If I was in Iain's position I would be videoing the car before and after the wash as this can be handy if you are accused of damaging the car whilst you were working on it.
@@ianmontgomery7534nobody could ever accuse Ian for anything except donating to much love in what he does I bet. I d rather say by his thorrow wash it gets halfway resurrected to life!
I have a 600 Pullman model, the extended version. Working windshield wipers. A gorgeous maroon color. It rolls along nicely. I have had it since I was 9. It was made by Corgi.
The father of a boy I went to school with bought one of these and after a relatively short time, complained to Mercedes in Germany that the driver's seat was too firm and he found it uncomfortable after even a short drive. The response from Mercedes was that Grossser 600 owners generally sat in the back seat and thus the firmness and comfort of the driver's seat had never arisen as an issue with the car.
And supposedly, when the US BMW dealers complained years ago that they needed cup holders, the German engineering head scolded “Why? Do you have a steering wheel on your coffee table?”
It will be sensational if you make a series on this car and its bringing back to life, and explain those technically galatically complicated parts the 600 is made of.Impatiently , many thanks
I am Dutch, in Amsterdam is one specialist , mr Wiemann , wenn he is working on this cars you can not disturb him , come back in a few days . Now he is in his 80s and his son picked it up 🎉
What a beautiful car, it is the same colour as my Mercedes Benz 1968 W111 230S. We had a neighbour in Sunningdale in the late 60´s and early 70´s who had a grey one. He used to come to us children of 7 to 12 years and challenge us for a race, we had bicycles, sometimes he won. What a wonderful chap he was unfortunately he died of cancer in 1991 in Los Angeles
Iain, what can I say but thank you very much for pulling this out of the bag. As I said, the MB 600 is my all-time favourite classic car. They look impressive and also slightly sinister, which I absolutely love. When we exchanged comments about the 600 last week, I was thinking that a video would be weeks and weeks away, but for you to drop it the following week is just superb. I also look forward to future videos featuring this car as time goes by. I am that enthusiast who has watched all the TH-cam videos on 600s and I have thought at times that what is said is wrong, so I know that yours is the definitive "go to" video for technical "nowse" and know-how. My warmest wishes and grateful thanks to you for doing this. I feel I owe you one and if I was to be fortunate enough to meet you face-to-face I would buy you a drink and a slap-up lunch to express my gratitude. You're an absolute star!
Thank you Paul, that's so kind of you. You were right, it should have been a few weeks away but I pulled this one up the schedule 😉 and Ivan was able to make it happen.
Iain Tyrrell is a fascinating living encyclopedia of automotive technology and history (and beyond) with an exquisite British sense of humor. Listening to him is always a gourmet pleasure for car enthusiasts. This episode did not disappoint in any manner. Epic. I can’t wait for the next ones. This Mercedes seems to be the equivalent of an early Boeing 747!!!
My dad’s old boss in the ‘80’s drove one in a colour I could never figure out. It was either dark blue or black because it changed so much in different lighting. His wife drove a black Citroen SM which was stunning. Definitely a wonderful sight for a young Canadian prairie boy.
Happy memories of my grandfather's long-ago 6.3, purchased mostly to annoy his best friend and next door neighbor who never stopped simging the praises of his '57 Cadillac. Heady stuff for a pre-teen. Thanks and all the best
I love seeing a car in your custody that's a bit more worn ! Often we just see a final piece of an otherwise finished car. Love to see this transformation, hope you make it a full series!
I delivered one of these from Kent to Hamburg in the late 80’s it was an amazing pleasure. Sad to see what’s happened to this epic motor car but she’s in great hands 👌
3000 psi hydraulic pressure is standard for most jet transports. Both the 737 and A320., for example. And in a car, it is hilariously over the top to use such a high pressure!
Iain is such a great story teller! With occasional joke here and there like "I first worked on one of these in 1992, so I have been working on them a few years..." 😆 Thank you for the video!
6:09 Light aircrafts are *extremely* simple, because they need to be reliable. That's why most of them they still use carburetors, mechanical fuel pumps and the likes. It's not the case of larger aircrafts because you can afford (in terms of weight more than $$$) to have redundant systems.
Good luck. Under the bonnet looks like a mechanics nightmare, but nowadays most cars do. It will be fun to watch - like the Car Wizard in Kansas working on Hoovie's wrecks.
5:49 - When I was working as helper at the local MB import dealer. My boss was old German fellow. One day he was getting a short wheel base 600 ready for painting. He was fiddling around to remove window door moldings. My guess was he was trying depressurization of the hydraulic system. I was cleaning other vehicle. When suddenly there was very loud boosshhh. Red fluid went twenty feet, hitting ceiling. My boss was covered with same fluid. He was leaning over the main pressure tank front of the radiator. Trying to let the pressure out, but he did something wrong and took the fluid on his face. There was least gallon of fluid on my boss. Thankfully he wasn’t hurt, except very embarrassed. My dad was working there as a mechanic, told my boss to keep his hands off the 600. Because he only caused extra difficult work, my dad had to fix.
This is going to be very interesting to see where the line is drawn between renovating and replacing/restoring. Renovating requires a lot more judgement. It's actually easier in terms of decision making to 'do the whole car'. Many workshops struggle with renovating because it actually requires more skill than ordering a new part and fitting it, and can take longer, but the upside is originality. Looking forward to more episodes.
There was also two 600 coupe’s built in 1965. They had a 22 cm’s shorter wheelbase than the standard one. If you see in a statistically way, it was dangerous to be a owner of a 600. Alot of the owners where killed, lost their “job”, or had to flee their country.
I got a ride in the back of one of these once. It was through some very narrow country lanes in Surrey -- at very high speeds. The guy driving it was a rich client of the agency I was working for, and the other passenger was my creative director, who was excitedly arguing with him about something. At some point into this "rally-stage" we past over a hump-back bridge... We were DEFINITELY airbourne for a second or two! :0)
Awesome. Just awesome. That’s a magnificent beast and watching its rehabilitation is such a treat. Thank you Iain (and the man behind the camera) for this epic treat
My dad is a Mercedes guy growing up with German influence here, we live close to the German border. He had a heckflosse to once. He told me when he was a worker at the local shipyard in his 20s, the big bosses drove mercedes 😂 This 600 is something else though. Old Mercedes are beautiful imo The top of the line is the 500k special roadster from the time uncle Adolf ruled Germany 😂 I saw his armored mercedes limo to in the sinsheim techniek museum
The Chevy Suburban has been featured in over 1750 films and television shows since 1952. Being the first vehicle to ever get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The Suburban's strong screen presence is partly due to it being in continuous production since the mid-1930s. I believe the stat is it's appeared in at least one film or television show every year since 1952. Given the far less number of MB 600 produced it certainly had a lot of screen credits. The Internet Movie Cars Database has photos of over 400 instances of it appearing in film and television!
