W116
450SEL 6.9
The car behind the original Infiltrator 6.9 page and the earliest chapter of the domain.
MakeMercedes-Benz
Model450SEL 6.9
Chassis116.036
PowertrainM100 · 6,834 cc V8
Garage
Machines with personality.
Where the story started.
The early ssmithnet.net was about Mercedes-Benz. That history is still part of the site because it explains a lot about what came later: an appreciation for things that are engineered properly, refined over time and made to last.
Current · VIN verified
E 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Coupé
The car in the garage now: a 2011 Mercedes-Benz C207.
MakeMercedes-Benz
ModelE 250 CDI Coupé
Chassis / Baumuster207.303
Engine2,143 cc OM651 diesel
Power150 kW / 204 PS
Production12 May 2011 · Euro 5
VINWDD2073032F129158
Mercedes-Benz
The cars that started it.
The original subject of ssmithnet.net.
W116
280SE
One of the Mercedes that formed the original personal archive.
MakeMercedes-Benz
Model280SE
Chassis116.024
PowertrainM110 · 2.8 L I6
C126 · AMG
500SEC
The coupé that joined the original Mercedes story — and, importantly, it was AMG.
MakeMercedes-Benz
Model500SEC
Chassis126.044
Powertrain5.0 L V8 · AMG
Australian & other cars
The rest of the garage.
Different machinery, different eras.
Ford · Tickford LPG
EL Falcon
An earlier Falcon in the Australian chapter, with Tickford-installed LPG.
MakeFord
ModelEL Falcon
Chassis / SeriesEL
PowertrainPetrol / LPG · Tickford
Ford
XF Falcon
Another piece of the Falcon years.
MakeFord
ModelXF Falcon
Chassis / SeriesXF
PowertrainPetrol
Ford · BA · V8 · LPG
2003 Fairmont
A BA Fairmont with the 5.4-litre V8 and dual-fuel LPG.
MakeFord
ModelFairmont
Chassis / SeriesBA
Powertrain5.4 L V8 · Petrol / LPG
Holden
LC Torana
The little 1.1-litre four-cylinder version I had.
MakeHolden
ModelTorana
Chassis / SeriesLC
Powertrain1.1 L I4
Ford · BA · V8 · LPG
2004 LTD
The later Australian luxury-car chapter, also a BA with the 5.4-litre V8 and dual-fuel LPG.
MakeFord
ModelLTD
Chassis / SeriesBA
Powertrain5.4 L V8 · Petrol / LPG
Ford · AU Series II · LPG
Fairmont
An AU Series II Fairmont with the 4.0-litre engine and dual-fuel LPG.
MakeFord
ModelFairmont
Chassis / SeriesAU Series II
Powertrain4.0 L · Petrol / LPG
Land Rover
Discovery 2 TDI
A diesel 4WD chapter in the collection of interesting machinery.
MakeLand Rover
ModelDiscovery 2
Chassis / SeriesDiscovery II
PowertrainTDI diesel
Peugeot
504 Diesel
An old-school diesel that I ran on waste motor oil. The exact variant remains deliberately unspecified.
MakePeugeot
Model504
Chassis / Series504
PowertrainDiesel · waste motor oil
Philosophy
Engineering earns its place.
What matters across the garage.
Old, new, mechanical or digital: the interesting question is not how fashionable something is. It is whether it is genuinely the better solution.