Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 - Archived Road Test

Five-hundred Americans will fork over a total of $19,500,000 for the pleasure of owning Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9s in the next twelve months and, presumably, each year thereafter, until Mr. Carter or his successor puts a stop to all such automotive hedonism. Except for the vagaries of international monetary fluctuations, the 6.9 might have made it to this country for $23,000 or so, but inflation, the strength of the Deutsche mark and the relative weakness of the dollar and everything else have combined to dictate that your own personal 6.9 sedan will cost you $38,230 f.o.b. New York. For your money, you’ll get, perhaps, the ultimate manifestation of the basic Daimler-Benz idea of how automobiles are supposed to be designed and built—the best Mercedes-Benz automobile ever sold.

That does not necessarily make it the best car in the world; not even the most luxurious. We have to call anything that has wheels and seats and a price of $40,000 a luxury car, but this Mercedes doesn’t offer a great deal of luxury for that kind of money. It is virtually indistinguishable from any other 450SEL, except for the 6.9 emblem and the wider wheels and tires, and there are no important interior clues, other than a strip of wood across the fascia, to set it apart from any other Mercedes-Benz. If I spent almost 40 grand for an automobile, I’m not sure I’d want it to look just like my neighbor’s 280S.

Be that as it may, however, and perhaps it never was, there was no speculation whatsoever involved in Daimler-Benz’s decision to market the 6.9 in America. The car is here because there was sufficient outcry from American dealers and customers to practically force the factory to import it, even though it can’t build enough for the European market where the car has been on sale for eighteen months. At a rate of 500 cars per annum, they’ll be sold as fast as they can get them off the boat and remove the cosmoline.

Who’ll buy it? Two kinds of people: first, those poor, bored, big spenders who’d already bought one of each Mercedes-Benz currently available and who were beginning to suffer the pangs of withdrawal because there were no still more expensive ones left to purchase; and second, that tiny handful of people, many of them former owners of Mercedes-Benz 6.3 sedans, who truly want the fastest production four-door sedan in the world and are willing to pay for it. Both groups will get their money’s worth. Anybody else who accidentally stumbles into his friendly neighborhood Mercedes-Benz dealer’s show-room with $40,000 burning a hole in his pocket is apt to be disappointed. This is no Rolls-Royce. There is no evidence of handcrafted attention to your every whim. It has wood and leather, but somehow these materials have been so impregnated, protected and depersonalized as to seem no different from the plastic materials they replace. The inside of a Rolls-Royce, for the same money, fairly reeks of wood, leather and loving care. The 6.9 seems to want to rub your nose in the fiction that it’s just another off-the-shelf Mercedes-Benz that only happens to go through corners like it was pursued by demons and cruise quietly all day long at 130—the most uncompromisingly spartan luxury car we’ve ever driven, a $40,000 technical exercise.

Air Suspension Levelling - News


Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 - Archived Road Test

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Air Suspension Solutions » Blog Archive » Leveling kit for 2010 ...

Dodge Ram kits

if its the same as my neighbors 09 you can just install the front part of the kit,that’s all he done to his and it looks and rides good,i leveled my 05 ram out and i didn’t use the rear ones on it either,they provide them though and do recommend installing them,you,ll have to get the front alignment checked on it once you install the kit though it threw mine off pretty bad,the only reason they add the 3/4 spacers is some of the trucks would look higher in the front than the rear,good luck.

Dodge Ram kits

The kit is designed to use both. However you don’t need both Install the front first and see if you like the stance. Then decide if you need the rear as well. Wost leveling kits are only 2 inches on the front only. Make sure that you have the alignment adjusted and headlights adjusted as soon as possible once completed.


Air Suspension Levelling - Bookshelf

TODAY'S TECHNICIAN, AUTOMOTIVE SUSPENSION AND STEERING SYSTEMS

TODAY'S TECHNICIAN, AUTOMOTIVE SUSPENSION AND STEERING SYSTEMS

Job Sheet 24 Name _ Date Adjust Trim Height, Rear Load-Leveling Air Suspension System Upon completion of this job sheet, you should be able to adjust trim ...

Automotive Suspension & Steering System: Classroom manual

Automotive Suspension & Steering System: Classroom manual

Air Suspension System Design Variations Rear Load-Leveling Air Suspension System Some vehicles have air suspension on only the rear wheels, ...

Popular Science

Popular Science

And therein lies the solution for air suspension: Only three leveling valves are used. Fresh or re-used air? A lot of air is needed in the course of a day's ...

Popular Mechanics

Popular Mechanics

Air suspension is optional, coil springs on all four wheels standard. Power is up slightly, displacement is unchanged. AIR SPRING AIR SPRING LEVELING VALVE ...

Automotive Mechatronics: Operational and Practical Issues

Automotive Mechatronics: Operational and Practical Issues

Air suspension was introduced on many luxury vehicles in the late 1950s, but it was dropped after one or two model years. Recently, however, new levelling ...

Information Source Directory


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Choose Quality Air Suspension Valve Manufacturers, Suppliers, Exporters at Alibaba.com. ... Levelling Valve 464 006 100 0 has an ad... Place of Origin: TR ...

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Pneumatic self-levelling suspension system. The 4-level air suspension of the Audi. allroad ... levelling air suspension system in the Audi A6 '98. Basic information ...

Tecair 1 Air Suspension
b) Check that the levelling valve has not become disconnected. ... d) Check that there is air in the suspension tank by unseating its drain valve. ...

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Alloy Art Australia : Harley Davidson® Motorcycle Products ...
Alloy Art Australia : Top Shelf Harley Davidson® motorcycle products: Air Logic Levelling Suspension, Bar Clamps and Risers, Foot Pegs, Gooden Tite, Grips, License ...