The official Mercedes-Benz Club Founded 1952

Gazette
September 2015
The official Mercedes-Benz Club
Founded 1952
In this month’s issue
CLS running report
SLK Day
R107 350SL
over-fuelling
Contents
Board of Directors
Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Ian Keers OBE
Vice Chair and Membership Services Director
Rosemarie Maslin
Finance and Internet Services Director Kenny Ooi
Company Secretary Phil Greaves
Marketing Director and liaison with
Mercedes-Benz UK Michael Chapman
Technical Director Jeremy Stevens
Regional Development Director Trevor Mitchell
Club Services Director Tony De Frates
30
Correspondence for Club Directors should be sent
to: The Mercedes-Benz Club, PO Box 284,
Stamford PE9 9BY
Honorary President John Surtees OBE
37
Honorary Life Vice-Presidents
Tina Bellamy, Erika Gupwell, Jacqueline White,
Roger King, Vic Harris, Chris Cloke and Nicky Porter
Founder R H Johnson
Past Presidents G C Monkhouse (1952-1971),
Interregnum, Roger King (1989-1992),
Tina Bellamy (1992-1995), Interregnum
33
Past Chairmen C W E Kerr (1955-1963),
A J Ray Whiteway (1963-1970), John Barley (19701975), Gerald Coward (1975-1982),
Dr Herbert Ochs (1982), Roger King (1982-1989),
Jacqueline White (1989-1996), Mike Powell
(1996-2003)
Mercedes-Benz Silver Star Winners
Ron Cushway (deceased), Tina Bellamy,
Roger King, Gordon Hoey (deceased),
Jacqueline White, Maurice Stapleton (deceased),
Vic Harris, Mike Powell (deceased) and Steve Emeny.
This is a rarely made award from the Mercedes-Benz Museum
in Stuttgart to club officers who have made a particularly long
and distinguished contribution to their club.
Help for Heroes
is the Mercedes-Benz Club’s
adopted charity
The ‘Good Garage Guide’ and contact details for all Club
Officials can be found in the Club Directory distributed
with the June Gazette. The password for access to the
Members’ pages of the Club website is no longer required
as this is now controlled by membership number.
Advice and recommendations in the Gazette are
given in good faith by the authors concerned, but neither
they nor the Mercedes-Benz Club Ltd will accept
responsibility for any direct or consequential loss or
damage resulting from persons acting on such advice
or recommendations.
Reproduction of any part or whole of this
magazine is prohibited, unless written permission has
been obtained from the Editor.
Gazette copy dates
November closes September 11
December closes October 16
Published by the Mercedes-Benz Club Ltd
Editorial Office: Chris Bass
94 Connaught Road, Brookwood,
Woking, Surrey GU24 OHJ.
Tel: 01483 481836.
E-mail: [email protected]
Advertising, Design and Production:
Hine Marketing, Hill Farm Studios,
Wainlodes Lane, Bishops Norton
Gloucestershire. GL2 9LN
Tel: 01452 730770
E-mail: [email protected]
Gazette distribution queries:
Rosemarie Maslin,
PO Box 284, Stamford PE9 9BY
Tel: 01780 460922
E-mail: [email protected]
4
PubMeets DiaryDates
5
InvitationRecieved
7
News&Views
38
14 YourLetters
18 ClubShop
20 ViewPoint
Features
22 Car of the month
24 The best of both worlds
27 SLK Day
30 SL Day
31 National Concours scores
33BTCC
34 Driving Wales
37 From the Archive
38 F1 news
TechnicalCorner
40 R107 350SL over-fuelling
45 Spares register
45 RegionalReports
72 NewMembers
73 Back numbers
73 Special notices
77 CarsforSale
Membership benefits
■ First ever Mercedes-Benz Club –
founded 1952
■ Only UK club recognised by
Mercedes-Benz
■ Monthly Gazette
■ Technical support
■ Free access to the Mercedes-Benz
■ Electronic Parts Catalogue and
Workshop Information Service
■ Discounted insurance
■ Club shop
■ Local, national and international
events
■ Discounts from many MB dealers
■ Members’ website forum
■ Free subscription to Mercedes-Benz
Classic magazine
■ Discounts from parts suppliers
■ Discounts from hotels and ferry
operators
For membership and general enquiries telephone 0845 6032660
www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk
www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk • SEPTEMBER 2015 • 3
News&Views
Peter Dance Trophy
It was recently drawn to my attention that the Peter Dance Trophy seems to have gone missing.
It used to be presented at Uxbridge Autoshow each year but some time ago it went AWOL.
Perhaps a previous winner still has it. If by chance you have the Peter Dance Trophy and are
wondering what to do with it please get in touch and I will arrange for it to be collected so that
it can be recommissioned for future use.
Peter Dance was a prominent local Member from the South East who was very
knowledgeable on all matters to do with Mercedes-Benz. A couple of years before he died in
2005 he presented a trophy to the Club to be awarded annually at Uxbridge Autoshow for the
best car restoration. When Melvyn Meloy won it his car had just been restored and the photo
shows the car with two trophies; the Peter Dance is the cup. The wine-cooler type trophy is
the Charles Bevan which was awarded as the people’s choice of car they would most like
to go home in. Although Melvyn brought both trophies back the Peter Dance subsequently
went missing.
Tony De Frates, Director Club Services
Kop Hill Climb
Further to the articles in ‘Regional reports’ (Cambridgeshire, July and London, August) on
this event, scheduled for September 19-20 at Princes Risborough, Club Official Michael
Morrison says, “The reason I have worked to get the Club involved in this major event was
to help Model Register Captains for the older models to have an event that is specific to their
particular models.” The Club stand will be for cars that are more than 40 years old, ie pre1975, or for cars where production began before 1975, eg W114/5s, R and C107s and W116s.
The cost of having a car on the Club stand will be £20 for one day or £30 for the two days.
For those wishing to attend, all that is needed is to visit the website www.kophillclimb.org.uk
and click on ‘Entrants’, which is the third option on the top listing. Choose ‘Book Now’ and
then follow the middle section ‘Paddock Display’ to a box in dark green labelled ‘NEW TO
KOP HILL’. Read and accept the ‘Display Regulations’ and fill in the required boxes on the
left-hand side of the page. Under ‘Parking Location’ choose ‘The Mercedes-Benz Club’ (note,
it’s under T rather than M). Continue until you have paid the relevant fee.
Wyn Meloy with her and husband Mel’s
car. The cup on the right on the bonnet
is the Peter Dance Trophy.
Brittany Ferries –
discount renewed
for 2016
I am pleased to announce that, following
a number of Club Members asking to
make bookings for next year, the discounts
offered by Brittany Ferries on crossings and
holidays, will be continued in 2016 – details
in the Club Directory.
James Lloyd
D *!
VE N T
SI E N
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EX B W DIS
U T
CL KE
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*Club ticket (adult 16 years+) offer only applies to Saturday and Sunday, and only when booked
in advance. Club single ticket offer is limited to four tickets per member and the club family
ticket offer is limited to one family ticket per member. A family ticket admits 2 adults and up
to 3 children (5-15 years). Book before Saturday 31st October 2015 at midnight and you will be
automatically entered into our free prize draw to win a car. Hand in your ticket stub or
print-at-home voucher to your club’s stand and they will benefit from a commission.
**Calls cost 10ppm plus standard network charges. All bookings are subject to a single transaction fee
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www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk • SEPTEMBER 2015 • 7
News&Views
Auction news
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed sale included this
ex-Bill Wyman 250S (£20,700)...
...this 190SL (£102,300)...
As the summer hotted up the auction scene became extremely busy, with
most of the major players in action.
Bonhams held a lively sale at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed,
with 11 Mercedes in the catalogue, eight of which found new homes. A
pair of cars from Rolling Stone Bill Wyman’s stable included a nice 1966
250S in blue with beige interior claiming a high price of £20,700. A 1966
230SL Pagoda in red with tan leather went for £73,200 and a 1968 lefthand-drive 280SL in black with a tan interior re-trim was £66,500. A 1959
190SL with hard-top, charming in light yellow with black interior sold for
£102,300.
A 1956 300Sc coupé in black with maroon leather and fitted luggage,
once the Swedish embassy car in Prague, sold well below estimate at
£281,500 and a 1958 300SL roadster in silver with maroon trim, new in
Guatemala and believed to have only covered 34,500km, did not attract
quite enough interest during the sale but sold immediately afterwards for
£807,900.
