in sheep’s clothing new was reserved for only the most discriminating and (at a sticker price of more than $52k), moneyed buyers. Unfortunately the cars were also comparably expensive to maintain, causing a vast majority of them to fall into disrepair in their secondary or tertiary owners’ care. Finding exceptionally clean, well-maintained, original and low mileage examples is virtually impossible, and for this reason their popularity with collectors has realized a significant resurgence.

Consequently we feel fortunate to have come across this example, one that would be entirely at home in either a serious Mercedes collection or the garage of a weekend enthusiast. Sold new by Murray Motor Imports of Denver, CO to its first and only owner, the car comes with its original window sticker, denoting a fully loaded example (including optional sunroof) delivered in July of 1979 with a sales price of $52,025.00. A wealthy Denver area businessman, the original owner always had the car serviced at either Murray Motor Imports (the Mercedes dealership there at the time), Mercedes-Benz of Littleton, CO or Star Tech of Denver, a highline independent Mercedes specialist.

Accompanying the car is a thick stack of service receipts for all the work ever performed throughout his 35 years of ownership, providing both evidence of the high level of maintenance the car has received, as well as a chain of paperwork that confirms that the 42k miles showing on the odometer are entirely original. Used sparingly throughout the years but always kept up, garaged and used only in suitable weather, the car is in fantastic original condition throughout, including an accident and rust-free history and completely original paint.

The factory original Astral Silver finish is entirely consistent, deep and lustrous, marred only by the most insignificant of imperfections, none of which appear in any of the pictures. The body is entirely straight, free of any evidence of accident repairs and with consistent, correct gaps and panel fits. The chrome is in excellent original condition, as is the glass and rubber, and the light alloy wheels are flawless and wrapped in tires with plenty of remaining tread. The car’s undercarriage is original and entirely solid, never subjected to the elements and free of cancerous corrosion. The car’s interior is equally as clean, the black leather seats showing only minimal wear with flawless carpets, interior panels and headliner. Everything works, including the original Becker radio and cassette player, air conditioning system (which blows cold) and all of the power windows and sunroof. The glovebox houses the original owner’s manual, spare keys and all of the car’s service records, including the original window sticker and an original 6.9 sales brochure also accompanies the sale. The trunk is clean and correct and the only thing on the car that’s not original is a car-phone added by the owner at some point in the 1990s, however we can also remove the system entirely upon request.

The car is fantastic mechanically, its massive V8 starting easily, idling consistently and pulling strongly and smoothly through each of the gears. Compression is excellent, allowing this German muscle car to accelerate with robust, stable force. As with all Mercedes models of this generation, tank-like build quality and a devotion to over-engineering – especially coupled with the hydro-pneumatic suspension – creates a ride quality that was second to none at the time and is still astonishing today. The suspension was recently comprehensively serviced and car is entirely road-ready and a joy to drive, whether tooling through town or bombing down the highway.

This is an excellent opportunity to acquire what is undoubtedly one of the finest, lowest mileage, most original examples of the legendary 6.9 available on the market. As rare and iconic Mercedes models continue to appreciate at dizzying rates, this is assuredly one of the models to have, one of the last true Mercedes classics in hard-to-find, stellar, completely original condition. Please bid accordingly.

We want this car to go to great home and would be happy to further discuss it and answer any questions, so please feel free to email us or call us at 805-202-4557. You can also visit us online at GoodmanReed.

Goodman Reed Motorcars 

We’ve always had an appreciation for classic European cars and over the years have created an eclectic personal collection. We only buy cars that we’d personally be interested in owning and generally only sell them to make room for other acquisitions. That time has come for this Mercedes (if the price is right, of course – this isn’t a fire sale). We try to give accurate descriptions of the cars we’re selling, but we’re enthusiasts, not experts, and we encourage and are happy to help facilitate personal or professional inspections. But please do so before bidding, as the alternative harms our ability to make sales to other interested parties who have done their proper due diligence before bidding. 

For U.S. buyers a 10% non-refundable deposit is required within 3 days of the auction’s end, the balance to be paid within 7 days of the auction’s end. Foreign buyers must pay in full within 7 business days of the auction’s end. Buyer is responsible for shipping, however we’d be more that happy to help with recommendations and arrangements. The car is listed locally and we reserve the right to end the auction at any time should it sell prior to auction’s end. Thanks for your interest.  

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Daimler eMERGE2 test proves ignorance breeds dislike of EVs

