**************Chassis*************
Sales designation: S600L [MODEL_IDX = 8]
Order number: 0 6 704 05992
Delivery date: 1996-03-04
Market: NA,North America
Production order: N
Paint code 1: 572
Paint code 2:
Equipment:565
Engine no.:120982 12 002918
Transmission:722621 00 011771[GA]
SA code:
214 ELECTRONICALLY CONTROLLED DAMPING SYSTEM (ADS)
251 RADIO MB-EXQUISIT - USA
340 ADDITIONAL 3RD STOP LAMP
405 RIGHT FRONT SEAT WITH MULTIPLE CONTOUR BACKREST
404 LEFT FRONT SEAT WITH MULTIPLE CONTOUR BACKREST
414 ELECTRIC TILTING/SLIDING ROOF IN GLASS VERSION
461 INSTRUMENT WITH MILEAGE READING READING AND ENGLISH LETTERING
494 CALIFORNIA VERSION
524 PAINTCOAT PRESERVATION
540 ROLLER BLIND, ELECTRIC, FOR REAR WINDOW
551 ANTI-THEFT WARNING SYSTEM
582 AIR CONDITIONER IN THE REAR - MODEL W/V140
636 ELIMINATION OF WARNING TRIANGLE
634 ELIMINATION OF FIRST AID BOX
668 662 + 666
806 MODEL YEAR 1996
810 SOUND PACKAGE (BOSE)
872 ELECTRIC SEAT HEATER FOR REAR SEAT BENCH, LEFT AND RIGHT
987 BATTERY CUT-OFF SWITCH FOR VEHICLES TO BE SHIPPED
Ruby is my third 140 and the first car I fully worked on.
When I was in elementary school, my grandpa would take me to the model store if I did well in piano class. Once I saw TAMIYA’s 1997 catalogue, although I am not old enough to complete a kit, but there are many cars in the catalog that I have not seen, then grandpa bought it for me.
The most impressive one is the red AMG 600 SEL. 140 was one of the most common cars in China in the 90s, but they were mostly black. First time I saw such an exotic example and knew about AMG. Since then, this image has been lingering in my brain.
Before Octavius comes up, my plan was to tune a car to what the TAMIYA catalog looks like, but then I don’t want to change color or anything of Octavius. Many years later, I think that childhood dream can be fulfilled in a more moral way – just seek out a V12 in pristine red. This is almost impossible in China, so with the opportunity to study in the US, I hope to honor my dream there.
I found an amazing 600 SEL from Japan in 587 Cabernet Red and 967A red velour interior, but it’s one year before my dispatch and I haven’t even got my visa yet, I don’t know how much trouble buying it in advance will cause. Finally, 3 months later it was sold at auction and a few months later it arrived in Poland.
In the end I had some compromises and have Ruby, it’s not the most ideal pre-facelift and is not in as good a condition as the Japanese examples, but I think the AMG for the facelift is not bad either, especially I saw a 1998 S 600 showing up in London, its image is another kind of seduction. And, 572 Ruby Red was an even rarer color, with only 4 of S 600s sold in the US in model year 1996.
US spec ars are generally lacking in personality, but the S 600 doesn’t disappoint. Ruby has an series of advanced system like ADS which I have never had before, and a luxurious 565A Exclusive leather interior with French seams.
Since I enrolled in the McPherson College Automotive Restoration system, every day I apply my newly learned skills to the engine bay of Ruby,We’ve had a lot of trouble, and we’ve made great progress in that garage. After my wife pregnant, I went back to China to live, and the Ruby and my other US cars remained there. Sooner everything would restart and finish.