1972 Mercedes-Benz 600 Kompressor [video]

"Josip Broz Tito, who owned four 1965 LWB 6-door Pullmans, one of which was armoured, and two LWB Pullman landaulets, acquired in 1971 and 1978 respectively (both of these were of the very-rare type where the folding parade roof extends to cover 2/3rds of the vehicle top, only 9 were made with such a roof arrangement and 6 doors, and Tito was the only statesman in the world at the time who had two such cars)."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_600

Man, I had enough trouble bleeding a hydraulic clutch properly, and that line was maybe 30 inches tops.

A talented and wonderfully jovial mechanic ran a specialist workshop east of Johannesburg, in Brakpan (South Africa).

For a long time he had a Mercedes 600 - similar to the linked video but with the M100 engine naturally-aspirated as standard - in the shop.

That particular car, finished in a cream colour, belonged to Ian Smith (1919-2007), the last colonial prime minister of Rhodesia before it became Zimbabwe.

I got to spend a lot of time with the car, including several drives in it, and especially seeing the mechanical bits exposed including the ridiculously cool (silent, powerful) hydraulics that operated every convenience of this car, from power windows to power back seat.

While a Mercedes 600 indeed screams "head of state" or "pope" it gets my vote for the all-time, no-holds-barred, most opulent and classy car of all time with absolutely nothing kitsch or gangsta about it.

A true high point of what Mercedes-Benz once was.

And don't get me started on it's little brother, the W109 300SEL 6.3, of which there was a lovely example in the shop for a few months as well. It drove and operated perfectly, I had the most amazing solo test drive in that car, taking it to 200km/h.

This was in 2003, and the 300SEL 6.3 was for sale for $3,000 and Ian Smith's 600 was about $12,000.

God if only I had the money then! I wonder where both of those rarities, sitting in a small workshop in the East Rand in South Africa, ended up at. Probably exported to Europe or the USA.

Anyway, just wanted to share that small anecdote.

P.S. The Chrome, Leather, and craftsmanship of a Mercedes 600 is far beyond any Rolls or Bentley, of that or any other period. And Mercedes vehicles of that era were made to last decades and hundreds of thousands of miles down to every detail including all the rubber parts. The disposable garbage churned out in the 21st century simply fuel man's insane behaviour to constantly buy, consume, discard.

There was a time when cars were made for a different modality.

Absolute nuts. But the high point of dead-silent, powerful, smooth conveniences no matter the maintenance cost.

  Why yes, I am a third world dictator. How are you?