Thu, Jul 30 2015

Out with the old EVs, in with the new. Daimler announced today that it has finished up the eMERGE electric vehicle project that used Smart Fortwo Electric Drive cars and will now start up eMERGE2, which will use Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive and PHEV vehicles. As before, the tests will take place in Germany. The first, just-finished eMERGE program ran from May 2013 to June 2015 and put over a million kilometers (621,000 miles) onto 146 Smart Fortwo EDs. Daimler said that over the two years, the vehicle with the most efficient annual energy consumption used just 10.4 kWh for all of its 100 kilometers. The best full-charge range over the year was 161 kilometers (100 miles). Perhaps most interesting, though, was one of the projects findings: "the less an interviewee knew about electric mobility, the more negative their opinion" about the technology. In other words, here's some more proof that getting "butts in seats," as it were, is one reasonable way to promote electric driving. eMERGE: key contribution to developing the mobility of the future Stuttgart/Berlin, Jul 30, 2015 Broad-based real-world trial of eMERGE project completed Especially for daily distances of 50 km or over the E-car is financially attractive eMERGE2 fleet project now launching with 200 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive and plug-in hybrid models Stuttgart/Berlin – After more than one million kilometres in two years – from May 2013 to June 2015 – the real-world trial of electric cars known as eMERGE has been completed. Those taking part in the project were private and business customers with 146 smart fortwo electric drive cars from Berlin, Potsdam and North Rhine-Westphalia. Some of them set records: the lowest average energy consumption over one year was 10.4 kWh/100 km, while the longest range was 161 kilometres. The smart fortwo electric drive is certified with a consumption of 16.3 kWh/100 km and a range of 145 kilometres. The broad-based field trial within the framework of the eMERGE project has not only provided information on user behaviour and e-car technology; it also studied intelligent charging systems for improving the utilisation of the power supply as well as various pricing systems with regard to customer acceptance. Based on transport models, the project partners examined the need for a publicly available charging infrastructure. Within the project Daimler was responsible for collecting the driving and charging data required for evaluation of the field trial.

Recharge Wrap-up: 2015 Honda CR-Z now on sale, Daimler and Linde building hydrogen stations in Germany

Fri, Oct 10 2014

The 2015 Honda CR-Z hybrid is now available at dealerships, for slightly more money. The CR-Z starts at an MSRP of $20,145 (plus $790 in destination charges), up from the $19,995 price of the 2014 model. For those who don't want to row their own gears with the six-speed manual transmission, the available CVT adds an extra $650 to the price, but also offers better fuel economy, especially in the city. The manual-equipped CR-Z gets 31 mpg city/38 highway/34 combined, while the CVT version is rated at 36/39/37 mpg. The 1.5-liter engine and electric motor provide a combined peak 130 horsepower. The manual CR-Z offers 140 pound-feet of torque, with the CVT version providing 127 pound-feet. Customers can also soup up their new CR-Z with upgrades (including a supercharger) from Honda Performance Development. Learn more in the press release below. Daimler and Linde are teaming up to build hydrogen fueling stations in Germany. The automaker and gases and engineering company, with the help of a few oil and gas companies, plan to install 13 new stations by the end of 2015. The installations precede a push by Daimler to get more fuel cell vehicles on the road. "From 2017, we are planning to bring competitively priced fuel-cell vehicles to market," says Daimler's Herbert Kohler. "So now is the time to build a nationwide fuelling infrastructure." Linde will supply the stations with fully renewable hydrogen. Read more in the press release below. In 1899, an EV set a world landspeed record, and Wired has revisited the story with a nice look back at the "La Jamais Contente" and its driver, Belgian engineer Camille Jenatzy. Jenatzy built an electric car to race in a hillclimb, which he won while clocking a top speed of 17 miles per hour (measured the old-timey way - without radar guns). Just a few weeks later, another man set a landspeed record of 32 miles per hour, beginning a back-and-forth series of setting new records. Then, on April 29, 1899, "The Red Devil," as Jenatzy became known as, surpassed 100 kph (62 mph) when his torpedo-shaped electric car set a record of 65.8 mph. It was powered by two 25-kilowatt electric motors. Read the whole story over at Wired.

Mercedes C350e PHEV will start at 51,000 euros

Tue, Feb 3 2015

Mercedes-Benz will start selling its C350 Plug-In Hybrid in Europe next month, for a somewhat reasonable price. The Daimler division has announced the sedan will cost about 51,000 euros ($58,000 US). Which isn't insanely expensive by Benz standards. Mercedes first showed off the model stateside at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit last month, and the specs were pretty impressive. The car delivers a combined 275 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque from its gas-powered engine and electric motor. The C350 PHEV also offers a 112 miles per gallon equivalent fuel efficiency rating (using the more lenient European driving cycle) alongside a 0-60 mile per hour acceleration time of less than six seconds. And the car can go as far as 20 miles on electricity while reaching a top speed of 130 miles per hour. Both lead-footers and tree-huggers can rejoice at that. Americans won't be that far behind their European brethren, as the model will go on sale as a 2016 model-year version in the US this fall. In the meantime, for some more information on a sedan that we think qualifies as a bit of guilt-free fun, take a look at Mercedes's press release below. Sales release for the C 350 e: Future inside Stuttgart, Feb 02, 2015 Stuttgart – As a plug-in hybrid, the new Mercedes-Benz C 350 e combines an extraordinary level of efficiency, dynamism and comfort. In both its Saloon and its Estate guise, the performance of a sports car makes it a convincing proposition, especially combined with certified consumption figures of just 2.1 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres and a range of up to 31 kilometres in all-electric mode. Both the Saloon and the Estate model are equipped with air suspension and a pre-entry climate control system as standard, delivering a unique level of driving and climate comfort. The C 350 e is available to order now from 50,961.75 euros for the Saloon and 52,627.75 euros for the Estate (prices include VAT). Both vehicles will be at dealerships from March 2015. As a plug-in hybrid, the C 350 e combines a combustion engine with an electric drive system and a high-voltage lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 6.38 kWh, which can be charged from an external power source. Thanks to an intelligent on-board charging system, this takes approximately one hour and 30 minutes at a wallbox. A charging time of around two hours is achievable via a socket.