Mis auto on Mercedes 600

[R129]

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In the period of reconstruction following the Second World War, the development of new special protection vehicles did not initially play a major role at Mercedes-Benz. The 600 model (W 100) was the first armored version offered after the War. A total of 26 sedans with short wheelbase, 17 Pullman sedans, and two Pullman sedans with raised roof were constructed from this model series with integrated special protection elements. The first 600 with armoring – one of the two Pullman sedans with raised roof – was completed in June 1965. It has remained in the Daimler-Benz AG fleet. These vehicles (the second version was built in 1980) are leased to customers such as the German federal government.
Mercedes-Benz offers Type 600 with a short wheelbase in two different protection categories: the N category has a bodyshell sheet metal thickness of 2.5 millimeters and 18-millimeter-thick side windows, while the A version has 3.5-millimeter-thick steel and 28-millimeter-thick side windows. Both versions are reinforced beneath with a six-millimeter-thick armored steel plate and fitted with all-round Kinon bulletproof glass. The front windshield is 10 millimeters thick, so as to keep optical distortions to acceptable levels, whereas the rear windshield is made from 60-millimeter-thick bulletproof glass. The center panel partition wall is made from 40-millimeter-thick steel.

Even in the lighter N version, the Type 600 with short wheelbase weighed 1,600 kilograms more than the corresponding production vehicle. In the case of the Pullman with long wheelbase, the additional weight of steel and glass amounted to as much as 2,000 kilograms. The engineers therefore decided to offer the long-wheelbase sedan only in the more lightly armored version. As part of the modification process, the armored 600s were given more than just a different body. Instead of the standard vacuum-controlled door locks, for example, they were fitted with different locks from the W 110/111 model series. The developers even adjusted the jack to cope with the dramatic weight increase of the special protection premium vehicles.
Part of the basis for the design of the special protective devices came from explosion testing carried out in January 1965, which Mercedes-Benz carried out in conjunction with the Baden-Württemberg state investigation office. The security specialists and designers decided to reinforce the floor units in the armored Type 600 with six-millimeter-thick special steel. However, other than this, armored steel plates such as those in Type 770 were no longer used in the rear or doors of the W 100 model series special protection vehicles. Instead, following the principle of integrated special protection, the steel and glass areas of the entire vehicle were modified and reinforced as required. This meant that there were no changes to either the track or external dimensions of the vehicles – which, in turn, meant that the armoring was not immediately obvious to observers.
While the tests quickly led to the construction of the first Pullman sedan with higher roof and high protection level, small series production of the armored vehicles of Type 600 did not start until six years later. Between May 1971 and November 1980, production comprised 26 sedans with short wheelbase, 16 four-door Pullman sedans, and a six-door Pullman sedan with special protection. A second armored Pullman sedan with higher roof followed in 1981.