Lot 31: Mercedes-Benz 450SEL

Rounding off a quintet of 4.5-litre V8 S-Class Mercedes in our sale today, this is the Big Daddy of the bunch, a 1975 long-wheelbase SEL model that was tailor-made for the chauffeur-driven business and diplomatic elite of the 1970s. Sharing the tank-like build quality of its other smaller siblings, it can still whisk five occupants down the autobahn at speeds of up to 130mph in conditions of reassuring luxury. Finished in Metallic Blue with blue cloth upholstery, this particular example is described by the vendor as being in "very good overall" condition with regard to its engine, automatic transmission, bodywork and paintwork, while he considers the interior trim to be "exceptionally good." Reportedly a three owner car that has covered a mere 56,000 miles from new (a figure substantiated by a large amount of service history), 'GSR 11N' is understood to remain "very original". Riding on factory alloy wheels, this imposing Mercedes-Benz is offered for sale with the aforementioned service history and MOT certificate valid until November 2009. It also comes with a 1975 copy of Autocar that carries a lengthy road test of the model. Still barely run in and with decades of useful life ahead of it, this would be ideal for a limo hire company  or just to run a bunch of mates down to the pub in classic retro-seventies style, where other patrons will be doubly impressed by the 6.9-litre badging on the boot...