There were two ‘super-cars’, a 2005 SLR McLaren in silver with red
trim, new to the Bellesconi family and with just under 5,000km made
£203,100, and an ultra-rare 1998 CLK GTR cabriolet, one of only six
made and the only black one, owned by Mercedes-Benz itself until 2014
and with only 8,000km sold for £1,513,000 as anticipated.
H&H held sales at Duxford and the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ meeting
at Burghley House selling the following:
1964 230SL red/black and grey trim, left-hand-drive £34,160
1969 280SL metallic red/black MB-Tex, 89,000 miles £61,600
1985 500SL gold/brazil trim, original steering wheel available £8,400
1986 420SL diamond blue/cream interior, 69,000 miles £17,920
1987 560SL red/mushroom leather, US spec £17,360
1989 300SL red/beige leather, 73,000 miles £14,168
SWVA in Poole featured some cheaper cars:
1972 250CE light blue/blue leather, 113,000 miles, for restoration £4,028
1974 220 blue/beige MB-Tex, 87,000 miles with one family £7,526
1990 300SL-24, black/grey leather, 120,000 miles £3,180
1990 230TE grey/grey cloth, 43,000 miles with two owners £3,392
1990 560SEC black/beige leather, 110,000 miles £7,208
1992 260E black/grey cloth, 106,000 miles £500
1994 E220 coupé, silver/grey cloth, 231,000 miles, 13 service book
stamps £650
Charterhouse in Shepton Mallet occasionally features some decent
Mercedes and they sold a 1963 190SL in white with four previous owners
for £68,000 and a 1981 280SL in gold with beige MB-Tex and cloth
interior and only 63,000 miles for £9,475.
Barons at Sandown Park held two sales over the period with a good
selection of Mercedes on offer selling mostly at under the £10,000 price
bracket:
1961 180 blue/red leather, barn find £4,268
1963 500K ‘evocation’ in white and brown/black leather, 2.8-litre Ford
engine and gearbox, 2,000 miles since built £10,000
1977 350SL gold/beige £4,040
1977 200 W123, sahara yellow/beige, 30,000 miles only £4,716
1982 500SL signal red/black £9,170
1987 300SL silver/grey, five owners, 19 service book stamps – well above
estimate £10,876
1987 300SL white/black, 194,000 miles, 22 service book stamps £7,068
1990 300SE cream/brown cloth £1,916
1991 300CE silver/black, ex-Guernsey £3,204
1992 320CE red/beige leather, only 30,000 miles, 10 service book stamps
£4,600
1993 500SL white/blue £5,830
1995 SL280 silver/black, registered C10 RAB £6,060
1996 SL320 white/beige, registered P1 MJG £5,500
1998 SL320 aquamarine blue/beige, 15 service book stamps £4,212
2000 CLK cabriolet, blue/blue leather £3,036
Coys was at Ascot racecourse, selling six of the eight Mercedes on
offer:
1963 220SE Ponton cabriolet, green/beige, one owner, 77,000 miles
£48,840
1964 230SL, 250SL spec, left-hand-drive, green/brown leather £31,860
1966 300SEb Fintail, maroon, rally-prepared £3,540
1967 250SL white/brown MB-Tex, left-hand-drive, ex-Spain £44,360
1968 280SL red/black, three owners, left-hand-drive £55,560
1984 280SL white/beige leather, only 69,000 miles £12,390
The Silverstone Auctions group held three sales, the first under the
Silverstone Auctions banner and the other two under the Classic Car
Auctions name. Under the CCA brand there was a wide range of cars sub£15,000:
1982 500SL gold/beige, 168,000 miles £8,480
1984 280SL red/black, only 56,000 miles £12,190
1989 300SL cream/beige check, 108,000 miles £10,070
1992 300GDS black/black, 149,000 miles £9,964
1992 500E blue-black/black, three owners, only 58,000km £12,720
1993 500E silver/black, 232,000km, good history £11,448
1993 190E almandine/beige cloth, 72,000 miles, 14 service book stamps
£2,756
1993 300SL-24 silver blue/black, 98,000 miles, 22 service book stamps
£5,724
1994 SL500 almandine/beige leather, 70,000 miles £6,572
1997 C180 blue metallic/black and blue cloth, 160,000 miles £689
1998 SL280 tourmaline green/cream leather, 89,000 miles £5,088
2003 E55 AMG, W211 estate, black/black, 71,000 miles £10,812
2003 SL55 AMG, silver/black, 118,000 miles £10,388
2004 SL500 silver/red, two owners, 36,000 miles £13,992
At Silverstone Auctions there were six Mercedes that sold:
1955 190SL silver/blue plaid, a nice Redcastle restoration £96,000
1962 190SL blue/grey, 73,000km, barn find with seized engine, hard-top
but no soft-top £50,625
1964 230SL maroon, cream lower panels/beige trim, cream hard-top,
needing respray and re-trim, 71,000 miles £40,500
10 • SEPTEMBER 2015 • www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk
YourLetters
The opinions expressed are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect Club policy. The Editor reserves the right to edit letters if necessary.
