The Mercedes-Benz 600 at 60

It is the 12^th September 1963, and you are a hardworking accountant somewhere in Bonn. A polished Ford Taunus 12M is parked outside your home, and you are reading about the latest Mercedes-Benz with a mixture of envy and pride. The 600 was the automotive embodiment of the German economic miracle, with a new 6.3 litre SOHC Bosch mechanical fuel-injected V8 engine propelling nearly 2 ½ tons of Mercedes-Benz to a top speed of 125 mph.

Furthermore, the 600 series boasted PAS, automatic transmission, all-disc braking with separate circuits, and self-levelling air suspension. In addition, the front and rear seats, door locks, boot lid, fuel filler cap and side windows were adjusted via hydraulics while the driver could control the shock absorbers. In addition, those neo-brutalist lines were as contemporary as a new office block.

Mercedes-Benz promised a car that was "Peerless in performance". They also reassured potential buyers that the 600 incorporated "every conceivable feature important to passenger comfort and safety". Production commenced in September 1964, with 600 available as a 3,200mm wheelbase saloon - with or without an electrically operated division – or the 3,900mm wheelbase seven-seater Pullman. To quote the brochure, the latter could be specified with the following:

a choice of either four doors with two backward-facing seats in the rear or six doors with two forward-facing folding seats in the rear. The two latter choices are offered principally to meet the needs of heads of state, industry and other people of eminence having considerable public responsibilities.

Autocar of the 8^th September 1963 found the limousine "as easy to handle – and of more importance – is as responsive as a 2-litre sports saloon". When John Bolster tested the short-wheelbase 600 for the November 1965 edition of Motor Sport and concluded that 'If you invest your money thus you will own the most advanced motor-car in the world, a splendid example of Daimler-Benz engineering at its highest pinnacle'.

Of course, at £8,926 - more than 17 times the price of a Mini – the 600 was never destined to grace the average East Cheam driveway. Only those on the finest terms with their bank manager needed to call Mercedes-Benz GB on ISLeworth 2151 to arrange a test drive.

However, Bolster reported that there were already 30 600s in the country, and compared with £9,994 for the limousine, the saloon was a bargain. In the USA, Road & Track noted for the saloon's $20,500 price tag, "you could get a Lincoln Continental, a Buick Riviera, two Pontiac GTOs and still have enough change left over for two and a half or three Volkswagens",

By the time the last of 2,677 600s departed the factory in 1981, its owners included George Harrison, John Lennon, Elvis Presley and Elizabeth Taylor. As Autocar wrote in 1963:

The aim was to produce a car that would set new standards of safety and comfort for all passengers yet have performance, road-holding, braking and steering, which is often considered attainable only on sporting saloons.

And to our Taunus owner of 1963, the 600 represented nothing less than the automotive embodiment of the post-war German economic miracle.