Mercedes-Benz Grosser 600

[LabelKing]

Here is a nice brief feature on the Mercedes-Benz W100 Grosser 600:

 

[imageWIS]

The new version:

New name, same company, same concept.

Jon.

 

[Nantucket Red]

That is nice. Thanks for posting this.

My father used to make the rounds of every car dealer to see the cars and get the dealer's literature, perhaps even occasionally test drive a car. Apparently, he began taking me with him from a very young age. Family lore has it that when he took me to the Mercedes dealership, I strode straight up to the salesman (toddled may be more accurate) and said, "I'd like to see the 600 Pullman please." The salesman very politely explained that they didn't have one and apologized. I must have been very young because I don't remember it.

It's nice to get a bit of historical perspective on the car and learn about its performance.

 

[LabelKing]

Originally Posted by imageWIS

The new version:

New name, same company, same concept.

Jon.
I don't like the new Maybach; it's very derivative-looking. It lacks the severity of the old Mercedes-Benz nor does it have the presence of the original Maybach.

As well, you can't even see the emblem when driving the new Benz cars!

 

[Nantucket Red]

Last night on the way to a friend's party, a 600 Pullman stopped at a light not ten feet from where I was standing. It's the first time I've ever seen an actual one.

 

[Full Canvas]

After moving to La Jolla in the late 1960s, I regularly spied a deep blue 600 Pullman being chauffeured around the village. The rear curtains were always closed. It wasn't long before I was informed that the enigmatic Clifford Graham was the car's passenger. Graham was the founder of a chain of photo-processing stores known as Fotomat. Each day he was driven into town from his home (the old Bing Crosby estate) in Rancho Santa Fe. Graham liked the high life! He claimed that his very Pullman was acquired from the Vatican and had previously whisked the Pope hither and yon. Who knows?

Fotomat went public in 1970 or 1971 and shareholders eventually became disenchanted with Graham. After his ouster from Fotomat, Graham founded Au Magnetics in the early 1980s. He was written-up in the local newspapers as the man with the Midas touch. Supposedly this new company had a secret process to extract gold from sand. After bilking investors in Au Magnetics for as estimated $10-15,000,000, Graham disappeared while under federal investigation. He was subsequently indicted for various tax and securities violations. He has never been seen since.

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