1977 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9

1977 Mercedes-Benz 400-Series Description

Just over 1800 of these cars were officially imported into the USA. Only 462 in 1977.
The 6.9 was the "flagship" of the Mercedes Benz car line in its day, boasting a 250 horse power engine and riding on a hydropneumatic self-leveling suspension.
This 6.9 is a vehicle that has been in storage for quite some time. Maybe as far back as 1993.
The car was under roof the entire time, which saved it from the elements.
Interior:
The Creme beige interior is in surprisingly good condition. The leather seats are still supple with no rips or tears. Even the driver's bolster shows very little wear.
Carpets are in good condition with minor staining.
Dash has a few cracks and the clear finish over the wood trim is starting to turn opaque in some areas.
Exterior:
The garnet red color that it is now is NOT the original color. Looking at the color code on the radiator support, it was 906 from the factory which is a gray/blue metallic. The repaint seems to have been a complete and quality job. Engine bay, door jambs, etc had been repainted.
The current paint has a clear coat that has failed in many areas. Primarily on the passenger side and the hood.
Paint is starting to bubble at the rear fenders aft the rear doors.The bubbling areas are about 1" to 2" in diameter .
During the long period of storage, a rodent had nested beneath the cruise control actuator which resulted in a rust hole about the size of a quarter. Location is at the junction of the front inner fender and the firewall.
Engine:
The engine is completely seized. I attempted to loosen the pistons by removing the spark plugs and spraying some transmission fluid on top of the pistons in hopes that it would loosen any build up...unfortunately, it did not budge.
The engine is all complete, but in need of a replacement or rebuild.
General assumptions:
Since the car was sitting for an extended period of time, I would expect that many more repairs would need to be performed:

• fuel system
• brake system
• suspension system

Title:
I have a clear Tennessee title that the owner had released back in 1993. I have not transferred it into my name.