Yes Sean, it was nice to meet up with you again. I don't think you had any problems fitting in nicely and thank you for that.
On mass produced cars, Citroens were the first to utilize a full hydraulic suspension system - as far as I know. Prior to the 6.9 hydropneumatic system, the W111/112 and W109 cars of the '60s and '70s used an air suspension system - probably somewhat easier to maintain than the later hydrpneumatic. In 1979, the 6.9s commanded a premium of 69K. German Marks, with the 450SEL M117 engined coming in at $45K. - 450SE - $40K. So you can see that the 6.9 engine, plus the hydraulic system, commanded a huge increase considering that the bodies were about identical, as were the gearboxes (small variations) as well as diffs and running gear (again very small variations).
When you then come to the '80s, the full hydropneumatic was then utilized, to special order, on the 560SELs. As a matter of interest Sean, the latest McLaren MP4PC (?) also employs a quite similar hydraulic system to activate its suspension. Regards Styria
N.B. There is a very comprehensive explanation of the McLaren system in another section of TK.
