Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 6.9

The 450 SEL 6.9 was the first range-topping S-Class to take the big-engined, understated saloon seriously. It cost roughly twice as much as a standard 450 SEL when new, so few were sold, and early owners included racing drivers such as James Hunt and Niki Lauda. Most have since had hard lives as high-speed continental cruisers, which makes an original, lightly used example hard to find.

This car was supplied new in left-hand drive through Garage Selvosa, the Mercedes-Benz dealer in Cannes. It was ordered in Silver Green Metallic with an Olive Green leather interior, and with air conditioning, cruise control, rear head restraints and a Becker Monza stereo. The first owner kept it until 1994, and it stayed in the South of France until 2007, when it moved to Germany.

It has since passed through a series of British owners and appeared at the Hampton Court Concours. The page cites 150,000 km from new, and describes the car as largely original and fully serviced recently. It comes with a history file containing the stamped service book and invoices, a full book pack, the original working stereo, a tool kit and a first aid kit.