245 bhp, 6,332 cc OHC V-8 engine, four-speed automatic gearbox, double-wishbone air spring independent front suspension, swing axle rear suspension with air springs and four-wheel power-assisted hydraulic disc brakes. Wheelbase: 3,900 mm

• Rare long-wheelbase Pullman example with six doors

• 3,000 miles from restoration

• A timeless statement of luxury

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.

Daimler-Benz AG had emerged from World War II battered and beaten, its plants largely rubble. The first Mercedes-Benz passenger cars to resume production were continuations of the pre-war 170V, a modest middle-class car that had been the best-seller in the 1930s.

The company did not return to the luxury market until 1951, when the Mercedes 300 was introduced at the first post-war Frankfurt Motor Show. Designated W186 and built on a 120-inch wheelbase, the 300 was powered by a 2,996-cc OHC six and available as a sedan or four-door convertible. The 300 quickly became the state limousine of the Federal Republic of Germany, particularly favoured by Chancellor Konrad Adenauer during his administration, which lasted until 1963. These cars are known as “Adenauer Mercedes” to this day. Shorter wheelbase coupés and cabriolets, on the W188 chassis, were also available.

In 1957, the W186’s wheelbase was stretched four inches to create the W189. This gave greater legroom and made the car a true limousine. The W189 remained in production through 1960, after which it was nominally succeeded by the W112 300SE, but this was a much smaller car and an interim measure. A true flagship Mercedes did not reappear until the advent of the 600 three years later, in 1963.

At 146 inches in length and 65.6 cwt loaded, the new 600 was more than a match for its predecessor’s six-cylinder engine, so a new powerplant, a 6,332-cc overhead cam V-8, was developed. It was a dry-sump design with Bosch mechanical fuel injection and developed 245 bhp. 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 153½ 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 Limousine, a Landaulet with folding rear top and a six-door Limousine with additional jump seats. Most 600s, 2,190 of them, were on the short wheelbase. Long-wheelbase Pullmans numbered just 428, most being the four-door Limousine and just 59 the Landaulet, making this car one of the handful of six-door models built. The 600 line remained in production until 1981, although only a few were built after 1972.

In very nice condition, this Mercedes has benefited from having been well maintained and cared for. Used only sparingly, it has travelled fewer than 3,000 miles since restoration. It has enjoyed pride of place on display at Mercedes-Benz World at Weybridge, Surrey for the last four years, during which it has been regularly run and serviced. Under the current ownership, the car has been meticulously cared for by UK Mercedes 600 specialist John Haynes, Mercedes-Benz World and the owner’s own mechanics.

The car has a full surround-sound cinema system with a drop-down 14-inch screen, and a rear camera has been fitted so that the driver can see behind whilst a film is being screened in the rear compartment. The car is fitted with satellite navigation as well as a sunroof and centre division partition, the latter with a walnut drinks cabinet. The rarest of the Mercedes-Benz 600 variants, this car has no equal.