WILHELM'S HISTORY
THE STORY:
This beautiful 600 was produced in Germany in November 1991 and was shipped to the USA for sale in New York in the Spring of 1992. Story I was told about the shipping was that the car had to have retracting side mirrors because the car had to be transported through a narrow mountain tunnel and with the mirrors out if was too wide.
That Spring the car, had a sticker price of $154,873. There was a gas guzzler tax and a New York sales tax to add to the list price of $132,000. That made the car almost $50,000 more than the 500SEL. It was a New York State car until it was traded in for a Rolls Royce in the Spring of 2006. The people at the Rolls Royce dealership did not want it on their lot and it was wholesaled to a Virginia auction house. A dealer at the auction bought the car and on its way again but first stopped in Odenton, Maryland where I saw it. At the time I was going to fly out to California where there was a black/tan version of the MB600SEL and drive it back. But I found the same color I was looking for just 15 miles from my house. Bought as soon as I saw it and have owned ever since. I am the second owner and have owned since April 2006.
We bought the car because we were looking for something comfortable and classy to drive friends and family around in. The thought of displaying the car at car shows had not crossed our minds. But the next year we were asked to come to a national event put on by Mercedes Benz called Star Tec. We went and took first place!. That started it and since then we have taken many first-place awards as well as Best of Marque, People's Choice, The High Mileage Certificate and this year the Silver Star from Mercedes Benz.
About the third year we ran into a true collector from Long Island who had 8 600SEL and felt that they were going to become a sought after collector car. There were probably less than 5000 1992 600SEL's made worldwide in 1992. The entire run of the 140 600s being 35910 over a 7 year period. With maybe less than 3000 coming to the USA each year. With normal attrition, I would think that the total number still on the road is very small and getting smaller.