They should be sent to the editorial office at 94 Connaught Road, Brookwood, Woking, Surrey GU24 0HJ or [email protected]
Letter of the Month
As a thank you (and as an incentive for even greater
efforts) we like to choose a letter of the month.
Meguiar’s have kindly agreed to sponsor this and the
Member whose letter is selected receives a Wash &
Wax car care kit.
Goodwood Festival of Speed
Dear Chris,
It is some years since we last attended the Goodwood Festival of Speed. On consulting our
calendar we decided to do Goodwood on the Saturday, then drive up to the SLK Day at
Brooklands for the Sunday meeting and then back to Mercedes-Benz World for a ‘Lunch
with Legends’ with Sir Stirling Moss on the Monday. This proved to be a great weekend
for Wendy and myself.
We stayed with relations at Lee-on-Solent. We were amazed as we drove straight into
Goodwood without stopping, I had allowed over an hour for the drive but it took less than
30 minutes!
We had a great day and stayed until after 8.00pm. Mercedes-Benz was there in great
force. The three Mille Miglia 300 SLRs, both Uhlenhaut coupés and two streamliner Grand
Prix cars were all parked together. At the end of the line stood another 300SLR with its
Le Mans air-brake in the elevated position. I have never seen this before. If you look at
the photos carefully you will notice the little window with the rear view mirror positioned
so the driver can see what’s behind (usually a Jaguar D-type!) To see four 300SLRs being
warmed up and going up the hill was a sight to behold. The photo of ‘722’’s engine bay
shows the inboard front drum brakes, which Sir Stirling said were not as good as the
competitors’ disc-brakes, hence the air-brake!
There is a lot to do at Goodwood and you really need at least two days there. The SLK
Day was enjoyable with much going on out on the skid pan!
The Sir Stirling Moss lunch was a very special event. He was in great form after a very
tiring last few weeks with the Mille Miglia and driving several cars at Goodwood on all
three days. After his interview he must have signed autographs for over an hour.
And blow me we had an excellent drive back up north after the lunch without a stop!
Best regards.
Nicky Porter, via e-mail
Sir Stirling settles in.
Le Mans air-brake on one of the SLRs at
Goodwood...
...window for the rear-view mirror.
SLRs warming up.
Uhlenhaut coupé.
SLR engine bay.
In-board drum brakes.
CLKs
Dear Red [Mackinnon – CLK
Model Register Captain],
I don’t want to spoil your
weekend, but I just had to
photograph what must be the
worst condition, unloved CLK I
have ever seen on the road. This
example lives near us and appears
to have advanced sill corrosion
amongst other problems.
Regards,
Jeremy Stevens, via e-mail
Unloved CLK.
14 • SEPTEMBER 2015 • www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk
Sill corrosion amongst other problems.
ClubShop
Available from the Club website
All prices include UK post and packing
More detailed clothing descriptions, sizes and colours shown on the Club website shop.
Baseball caps in navy,
black, red, burgundy or
bottle green with silver
Club logo. £13.50
Long-sleeve jumper in blue or
black with silver Club logo.
V-neck or crew. £34.00
Backpack, black and tan with
silver Club logo. £19.00
Ladies’ long-sleeve polo
shirt in various colours.
£26.00
Sewn-stripe short-sleeve rugby shirt
in navy and white or royal blue and
white. £35.00
Club polo shirts in various
colours, ring for details.
