When you were still allowed to show off
05/10/2015
A five-seater touring saloon with a 6.3-litre V8 engine and 250 hp at 4000 rpm was how Mercedes-Benz described the 300 SEL 6.3 in its advertising in 1968. One kilometer was covered in 27.1 seconds from a standing start, and 100 km/h could be reached from a standstill in 6.5 seconds. And all this with automatic transmission and plenty of comfort thanks to air suspension, power steering, power brakes, electric windows and central locking. At the time, the fast S-Class really was the fastest saloon in the world and one of the most expensive too. There were only a handful of cars that managed the standard sprint to 100 km/h in less than seven seconds back then, and Porsche was certainly not one of them with the 911.
So why be modest? In any case, the outstanding performance data was often mentioned in large letters in the advertising, only the price (around DM 40,000) was nobly concealed.
If you would like to know more about the Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3, please refer to our driving report , there is also a historical testand many pictures as well as even a brochureon Zwischengas. And, as you know, we have put together a whole series of magical pictures to accompany all the beautiful advertisements. For the sake of completeness, here is the full-page advertising illustration from 1968.
