300sel 6.3 for $22.5k l.a. area

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/cto/890323454.html

don't plan on buying it (poor) but wondering what the market is on these, especially with the current economic situation

__________________
"The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread."

Ive been wondering if a classic car isnt one of the safest inventments right now?

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1959 Gravely LI, 1963 Gravely L8, 1973 Gravely C12
1982 380SL
1978 450 SEL 6.9 euro restoration at 63% and climbing
1987 300 D
2005 CDI European Delivery
2006 CDI Handed down to daughter
2007 GL CDI. Wifes

Pretty car, I have one but I have yet to drive it. It needs a lot of work. I should dump the rest of my cars and make it my winter project.

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With best regards

Al

They are unique cars, and truly built with old world quality, and special because they have the incredible 6.3 Pullman Limousine engine in them.

They are historically remarkable because Erich Waxenberger, the Mercedes engineer from Swabia raced them, and they are involved in the beginning of the AMG story, the famous red 6.3 is the very first model from Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher, the A and M in AMG.

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Here is a bit of history gleaned off the web

It was started in 1967 in an old sawmill in Grossaspach, Germany, by Hans Werner Aufrecht and Eberhard Melcher. The fledgling company took its name from the A and M of the founders' last names and the G from the town where they were located. AMG's purpose was simply to tune tune Mercedes-Benz models to higher performance levels. Mercedes-Benz had contested a few international rallies during the 1960s, but hadn't been a real force in racing since the heyday of the 300SL sports car almost a decade earlier. There were no other tuners specializing in Mercedes-Benz at that time, yet the choice was an obvious one for the two former Mercedes-Benz engineers who started the company. They also knew that there was a new Mercedes model on the horizon that promised to put both AMG and Mercedes-Benz squarely in the performance game.


Enter the 300SEL 6.3

In 1965, Mercedes-Benz replaced its "fin-back" sedans with the W108 and W109 series "square-backs." These roomy and comfy six-cylinder four-door sedans had good performance, especially the six-cylinder 300SEL model with its 185 bhp. There was more coming. Mercedes-Benz engineer and racing fanatic Erich Waxenberger and Mercedes Racing Chief Rudolf Uhlenhaut looked at the huge 6.3-liter V8 from the 600 Pullman Limousine and realized that it would just fit in the 300SEL's body shell. The 6.3L had a cast-iron block and aluminum heads with single overhead camshafts. With 6,329cc, the V8 made 300 bhp and 434 lb-ft of torque. The resulting two-ton 300SEL 6.3 would accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 7 seconds and could hit an aerodynamically limited 137 mph. With a stock limited-slip rear axle (very necessary) and four-wheel disc brakes (even more necessary), reviewers quickly ran out of superlatives with which to describe the car. Racer/engineer Waxenberger brought one to Macao off the coast of China and won a six-hour touring car race in 1968. With approval from the company, the charismatic engineer prepared three cars for the 24-hour race for touring cars that would take place at Spa in Belgium in July 1969. This was the first "official" race participation of the German company in 15 years. The cars were fast in practice, but the tires couldn't hold up to the high speeds of the heavy sedans and the cars were withdrawn before the start of the race. Waxenberger continued his development of the big machines, fitting larger wheels and tires, fender flares, and boring the engine out to raise its capacity to 6,834cc.

Enter the guys from GrossaspachWith a looming energy crisis and uncertainty in the Daimler-Benz boardroom, racing was curbed in the early 1970s. It had to be frustrating for Waxenberger and his crew of racers to know that they had a potent racing machine in the big-engine sedan. What happened next was inevitable: Under-the-table equipment and know-how created by Waxenberger's team showed up at AMG's sawmill to help out some fellow racers. Hans Aufrecht bought a wrecked 300 from a local doctor and set about building a racecar. They built up a 6.8-liter V8 engine that made a reliable 398 bhp at 5600 rpm and went to test the car at Hockenheim, two weeks before the 24-hour race for touring cars at the Spa-Francourchamps circuit in Belgium. Then disaster struck at Hockenheim when test driver Helmut Kelleners crashed the car in a big way, and AMG's small group of overworked employees had to work day and night to repair the car for its debut. New drivers were found. They were German go-kart champion Hans Heyer and veteran driver Clemens Schickendanz. The pair used practice and qualifying rounds to work out fuel and tire consumption, and during the race counted on the pit crew of six to keep the car going. Their big red sedan finished the race first in class and second overall, and the AMG legend was born. The AMG car entered a total of only eight races, and although it was fast (it was clocked at 176 mph on the Hunaudieres Straight at the four-hour touring car race at Le Mans), it never repeated its earlier podium success.

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I love these old cars.

The 6.3 liter iron black/allloy head, mechanically fuel injected, 300 hp engine could rocket these cars down the road and easily achieve 125-135 mph, quite a feat back in 1969.

If the car is pristine, and rust free, the price is fair. The craigslist car you are viewing does NOT have California blue or black plates on it, so some inquiry as to its history needs to be made


These are not, as the owner said, cars for the faint of heart, but he did NOT say the reason being the repair costs.

It takes a true specialist with first hand knowledge and experience to service and repair these fine cars.


These cars have the difficult and costly to fix hydropneumatic suspension like the 600 Pullman limos did.

If this car runs out ok, and the new owner drives it for a year and then sells it without doing anything, he will probably get his money back and have had a good time.

But if he comes out one morning, and notices the car has adopted a kneeling postition at one corner due to the collapse of the air suspension, he should be aware that the good times have ended and the fiscal future is bleak.

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

This is the correct year 6.3 to buy. In 1971 the new ones had air pollution control equipment and I understand were slower. I had a 70 6.3 from 1973 until 1984. When I sold it it was in perfect shape, 150k miles, not a scratch or dent or any rust at all on the entire car, and the silver paint was brilliant and perfect (repainted twice over the period at a cost of about $3k each time). Sold it because I was spending at least $500 per month on maintenance. Was never happy with the air suspension.

But it was some car.

thanks for the feedback, guys!

i wonder how many are actually left in the world?
(somw108/w109 site had a projection, based on german figures-actual- and then extrapolated, but it was a few years old, and considering the crazy price of gas and parts being hard to find? i know there are few if any daily drivers, probably reduced to collectors and sunday drives, and the museums)

also, the w108 suspension (personal experience speaking here) aka "kingpin" was so amazing, was the air suspension really worthwhile? (maybe necessary due to the weight?)

__________________
"The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread."

If you do, I'll buy one of your 280 CE's.

this one is pretty neat..

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/cto/887640190.html

__________________
"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL

The air suspension sucked - literally - the entire time I had mine. Replaced the balloons; put denatured alcohol in a container under the hood and bled off a sticky gook that built up in the system periodically. Nothing made that suspension reliable. And why in the world did they make the suspension so that you could raise the entire car and take it off road?

You riding an Unimog, Mistress?

Nope I just think their neat. I have my hands full with the SL and SEL.

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"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL

No. The air suspension was an extremely explicit design keeping a vehicle of this mass glued to the road.

Very stately car....I attended an MBCA event here in ATL at a 600 restoration facility.

Those old Unimogs are pretty harsh. Yeah, SL and SEL, that's a handful ...

It's in the high 80's here, you'd want to drive the SL with the top down only ...

ahhhhhhhh it's in the 40's- 60's here now....I'm not happy.

__________________
"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL