Hi everyone,
my name is Bernd, I'm a German and I am new here. The last time I have owned a W116 is now over twenty years ago. But this 450SE made at that time such a lasting impression on me that I have decided to write a book about W116 cars. It's not my first book about Mercedes cars, I have written around twenty so far, but it is my latest and has just been uploaded to Amazon.
In case you are interested, who this funny guy Bernd is, here is a link to my books on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=mercedes+koehling&crid=2288N83610PAQ&sprefix=mercedes+ko%2Caps%2C219&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_11
Or you just type Mercedes Koehling into the Amazon search bar.
There are not too many books about the W116 around, so if you allow me, I paste here the topics that I have tried to cover:
Developing the W116
The technical aspects
-The 3.5-litre V8 engine
-The suspension
The W116
The 450SE/SEL
The 450SEL 6.9
The 300SD
Updates and improvements
Special protection cars
The last W116
The experimental safety vehicles ESV
The introduction of ABS
The tuning scene
The coachbuilders
-Crayford
-Pollmann and Rappold
-Other conversions
Mercedes 450SE versus Cadillac Seville I
Technical chapters
The W116 VIN explained
The W116 data card explained
W116 buyers guide
Other issues to look out for
-Body
-Engines
-Suspension, steering, brakes, exhaust
-Interior
Which W116 to buy
W116 price development Feb. 2011 to Feb. 2019
Technical specifications
-General data
-Engines
-Performance data
-Transmission etc.
Power and torque curves
Rpm versus speed charts
The paint options
The upholstery choices
Production figures
W116 option codes
I hope that I haven't bored you too much with this. If you are interested, here is the link to the book on the Amazon US site. It's available under the same title in all other countries on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/MERCEDES-BENZ-1970s-W116-450SEL-Tuners/dp/1092819223/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mercedes+W116&qid=1555518107&s=books&sr=1-1
Or just look for Mercedes W116 under books.
Now of course I have to mention one last thing: should you find this message inappropriate for the W116.org site, I would like to apologize to you, but there are very few options for a small volume author like me to make his books otherwise known. And I thought that some of you might be interested in a book about the W116. It's available as soft-cover and e-book.
Many thanks and Happy Eastern to all of you,
Bernd
Bernd,
Thanks for sharing. I just ordered a copy and look forward to reading it. Your right, there is not much published on the W116 and I hope your book does well!
regards
Jed
Moin Bernd,
gibt es das Buch auch in deutsch bzw wird es in deutscher Sprache erscheinen ?
PS : Hab mir mal gerade die Kindle-Edition gekauft 8)
;) hi mynameisdaniel, just had a crack at using Google translator 8) I think it worked...
QuoteMoin Bernd,
Is the book also available in German or will it be published in German?
PS: I've just bought the Kindle Edition
G
Quote from: goldacre on 18 April 2019, 04:39 AM
;) hi mynameisdaniel, just had a crack at using Google translator 8) I think it worked...
QuoteMoin Bernd,
Is the book also available in German or will it be published in German?
PS: I've just bought the Kindle Edition
G
Moin Daniel,
ich schreibe meine Bücher auf englisch, um eine größere Leserschaft anzusprechen. Ein anderer Grund war, dass es zu vielen Autos, über die ich geschrieben habe, schon sehr viel in deutsch, aber nicht zuviel in englisch vorhanden war
I write my books in English to reach a larger audience. Another reason is, that for many cars I have covered in my books, there are already quite a few German books available, but not so many in English.
Bernd
Quote from: Jed on 17 April 2019, 08:35 PM
Bernd,
Thanks for sharing. I just ordered a copy and look forward to reading it. Your right, there is not much published on the W116 and I hope your book does well!
regards
Jed
Thanks, Jed. I hope, you'll like reading it
Good luck with your book! :)
Is there another way to obtain it that does not make me an an active partner to speeding up the end of the world by paying Bezos?
Just purchased the e-book version. nice info so far. Thanks for writing it and making it available in both formats.
Pete
Quote from: floyd111 on 18 April 2019, 11:00 PM
Good luck with your book! :)
Is there another way to obtain it that does not make me an an active partner to speeding up the end of the world by paying Bezos?
Hahaha, I know, what you mean. Unfortunately, this is the only way to get the book
I would think it's also a good thing for yourself to have a second platform for selling your book. I will patiently wait for that day.
ISBN is 978-1092819220
With this number every bookshop in the world should be able to get this book.
regards,
Thomas
Thanks for posting here Bernd, copy ordered!
Are you happy for me to post this on another Mercedes forum?
Hi Balfour,
many thanks and I hope, you'll like it. Yes, absolutely, please feel free to copy it to another Mercedes forum site.
Quote from: bskoehling on 22 April 2019, 09:59 AM
Hi Balfour,
many thanks and I hope, you'll like it. Yes, absolutely, please feel free to copy it to another Mercedes forum site.
Posted on the Mercedes-Benz UK Club forum. A few of the guys are on here also.
Best of luck with sales.
Hey, looks good! I just added it to my Amazon list and whenever I have some extra funds I'll check it out. Right now any spare pennies are going into getting my car into decent shape. Thanks for the info and best of luck in selling.
Hi Bernd,
I just ordered your book. Looking forward to reading it.
:D
Bernd,
This is a fantastic book! I particularly enjoyed all the information you provided on the VIN and data cards. I highly recommend this book to all W116 owners!
Kirk
Hi Bernd,
My copy arrived yesterday and I couldn't put it down. Thank you for writing such a wonderful book!!
Jeff
Book just arrived. Fantastic! This is a must-have for anybody owning a W116 and certainly anybody on this board. Great job, Bernd!
I've just finished the book (Kindle edition), and I must say I don't really share the enthusiasm. While the details on some of the more exotic conversions of the time were interesting and not common knowledge, there was not much new otherwise, and the subject matter just felt "glanced over" in most of the chapters.
You don't recommend to buy then?
Hello Bernd,
I purchased your book and it is very helpful. I have a question about the chrome wheel arch trim. Are those removable?
Thank you,
Andrew
yes, they are, but so sometimes they were installed to mask fender-rot, and if not, having trapped rain water for ages might land you with an unsuspected restoration of said fenders after removal of these arches.
But you may want to detect that type of corrosion better earlier than later, won't you?
I know I wouldn't sleep at night if I had them arch covers on my car. :)
Quote from: 90077merc on 06 December 2020, 11:16 PM
Hello Bernd,
I purchased your book and it is very helpful. I have a question about the chrome wheel arch trim. Are those removable?
They are removable if original fixed with small screws under the edge of the arch. If not then probably pop rivets which are easily drilled out. My 450SE had them from new. They were taken off for respray and I plan to replace them. I quite like them.
Thank you,
Andrew