Jay Leno Plays Dictator In His 1972 Mercedes-Benz 600: Video

If there's one thing Jay Leno's Garage is good for, it's variety. For a recent installment of the web series, the former Tonight Show host traded the high-tech supercars and esoteric steam-powered vehicles for something a little more Teutonic.

DON'T MISS: DynaSpike Aims To Making Ending Car Chases Safer: Video

The Mercedes-Benz 600 is the grandfather of today's S-Class, and it's acquired a reputation as the car of choice for dictators. Solid build quality and attention to detail still make these big sedans desirable today, if you can afford to maintain them.

If you think today's luxury cars are complicated, imagine if carmakers replaced all of those electronic gadgets with hydraulics. Nearly everything in the 600 is hydraulically actuated, including the windows, which is why the switches that control them cost $11,500 each to replace. Other amenities include reclining rear seats and a refrigerator in the center console—features not unusual on luxury cars today, but quite rare in the 1960s when the 600 was launched.