As
we continue Sleeper Sedans in the morning theme this week, I am pulled
irresistibly towards what might be the ultimate combination of subtlety
and crushing power--the Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9.
In
1975, hardly a wonderful time for performance cars, Mercedes introduced
its 450SEL 6.9--its standard large sedan, powered by a monster
6.9-liter V-8 (roughly 420 cubic inches), pumping out 280 horsepower
and a leviathan 405 pound-feet of torque. The Mercedes monster could
launch from 0-60 in right around 7 seconds and had enough grunt to run
140 mph all day long, while simultaneously cosseting its inhabitants in
a quiet, refined passenger cocoon. Some even whisper that the 450SEL
6.9 could top out at 150 mph or higher.
Not impressed? Do the cynics among us argue (rightly) that this sounds an awful lot like a 244-horsepower 2007 Honda Accord V-6?
Perhaps--though
the comparison elevates the Accord more than it denigrates the 450SEL
6.9. But consider that the 450SEL debuted more than 30 years ago, and
in a completely different automotive climate.
High performance is de rigueur
today, but it was very nearly dead in the mid-1970s. Even the cars that
pretended
to be fast (of which there were many in 1975) were invariably swoopy
two-door coupes with tacky detailing. Sedans were strictly
dullsville--meant only for hauling families or showing off at the
country club. Also remember that this was decades before Mercedes
brought AMG in-house to create sedan supercars, before Audi introduced
its hot-rod S and RS series, and BMW M-Sport began cranking out
legendary sedans. Fast sedans just weren't done.
In this
climate, Mercedes married Corvette- and Trans-Am-humbling performance
with Mercedes-Benz civility into a refined hot sedan package that is
still legendary today--and with no more ostentation than a simple "6.9"
badge on the rear decklid.
Combine the 6.9's afterburner
thrust with its under-the-radar appearance, and you get the king of all
sleepers and the inspiration for the covey of German hot sedans that
have followed in the ensuing three decades.
--Chris H.
P. A. DEPLAND on September 06, 2008 at 09:23 PM
Still have one, all German, all original including paint (light-green metallic/green interior), 151,317km actual mileage. Ordered from factory (at extra cost) with only star-emblem on undrilled trunk lid; a purposely under-stated king of all sleepers. That wonderful machine can still relentlessly glide past anything in effortless comfort on its excellent hydro-pneumatic suspension and its [10 liter, air-cooled, dry-sump, racing engine oiling system]. We spent last spring and previous fall leisurely enjoying fall colors and late spring flowers from Virginia down the Blue Ridge Pkwy to N.C. and Tenn. Smoky Mts. I'm 70, the car's only 30 and still can't differentiate the salt flats from the mountains and it is steel, wood and leather.