I remember seeing my first 600 in 1980. I don't recall the year of the car, but it was for sale for $24,000. It was silver, I think. Unfortunately, my father thought that a new 240D was a better choice. Talk about varying ends of the spectrum!

For the uninitiated, the 600 was introduced by Mercedes-Benz in 1963 as the car to take on Rolls-Royce and Cadillac as the epitome of the automobile. It was produced for 18 years with virtually no aesthetic changes, and every car was custom built to order. For the most comprehensive resouce on these cars, go to www.m-100.cc.

Over the next twenty years, I had seen a few 600s on the road - Leonard Tose, former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles (and former resident of my hometown), had one which I would see parked in his driveway. Or, I'd see one in a movie or a book. But I had never actually seen one up close.

That all changed in February, 2000, when I became the owner of a 1971 600 SWB, serial number 1806. This is a chronicle of how I got the car, and how its restoration is progressing.