Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3, serial number 004318 rolled off the assembly line at the factory in Stuttgart, Germany on April, 14, 1970. Silver with a burgundy interior, 004318 was an American specification machine prepped for European delivery. It's original owner, infamous film director Roman Polanski, was coming to Europe to escape the publicity surrounding the death of his wife, actress Sharon Tate, at the hands of the Manson Family. The Polish director ordered the car from Mercedes of Beverly Hills, and arranged for the car to be driven to Cannes, France, where he would be attending the international film festival.
The driver hired to deliver the car from Stuttgart to Cannes was an unemployed race driver by the name of Klaus Pach. Pach had driven briefly for the Porsche factory team, but was fired for being too hard on the equipment. There were also rumors that he had driven in the 1967 Targa Florio while intoxicated. While on the way to Cannes, Klaus stopped at the LeMans circuit in France to visit his friends participating in the 24-hour endurance race. After drinking a large quantity of champagne, the totally inebriated Pach made a wrong turn exiting the paddock. Unfortunately, this was onto the main straight of the track just as the race was starting!

After realizing his error, Klaus made the best of things and continued to race. He kept up with the leaders for several laps as the mighty M100 engine allowed him to keep pace with the factory Porsches, Ferraris and GT-40 Fords. Black flagged by the race officials, Pach ignored their order to pit, and soldiered on for nearly an hour before running out of gas. He coasted to a stop on the Mulsanne straight, where he was whisked off by the gendarmerie. The big Benz was impounded, and Polanski notified. The director was livid and refused to accept the car. It was then returned to the factory, who then shipped it to the original dealer in Beverly Hills.
The driver hired to deliver the car from Stuttgart to Cannes was an unemployed race driver by the name of Klaus Pach. Pach had driven briefly for the Porsche factory team, but was fired for being too hard on the equipment. There were also rumors that he had driven in the 1967 Targa Florio while intoxicated. While on the way to Cannes, Klaus stopped at the LeMans circuit in France to visit his friends participating in the 24-hour endurance race. After drinking a large quantity of champagne, the totally inebriated Pach made a wrong turn exiting the paddock. Unfortunately, this was onto the main straight of the track just as the race was starting!

After realizing his error, Klaus made the best of things and continued to race. He kept up with the leaders for several laps as the mighty M100 engine allowed him to keep pace with the factory Porsches, Ferraris and GT-40 Fords. Black flagged by the race officials, Pach ignored their order to pit, and soldiered on for nearly an hour before running out of gas. He coasted to a stop on the Mulsanne straight, where he was whisked off by the gendarmerie. The big Benz was impounded, and Polanski notified. The director was livid and refused to accept the car. It was then returned to the factory, who then shipped it to the original dealer in Beverly Hills.



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