Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3 AMG (1971)

Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3 AMG

The mighty Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3 started out as a private venture in 1966 by company engineer Erich Waxenberger, which culminated in the world's first "Super Saloon" or "Q-Car". The body styling was by Paul Bracq.

The principle was simple: Take the powerful 6.3 litre V8 Mercedes-Benz M100 engine from the huge Mercedes-Benz 600 model, and fit it into the regular Mercedes-Benz W109 S-Class model with only had 6-cylinder engines at that time. The result was a nearly 2-tonne saloon with performance to shame most dedicated sports cars of the era, like Porsche 911, and a handling to match. Even today, this model can match modern cars at various speeds. What set this car apart from its contemporaries in the late 1960s though, was that it could cruise at over 200km/h with 5 occupants in complete comfort.

Surprisingly, the rather conservative company went ahead and produced this car from 1968 onwards, in order to make better use of the M100 engine production facilities. In the 1970s, the Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 was a successor to the 6.3, with even more modifications and power.

6,526 of these vehicles were produced, and though quite costly to maintain, they are very collectible today. Truly a vehicle for those who have the power, without the need to flaunt it.

Engine

6.3 litre V8 with fuel injection, 250 PS DIN, 300 HP SAE

Transmision

4 speed automatic gearbox

Other

Air suspension, automatic choke, ventilated disc brakes on all four wheels, power windows, central locking, power steering.

Performance

Acceleration (0 to 100 km/h): 6.3 s (under 8 seconds)
Top speed: 229 km/h

Motor Racing

AMG, then a small local tuning company founded by former Mercedes engineers, and nowadays the sports tuning subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz, produced special versions of the 6.3 (usually with the engine enlarged to 6.8 liters or more) to compete in racing events. The car had an impressive, but short-lived racing career, due to the lack of suitable tyres or rule changes. One of these racers with 6.9 liter engine still exist in Finland and is in driving condition. The performance is impressive even by today's standards: 0-100 km/h 4,2 s, 0-200 km/h 12 s and quarter mile 14,42 s despite total weight of 2400 kg.

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