I've seen a few videos about this car and its history etc on TH-cam, as well as one of Jay Leno's where he takes his own 600 Grosser out on the road, but I look forward to seeing you and your team working on this one. I take it this right hand drive example must be pretty rare.
Remember having a Corgi toy of a Pullman 600 back in the 60's. It was in a dark metallic red with white interior and when you pushed it along the windscreen wipers worked! Look forward to see where you go with the Grosser Iain. 😊
The car owned by people who usually had access to their own Air Force..😅.. thank you Jeremy Clarkson for even making me aware of the Grosser and thank you Ian for one of the best channels on TH-cam for a car nerd like me
My dad loved these dictator specials he had a 300sel. So when one came into my work I had to jump in the back and have a sticky beak. I found photos of Ringo and Clapton and Harrison sitting in the same seat as me! Turned out it was Ringos for a time.
I remember seeing one at a concours here in Melbourne and marveling that it had an earth strap from the bonnet to the scuttle to stop radio interference. Interestingly Australia was a big market for these when they first were released.
As a student I have driven one brand new in the port of Hamburg onto a car carrier. - No one in Germany calls them 'Grosser'. We call them sechshundert(er) . - Keep it up ! 👍
The whole ‘grosser’ thing is (imo) a Clarksonism. Growing up in Austria in the ‘80s, we would sometimes refer to it as ‘der große Mercedes’ (‘the big Mercedes’ - and for full effect, you gotta say it with a somewhat reverent tone), which is what it was - a halo car before the term ever existed and perhaps the only four-door supercar ever made. I can understand why people might have overheard that phrase and then just shortened it up to ‘big’, but in its day, I never, ever heard anyone call it just a ‘grosser’. Sechshunderter or der große Mercedes only.
Variety is terrific. The high performance cars always welcome and exciting, but this limo has a special place. Closest I got was a W140 S600L, essentially a land bound Learjet, back when MB accountants had no say in design budgets and the fuel economy department didn't exist. Thanks for another great offering Iain.
I am very much looking forward to the continuing saga of this 600. Diabolically and infernally complicated, once sorted they are fantastic. The real trick is keeping them sorted! I had a 1971 standard wheelbase 600 for a while when I lived in California, and traded it for a 1980 Lagonda. I know, I know …
@@iain_tyrrell something like that. Happily my other car at the time, a Camargue, wasn’t fickle, and rewarded me for the effort (and expense) I lavished on it.
I have found that PRI-G works very well as a fuel stabilizer. The important part is making sure it's a sealed system. My Success with that additive has been in Jerry cans
I'm looking forward to any future videos on the progression of this complex, legendary and beautiful car. Thanks for another great video, Iain....All the best from a slowly simmering Montréal! :)
The comparison of the engineering complexity with light aircraft is interesting. The variable speed drive using a mini torque converter controlled by oil pressure sounds similar to the variable speed supercharger drive that the Daimler Benz aero engines in WW2 used; in that case it was used to match boost pressure to altitude, to ensure optimum combat power and efficiency across the range of heights. Of course Mercedes engineers were forbidden to work on aircraft after the war, and I suspect the 600 is what you get when a bunch of frustrated aero engineers are forced to work on a car. I'd also note that I've quite often seen old cars in museums with a drip tray under the engine, but the 600 is the first car I've seen with trays under all four doors (on display at MB World Brooklands) which made me smile.
Interesting theory about frustrated aircraft engineers! If the car needed drip trays under the doors, either the door locks (depending on model year) or other hydraulics needed attention
Ahh... the days when Mercedes was run by engineers, and not MBA's. This looks like a fun project for Ian and his team. Really looking forward to future updates on this car. One just has to love Ian's sense of humor.
I certainly agree that the engineers had total control when the Grosser was being designed. However this is one car that would have benefitted from a couple of critical thinking bean counters.
@@georgebettiol8338yes sometimes Mercedes seemed to go out of the way to over engineer in the sense of over complicated, in a way that made some systems more prone to failure. In the 70s, Their obsession with vacuum tube systems for almost everything from door locks on was a nightmare ti deal with once those tubes aged…especially if you lived in a hot, ozone rich climate like the southeast USA that eats rubber for breakfast. And Mercedes was prone to bone headed engineering; I had a 1992 400e. Wonderful car. But the belt tensioner was made of an elastomeric material guaranteed to fail ever 18 months in my climate and in an engine bay stuffed with a v8. And that engine was a beauty, m119. The double wide timing chain would last a couple hundred thousand miles easily but the plastic guides for it were likely to break well before it and the chain could then rattle and in worst case jump. Not good on an interference engine. The logic, I think, was that a broken metal guide could foul the chain and jam or skip it while the plastic ones would just turn to dust. But broken guides were often an issue and fixing it was an expert 22 hr labor job…at least.
Very interesting and you certainly have your work cut out for you here! Incredible car, then and now. So much complexity. If maintained well they are actually very reliable but fixing a degraded one is the perfect exercise in frustration, disappointments and expense. I read that the hydraulic master switch for the windows cost $15,000. I collect mid ‘60’s Mercedes but I have never been brave enough to acquire one of these! It’s great to see people with deep pockets investing in them though as they are totally unique. Even though they were in production for 20 years fewer than 2800 of all variants were made. Please keep us updated.
Yes please for an episode on fuel for classic cars, there’s a lot of myths out there that need the Tyrrell touch. Plus, hope you’ll do a series on getting this grand old 600 back up.
I worked on 600's a wee bit when working on Mercedes Benz 1979 - 1981 at Stewart Mercedes Benz in Sydney. I thought of them as the only car in the world where you could have an oil leak from the drivers door!
What a wonderful video! One of my favourite cars of all time, I have a few books about the 600 and a genuine 600 model I bought from Mercedes-Benz. I look forward to seeing more videos about getting this wonderful car back to life Iain! In your own words Tickety-Boo!
@@iain_tyrrell yes it was a bit expensive, but it was a genuine model built to Mercedes-Benz blue prints. When the 600 W100 car was under development the design team were told to design the best car in the world! Never mind how much it would cost! These was in the period when Mercedes-Benz designed some of their best cars ever!
Ah, "De Grosser"! Gross is the word. I remember Innes Ireland rolling one at Mallory Park in the 60s. I think it was some sort of Mercedes press day or summat and good old Innes did a mighty fine job of turning it into a ball of scrap!
Very interesting car Iain! Technically so advanced in its time with so much luxury, THE Rolls Royce opponent of its time. I am very interested to see you all have it running and functioning, please come with all the nerdy details which it much have,..... a lot! Looking forward to the next episode!
There was and old guy a village nearby here ( who has died long time ago early 2000s) who was all mercedes crazy, he only did classic mercedes, he had his own garage. Pretty sure he knew ( and worked on ) everything about this one to. One his grave there is a picture of classic mercedes even.. ( i saw it myself) One of the stories my dad told me😅
Iain you and your guys are so well versed in restoration and the mechanical that this can only be a huge hit! Fantastic content once again. Thank you all.