£23.50
Ladies’ short-sleeve polo shirt
in various colours, ring for
details. £23.50
Buy on the Club website
Visit our Club website shop where all items can be viewed. Orders
can now be made via the site with payment by credit card or
cheque. Log onto the Club website and start shopping the easy way.
Please make cheques payable to Mike Colls.
All orders will be despatched within 14 days, if there is a
problem we will contact you. UK post and packing is now included
in all prices, please ring or e-mail for overseas rates. Goods found
to be faulty through design flaws or postage damage will be
replaced free of charge.
18 • SEPTEMBER 2015 • www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk
Suit carrier in charcoal
with silver Club logo.
£25.00
Tie with Club
logo. £18.50
Gazette binder – holds 12
issues, complete with year
stickers. £13.00
Coolplus anti-bac polo shirt
with Club logo. £29.00
Club fleece with silver logo, in
navy blue, burgundy, black, grey
or green. £34.50
Contact details
Mike Colls
To order please ring 01934 418364
If we are unable to answer the phone, please leave a message on the
answer-phone and we will call you back.
The e-mail address is [email protected]
Sorry, but due to bank charges,
we have had to introduce a minimum order value of £5.00.
Quite the nicest Pagoda I have seen for a long time, the superb 1971 280SL owned by
John Roberts.
ViewPoint
by Ian Keers
All-SLs Day at Woburn Abbey
Even though we had already enjoyed a
190SL Day and an SLK Day this summer,
we nevertheless had a great turnout at what
I like to call the ‘All-SLs Day’ at Woburn
Abbey in July with well over 200 cars
attending despite a poor weather forecast.
We did have a couple of light showers but
generally the weather was far better than
had been expected. Our chief organisers,
Rosemarie and Peter Maslin, had had the
inspirational idea of parking the cars by
colour rather than type, this was a ‘first’ I
think and made for an attractive and very
different, semi-circular display. As my R129
SL500 is tourmaline green, I found myself
with my other green-mates in probably
the smallest colour group. I believe the
largest was blue, followed by red as you
might expect. This type of event is always
enjoyable, with much time passed just
looking at the other cars and chatting to their
owners, but many Members took advantage
of the discounted entry into the abbey
itself plus there was a hog-roast, a ‘show
and shine’ (informal concours) and Gerald
Philpotts was doing sterling work manning
the Technical help-desk. The organising
team had also laid on a challenging quiz in
which many Members took part.
I had a good walk round the cars but
my favourite was parked almost behind
Don’t try this at home! My stupid idea of putting flags in the hood latching holes, never
do anything like this.
20 • SEPTEMBER 2015 • www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk
me, quite the most stunning Pagoda I have
seen for a very long time. This was the
magnificent green 1971 280SL owned by
John Roberts which I am sure many who
were there will have noticed, indeed it won
a prize on the day which was very welldeserved. There were a lot of very good cars
there, but to me this Pagoda really stood out.
I think everyone enjoyed the day and a big
thumbs-up to the planning team and all the
‘yellow jackets’ on the day!
Whilst at Woburn I was able to view our
latest capital purchase – a superb new Honda
EU30is generator. This new acquisition
had just been approved by the Board as
its predecessor had given up the ghost and
something is needed to power the hospitality
unit. The new (and very expensive)
generator is extremely quiet and delivers
a smooth output so that computers can run
from it as well as kettles. This is necessary
for our Technical Team in particular who
need constant on-line reference to the EPC
and WIS (Electronic Parts Catalogue and
Workshop Information Service) when
assisting Members with their queries. Our
Regalia Manager, Mike Maisey, had set
it up for its first duty run and seemed very
satisfied with its performance.
