Up for public sale on Carry a Trailer—which, like Automobile and Driver, is part of the Hearst Autos group—is a 1978 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 with an attention-grabbing pedigree. In line with the vendor, this automobile allegedly completed second within the remaining operating of the Cannonball in 1979. There is not any paper path to hyperlink it to such an achievement, however in response to 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 automobile was posted in 2017, however the remaining bid of $26,000 failed to achieve the reserve. Given how classic-car costs have reached the ionosphere over the previous few years, we would not be stunned if the present go-around instructions a fair larger flooring.

Regardless of the 6.9 badge on the again, this 450SEL will get its driving force 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 automobile 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 computerized 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 unit Becker stereo is now hooked as much as aftermarket audio system. Some work has been finished 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 minimize his tooth writing freelance journal options, and now he has a decade of full-time evaluate expertise beneath his belt. A Chicagoan by start, he has been a Detroit resident since 2015. Perhaps at some point he’ll do one thing about that half-finished engineering diploma.