I wouldn't walk away from an MB in this condition - I would RUN😁 I once read that the best course of action when dealing with restoration of ANY vehicle is to find the best example of a restored car you can afford, and let the seller/restorer absorb the cost of restoration. Of course, there's nothing better than a well-preserved survivor. Thank you, as always, Iain.
Cars that supposedly have been restored are in many cases not 'well restored' - or as some say, the car was 'unsympathetically butchered and given a nice paint job'. The best strategy is to find the best pristine, low km unrestored car possible that you can afford.
Hi Iain. Another fantastic video - I really enjoyed learning more about the mechanical side of these “beasts” - which are strangely handsome and menacing at the same time! I also liked the way that you explained how you would go about working out how to get it started - “armchair mechanics” such as myself love learning from the experts. The point you made about Super Unleaded fuel was good too - I always use Shell V Power (1990 XJ-S V12) because I was told to - now I understand why a bit better. It’s worth the extra money given the low miles that I do (3 - 4,000 per year) - and I get about 20mpg anyway which I think is more than decent for such a graceful drive. Anyway - well done again and take care. Peter
Watching this from Qatar (as always). There is no limit to what Iain is capable of doing with a car. Amazing knowledge and wonderful to see this old girl fired up and running again.
@@iain_tyrrell My pleasure my friend - I have owned many many "tasty" cars over the years when I lived back in Ireland - BMWs of every shape and description ranging from 325is to 740is; Mercedes AMGs including SL55, SL63 and CLK55, and my pride and joy - a TVR Series 1 Tuscan which I enjoy whenever I am back.Here for the past 15 years or so, in Qatar, I have the pleasure of owning and driving a 2008 Land Rover LR3 (Discovery in the UK) 4.4 V8 HSE, a 2013 Range Rover Sport 5.0 V8 Supercharged and a 2010 Ford Expedition 5.4 V8 and love them all - with petrol at 44p a litre they are easy to love and enjoy. I drive them all the way they are meant to be driven. The highlights of my week however are 2-fold. Harrys Garage and your channel. I live my car dreams vicariously through you both but will never be anywhere close to being in either of your orbits unfortunately. Keep up the fabulous work you do in your Garage and on your TH-cam channel
Another fascinating video Iain. Over the years I've seen more than a few of these sitting behind dealers with the car sadly sunken. In part of the reason was until recently the market value was relatively low and the parts - when you could get them - in the stratosphere Plus as you have said very few people really know these cars Some thing I picked up from Road and track magazine years ago when they were a evaluating a 190 E and the Mercedes engineer Well let's put it into any German automotive engineer "Why make it simple if you can also make it complicated"? Even the windows on these are hydraulically operated. They didn't want something so plebeian as an electric motor that made noise noise when moving the windows And I believe they stopped making these around 1981. And almost 20 years of production a little over 2000 were made of which about 500 were the Pullman And the engine went on to more legendary things such as powering the 300 SEL 6.3 and in modified form the W116 450 SEL 6.9 Road and track referred to these cars as "the bankers hot rod", capable of going all day at 140 miles an hour They stopped selling these in the US around 1973, probably because of upcoming emissions and crash standards. I don't think I've seen one in this country past 1970 but who knows? No - I think 1972 was the final year they were sold here in the US. I hope you don't have rust in the gas tank as many cars left for years will develop rust unless the tank had a full measure of fuel You are certainly right about it being probably one of the most filmed cars in the movie world - even recent movies I think these cars exude power and prestige far more than even their later attempts such as a modern Maybach. They have always had a presence about them But the cost of maintaining them! I've heard even the window switch on the drivers door is over $11,000 I think since this is a prestige car Daimler has made an effort through their parts inventory of keeping these cars on the road And thanks to your shop for keeping this proud old car" back to this "style it is accustomed to" Of the 2000 or so made I wonder how many are right hand drive? I'm sure many were sold in London and Hong Kong
Thanks Iain for going where few mortals dared before! Adventure doesn't quite capture the compelling unknowns in store. 'In crossing through the valley of 600-death, I fear no evil, cooling systems, transmissions, hydraulics, including All Seats movements..the neglected terror on four wheels 600 SWB' In this example present an owners' unparalleled opportunity for bankruptcy. In mid-2010 era, Forbes magazine published the list of the worlds wealhiest family's. Family the King of Thailand ranked first. Likely they could confidently afford their 600 LWB Pullman Landulette!
Love the ice blue. You rarely see that colour today. They made a single one-off coupe Großßer (is that the spelling) but I don't know what happened to it
The 600 is my all time favourite - good to see one finally appear here. Love to see some geeky stuff relating to the comfort hydraulic system in another video
Iain, I do love my 59 Cloud 1. You are right the old straight 6‘s were much easier to maintain. I met the designer of the Cloud and Shadow cars, John Blatchley in 1999 at his cottage in Hastings. He was such a gentleman. My wife and I took him to a local pub, and we had such a good time with him. I corresponded with him over several years. So sad he‘s not around anymore! Once RR came out with the Spirit range, RR sort of lost it for me. They never built another good car after that! Very sad! All the class and romance of the Blatchley cars is gone! Don’t quite understand what BMW has done to the brand! I would much rather have a new Volvo, At a fraction of the price! My wife put in an order for an all Electric EX30! Iain, I love your shows here on your channel! Please keep them coming! Greetings from sunny California❤
Wonderful. First video after hollidays. I realy hope - as many others here - to have the pleasure to be seeing more from the 600's rebirth. One little note: maybe the Lincoln Continental (61 - 69) is even seen more often in movies then the 600? However, einmal mehr herzlichen Dank und viele Grüße aus Berlin
Iain, I am subscribed & like, & for 26 years I've been a Mercedes-Benz owner-driver, so I especially enjoy your M-B videos. I'm looking forward to your journey with this "Grosser/Der Grosse" (I'm fluent in German so I understand the variants). I must state that I was amazed that you got Dieser Grosse running in the condition it was--full marks. :)
Iain, this was fascinating as usual. I owned a CX Prestige series 2, 1988, which was in need of cosmetic restoration only. My Pakistani mechanics at French Cars Motors Ltd in Riyadh found it abandoned at the side of the road somewhere near one of the princely palaces. I was there 1996 to 2000. They managed to get it started after God knows how long, probably a couple of years. It's a bit like seeing a stray dog running around long enough and looking for food before someone rescues it. The mechanics towed it back to their garage on a flat bed truck and completed an engine overhaul and body cosmetic rejuvenation in a couple of months. They renewed the fuels, oils, and hydraulic LHM, and I drove it to work every day for three years. The next owner, an English marketing executive, said he had one in England and knew how to drive one. The first morning he went to work he didn't let the car run a few seconds and he drove out of the basement garaging at about 20km per hour and while the slow suspension had risen he caught the bottom of the car on a steel vertical sharp pipe at the gate and unknown to him as he drove towards a sharp bend on the motorway, having lost most of the hydraulic liquid behind him on the road , he failed to take the corner hitting the steel fencing and plummeted down to the road beneath at 130 km per hr. The motto of the story is to wait for hydraulic suspension to rise on older cars before setting off. Why did he fail to take the bend? The steering, brakes and suspension were hyraulically controlled and there was none left in the reservoir. 😢😂
Steering has a mechanical backup system, loss of hydraulics is not loss of steering (it becomes heavy, with a lot of play). He must have ignored multiple warning lights.
Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge and the work of your team. Also, it's a pleasure to listen to you, as English is not my mother's tongue.
Wow, love these , always wanted one since i saw Jack Nicholson drive one, in the film The Witches of Eastwick ! I wonder if Jeremy Clarkson still has his green one
Jay Leno's with the supercharger is awesome. I would love to be able to afford a SWB to supercharge, and very very lightly restomod in a beautiful charcoal with black leather.
Oh, i am very sorry, having to tell you: Never was it called "Grosser" in Germany. Some english spoken person must have invented that, and all the others did copy that, beleiving this would be German. It is not. Grammatically with the ending "er" is never used. If at all, we would say the whole thing: DER GROSSE, but never alone, but added Mercedes. The most common naming is by far "Der 600er" And everybody would instantly know , that can only be that car and no other , not even the little Honda 600 from the same time. . Also, using the english meaning of "gross" always feels a bit like disgusting to us and never fitting. This car the opposite of disgusting. I did not mean to offend you personally, finding , that you are especially someone , who always takes the right effort with other languages, which i admire, and think this the right way to go. So, i also thought, you would be the right person to understand that, and would allow me to tell that.I did not try to tell Jay Leno the same thing. Love your channel, your humorous habits and your little nerdy moments.
I agree with what your saying but as a half German half Irish man who lives here in Germany mostly and works for Mercedes-Benz it’s what they call it themselves the “Grosser” you will even seen them on the museums on display as the “Grosser” when you google it comes up straight away this is Mercedes-Benz fault and creation nothing to do with the right German Grammer nobody needs to be corrected here that’s the name Mercedes put to the world
Like many others, I’d love to see a multi-part on this car. I’m sure every mechanical system on it is interesting. Also, I’ve got my fingers crossed for a piece on that white Lotus Esprit lurking in the background. Might it be time for Iain to put on the white tuxedo again?!
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Please make this adventure of the 600 a couple more episodes. I'd love to see the journey of it, while its at the workshop.
Agreed!
Yes please.
Oh yes, please!
I was going to say a whole season
Yeah me also
The fact that you want to clean the car up and potentially not charge the customer shows that you are a true car lover, and a Gentleman.
PS you’re not a bad singer too big man!
Thank you on both counts!
If I was in Iain's position I would be videoing the car before and after the wash as this can be handy if you are accused of damaging the car whilst you were working on it.
@@ianmontgomery7534nobody could ever accuse Ian for anything except donating to much love in what he does I bet. I d rather say by his thorrow wash it gets halfway resurrected to life!
@@ianmontgomery7534 That's why it's not a good plan in the first place.
I have a 600 Pullman model, the extended version. Working windshield wipers. A gorgeous maroon color. It rolls along nicely. I have had it since I was 9. It was made by Corgi.
The best way of all to own a 600
Damn, I was just about to write the same comment, as i have the Corgi model too.
@@robertallen3441 Had one too but swapped it for a Marathon bar in 1983, young fool that i was.
Ow, that hurt!!
The father of a boy I went to school with bought one of these and after a relatively short time, complained to Mercedes in Germany that the driver's seat was too firm and he found it uncomfortable after even a short drive. The response from Mercedes was that Grossser 600 owners generally sat in the back seat and thus the firmness and comfort of the driver's seat had never arisen as an issue with the car.
A more German answer could not be expected from a German company: Customer orientation and friendliness at its finest.. 🤣
So funny
Seats has always been a problem with german cars... maby the german have more meat to sit on....
And supposedly, when the US BMW dealers complained years ago that they needed cup holders, the German engineering head scolded “Why? Do you have a steering wheel on your coffee table?”
I can't see one of those without hearing James May saying "Reichsmarschall Goering has arrived" 😂
"Reichsmarschall Clarkson has arrived"
So it's camp... or camp commandant
Every East European villain in Mission: Impossible drove 1 of these, with orange & blue Ca. plates.
Or. "You call that a horn"
Guten Morgen
Me: "Looks a bit tatty."
Iain: "Less than concourse condition."
I stand corrected, sir.
👍
Accumulating patina.
That paint will be of high quality and will come back nicely with a mop.
It will be sensational if you make a series on this car and its bringing back to life, and explain those technically galatically complicated parts the 600 is made of.Impatiently , many thanks
There will definitely be more to come on this car. Glad you like it.
Like a Haynes manual explanation
Reassembly is the reversal of the disassembly 😂
I am Dutch, in Amsterdam is one specialist , mr Wiemann , wenn he is working on this cars you can not disturb him , come back in a few days .
Now he is in his 80s and his son picked it up 🎉
I think someone's gonna regret not having Iain do the full restoration. Whoever you are, someone, look behind the sofa cushions one more time!
What a beautiful car, it is the same colour as my Mercedes Benz 1968 W111 230S. We had a neighbour in Sunningdale in the late 60´s and early 70´s who had a grey one. He used to come to us children of 7 to 12 years and challenge us for a race, we had bicycles, sometimes he won. What a wonderful chap he was unfortunately he died of cancer in 1991 in Los Angeles
Iain, what can I say but thank you very much for pulling this out of the bag. As I said, the MB 600 is my all-time favourite classic car. They look impressive and also slightly sinister, which I absolutely love. When we exchanged comments about the 600 last week, I was thinking that a video would be weeks and weeks away, but for you to drop it the following week is just superb. I also look forward to future videos featuring this car as time goes by. I am that enthusiast who has watched all the TH-cam videos on 600s and I have thought at times that what is said is wrong, so I know that yours is the definitive "go to" video for technical "nowse" and know-how. My warmest wishes and grateful thanks to you for doing this. I feel I owe you one and if I was to be fortunate enough to meet you face-to-face I would buy you a drink and a slap-up lunch to express my gratitude. You're an absolute star!
Thank you Paul, that's so kind of you. You were right, it should have been a few weeks away but I pulled this one up the schedule 😉 and Ivan was able to make it happen.
Iain Tyrrell is a fascinating living encyclopedia of automotive technology and history (and beyond) with an exquisite British sense of humor.
Listening to him is always a gourmet pleasure for car enthusiasts.
This episode did not disappoint in any manner. Epic. I can’t wait for the next ones. This Mercedes seems to be the equivalent of an early Boeing 747!!!
