Mercedes-Benz
600 special protection version (W 100)

Why it matters

The special protection 600 was the armoured form of the W 100, the Mercedes-Benz flagship limousine of the 1960s and 1970s, and it was never given a list price. The Mercedes-Benz archive documents only 26 of the short-wheelbase version, built between November 1972 and November 1980, which makes it a very small run even for a model that was itself built in low numbers.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

The archive lists the short-wheelbase protected car under type 100.012 and design name W 100. It uses the same M 100 V8 of 6332 cc and four-speed automatic as the unprotected 600, and the archive does not publish a kerb or gross weight because that depended on how much protective equipment was fitted to each car.

The longer protected Pullman saloons are catalogued as separate entries. The archive lists 16 four-door cars built between May 1971 and July 1980 (type 100.014), a single six-door car completed in November 1978 (type 100.016), and two cars with a raised roof whose production span is given as June 1965 to July 1981.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

The archive separates the protected 600 models by type number and size. The short-wheelbase car is type 100.012 with a 3200 mm wheelbase, 5540 mm length and 1485 mm height. The protected four-door Pullman saloon is type 100.014 and the six-door car is type 100.016, both on a 3900 mm wheelbase and 6240 mm long, 1570 mm high. All of them use engine type M 100 / 100.980. Kerb and gross weight are given only as "depending on the extent of the special protection equipment", so the weight cannot be used as a fixed identifier.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   600 (special protection version) / W 100, 1972 - 1980 (Classic M@RS) Level A Mercedes-Benz Group AG (Classic M@RS, Mercedes-Benz Public Archive)

   • Units produced : 26
   • Engine type : M 100 / 100.980 (Technical data)
   • Number of cylinders / arrangement : 8 / 90° V (Technical data)
   • Total displacement : 6332 cc (tax classification: 6289 cc) (Technical data)
   • Bore x Stroke : 103 x 95 mm (Technical data)
   • Compression ratio : 9.0 (Technical data)
   • Valve operation : 1 overhead camshaft per cylinder bank (Technical data)
   • Fuel system : manifold injection, mechanically controlled; Bosch 8-plunger injection pump (Technical data)
   • Rated output : 250 hp at 4000 rpm (Technical data)
   • Rated torque : 51 mkg at 2800 rpm (Technical data)
   • Gearing : 4-speed automatic transmission (Technical data)
   • Gear ratios : I. 3.98; II. 2.46; III. 1.58; IV. 1.0; R. 4.15 (Technical data)
   • Final drive ratio : 3.23 (Technical data)
   • Driven wheels : rear wheels (Technical data)
   • Frame design : floor assembly / steel unit body (Technical data)
   • Front-wheel suspension : double wishbone (Technical data)
   • Rear-wheel suspension : single-joint swing axle with level control (Technical data)
   • Brake system (foot brake) : hydraulic dual-circuit brake system with pneumatic booster, acting on front- (Technical data)
   • Steering : recirculating-ball power steering (Technical data)
   • Wheelbase : 3200 mm (Technical data)
   • Length : 5540 mm (Technical data)
   • Width : 1950 mm (Technical data)
   • Height : 1485 mm (Technical data)
   • Front / rear track : 1587 / 1581 mm (Technical data)

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   Mercedes-Benz Classic M@RS archive – 600 (special protection version) Level A

   • 26 special protection versions

   Accessed 2026-11-12