The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class is currently considered by many to be the pinnacle of luxury and the ultimate status symbol on wheels. Still, the modern S-classes have yet to prove whether they will ever embody that as well as this predecessor, the 600.
Before Mercedes-Benz talked about the S-class, there was first the W112 and then the W108 / W109. So they didn’t really have a name yet, but were known under indications such as 250 S to 300 SEL. In many cases the number referred to the cylinder capacity, for example the W112 was always a 300, because it had a 3.0-liter straight-six at the bottom of its stately nose. The 600, ‘Der Grosser ‘, came on the market at the time of the W112 but did not have a 6.0 but a 6.3 under the hood. A V8 that produced 250 hp. The 600 was intended as the cream of the crop above the 300 and should really be seen as a separate model in an exceptionally luxurious class. It is not for nothing that the 600 is therefore a forerunner of what later became Maybach and now Mercedes-Maybach. The distant ancestor of the recently unveiled Mercedes-Maybach S680, but a lot more exclusive and not – disrespectfully – an S-class with a little more.
This absolute top model in Mercedes’ range remained in production for no less than 18 years, from 1963 to 1981, and thus survived the W112, the W108 / W109 and the first S-class (W116). The stately design, the comfort, the handling, the refinement, it was all quite resistant to the test of time. The 600 also continued to appeal to the (sometimes not too democratically elected) rulers of the world. If you had a 600, you were out of category. Especially the Pullman, the extra long version, has been used as a means of transport by many a feared leader. Then we are talking about Mao Zedong, Kim Jong-Il and Saddam Hussein. The ‘regular’ 600, the shorter SWB, was especially loved by icons from the music industry, including Elvis Presley, Eric Clapton and Ronnie Wood.
The car we have here in front of us, thanks to Techzle reader Arjan van den Berg, is about 600. Not a Pullman, but a ‘short one’. However, don’t think that’s why it’s not that exclusive. Only 2,190 of these 600 were built. The 600 Pullman was a lot rarer with 428 pieces, not to mention the 59 Landaulets, but here is something really special. With its 5.5 meter length and extremely spacious seats, you will also ride in front of it like a true king or queen. Almost 3 tons of statement on wheels.
It is a privilege that the Netherlands can welcome this copy on its roads. This has been the case since 2011, when this 600 was imported into our country. According to the rdw, it is still with the person who registered it here at the time. The only pity is that the car has not been MOT approved for a while, so you will not come across it just like that. We hope that will change soon, although we can imagine that the car may (unfortunately) be waiting for a financially motivated buyer, because this is of course an investment object pur sang. For an amount of less than six figures, it probably won’t go away. Maybe there’s another artist out there who thinks it’s time to swap his or her tacky black SUV from head to toe for something a little more stylish?