Thank you!
My dad’s old boss in the ‘80’s drove one in a colour I could never figure out. It was either dark blue or black because it changed so much in different lighting. His wife drove a black Citroen SM which was stunning. Definitely a wonderful sight for a young Canadian prairie boy.
Yes indeed
What a wonderful combo !
Happy memories of my grandfather's long-ago 6.3, purchased mostly to annoy his best friend and next door neighbor who never stopped simging the praises of his '57 Cadillac. Heady stuff for a pre-teen. Thanks and all the best
Great story! Thank you too
I love seeing a car in your custody that's a bit more worn ! Often we just see a final piece of an otherwise finished car. Love to see this transformation, hope you make it a full series!
That's part of the reason for showing this. Glad you enjoyed it and there's definitely more to come on this fabulous car.
I delivered one of these from Kent to Hamburg in the late 80’s it was an amazing pleasure. Sad to see what’s happened to this epic motor car but she’s in great hands 👌
endlich, das Wochenende ist gerettet.
Ein rechts-lenker aus Deutschland. I wette eine sehr interessante Geschichte.
Thank you Ray 👍
Und, bestimmt nächstes Wochenende….und danach….und danach….usw. 🙂🙂🙂
Ja...
I love weird cars like this.
More, please!
You can count on seeing more like this.
That aircraft analogy is very apt. That hydraulic pressure is similar to aircraft control systems.
Hydraulic system is the same pressure as most Boeings
3000 psi hydraulic pressure is standard for most jet transports. Both the 737 and A320., for example. And in a car, it is hilariously over the top to use such a high pressure!
Iain is such a great story teller! With occasional joke here and there like "I first worked on one of these in 1992, so I have been working on them a few years..." 😆 Thank you for the video!
Thank you too!
“Oh Lord, Won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz…”
…..
Good old Janis…
I knew we’d get there eventually!
Another cracking video Iain.
Thank you Sir! 🤩 ❤
Thank you!
Good old Janis - daft thing is, she owned a Porsche……..
@@simonhodgetts6530 Yeah but she wanted to upgrade.
@@simonhodgetts6530 she failed on her way....
6:09 Light aircrafts are *extremely* simple, because they need to be reliable. That's why most of them they still use carburetors, mechanical fuel pumps and the likes.
It's not the case of larger aircrafts because you can afford (in terms of weight more than $$$) to have redundant systems.
Good luck. Under the bonnet looks like a mechanics nightmare, but nowadays most cars do. It will be fun to watch - like the Car Wizard in Kansas working on Hoovie's wrecks.
5:49 - When I was working as helper at the local MB import dealer. My boss was old German fellow. One day he was getting a short wheel base 600 ready for painting. He was fiddling around to remove window door moldings. My guess was he was trying depressurization of the hydraulic system. I was cleaning other vehicle. When suddenly there was very loud boosshhh. Red fluid went twenty feet, hitting ceiling. My boss was covered with same fluid. He was leaning over the main pressure tank front of the radiator. Trying to let the pressure out, but he did something wrong and took the fluid on his face. There was least gallon of fluid on my boss. Thankfully he wasn’t hurt, except very embarrassed. My dad was working there as a mechanic, told my boss to keep his hands off the 600. Because he only caused extra difficult work, my dad had to fix.
Oops-
Bank Holiday Sunday, with a video about my favourite road car by one of the finest channels on TH-cam. Thank you, Tyrrells Classic Workshops!
Great- thank you!
This is going to be very interesting to see where the line is drawn between renovating and replacing/restoring. Renovating requires a lot more judgement. It's actually easier in terms of decision making to 'do the whole car'. Many workshops struggle with renovating because it actually requires more skill than ordering a new part and fitting it, and can take longer, but the upside is originality. Looking forward to more episodes.
More coming. I think you'll like the next one.
Iain I believe that your knowledge knows no bounds. I love your videos I find them interesting every time. Hope there is a part two
Such a rare car in the UK!!
What a beast.
There was also two 600 coupe’s built in 1965. They had a 22 cm’s shorter wheelbase than the standard one.
If you see in a statistically way, it was dangerous to be a owner of a 600. Alot of the owners where killed, lost their “job”, or had to flee their country.
I would give my first born for a 2 door grosser!
I got a ride in the back of one of these once. It was through some very narrow country lanes in Surrey -- at very high speeds. The guy driving it was a rich client of the agency I was working for, and the other passenger was my creative director, who was excitedly arguing with him about something. At some point into this "rally-stage" we past over a hump-back bridge... We were DEFINITELY airbourne for a second or two! :0)
Glad to hear you and it survived!
Awesome. Just awesome. That’s a magnificent beast and watching its rehabilitation is such a treat. Thank you Iain (and the man behind the camera) for this epic treat
Thank you and thanks for watching Paul. Great to know you enjoyed it.
My dad is a Mercedes guy growing up with German influence here, we live close to the German border. He had a heckflosse to once.
He told me when he was a worker at the local shipyard in his 20s, the big bosses drove mercedes 😂
This 600 is something else though.
Old Mercedes are beautiful imo
The top of the line is the 500k special roadster from the time uncle Adolf ruled Germany 😂
I saw his armored mercedes limo to in the sinsheim techniek museum
The short wheelbase economy model LOL. (I know it is, but that's funny).
Glad you liked it!
Thank you for this. As mentioned below, I would love to see more of your progress on this magnificent automobile.
Thanks. Next vid coming soon
This one ought to be interesting. 600 is the peak of luxury, never exceeded
Can't wait to see it mechanically sound, cleaned up and cruising down the road
The Chevy Suburban has been featured in over 1750 films and television shows since 1952. Being the first vehicle to ever get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
There you are then
The Suburban's strong screen presence is partly due to it being in continuous production since the mid-1930s. I believe the stat is it's appeared in at least one film or television show every year since 1952.
Given the far less number of MB 600 produced it certainly had a lot of screen credits. The Internet Movie Cars Database has photos of over 400 instances of it appearing in film and television!
This beautiful machine is perfect for travelling the entire country hunting cursed antiques! (got the reference?)
Really looking forward to more on this 600. Fantastic.
Thanks
More episodes about the 600 please!! This was a really great episode. Thanks as always.
Thanks. On the way
I've seen a few videos about this car and its history etc on TH-cam, as well as one of Jay Leno's where he takes his own 600 Grosser out on the road, but I look forward to seeing you and your team working on this one. I take it this right hand drive example must be pretty rare.
Yes-one of only 236 RHD made
Remember having a Corgi toy of a Pullman 600 back in the 60's. It was in a dark metallic red with white interior and when you pushed it along the windscreen wipers worked! Look forward to see where you go with the Grosser Iain. 😊
The car owned by people who usually had access to their own Air Force..😅.. thank you Jeremy Clarkson for even making me aware of the Grosser and thank you Ian for one of the best channels on TH-cam for a car nerd like me
Thank you too!
