Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9

The Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 is the high-performance version of the W116 S-Class saloon, produced in very limited numbers from 1975 to 1980 and sold in North America simply as the Mercedes-Benz 6.9. It used the extended-wheelbase W116 platform with the M100 V8 of the 600, enlarged to 6.8 litres, and it was the first Mercedes-Benz with full four-wheel hydropneumatic suspension. In 1978 it became the world's first passenger car with a modern electronic anti-lock braking system, from Bosch. It was presented at the Geneva show in 1974 as the successor to the 300SEL 6.3, reached 100 km/h in 7.4 seconds and had a top speed of 225 km/h. A total of 7,380 were built.