Mercedes 300 SEL 6.3 1968. 1972 - History of cars

Mercedes 300 SEL 6.3

Mercedes 300 SEL 6.3

Although ultra-powerful luxury sedans are common in the product lines of today's manufacturers, sometimes "performance" and "comfort" were incompatible terms. And then he came Mercedes 300 SEL 6.3 and made a quiet revolution in the highest class ...

Luxury cars of the highest class have always been very important to Mercedes and best defined its image and name strength. It is logical that this category of vehicles was given the greatest importance, not only in design but also in design and sale, wishing that every new model in this segment would raise the Mercedes star to a higher level of worship among fans worldwide. Therefore, it is clear that Mercedes sedans have always had to be a bit conservative, measured and restrained but also of impeccably high quality and reliability to carry the legend of high-end cars to new customers and markets.

This production doctrine may have been somewhat abandoned in recent years, when the S-Class seems too modern and more appropriate for in-club parking than for a plateau in front of the theater, but at one time this kind of thinking was an absolute imperative. Yet, in the late 60s, a model appeared on Mercedes that forever reversed the concept of a luxury sedan, retaining the benefits of comfort but also giving it brutal power, bringing a combination to the world's roads that astonished traditionalists but delighted the world with its public qualities and performance.

Mercedes 300 SEL 6.3

Mercedes 300 SEL

That model was Mercedes 300 SEL 6.3 W109 presented at the 1968 Geneva Motor Show. However, the story of this model began a few years earlier, in 1965, when the Mercedes W109 S (S Class) sedan was introduced, featuring Paul Baracq's new but unmistakably Mercedes-Benz design, superior luxury and modern technical solutions. On the other hand, in the same year, the public had the opportunity to see the new Mercesdes top class, the famous, famous and expensive Mercedes 600, a super-luxury sedan designed for the highest-end buyers (including Joseph Broz Tito, owner of a large collection of that model) and equipped with a modern and powerful M-100 V8 engine. Although the plant management was quite pleased with the sales, positioning and technique of both cars, one of its chief engineers, Erich Waxenberger, had a different idea…

Mercedes 300SEL 6.3

Specifically, Herr Waxenberger was accompanied by a famed "rebel" and a disobedient member of Mercedes' impeccable team of experts. With his behavior he often attracted the attention of management, but with his great knowledge and talent for mechanics, he managed to keep his job. Almost simultaneously with the appearance of the W 109 Series and the super-luxurious Mercedes 600, Waxenberger got a crazy but great idea… Why not put a M 109 engine from a 100 model in the W600 to create a luxurious and elegant model that would be both fantastically fast and powerful? Mercedes leaders were not keen on the idea and did not even consider it, but Waxenberger started the development at his own risk. The first prototype was finished in 1966/7 and the result stunned even the creator himself, as the luxury sedan, almost 2 tonnes, suddenly had performance that was better than the vast majority of racial sports cars of the time!

With great confidence in his creation, Waxenberger also organized an in-house presentation before board members and Rudolf Uhlenhout, a famous Mercedes engineer, racing car and construction enthusiast who used his influence to persuade management to launch production. With this support, 300 SEL 6.3 saw the light of day in March 1968.

Mercedes 300SEL 6.3

Unlike the other W109 models, the 6.3 was a completely different car, albeit externally the same. The only visual difference was the small "6.3" badge on the right side of the trunk lid, which revealed to the experienced eye a secret hiding under the hood. To give you a true picture of the capabilities of this model, it may be best to simply say that the 8, 6 liter V3 engine had 250 hp (and even 500 Nm) of fuel injection and that it transmitted power to the rear wheels via a four-speed automatic transmission . Ventilating disc brakes were on all wheels. It took 0 seconds to sprint from 100 to 6,4 km / h with a top speed of 221 km / h. In traffic lights on the boulevards of the world's metropolises, 300 SEL 6.3 could easily defeat Porsche 911, Jaguar E —— type and to bother Ferrari 365 Dayton or Corvette Stingray! Stunning performance for a luxurious and somewhat boring sedan. Comfort was also contributed by the air suspension, which was taken over from 600 models and which was serially installed on 300 SEL (with a 3-liter engine), which served as the basis for the conversion to 6.3.

Mercedes 300SEL 6.3

Of course, such a superior car could not be cheap, both for purchase and for maintenance and driving, but despite the price of 40 DEM at that time (000 x the average price of a VW Beetle), it found a lot of buyers, in the ranks of world famous personalities who knew they appreciated the quality of this particular Mercedes. Consumption was, as expected, enormous and, according to one owner, could not drop below 10-17 liters. On both sides of the ocean, 19 had excellent reception with specialized printing. The journalist then recognized the revolutionary nature of this model and gave the highest ratings to comfort, quality, comfort and especially performance. Particularly to him were the generous American journalists who declared him the best sedan in the world. This is a particularly important recognition, especially as it comes from America, a land of powerful sedans and huge engines.

Mercedes 300SEL 6.3

Mercedes 300 SEL

However, the market life of this model was short and lasted only 4 years, until September 1972. The discontinuation was caused by the oil crisis of the early 70s and the replacement of the W109 series with the more modern and newer W116, which did not have an adequate successor to the fantastic 6.3. Only in 1976 did the W116 get its strongest version, which still uses the M 100 engine but increased by a cc, called the 450 SEL 6.9.

Mercedes 300SEL 6.3

Mercedes 300 SEL

Although it is a car designed for cruising highways in luxury and comfort, it is surprising to hear that the Mercedes 300 SEL 6,3 has had a brief but notable racing career. First in the hands of its creator, Erich Waxenberger, who won 6 hours of Macao by driving a virtually production copy (only without bumpers and chrome trims) and then under the auspices of the newly established AMG company at the famous 24 Hour Spa-Francorchamps. The car that appeared in that competition was also almost a serial, with only a 428hp and 6.8 liter engine. Behind him, he remained second in the race, nicknamed the Rote Sau (red pig - an allusion to color and weight) and the legend of the incredible demand for fuel and rear tires that had to be changed every few laps.

Mercedes 300SEL 6.3

Out of 6526 copies made (which is considered a great success), the vast majority of production survived, primarily due to the high level of workmanship and materials and then the high level of awareness and technical culture of the owners who immediately realized that they owned a very interesting and important car. . The Mercedes 300 SEL 6,3 has a loyal circle of fans and a solid price for copies in good condition. As far as we know, only one specimen was registered on our roads, in Novi Sad.

Today, the Mercedes 300 SEL 6,3 stands, alongside the Maserati Quattroporte and Jaguar XJ6, as the pioneer of the top-class sports sedan line. A model that combined, until then, incompatible extremes of lusciousness and power, and which combined these qualities under one body. Although, to today's connoisseurs, the ideal of this class is represented by the new Audi S8 or Mercedes S 65 AMG, it should not be forgotten that they owe their genes to this particular car, the only Mercedes to earn the nickname "Hot Rod Benz"… ..

Text: V.Herbez
Photo: autowp.ru
Retrieved from: autocaffe.net


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