Your knowledge never fails to amaze me! It would be great to follow this car. Love the channel.
Thank you!
Mr Tyrrell is a Jedi among mechanics.
The Jedi with his magic hose pipe...
@@Innerspace100 carbs listen to I must.
THE CAR WHISPERER !!!
My dad loved these dictator specials he had a 300sel. So when one came into my work I had to jump in the back and have a sticky beak. I found photos of Ringo and Clapton and Harrison sitting in the same seat as me! Turned out it was Ringos for a time.
Great!
More please, this is so fascinating. My stocks are down today and this eases the pain lol.
I remember seeing one at a concours here in Melbourne and marveling that it had an earth strap from the bonnet to the scuttle to stop radio interference. Interestingly Australia was a big market for these when they first were released.
Apparently it was a big market. Interesting
As a student I have driven one brand new in the port of Hamburg onto a car carrier. - No one in Germany calls them 'Grosser'. We call them sechshundert(er) . - Keep it up ! 👍
The whole ‘grosser’ thing is (imo) a Clarksonism. Growing up in Austria in the ‘80s, we would sometimes refer to it as ‘der große Mercedes’ (‘the big Mercedes’ - and for full effect, you gotta say it with a somewhat reverent tone), which is what it was - a halo car before the term ever existed and perhaps the only four-door supercar ever made. I can understand why people might have overheard that phrase and then just shortened it up to ‘big’, but in its day, I never, ever heard anyone call it just a ‘grosser’. Sechshunderter or der große Mercedes only.
Some of the best examples of the 600 Pullman are in the Iranian car museums as they were standard Royal vehicles until 1979.
Variety is terrific. The high performance cars always welcome and exciting, but this limo has a special place. Closest I got was a W140 S600L, essentially a land bound Learjet, back when MB accountants had no say in design budgets and the fuel economy department didn't exist. Thanks for another great offering Iain.
A pretty special car though Peter!
I am very much looking forward to the continuing saga of this 600. Diabolically and infernally complicated, once sorted they are fantastic. The real trick is keeping them sorted! I had a 1971 standard wheelbase 600 for a while when I lived in California, and traded it for a 1980 Lagonda. I know, I know …
From the frying pan into the fire?
@@iain_tyrrell something like that. Happily my other car at the time, a Camargue, wasn’t fickle, and rewarded me for the effort (and expense) I lavished on it.
I am fascinated by these insane cars! I’d love to see more videos with this beast!
More to come on this one!
I have found that PRI-G works very well as a fuel stabilizer. The important part is making sure it's a sealed system. My Success with that additive has been in Jerry cans
I'm looking forward to any future videos on the progression of this complex, legendary and beautiful car. Thanks for another great video, Iain....All the best from a slowly simmering Montréal! :)
Thank you. Best to you too!
The comparison of the engineering complexity with light aircraft is interesting. The variable speed drive using a mini torque converter controlled by oil pressure sounds similar to the variable speed supercharger drive that the Daimler Benz aero engines in WW2 used; in that case it was used to match boost pressure to altitude, to ensure optimum combat power and efficiency across the range of heights. Of course Mercedes engineers were forbidden to work on aircraft after the war, and I suspect the 600 is what you get when a bunch of frustrated aero engineers are forced to work on a car.
I'd also note that I've quite often seen old cars in museums with a drip tray under the engine, but the 600 is the first car I've seen with trays under all four doors (on display at MB World Brooklands) which made me smile.
Interesting theory about frustrated aircraft engineers!
If the car needed drip trays under the doors, either the door locks (depending on model year) or other hydraulics needed attention
Ahh... the days when Mercedes was run by engineers, and not MBA's. This looks like a fun project for Ian and his team. Really looking forward to future updates on this car. One just has to love Ian's sense of humor.
Thank you Robert. Delighted you enjoyed it. More to come on this one.
If they have MBAs they weren’t paying attention.
I certainly agree that the engineers had total control when the Grosser was being designed. However this is one car that would have benefitted from a couple of critical thinking bean counters.
@@georgebettiol8338yes sometimes Mercedes seemed to go out of the way to over engineer in the sense of over complicated, in a way that made some systems more prone to failure.
In the 70s, Their obsession with vacuum tube systems for almost everything from door locks on was a nightmare ti deal with once those tubes aged…especially if you lived in a hot, ozone rich climate like the southeast USA that eats rubber for breakfast.
And Mercedes was prone to bone headed engineering; I had a 1992 400e. Wonderful car. But the belt tensioner was made of an elastomeric material guaranteed to fail ever 18 months in my climate and in an engine bay stuffed with a v8.
And that engine was a beauty, m119. The double wide timing chain would last a couple hundred thousand miles easily but the plastic guides for it were likely to break well before it and the chain could then rattle and in worst case jump. Not good on an interference engine. The logic, I think, was that a broken metal guide could foul the chain and jam or skip it while the plastic ones would just turn to dust. But broken guides were often an issue and fixing it was an expert 22 hr labor job…at least.
Very interesting and you certainly have your work cut out for you here! Incredible car, then and now. So much complexity. If maintained well they are actually very reliable but fixing a degraded one is the perfect exercise in frustration, disappointments and expense. I read that the hydraulic master switch for the windows cost $15,000. I collect mid ‘60’s Mercedes but I have never been brave enough to acquire one of these! It’s great to see people with deep pockets investing in them though as they are totally unique. Even though they were in production for 20 years fewer than 2800 of all variants were made. Please keep us updated.
Thanks- part two on the way soon
That old girl started with NO SMOKE?!?!?! No WAY!!!!
😁🤩
60's Merc will do that.
Proper engine in that 👌
Yes please for an episode on fuel for classic cars, there’s a lot of myths out there that need the Tyrrell touch. Plus, hope you’ll do a series on getting this grand old 600 back up.
Noted on both fronts. And thank you!
You've shown us so many wonderful cars over the years. This model, in a similar spec is one of the few I'd like to own.
I do try to share as many of the amazing cars that come through the workshop doors as I can. Thank you for watching.
@@iain_tyrrellYou're quite welcome. Always a pleasure. Love the Black Forest yellow Miura, S1 and that 280SL Pagoda featured. Cheers!
I worked on 600's a wee bit when working on Mercedes Benz 1979 - 1981 at Stewart Mercedes Benz in Sydney. I thought of them as the only car in the world where you could have an oil leak from the drivers door!
Exactly right!
What a wonderful video! One of my favourite cars of all time, I have a few books about the 600 and a genuine 600 model I bought from Mercedes-Benz. I look forward to seeing more videos about getting this wonderful car back to life Iain! In your own words Tickety-Boo!
Thanks Ron. I like the sound of that model. I bet it you paid a pretty penny for it too.
