Important anniversaries in the history of the Mercedes-Benz brand in 2023 14.02.2023: 60 years of the Mercedes-Benz 600 (W 100) This vehicle was a sensation at the 1963 International Motor Show. The brand advertised the new top model as “The ‘Grand Mercedes’ 600 – The exclusive vehicle of great prestige”.

    60 years of the Mercedes-Benz 600 (W 100)


    This vehicle was a sensation at the 1963 International Motor Show. The brand advertised the new top model as “The ‘Grand Mercedes’ 600 – The exclusive vehicle of great prestige”.


With luxury, comfort and driving safety, the “600” took the lead among the small group of exquisite, high-prestige cars. The Mercedes-Benz 600 was available as a Saloon, Pullman Saloon and Landaulet. It was produced in Sindelfingen in a hand-finished production process until 1981.





    60 years of the Mercedes-Benz SL “Pagoda” (W 113)


    In March 1963, the Mercedes-Benz 230 SL of the W 113 series replaced both the 300 SL Roadster (W 198) and the 190 SL (W 121) at the same time. It was the world’s first sports car with a safety body shell. This was a principle developed by Béla Barényi, featuring a strong passenger compartment and crumple zones.



The W 113 series was given the nickname “Pagoda” because of the concave hardtop: the silhouette of the roof is reminiscent of the Asian temples of the same name. Over the years until 1971, the W 113 was offered successively as the 230 SL, 250 SL and 280 SL.





    30 years of the 500 GE V8 of the 463 series


    The first G-Class model with V8 engine made its début in March 1993 at the Geneva Motor Show. The 500 GE V8 was the forerunner for the powerful and luxurious versions of the G-Class in the years that followed.


The M 117 V8 engine with two-valve technology developed 177 kW (240 hp) and 375 Newton-metres of torque from a displacement of 4,973 cubic centimetres. The top speed was 180 km/h, while acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h was achieved in 11.4 seconds.




    30 years of the C-Class of the 202 series


    In May 1993, Mercedes-Benz presented the second generation of the compact class. The successor to the successful “190” (201 series) established a new nomenclature in the brand’s model range: from that point on, the compact class was called the “C-Class”, in alignment with the familiar designation “S-Class”.


In the 1990s, this logic was also applied to the E-Class and G-Class, as well as to new model series such as the A, B and M-Class. Among other things, the first Mercedes-Benz C-Class introduced the concept of different design and equipment lines as well as additional active and passive safety systems to this vehicle segment.









    Peter Becker- photos Mercedes