This thread contains accepted Concours d'Cancelation entries in the Cars of Mercedes-Benz Class - Presented by Mercedes-Benz Classic Center
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This thread contains accepted Concours d'Cancelation entries in the Cars of Mercedes-Benz Class - Presented by Mercedes-Benz Classic Center
Comments are locked at this time.
Car: 1965 Mercedes-Benz European Market 230SL Roadster/Coupe
Owner: John Betsch
Location: Southold, New York
Proposed Class: (1) Mercedes (2) Sports & GT Cars (1960-1969)
Completing assembly May 17,1965 and delivered to Köln Germany, numbers matching 230SL presents in its original as-built factory specification of Red Metallic (DB571), Light Antique Yellow Leather Seating (DB213), Black Square Weave Carpeting, and the proper grey anthracite footwell mats. European-market bubble headlights, Hella Halogen driving lamps and the optional rear mounted Autobahn Fog Light (462) are present with an original Phoenix Aktiengessellschaft Tire preserved and mounted in the boot for authenticity.
Paint refresh was completed by the Klaus Riedlinger Karosseriebau in Uhldingen-Mühlhofen in 1980; body paint has not been touched since 1980. The SL was brought to the United States by its German owner Alois Eibner, acclaimed ESA Rosetta Spacecraft engineer and the SL has been with its present owner for over thirty years with continued refinements. It is both a Best in Class and Best in Show winner.
Accepted & participated in Greenwich Concours d’Elegance, Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival and Concours d’Elegance (2019) and also accepted for the Radnor Hunt Concours d’Elegance(2020)
1927 Mercedes Model K Fleetwood Roadster
Owners: Michael and Joannie Rich
Location: Orwigsburg, PA
Proposed Class: Mercedes
In 1926 the Mercedes-Benz model K became the world’s fastest touring car with the top speed of nearly 100 mph. The letter K stood for “Kurz”, or short, as it used a shorten chassis based on the Mercedes-Benz 165 hp. The six cylinder engine was derived from the 630K, with a larger supercharger similar to the one fitted to the later S models. The body for this unique model K was ordered by William Sloan of New York, founder of Sloan Plumbing Products, after seeing the Isotta Fraschini Roaster bodied by Fleetwood for Rudolph Valentino at the 1926 New York Auto Salon. Michael and Joannie Rich acquired the car in 2018 and restored it back to its original glory and colors.
Car: 1992 Mercedes-Benz 300TE
Owner: Jake Mays
Location: Reisterstown, MD
Proposed Class: Cars of the '80s & '90s
Details: This W124 wagon was located on eBay in Vernon, New York. The seller had purchased it for his collection and enjoyed it for a couple years and decided to part ways for a new adventure.
This car is completely original and was meticulously maintained by its 3 previous owners. It showcases the era that is argued to be Mercedes-Benz' best in terms of build quality and timeless design. It's been to numerous events in and around the Mid-Atlantic region and with 183,000 miles currently on the odometer, this utilitarian Teutonic machine is only just broken-in.
1966 Mercedes 230SL Coupe / Roadster
Lowell Paddock, New Preston CT
Mercedes Class
I had wanted to buy a Pagoda for many years and decided to search in earnest when I moved to the Frankfurt area in 1998 to work for Opel. After many months of looking at cars around Europe, I found this example at the Essen Motor Show in 1999. Orginally owned by a French school teacher who was seasonally posted to Madagascar and stored the car at the French Mercedes distributor Royal Elysées while traveling, it was purchased in 1978 by another French teacher based in Claremont, California, and spent the rest of its life there until my purchase. I decided to undertake a nearly full restoration by Mainz-based Mercedes specialist Walter Pusch, rebuilding the engine and suspension and refinishing the body in its original Weissgrau (white grey) shade. The interior, clothed in hardy MB-Tex, is largely original, though the seats were rebuilt with new springs and padding, but still retain their original covers. The rear taillamps have since been replaced with extremely rare French-market versions, which feature amber reversing lamps. The car won its class at the 2018 Lime Rock Sunday in the Park Concours.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL (Gullwing)
Owner Bob Torre
Proposed class: Mercedes
This 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL “Gullwing” went into storage in 1975 and remained there until 2018. Apart from a mechanical refreshment, it appears exactly as it did after being hidden away for over 40 years.
Text from Sean Smith (photographer)
When we last spoke of Randy, Bob and R&R Restorations we mentioned soon after they opened the shop they were told of a unicorn, A Mercedes that had been in a building for many years. It wasn’t clear as to what type of Mercedes it was. It was from the 50s. Was it a 190 SL, was it a 300D, was it a 300SC, could it be another 300SL roadster?
First they were told it was in a body shop in pieces, then they were told it’s at the owner’s house, finally, it came out it was at the owner’s business. When they arrived at Double Z Motors in Fishkill they discovered it was a true unicorn, it was a 1955 300SL Gullwing that had been sitting in the building since 1974.
Peter Zalys was a senior in high school when he and his dad got the car. His father owned an automotive breaking yard, but had a love of exotics and had rebuilt a number of them through the years.
Peter came across a minuscule ad in the New York Times offering a Gullwing for $7,000.00 a hefty sum for a used car at the time, but it was a Gullwing. Pete and his dad drove up to Albany to take a look. Of course when they got there they fell in love and the Mercedes came home with them.
It became Peter’s daily driver, but no one at school really noticed the old car he was driving. His classmates were into their Camaros and Mustangs.
Pete went off to college and had to park his Gullwing on the street, as freshmen were not allowed to have a car on campus. It became a hassle and then the injection pump started to run rich and then there was the problem of having to open the door to pay the toll on the Tappan Zee bridge. The 300SL got put away in favor of more practical transportation and to take care of the mechanicals at a later date.
