1978 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9: 62Kmi, Gorgeous, Original & Documented

Make:	Mercedes-Benz
Model:	400-Series
SubModel:	450SEL 6.9
Type:	Sedan
Trim:	4 Door Sedan
Year:	1978
Mileage:	62,018
VIN:	11603612004572
Color:	Astral Silver
Transmission:	Automatic
Drive type:	RWD
Interior color:	Black Leather
Vehicle Title:	Clear
Item location:	Santa Barbara, California, United States

Extras

Air Conditioning, Power Windows
Sunroof, Cassette Player, Leather Seats

Listed by

Private seller

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Description of 1978 Mercedes-Benz 400-Series 450SEL 6.9

Please Note: This car recently sold on eBay. however the winning bidder was unable to fulfill his obligations and purchase the car. Your bid is a contract to purchase the car so please bid only if you have the necessary available funds and ability. Offered for sale is a truly exceptional. low mileage. two owner. thoroughly documented. entirely original 1978 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6. 9. finished in factory original and ever-popular Astral Silver Metallic (DB 735) over Black leather seats. Sporting only 62k original miles and correspondingly negligible wear. this W116 6. 9 is arguably the finest available on the market today. the very best of Mercedes’ very best. Sporting the fabled M100 6. 9L V8 engine. a hydro-pneumatic self-leveling suspension and more technological advancements than any other car available at the time. owning this wolf in sheep’s clothing new was reserved for only the most discriminating and (at a sticker price of more than $52k). well-moneyed buyers. Unfortunately the cars were also comparably expensive to maintain. causing a vast majority of them to fall into disrepair in their secondary or tertiary owners’ care. Finding exceptionally clean. well-maintained and low mileage examples is virtually impossible. and for this reason their popularity with collectors has realized a significant boost in recent years. Consequently we feel fortunate to have come across this example. one that would be entirely at home in either a serious Mercedes collection or the garage of a weekend enthusiast. Sold new by Trans-Atlantic Motors of Hyannis. Massachusetts to a Mr. Robert Linnell of East Falmouth. MA. the car was delivered fully loaded in fall on 1978. A distinguished World War II and Korean War veteran. newspaper editor and German car enthusiast. the original owner always had the car religiously serviced at Trans-Atlantic Motors throughout the four years and roughly 30k miles that he owned the car. In 1982 he sold it to a Mr. Oliver Ward of nearby Andover. MA. The successful president and founder of an electronics company. Mr. Ward would own the car for 29 years. until his death in 2011. In that period. Mr. Ward drove the car sparingly. only putting an average of 2k/year on it until 1995 and 58k miles. from which point it would receive even less use. the odometer edging up to 62k miles over the ensuing 9 years. We were able to acquire the car earlier this year from the trustee of Mr. Ward’s estate. Throughout its life with both owners. the car was always properly garaged. rarely used in inclement weather and always professionally maintained. as evidenced by a thick stack of service receipts that also confirm the 62k miles showing on the odometer to be entirely original. The factory original Astral Silver finish is entirely consistent. deep and lustrous. marred only by the most minor of imperfections. none of which are significant enough to appear in any of the pictures. The body is entirely straight. free of any evidence of accident repairs and retaining consistent. correct panel gaps and fits. The chrome is in excellent original condition. as is the glass and rubber. and the light alloy wheels are wrapped in tires with plenty of remaining tread. The car’s interior is equally as clean. the black leather seats showing only minimal wear with flawless carpets and interior panels. Everything works. including the original Becker radio and cassette player. air conditioning system (which blows cold) and all of the power windows and sunroof. The trunk is clean and correct and the car’s undercarriage is original and entirely solid. never subjected to the elements and free of cancerous corrosion. The cars comes with the original owner’s manual. all of the original books. the protect-o-plate. a folder of service records. the original spare. the original tool kit and accessories. /p> The car is fantastic mechanically. its massive V8 starting easily. idling consistently and pulling strongly and smoothly through each of the gears. Compression is excellent. allowing this German muscle car to accelerate with robust. stable force. As with all Mercedes models of this generation. tank-like build quality and a devotion to over-engineering – especially coupled with the excellent hydro-pneumatic suspension – creates a ride quality that was second to none at the time and is still astonishing today. The suspension was recently comprehensively serviced and car is entirely road-ready and a joy to drive. whether tooling through town or bombing down the highway. This is an excellent opportunity to acquire what is undoubtedly one of the finest. lowest mileage. most original examples of the legendary 6. 9 available on the market. As rare and iconic Mercedes models continue to appreciate at dizzying rates. this is assuredly one of the models to have. one of the last true Mercedes classics in hard-to-find. stellar original condition. We want this car to go to great home and would be happy to further discuss it and answer any questions. so please feel free to email us or call us at 805-202-4557. You can also visit us online at GoodmanReed. Goodman Reed Motorcars We’ve always had an appreciation for classic European cars and over the years have created an eclectic personal collection. We only buy cars that we’d personally be interested in owning and generally only sell them to make room for other acquisitions. That time has come for this Mercedes (if the price is right. of course – this isn’t a fire sale). We try to give accurate descriptions of the cars we’re selling. but we’re enthusiasts. not experts. and we encourage and are happy to help facilitate personal or professional inspections. But please do so before bidding. as the alternative harms our ability to make sales to other interested parties who have done their proper due diligence before bidding. For U. S. buyers a 10% non-refundable deposit is required within 3 days of the auction’s end. the balance to be paid within 7 days of the auction’s end. Foreign buyers must pay in full within 7 business days of the auction’s end. Buyer is responsible for shipping. however we’d be more that happy to help with recommendations and arrangements. The car is listed locally and we reserve the right to end the auction at any time should it sell prior to auction’s end. Thanks for your interest.