Up for public sale on Deliver a Trailer—which, like Automobile 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 closing working of the Cannonball in 1979. There is no paper path to hyperlink it to such an achievement, however in accordance with an account of the ultimate race, a 6.9 did end in second place, some eight minutes behind the profitable 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 closing bid of $26,000 failed to achieve the reserve. Given how classic-car costs have reached the ionosphere over the previous couple of years, we would not be shocked if the present go-around instructions a fair greater ground.

Regardless of the 6.9 badge on the again, this 450SEL will get its driver 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 ample to push the massive 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 automated 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 not too long ago been attended to.

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

Senior Editor

Vehicles 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 enamel writing freelance journal options, and now he has a decade of full-time assessment expertise beneath his belt. A Chicagoan by beginning, he has been a Detroit resident since 2015. Possibly in the future he’ll do one thing about that half-finished engineering diploma.