Just test driven a ‘PHEV’
A Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle to be
precise. Mercedes-Benz offer such models in
the C and S-Class ranges but I actually went
to test drive a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
which is the first 4x4 on the UK market
powered in this way and what a fascinating
bit of technology it was. I did quite a bit of
internet research first to make sure I was up
to speed on this technology and knew the
difference between pure electric, hybrid and
plug-in hybrid vehicles. We need something
to carry our large dog and to occasionally tow
a horse trailer, but these days many of our
journeys are pretty short and the Outlander
PHEV has an electric range of a claimed 32
miles. Pure electric vehicles generally have
longer ranges, but when they are flat they
have to stand and be charged up, there is no
alternative. I imagine these vehicles would
only really suit folks who live and work in
a city and have a charging point at home
and at work. Earlier hybrids generally have
a very short electric range before turning on
their petrol or diesel engines to charge their
batteries and in my view are not much use
when compared with a PHEV, which has a
reasonable electric range and can be charged
at home overnight or at a commercial
charging point which are popping up here
and there. The Outlander has a two-litre
petrol engine and two electric motors, one
at the front and another at the back, and
switching between them is seamless, entirely
managed by the car. It can drive on battery
only, battery with the engine charging as you
drive, or engine driving with assistance from
the electric motors. It also has regenerative
Car of the month
Kevin Swatton’s CLK320
K
evin writes: ‘This is a photo of my car taken at Castle Combe. I
have had this CLK320 Avantgarde now for almost two years, having
previously owned a 1997 model. This car has had three owners
including myself and has a complete history file, including the receipt for
its purchase when new, detailing all the options specified by the first owner.
As I don’t get to as many Club events as I would like I rarely get to take
it on a good run, but when I do it will return 34mpg without problem, not
bad from a 3.2-litre V6. The car came from Mercedes-Benz in Winchester
originally and I purchased it privately from Barton-on-Sea near Christchurch
after seeing it advertised on E-bay. Since taking ownership the only thing I
have had to replace is the air-conditioning condenser due to stone damage.
After also fitting a dryer and having a re-gas the system was back to ice cold.’
If you would like your car to be a Car of the month, please send a good photo (conventional or digital) and a few details to the Gazette Editorial
Office: Chris Bass, 94 Connaught Road, Brookwood, Woking, Surrey GU24 0HJ or [email protected]
22 • SEPTEMBER 2015 • www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk
Feature
Steve Matthews CLS320 CDI.
The best of
both worlds!
by Steve Matthews, CLS Model Register Captain
H
aving purchased my 2007 CLS320
CDI back in September last year, it
may be of benefit, or just informative,
to other Members if I share my experiences to
date with this wonderful car.
With a young family to consider, we had
already ruled out two-door Mercedes models,
but the CLS, with its elegant coupé-esque
styling and four-door practicality, seemed to
be a perfect match for our requirements. I was
mindful that rear headroom and boot space
could be rather limited, but these concerns
were quickly dispelled on the test drive. A
deal was subsequently done and we became
the third owners of an obsidian black CLS,
which the first owner had thankfully ticked
desirable options for, such as Comand, a CD
changer and light grey leather interior.
I then began some fettling and made
a list of work to be done over the coming
months. Re-joining the Club just before
Christmas, I was delighted with the warm
welcome I received on the website forum
and some excellent advice and information
from Members concerning cleaning
products, polishing and waxing options. The
advice offered has been well heeded, and
even after so many years spent cleaning my
various cars I was very impressed with the
results.
Late December necessitated a visit
to a Mercedes-Benz dealership for an A
service, as indicated by the car’s computer.
I was given quotes by MB Maidstone and
Teesside, choosing the latter as it was
roughly £60 cheaper and I could have the
work done whilst staying with family over
the festive period. I am happy to report that
the service experience at MB Teesside was
very good, and the staff welcoming. I had
requested that, in addition to the A service,
they investigate a very slight reluctance of
the car to start occasionally. This was traced
to a faulty glow-plug control unit, which
was duly replaced. Non-urgent advisories
were noted for track-control arms and rear
brake pads. The journey home, at around
300 miles, averaging 50mpg was very
pleasing. Over the 12,000 miles I have so
far covered in the car, the overall average is
41.7mpg, on mixed driving.
Wheels
The dashboard after a drive from Teesside to Kent.
24 • SEPTEMBER 2015 • www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk
One of the jobs I had listed was to either
refurbish or replace the wheels, as they were
Feature
SLK Day 2015
The view from the Mercedes-Benz World building.
T
by Howard and Merlith Thomas, additional photos by Peter Blake
hough it hardly seemed 12 months
since the inaugural SLK Day in
2014, several hundred Members and
around 100 SLKs arrived at Mercedes-Benz
World on Sunday June 28 for the 2015 event.
