This Cannonball-Veteran Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 Is Our BaT Decide

Up for public sale on Convey a Trailer—which, like Automotive and Driver, is part of the Hearst Autos group—is a 1978 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 with an fascinating pedigree. In keeping with the vendor, this automotive allegedly completed second within the remaining operating of the Cannonball in 1979. There isn’t any paper path to hyperlink it to such an achievement, however based on an account of the ultimate race, a 6.9 did end in second place, some eight minutes behind the successful Jaguar XJ-S.

Whatever the veracity of those claims, this is not the primary time this particular 6.9 has crossed BaT’s digital public sale block. The automotive was posted in 2017, however the remaining bid of $26,000 failed to succeed in the reserve. Given how classic-car costs have reached the ionosphere over the previous couple of years, we would not be stunned if the present go-around instructions a fair larger flooring.

Regardless of the 6.9 badge on the again, this 450SEL will get its driving force from a 6.8-liter V-8 that, when new, was good for 250 horsepower and 360 pound-feet of torque—numbers that have been enough to push the large Benz to 140 mph in its day. Since this car was acquired by its present proprietor in 2020, the eight-cylinder has picked up new gaskets and cooling-system elements, along with a brand new battery and an air-con compressor. A 3-speed computerized transmission handles the shifting, and it too has been serviced. The 6.9 additionally got here outfitted with a hydropneumatic suspension, and once more it is lately been attended to.

The 6.9’s black leather-based inside seems to be nicely maintained, though its manufacturing facility Becker stereo is now hooked as much as aftermarket audio system. Some work has been achieved in right here since 2020 as nicely, together with service on the vacuum-operated door locks and a freshening-up of the wooden trim. The put up notes that the cruise management does not work, so hopefully your proper foot nonetheless does.

Senior Editor

Automobiles are Andrew Krok’s jam, together with boysenberry. After graduating with a level in English from the College of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2009, Andrew lower his tooth writing freelance journal options, and now he has a decade of full-time overview expertise below his belt. A Chicagoan by start, he has been a Detroit resident since 2015. Perhaps sooner or later he’ll do one thing about that half-finished engineering diploma.