I will publish one great article, taken from BenzInsider website, about one great & iconic Mercedes-Benz model:the 300SEL 6.3, a truly sporty and aggresive car for its times, which was officially presented at the 1968 edition of the Geneva Motor Show. Enjoy!
<< Just in time for the 78th International Auto Show in Geneva, we decided to highlight a vehicle that had its own debut at the 1968 Geneva Motor Show. This car is no other than the legendary Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3. The 300 SEL was a combination of the 109 series Type 300 SEL introduced in 1965 and the Type 600 �representation sedan�. Out of the latter came the 6.3-liter V8 engine and automatic transmission, whose 250 hp (184 kW) accelerated the new model from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.4 seconds and provided a top speed of over 220 km/h.
Such sporting high performance made it one of the world�s fastest series produced sedans, capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with such nimble sports cars as the Porsche 911 S or the Jaguar E-Type 4.2. The only clue as to car�s output was the discreet number combination 6.3, positioned to the right-hand side of the trunk lid, ordered by many customers for the �obsolete position�.
What made this car so interesting and desirable for the buyer with the necessary ready cash � in 1968 it cost around 40,000 DM � was its unobtrusiveness, its comfort and the quiet manner in which it transported its passengers on long-distance journeys.
Comfortable running gear featuring ride-height control
The bellows-type pneumatic suspension with anti-dive control from the basic 300 SEL was also put to good use in the 6.3. It guaranteed steady handling and a high degree of comfort and even boasted a ride-height control. The brakes were designed to match the elemental force of the drive system, having front and rear disks with interior ventilation.
The standard equipment of this unostentatious high-performance car was considered to be unusually comprehensive for the day: Electrically operated windows on all doors, vacuum-controlled central locking and a rev counter. It was the first Mercedes-Benz to use the wide, low-profile radial tires of the so-called �70 series�. Twin halogen headlamps for the first time featured on the front of the 300 SEL 6.3, combined with turn indicators, parking lights and additional long-distance beams.
That the car was also suited to sports use was proved by one of its creators, Erich Waxenberger, when in November 1969 he won the six-hours race at Macao. �Racing trim� for his 6.3 amounted to the removal of bumpers and chromium work.
An early missile from AMG
In 1971, AMG � the performance tuning company specializing in Mercedes-Benz � succeeded in developing 428 hp (315 kW) from an increased engine bore of 6.8 liter together with other highly efficient refinements. AMG unflinchingly entered their missile � fitted with appropriate racing tires � for the 24-hour touring car race at Spa-Francorchamps. Only a works Ford Capri beat them to the finish.
Surveys compiled among the sizeable readerships of the USA�s major motoring magazines put the 6.3 in first place ahead of Cadillac and Rolls-Royce in the luxury car category, conferring upon it the title �greatest sedan in the world�.
6526 units of this exclusive high-performance sedan were built in the years up to September 1972. But despite the great market success of the 6.3 there was no prospect of a large-displacement V8 model in the 116 series which followed, due principally to the oil crisis of 1973. Not until May 1975 did the company present a worthy successor � the 450 SEL 6.9 � a car that sublimely continued where its predecessor had left off. >>
Via BenzInsider!
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