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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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Mercedes updates G-Class including new 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 [UPDATE]

Mon, May 4 2015

UPDATE: Information on US availability (including corrected output figures) added to the revised text below. Mercedes has been building (or having Magna Steyr build) the G-Class for an unfathomable 36 years now. Needless to say, the legendary off-roader wouldn't still be around if not for the occasional update here and there, and that's just what the German automaker announced today. The list of enhancements to the iconic Gelandewagen is almost as long as its lifespan, but the most salient point here is the introduction of a new engine. The revised G550 introduces a new 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, based on the high-performance engine in the Mercedes-AMG GT and C63, but retuned: in this application, it produces 416 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque (compared to 453 hp and 440 lb-ft in the GT or 503 and 480 in the GT S). We'd expect that engine to gradually make its way into other models as well. Though the G500 is the only one with a completely new unit, the other engines in the lineup have also been updated. The G350d bumps from 211 hp and 398 lb-ft to 245 hp and 442 lb-ft, the AMG G63 jumps from 536 hp to 563 (torque remains constant at 560 lb-ft), and the top-of-the-line, twelve-cylinder G65 (which we'll be getting Stateside for the first time) now produces 621 hp and a massive 738 lb-ft. Those figures result in a 0-62 time of 8.9 seconds for the diesel, 5.9 for the G500, 5.4 for the G63 and 5.3 for the G65 – which are altogether might impressive for a vehicle as big and boxy as the G-Wagen. All but the G65 now feature stop/start systems to help reduce fuel consumption too. Benz also revised the suspension tuning (while offering optional active dampers) and reprogrammed the ESP, ASR and ABS systems. Inside there's a new instrument cluster, the non-AMG models get new bumpers and flared wheel arches, and there's a bright new array of colors available for the AMG models, which can also be ordered in a new special Edition 463 featuring unique trim inside and out. The revised models will be arriving at US dealers in November, however the diesel model will not be making the transatlantic journey to our shores. The data in the press release below (as well as the images in the gallery above) pertain to the European models, with the correct output figures for the US models amended in the text above. Related Video: Mercedes-Benz G-Class Makeover for an off-road icon Stuttgart.

Recharge Wrap-up: Smart Silvretta E-Car Rally, Uber's autonomous Teslas

Mon, Jul 6 2015

Daimler took part in the 2015 Silvretta E-Car Rally with seven electrified cars from Mercedes-Benz and Smart. It is the automakers' sixth year competing in the competition in the mountains of Austria's Montafon region. Mercedes fielded two B-Class Electric Drives, an SLS AMG Electric Drive, C350e, S500e and GLE500e 4Matic alongside a Smart Brabus Fortwo Electric Drive Cabriolet. The Silvretta Rally sees some 150 vintage cars and 30 electric vehicles take part in the event, which took place from July 2 through 5 this year. Read more in the press release from Daimler below. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick says that he'd want to buy all of Tesla's autonomous vehicles if they were available in 2020. Venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson relayed Kalanick's comments from the Top 10 Tech Trends dinner in June. Jurvetson also praises self-driving cars, saying, "I believe they are already safer than my parents, and I would trust my kids with them. And they're just going to get better." Jurvetson also believes that taxi services will prosper from the use of autonomous cars in the future. Read more at Hybrid Cars. A Michigan legislator has introduced a bill that would count burning industrial solids — such as tires and plastics — toward the state's renewable energy mandate. Aric Nesbitt's bill would "remove unnecessary burdens on the appropriate use of solid waste as a clean energy source" in order to meet the state's requirement that 10 percent of energy come from renewable sources. Critics argue that these materials are not truly renewable, and that burning them causes pollution and emits greenhouse gases. The proposed bill would also repeal a law requiring utilities to work toward reducing energy use by one percent per year. Read more at Treehugger. Will the cars National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) builds in China bear the Saab name? While NEVS is the newest parent company to Saab after being acquired in bankruptcy from Spyker, there's no confirmation that the electric vehicles it builds at its Tianjin plant will be sold as Saabs. Swedish defense firm Saab AB, which held the rights to the Saab name, withheld permission to use it after NEVS declared bankruptcy last year. "The exact models and brands are not finalized yet," says a NEVS spokesman. The company says it is spending $200 million to build the new factory in China, with an expected annual capacity of 200,000 vehicles. Read more at Automotive News Europe.

Mercedes Digital Light puts a light show on the road

Fri, Mar 9 2018

Soon full-featured heads up displays, augmented reality, and intelligent lighting will all work together to provide drivers with the safest and most complete picture of the road ahead. Until then, it's one advance at a time, the latest being Digital Light for Mercedes-Maybach customers. Stuttgart engineers designed a small LED with more than a million micro-reflectors for each headlight. Hardware and software control the light pattern, and paint at least nine different graphics on the road in light to warn of safety issues ahead. Digital Light evolved from the intelligent headlights demonstrated on the Mercedes Experimental Safety Vehicle in 2009 — the same ESF2009 that previewed rear belt-bag inflating seatbelts. Back then, the main beams were composed of 100 LEDs, and a brain controlled each LED to create a specific and occasionally complex lighting pattern. The new Digital Light works with all the cameras, sensors, and navigation information employed by an S-Class, and has increased resolution 10,000-fold to roughly HD quality, with a commensurate rise in the complexity of available patterns and representations. Mercedes cites numerous benefits, one being a "virtually dazzle-free main beam," another being high beams that can selectively darken so as not to blind oncoming traffic or pedestrians. Some of the projected symbols include guide lines on the road representing the width of the sedan when navigating a narrow construction zone, an arrow pointing to a pedestrian either in or very near the road, a snowflake when the temperature drops below freezing, and a chevron placed on the center line or shoulder to warn a driver when he's leaving his lane or when there's someone in his blind spot. Digital Light will first go into service with selective fleet customers for the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class this year. Considering the state of current U.S. auto regulations, we wouldn't expect to see it here for a number of years. Related Video: Featured Gallery Mercedes-Benz Digital Light View 27 Photos News Source: Mercedes-Benz via New Atlas, Gizmodo Maybach Mercedes-Benz Technology Emerging Technologies Luxury Sedan mercedes-maybach