| The presentation of type 600 at the International Automobile Fair in Frankfurt created real sensation. Since the new top model had been designed as an exclusive representative car, intended to fulfill the highest demands, it was serially equipped with many technical details, which taken together, stood for the highest standard that could be achieved in technological terms at the time.
For the first time in the history of Daimler-Benz, a V8=injection engine was used which delivered maximum power of 250_bhp from a 6,3_litre cubic capacity and maximum torque of 51_mkg. In connection with the serial automatic gearbox this car achieved a driving perfomance, typical for a sports car; The 600 model, weighing almost two-and-a-half tons, reached a maximum speed of of 205_km/h and accelerated in 10_seconds from 0 to 100_km/h.
shock absorbers, which could be adjusted at the steering column during the ride as well as air-pressure supported dual circuit brakes offered a maximum of safety. all four wheels were equipped with disk brakes. The front wheels had moreover been fitted with two double jaw brakes each.
The extemely generous basic equipment of the 600 model, pneumatic damping, servobrakes, central lock systems and an electronic heating and airing system afforded a maximum of ride comfort and easy handling. unique hydraulics for extra comfort ensured automatic operation of the following functions: horizontal and vertical adjustment of the front seats, inclination control of the back of the seat, adjustment of the rear seats in longitudinal direction, opening and closing of the vehicle doors, the boot lid, the optional sliding sunroof as well as of the side windows.
Serial production of the "big Mercedes" began in September 1964. Apart from a five and six-seated saloon car with 3200_mm wheel base, three seven and eight-seated Pullmann versions with 3900_mm wheelbase were available: a four-door Pullman saloon car with rear seating in a face-to-face arrangement, a six door Pullman saloon car with rear seats and additional folding tables in driving direction and a Pullman-Landaulet. The last was available in four different versions. The standard version had four doors, rear seating in a face-to-face arrangement and a hood, reaching to the front edges of the rear doors. As a special design, a six-door version with rear seats and additional fold-down chairs in driving direction was also available. As with the six-door Pullman-saloon car, the doors in the middle could also be ordered without handles. Both landaulets, the four-door as well as the six-door version were also available with an long hood, which extended to the middle partition.
Even more exclusive than the landaulets were the special security saloon cars and Pullman saloons. Like the Landaulets, they were not included in any price list. The first bullet-proof vehicle by Daimler-benz after the war was built in June 1965; this was a Pullman saloon with an elevated roof. It had many special security features and like some other ordinary Pullman saloons, had not been ordered by a customer but remained part of Daimler-Benz' motor vehicle fleet to be hired out to the government or to other potential users. Another car of this type was completed in 1980, which also remained at Sindelfingen.
For special customers who were faced with potential threats and who had the necessary financial means, 43 special security 600 models were built between May 1971 and November 1980. Unlike the two cars of Daimler-Benz' vehicle fleet, they all had a roof of ordinary height. These cars included 26 saloon cars and 17 Pullman saloon cars, one of which was a six door version
The numerous car body designs, however, did not yet exhaust all the possible choices. Regarding paint, interior design and special equipment many different customer requests could be fulfilled, so that it is probably impossible to find two cars with identical equipment - especially among the Pullman saloons and landaulets.
In this context, three individual cars should be mentioned, which, regarding equipment details and technology, have no equal. In September 1965 a four-door Pullman Landaulet was built for Pope Paul VI, which had an individual seat and some other special equipment. Moreover, the car was characterised by an elevated roof, extended rear doors, which started immediately behind the front doors and the raised floor of the rear cabine, so that the cardan tunnel did not interfere. For two decades the car had been used by three popes and returned to Stuttgart only in 1985. Since that time it is exhibited at the Mercedes-Benz Museum
In May 1967, a customer with a strong propensity for sports, requested a special design, which would combine the easy handling of the curtailed 600 model with the advantages of the landaulet. Consequently, a car with a shorter wheelbase was produced. This car was restored at the end of the 80ies and is now in private ownership.
The same is true of a two-door coupe design with short wheelbase, which was produced in August 1965 as a prototype. it remained for some time in the test department and then was sold in the USA. At the beginning of the 90ies the car was returned to Germany and has become part of a private collection following a complete overhaul.
In June 1981, the last 600 model left the production site in Sindelfingen; during the 17 years of production, 2.677 vehicles were custom-built, 429 were Pullman saloon cars and 59 were Landaulets.
|