Lot 246

Arizona 2017

1968 Mercedes-Benz 600 Four-Door Pullman

Offered from a Private Collection

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$148,500 USD | Sold

United States | Phoenix, Arizona

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Chassis No.
100.014.12.001065
  • Offered from a private collection
  • One of only 304 four-door Pullman limousines
  • Highly original car with one repaint
  • Division partition with television and stereo

300 bhp, 6,332 cc OHC V-8 engine, four-speed automatic transmission, double-wishbone air spring independent front suspension, swing axle rear suspension with air springs, and four-wheel power-assisted hydraulic disc brakes. Wheelbase: 153.5 in.

Addendum: Please note that the hydraulics for the Mercedes-Benz 600 do not appear functional. The air suspension will operate sufficiently while the car is running and will retain pressure for approximately 12 hours. While many of the gauges and interior controls are functional, the trunk self closing mechanism and power seat adjustment controls are non-operational and will require attention and repair. RM Sotheby’s recommends the car is thoroughly inspected for safety and operation prior to any type of street use. Please speak with a representative of RM Sotheby’s for further information or prior to bidding.

Introduced in 1963, the Mercedes-Benz 600 was the company’s third-generation post-war luxury car. Internally designated W100, it was the logical successor to the W186/189 Adenauer models and had few peers apart from the Rolls-Royce Phantom V.

At 146 inches in length and 7,350 pounds loaded, the new 600 was more than a match for its predecessor’s six-cylinder engine, so a new powerplant, a 6,332-cubic centimeter overhead-cam V-8, was developed. It was a dry-sump design with Bosch mechanical fuel injection and developed 245 horsepower. Air suspension gave the car a boulevard ride, and a high-pressure hydraulic system provided every power assist imaginable.

There were two wheelbases, 126 and 153.5 inches. The short-wheelbase versions were both sedans, one with a division window and one without. Long-wheelbase cars were called “Pullman” and included a four-door division limousine, a six-door version with additional jump seats, and a Landaulette. Most 600s, 2,190 of them, were on the short wheelbase. Long-wheelbase Pullmans numbered just 487. The 600 line remained in production until 1981, although only a few were built after 1972.

The four-door Pullman offered here has been a Seattle car for most of its life. Repainted in the original black, it is otherwise highly original. The interior is done in beige leather, and although it shows some age, it does not exhibit wear. The long wheelbase gives ample room to seat four in the passenger compartment, and a cherry wood console on the division partition hosts a Sony television and Panasonic stereo system. Of course, air conditioning is provided. The odometer shows slightly more than 71,000 miles, which is believed to be original. The engine compartment shows use commensurate with the mileage.

A throwback to an earlier era of long-wheelbase limousines, this Mercedes-Benz Pullman displays an elegance not seen in today’s Cadillac and Lincoln executive transportation. As one of 304 four-door Limousines, its occupants are unlikely ever to see another outside the opera house or film premiere.