Photo: derekcmowat.co.uk
The three-pointed star rarely made such an impact on the full-size luxury car segment as it did with the W100. Call it the Grosser, the dictator's luxobarge or a plumber's nightmare, the Mercedes 600 is fit for a king and it's one of the most revered cars ever made.
Manufactured between 1963 and 1981, a mere 2,677 examples of the W100 breed have been built. Of course, dictators and big shot oil tycoons were mad after the long wheelbase and Landaulet variants. Us mortals could only dream of one of the 2,190 short wheelbase models. The Grosser we'll be covering today is one of the latter, a rare RHD example to boot.
From dictators to Elvis Presley, Jeremy Clarkson and the Pope, many outstanding characters own or have owned what many refer to as the pinnacle of German automotive engineering and excellence. Painted Cobalt Blue Metallic and boasting with a grey leather interior, the 1966 Mercedes-Benz 600 Grosser we're talking about is currently for sale, and it's not cheap.
Advertised for a whopping £129,950, the mountain of greenback translates to €178,000 or $193,885
To put things into perspective, a 2015 Mercedes-Maybach S 600 will set you back €187,842 in Deutschland. But does a rebranded S-Klasse have the same appeal and persona as a full-on Grosser? For me, it doesn't.
For starters, the W100 was designed by Paul Bracq. If you haven't heard of him, Paul is the man we have to thank for the beautiful lines of several classics. The W113 SL Pagoda, the BMW E23 7 Series, a jaw-dropping French Presidential Citroen limousine and even a Peugeot-based popemobile are his creations.
At the end of the day, buying a Grosser over a Mercedes-Maybach is investing in a special brand of genius.
From dictators to Elvis Presley, Jeremy Clarkson and the Pope, many outstanding characters own or have owned what many refer to as the pinnacle of German automotive engineering and excellence. Painted Cobalt Blue Metallic and boasting with a grey leather interior, the 1966 Mercedes-Benz 600 Grosser we're talking about is currently for sale, and it's not cheap.
Advertised for a whopping £129,950, the mountain of greenback translates to €178,000 or $193,885
To put things into perspective, a 2015 Mercedes-Maybach S 600 will set you back €187,842 in Deutschland. But does a rebranded S-Klasse have the same appeal and persona as a full-on Grosser? For me, it doesn't.
For starters, the W100 was designed by Paul Bracq. If you haven't heard of him, Paul is the man we have to thank for the beautiful lines of several classics. The W113 SL Pagoda, the BMW E23 7 Series, a jaw-dropping French Presidential Citroen limousine and even a Peugeot-based popemobile are his creations.
Anything else which makes the W100 superior to the Maybach 600 S?
Well, who could say no to a 250 horsepower 6.3-liter M100 V8 mated to a four-speed automatic? That's the old-school German powerhouse that gave Mercedes-Benz the idea to market some of its performance models under the AMG 63 label, even though the current crop of 63s use a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine.At the end of the day, buying a Grosser over a Mercedes-Maybach is investing in a special brand of genius.
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