A career devoted to the Mercedes-Benz 600
The Mercedes-Benz 600 was not a run-of-the-mill model you could order at the dealer and drive off the lot. The clientele consisted mainly of business owners, artists, actors, and heads of state who did not fancy visiting a showroom for a sales pitch, a cup of coffee and a brochure. They expected a royal treatment. Peter Schallhammer was part of a task force that travelled the globe to deliver 600s, educate chauffeurs and mechanics and repair the cars in case of emergency.
When we meet Peter Schellhammer (1939) at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, he approaches us energetically and introduces himself in fluent English. Schellhammer has been retired for thirty years, though by his own account he only truly slowed down a few years ago. ‘After my retirement I remained active at the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in Fellbach, because the number of 600 specialists within Daimler could be counted on one hand,’ he explains.
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