Friday, May 6, 2016

Project Premiere/World Class, Day 6: Big Body Benzes


Yesterday, you saw the 2-door. Today, you will see the 4-door. One generation apart, but still the same good ol' German engineering. This is the Mercedes-Benz 600 SEL.


Today, still one of the most handsome and stately flagship luxury sedans out there, with its clean lines and classy, yet era-appropriate, two-tone trim. The SEL designation on this model means it's the long wheelbase variant. Aggressively off-set wheels and tires on a wealthy businessman's car? Sure, why not!


This also happens to be the first Matchbox Premiere release I've shown that features opening parts: in this case, opening doors! Being a luxury car, of course you would want the doors to open, such that you can access its lavish interior. Ironically, the big Benz has the least amount of interior detail of all the Premieres you've seen thus far. It's not bad, but it certainly doesn't scream flagship. A little touch of brown to mimic wood grain would've been nice.


I've got three different colorways here. The black and the white are standard Premiere releases. The blue one, I believe, is from the second set of JCPenny exclusives. It's a rare set that only pops up on the 'Bay every once in a while. And when it does, it's bound to be quite costly relative to other Premieres. I was lucky enough to obtain it in a large lot of loose Matchbox Premieres, at a great price no less.

I'm glad I did, because it's my favorite of the three. While I prefer the multi-spoke wheels of the others, the color is what sets the blue example apart. I almost always prefer metallics over gloss paints. You'll also notice that it sports a unique license plate. Matchbox loves throwing Easter Eggs on its cars in the form of clever plate slogans, and this one is no different.

So, what's left? There's one in a darker shade of blue, with the multi-spoke wheels and "600SEL" license plate. And I hear there's a European exclusive in green which will probably cost an arm and a leg. Much like the Benz itself.



















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