@@iain_tyrrell yes it was a bit expensive, but it was a genuine model built to Mercedes-Benz blue prints. When the 600 W100 car was under development the design team were told to design the best car in the world! Never mind how much it would cost! These was in the period when Mercedes-Benz designed some of their best cars ever!
Ah, "De Grosser"! Gross is the word.
I remember Innes Ireland rolling one at Mallory Park in the 60s. I think it was some sort of Mercedes press day or summat and good old Innes did a mighty fine job of turning it into a ball of scrap!
Oh dear!
Like any old car...It could be worse, and it could be better.... Everyone Loves the "600" Grosser! Thanks Iain...👍
Thanks Stephen, delighted you enjoyed it
What an interesting vehicle. Fascinated at how complex it is. Thanks for sharing another riveting episode
Thank you
Now this is a treat!
Glad you think so - I do too! Was quite excited to have it in the workshop.
@@iain_tyrrell Sir. Your videos are very much enjoyed and appreciated.
Have a great day from Webster Groves Missouri.
Very interesting car Iain! Technically so advanced in its time with so much luxury, THE Rolls Royce opponent of its time. I am very interested to see you all have it running and functioning, please come with all the nerdy details which it much have,..... a lot! Looking forward to the next episode!
Thanks- we’ll try not to disappoint
A commanding presence even when down at heel in the lofty environs of Tyrrels workshop
It is, isn't it? Everyone in the workshop has been cooing over it.
@@iain_tyrrell when it just started and ran so well wow
There was and old guy a village nearby here ( who has died long time ago early 2000s) who was all mercedes crazy, he only did classic mercedes, he had his own garage. Pretty sure he knew ( and worked on ) everything about this one to. One his grave there is a picture of classic mercedes even.. ( i saw it myself)
One of the stories my dad told me😅
Iain you and your guys are so well versed in restoration and the mechanical that this can only be a huge hit! Fantastic content once again. Thank you all.
Thank you too!
Hi
An old Canadian technique is spray WD-40 into the throttle body to help start old tired engines - works at -20 every time.
Keep Vlogs coming
Thanks!
I wouldn't walk away from an MB in this condition - I would RUN😁 I once read that the best course of action when dealing with restoration of ANY vehicle is to find the best example of a restored car you can afford, and let the seller/restorer absorb the cost of restoration. Of course, there's nothing better than a well-preserved survivor. Thank you, as always, Iain.
Cars that supposedly have been restored are in many cases not 'well restored' - or as some say, the car was 'unsympathetically butchered and given a nice paint job'.
The best strategy is to find the best pristine, low km unrestored car possible that you can afford.
I’ve always loved the 600. It’s just gloriously excessive, but in a good way.
I also like it’s little brother, the 300SEL 6.3.
Both great cars
Hi Iain. Another fantastic video - I really enjoyed learning more about the mechanical side of these “beasts” - which are strangely handsome and menacing at the same time! I also liked the way that you explained how you would go about working out how to get it started - “armchair mechanics” such as myself love learning from the experts. The point you made about Super Unleaded fuel was good too - I always use Shell V Power (1990 XJ-S V12) because I was told to - now I understand why a bit better. It’s worth the extra money given the low miles that I do (3 - 4,000 per year) - and I get about 20mpg anyway which I think is more than decent for such a graceful drive. Anyway - well done again and take care. Peter
Thank you Peter, and thanks for your musical appreciation too!
For those interested Gary Mavers Classic Obsession has a set of Videos on restoring a Merc 600. I think Gary and Iain did a video recently
Gary has indeed owned a 600 for some time.:-)
Please make the ''Fuel consideration for classic cars '' ASAP !! This would help many of us ! Thanks!
Thanks for letting me know there is interest in this. It's on the list.
@@iain_tyrrell Great ! Please talk about people like us who have only access to 10% ethanol content fuel in Canada (E10) !!
Watching this from Qatar (as always). There is no limit to what Iain is capable of doing with a car. Amazing knowledge and wonderful to see this old girl fired up and running again.
Thank you!
@@iain_tyrrell My pleasure my friend - I have owned many many "tasty" cars over the years when I lived back in Ireland - BMWs of every shape and description ranging from 325is to 740is; Mercedes AMGs including SL55, SL63 and CLK55, and my pride and joy - a TVR Series 1 Tuscan which I enjoy whenever I am back.Here for the past 15 years or so, in Qatar, I have the pleasure of owning and driving a 2008 Land Rover LR3 (Discovery in the UK) 4.4 V8 HSE, a 2013 Range Rover Sport 5.0 V8 Supercharged and a 2010 Ford Expedition 5.4 V8 and love them all - with petrol at 44p a litre they are easy to love and enjoy. I drive them all the way they are meant to be driven. The highlights of my week however are 2-fold. Harrys Garage and your channel. I live my car dreams vicariously through you both but will never be anywhere close to being in either of your orbits unfortunately. Keep up the fabulous work you do in your Garage and on your TH-cam channel
That was brilliant Iain, I do hope there is going to be more on this Mercedes 600
Thanks! Yes, more on the way
Another fascinating video Iain. Over the years I've seen more than a few of these sitting behind dealers with the car sadly sunken. In part of the reason was until recently the market value was relatively low and the parts - when you could get them - in the stratosphere
Plus as you have said very few people really know these cars
Some thing I picked up from Road and track magazine years ago when they were a evaluating a 190 E and the Mercedes engineer
Well let's put it into any German automotive engineer
"Why make it simple if you can also make it complicated"?
Even the windows on these are hydraulically operated. They didn't want something so plebeian as an electric motor that made noise noise when moving the windows
And I believe they stopped making these around 1981. And almost 20 years of production a little over 2000 were made of which about 500 were the Pullman
And the engine went on to more legendary things such as powering the 300 SEL 6.3 and in modified form the W116 450 SEL 6.9
Road and track referred to these cars as "the bankers hot rod", capable of going all day at 140 miles an hour
They stopped selling these in the US around 1973, probably because of upcoming emissions and crash standards.
I don't think I've seen one in this country past 1970 but who knows?
No - I think 1972 was the final year they were sold here in the US.
I hope you don't have rust in the gas tank as many cars left for years will develop rust unless the tank had a full measure of fuel
You are certainly right about it being probably one of the most filmed cars in the movie world - even recent movies
I think these cars exude power and prestige far more than even their later attempts such as a modern Maybach.
They have always had a presence about them
But the cost of maintaining them! I've heard even the window switch on the drivers door is over $11,000
I think since this is a prestige car Daimler has made an effort through their parts inventory of keeping these cars on the road
And thanks to your shop for keeping this proud old car" back to this "style it is accustomed to"
Of the 2000 or so made I wonder how many are right hand drive? I'm sure many were sold in London and Hong Kong
Thanks Iain for going where few mortals dared before! Adventure doesn't quite capture the compelling unknowns in store. 'In crossing through the valley of 600-death, I fear no evil, cooling systems, transmissions, hydraulics, including All Seats movements..the neglected terror on four wheels 600 SWB' In this example present an owners' unparalleled opportunity for bankruptcy.
