This Cannon-all veteran Mercedes 450SEL 6.9 is for sale on Bring a Trailer

. This Mercedes 450SEL 6.9 is said to have finished second in the 1979 Cannon-all Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Cup.

. The car has 45,000 miles on it and benefited from a recent major service.

. The auction ends Sunday, July 2.

For a while, the Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 was the fastest sedan in the world. So it’s not surprising that people eventually ran the Cannon-all Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Cup. And now your hard-earned money can put a (supposedly) small piece of auto counterculture and civil disobedience history in your garage.

Up for auction on Bring a Trailer — which, like Car and Driʋer, is part of the Hearst Autos group — is a 1978 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 with an interesting pedigree. According to the seller, this car is believed to have finished second in Cannon-all’s final running in 1979. There is no paper trail linking it to such a performance, but according to the race report In the final race, the 6.9 finished in second place, some eight minutes behind the winning Jaguar XJ-S.

Regardless of the accuracy of these claims, this isn’t the first time this particular version of 6.9 has passed BaT’s virtual auction block. The car was listed in 2017, but the final price of $26,000 didn’t reach reserve. Since classic car prices have reached the ionosphere over the past few years, we wouldn’t be surprised if current prices rise to a higher level.

Despite the 6.9-inch bar on the backpack, this 450SEL gets its maximum power from a 6.8-liter SOHC V-8 that, when new, had 250 horsepower and 360 pound-feet of torque. -feet—numbers enough to propel the Aig Benz to 60 in 7.1 seconds and to a top speed of 130 mph. Since this car was acquired by the current owner in 2020, the eight-cylinder engine has had new gaskets and cooling system components, in addition to a new battery and air conditioning compressor. A three-speed automatic transmission handles shifting, and it has also been serviced. The 6.9 is also equipped with hydraulic suspension and again it has recently been in the spotlight.

The 6.9’s leather interior looks well-maintained, although its factory Becker stereo is now hooked up to aftermarket speakers. Some work has been carried out here since 2020, including a door lock repair service operated by ʋacuuм and the renewal of wooden trim. The article notes that cruise control doesn’t work so hopefully your right foot is still working.