And then life happened.
The shop moved from another location and the Mercedes got put on a lift in the new building had a car cover from a Corvette thrown over it and up it went, to sit for decades.
Peter always thought he would get to his 300SL, but all sorts of other projects seemed to get in the way or come first.
Then Peter had some heart issues. He had a discussion with his wife and they decided it was time to move the Gullwing on.
But Peter didn’t want just anyone to have the car he had loved and had so much respect for all those year it had to be the right person. He didn’t want someone to snatch it up just to flip it for a quick profit and he didn’t want to see it end up in an auction going to the highest bidder.
When Torre, his son Robert and Randy arrived at Double Z, Peter very nonchalantly told them the car was in the back of the building. Bob sat and talked to Peter as Randy looked over the car. If you looked past the flaking paint and the few bumps and bruises it had accumulated over its life it was an extremely solid car that had never been apart, it was a true survivor.
Torre explained to Peter what he hoped to do with the car at his shop. He wanted to bring it back to life, but not do a full-blown restoration. he wanted to preserve the hard-earned patina and make it a driving machine. And he had wanted a Gullwing for so, so long there was no chance in hell he would ever sell it.
Peter could sense that Torre was sincere and was going to love and respect the Mercedes as he had and was going to be able to breathe life back into the car and do what Peter was hoping to do for so many years. They shook hands and a deal was made.
The day came when the Gullwing would see the light of day after more than 4 decades. Amazingly the tires still held air and the brakes weren’t frozen. It came off the lift and was pushed out of the building, it was an amazing contrast to all the carcasses of newer junked cars that it had been surrounded by for so many years.
Next, it was on to a trailer and back to R&R for a closer evaluation. On arrival, Randy hooked a battery up to the car and amazingly the wipers, lights and turn signals all worked. Even the gauges were all in working order. Other than the paint falling off with a little help it would be ready for a new life.
At that point, they started to disassemble what was necessary. The engine was taken out for machining, all rubber hoses that had perished would be replaced. Every inch was gone over, all the electricals and wiring were checked, brakes and brake lines were gone through. In the end, the only things that were replaced were the gas tank, headliner and some carpet and directional signal lenses.
The Gullwing was amazingly original.
One clue as to how early the car was its tach went from 0 to 8000 compared to the later ones that went from 500 to 7000. The Mercedes had one minor flaw. It had a later star in the grill. R&R created a new concave star and new wings surrounding it to have the correct period look. They even kept the old wheel weights and rebalanced the wheels with them.
All this was being done on the side as Randy and Oliver took care of all the customer cars that were coming through the shop. It was then decided that the Gullwing would make its debut at the inaugural 2019 Audrain Motor Week in Newport Rhode Island. If that was not enough two weeks later the Gullwing would participate in a 300 SL Rally, a 1000 plus mile jaunt around the west.
The push was on.
Everything came together and a week before the Concours the engine was being broken in and the first miles the Mercedes would travel in 44 years were covered. They started slowly taking it around the block watching the gauges and bring it back and checking for leaks. The old beast was getting a new lease on life and was responding beautifully. Bob was like a 5-year old at 2 AM on Christmas morning, he wanted to drive the car, but Randy kept him on the break-in schedule.
The Gullwing arrived in Rhode Island with 275 new miles on the clock. It commenced to create a stir everywhere it went around Newport. Even with all the other exotica on the tour, people’s eyes were drawn to the green Gullwing, its personality was shining through, failing paint and all and it performed like the thoroughbred it was. The Mercedes was a favorite on Belleview Avenue. The crowd loved the cars originality, no one thought it should be restored.
The next day at The Breakers the 300SL fit right in on the show field and didn’t look out of place. This was the first year of the Concours and there were no other preservation cars to do battle with so the Gullwing was in the sporting car class 1955 to 1959, there would have been grumbling if it took best in class, but the attendees loved it so much it took home the people’s choice award. A perfect way to end the weekend and the previous year’s odyssey of being brought back to life.
But it’s not over yet. The Gullwing went back to R&R and gone over again for its next adventure the 1,192-mile Mercedes Benz 300 SL Classic through Utah and Arizona.
A trial by fire, maybe, but nothing is stopping this Gullwing now that it has felt sunshine on its roof again. Onward!
Car: 1986 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16
Owners: Jeffery Wong
Location: Foothill Ranch, CA
Proposed Class: Mercedes
Details: This 1986 Mercedes-Benz was purchased with the original intention to build a track car, however, as work progressed on the paint, suspension, and interior, it became a full restoration. The car was painted in Obsidian Black (DB197) and the sunroof was removed with factory slick top sheet metal. Several other 16Vs were purchased and parted to provide original parts that have become NLA and the best possible interior. Modifications and changes include larger front and rear calipers from the R129, Koni adjustable shocks with rear SLS delete, full custom exhaust including the header, radio and AC delete, Wavtrac LSD, and more.
Car: 1994 Mercedes-Benz E320 Cabriolet
Owner: Arman Sezenol
Location: Orange County, CA
Proposed Class: Mercedes
Details: My father found this car posted on craigslist and tried to make contact, the seller did not respond for over a year. He coordinated the deal and we secured the car a year later in 2014. Unfortunately the previous owner who acquired the car in the late 90s as the 2nd owner lost interest in the car and there were many issues with it all around. I was developing a great interest in this period’s tuner AMG. I started collecting as many parts as I could find. I started to restore the car mechanically about a year ago and also reconditioned the AMG body pieces as well which I added on.
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