In mid-2010 era, Forbes magazine published the list of the worlds wealhiest family's.
Family the King of Thailand ranked first. Likely they could confidently afford their 600 LWB Pullman Landulette!
All so true…..
Love the ice blue. You rarely see that colour today.
They made a single one-off coupe Großßer (is that the spelling) but I don't know what happened to it
Yes Sir IAIN😍😍😍, what a treat to start the week👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Soo addicted to your channel😍😍😍
Thank you 👍 Glad you're enjoying the videos Salman
The 600 is my all time favourite - good to see one finally appear here. Love to see some geeky stuff relating to the comfort hydraulic system in another video
On the way…..
It started!
Took a bit of persuading, some of which you didn't see on camera.
Iain,
I do love my 59 Cloud 1. You are right the old straight 6‘s were much easier to maintain.
I met the designer of the Cloud and Shadow cars, John Blatchley in 1999 at his cottage in Hastings. He was such a gentleman. My wife and I took him to a local pub, and we had such a good time with him. I corresponded with him over several years. So sad he‘s not around anymore! Once RR came out with the Spirit range,
RR sort of lost it for me. They never built another good car after that! Very sad! All the class and romance of the Blatchley cars is gone! Don’t quite understand what BMW has done to the brand! I would much rather have a new Volvo,
At a fraction of the price! My wife put in an order for an all
Electric EX30! Iain, I love your shows here on your channel!
Please keep them coming!
Greetings from sunny California❤
Thank you! Greetings to you in CA too
The thinking dictators' choice of car.
They were quite popular, for some reason.
Yes, you wouldn't cut up a 600 driver unless you wanted to end up inside the hydraulic boot without your head!
Idi, Idi, Idi, Amin had one.
Bet you didn't know that he was also a cannibal.
Who doesn’t love a dictator with good taste 😄
@@returnofthenative Idi Amin had more than one. I believe he had a collection of them
Wonderful. First video after hollidays. I realy hope - as many others here - to have the pleasure to be seeing more from the 600's rebirth. One little note: maybe the Lincoln Continental (61 - 69) is even seen more often in movies then the 600? However, einmal mehr herzlichen Dank und viele Grüße aus Berlin
Thanks! Yes, love the Continental
I am soooooooooooooooooo looking forward to this series of videos! "Get out of the way peasants!" :)
😂 I couldn't help myself.
Iain, I am subscribed & like, & for 26 years I've been a Mercedes-Benz owner-driver, so I especially enjoy your M-B videos. I'm looking forward to your journey with this "Grosser/Der Grosse" (I'm fluent in German so I understand the variants). I must state that I was amazed that you got Dieser Grosse running in the condition it was--full marks. :)
Thanks, and hope you enjoy the journey!
Brilliant info looking forward for more
I for one would love to see the cleanup on this car. Love seeing a Car like this turn around as a nice honest old Car that is what it is. 😁👍
I intend to bring you more on this one
Iain, this was fascinating as usual. I owned a CX Prestige series 2, 1988, which was in need of cosmetic restoration only. My Pakistani mechanics at French Cars Motors Ltd in Riyadh found it abandoned at the side of the road somewhere near one of the princely palaces. I was there 1996 to 2000. They managed to get it started after God knows how long, probably a couple of years. It's a bit like seeing a stray dog running around long enough and looking for food before someone rescues it. The mechanics towed it back to their garage on a flat bed truck and completed an engine overhaul and body cosmetic rejuvenation in a couple of months. They renewed the fuels, oils, and hydraulic LHM, and I drove it to work every day for three years. The next owner, an English marketing executive, said he had one in England and knew how to drive one. The first morning he went to work he didn't let the car run a few seconds and he drove out of the basement garaging at about 20km per hour and while the slow suspension had risen he caught the bottom of the car on a steel vertical sharp pipe at the gate and unknown to him as he drove towards a sharp bend on the motorway, having lost most of the hydraulic liquid behind him on the road , he failed to take the corner hitting the steel fencing and plummeted down to the road beneath at 130 km per hr. The motto of the story is to wait for hydraulic suspension to rise on older cars before setting off. Why did he fail to take the bend? The steering, brakes and suspension were hyraulically controlled and there was none left in the reservoir. 😢😂
Oops….not good
Steering has a mechanical backup system, loss of hydraulics is not loss of steering (it becomes heavy, with a lot of play). He must have ignored multiple warning lights.
Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge and the work of your team. Also, it's a pleasure to listen to you, as English is not my mother's tongue.
Thank you
Wow, love these , always wanted one since i saw Jack Nicholson drive one, in the film The Witches of Eastwick ! I wonder if Jeremy Clarkson still has his green one
Delighted you like it. Yes - appeared in The Witches of Eastwick. Not sure about Jeremy's. Anyone know?
@@iain_tyrrell it’s a monster , please do a follow up video, before it heads to the Far East
@@miamimo70it’s heading to the Far East.
Just when I think it couldn’t get better, in rolls an Interceptor. Subscribed.
Too expensive for the South African Mercedes museum to restore. You are in at the deep end.
Fiendishly complicated machines these though the good news is one is unlikely to encounter much rust.
Jay Leno's with the supercharger is awesome. I would love to be able to afford a SWB to supercharge, and very very lightly restomod in a beautiful charcoal with black leather.
Oh, i am very sorry, having to tell you: Never was it called "Grosser" in Germany. Some english spoken person must have invented that, and all the others did copy that, beleiving this would be German. It is not. Grammatically with the ending "er" is never used. If at all, we would say the whole thing: DER GROSSE, but never alone, but added Mercedes. The most common naming is by far "Der 600er" And everybody would instantly know , that can only be that car and no other , not even the little Honda 600 from the same time. . Also, using the english meaning of "gross" always feels a bit like disgusting to us and never fitting. This car the opposite of disgusting. I did not mean to offend you personally, finding , that you are especially someone , who always takes the right effort with other languages, which i admire, and think this the right way to go. So, i also thought, you would be the right person to understand that, and would allow me to tell that.I did not try to tell Jay Leno the same thing. Love your channel, your humorous habits and your little nerdy moments.
I agree with what your saying but as a half German half Irish man who lives here in Germany mostly and works for Mercedes-Benz it’s what they call it themselves the “Grosser” you will even seen them on the museums on display as the “Grosser” when you google it comes up straight away this is Mercedes-Benz fault and creation nothing to do with the right German Grammer nobody needs to be corrected here that’s the name Mercedes put to the world
Like many others, I’d love to see a multi-part on this car. I’m sure every mechanical system on it is interesting. Also, I’ve got my fingers crossed for a piece on that white Lotus Esprit lurking in the background. Might it be time for Iain to put on the white tuxedo again?!
Yes, the white Esprit will indeed feature- and maybe a little tongue in cheek segment too:-)