Having been invited back by MercedesBenz, planning had begun in January, we
had high hopes for another fun day.
With Members due to arrive from
9.00am the race was on to get the registration
team in place but, true to form, our team of
helpers soon had things under control and a
steady queue of Members was rapidly being
processed and receiving their ‘goodie bags’,
including a commemorative drinks bottle
bearing the ‘SLK Day 2015’ graphic.
First port of call was the S-Class Suite
on the first floor, where Members were
greeted by ‘The SLK Time-line’ display
presenting examples of the R170, R171 and
R172. Completion of track disclaimer forms
The air-strip starts to fill.
was followed by a track briefing presented
by Barry Salmon from the ‘Silver Arrows’
team. Formalities complete, Members
dispersed to follow the programme for the
day with the first group remaining behind to
participate in the morning technical session.
Led by Tony Leach and Jeremy Stevens,
and ably assisted by Wales – South Member
Peter Blake, who had ‘loaned’ his car and
manned the video camera, the audience
was treated to an excellent session covering
an enormous range of topics from electrics
to the ever present ‘rust bug’. Fortunately
there were no requests for anti-depressants
(!) and the feedback was all positive. Using
a video camera seemed a great success as it
enabled the audience to have good visibility
without having a scrum around the car.
Because of the unprecedented level of
interest in the Mercedes-Benz World tours,
we had to run the presentation twice to avoid
disappointed ‘customers’ so, as the morning
session entered a Q&A phase, the first tour
got under way, under the leadership of the
very professional and knowledgeable MB
World guides. Lots of positive comment
later proved the success of the tours, which
provided a lot more information than could
be gained from simply strolling around.
While all this was going on, judging
got underway for the ‘Polish and Show’
competition. With nearly 100 cars to judge,
Red Mackinnon and his team had a lot of
work to do, preferably before the track laps
started and all the cars switched parking
places! But there was no problem and
Our illustrious Registration Team.
www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk • SEPTEMBER 2015 • 27
Feature
2015 National concours scores
Entrant
Martin West
Malcolm Menezes
Dieter Wearing
Stephen Lambe
John Simpson
David Bambury
Bhupinder Janjuha
Roger Aston
Margaret Cole
Andrew Bloor
Roger Tompkins
John Woolls
David Sadler
Christopher Browne
David Ashmore
Ian West
Peter Thompson
Tony Leach
Wilfred Perera
Bob Innes
David Shynn
Colin Skyrme
Tim Shambrook
Denis Price
David Gray
Phil Cooper
Andrew Underwood
Valter Emanuel
Mic Bennett
Andrew Oliver
Giles Dolman
Steve Harborne
Len Lewis
Peter Tomkins
Edgar Spencer
Philip Thain
David Bambury
Michael Walker
Graham Healy
Stephen Cunio
Lee Browne
Richard Hicks
Laurence Creek
Robert Gascoigne
Wayne Tindall
John Green
Stuart Mathieson
Jeremy Sutton
Dave Sullivan
David Robinson Ruben
Tim Rycroft
Nick Lowe
Martin Crouch
Malcolm Vance
David Beard
James Mullen
Dene Crisp
Clive Ricketts
Bob Coxshall
Model
S320 CDI
S63 AMG saloon
C63 AMG estate
R231
W209 coupé
W202
W210 E55 AMG
W211 E270
A170L
W203
W211 E320 CDI
W140 S600L
E320 saloon
W140 S320
R230 SL350
R129 SL280
R129 SL500
R170 SLK230
SLK
R170 SLK
R129 SL320
CLK320
R129 SL
SLK
CLK coupé
R129
R230 SL500
SLK200
R230 SL500
R129 SL280
W140 coupé
SLK230
SLK200
R230 SL
W124 E320 coupé
W110 Fintail
W123 300D
W124 300TE
190E W201
W123 280E
W126 560SEL
W110 Fintail
R107 380SL
W123 coupé
R107 SL
W140 coupé
R107 SL
R107 500SL
W123 280CE
R107
W123 280CE 5.0
R129 SL300-24
420SEC
300CE
R129 300SL
W113 230SL
W113 230SL
W111 coupé
W180 Ponton
Class
1a
1a
1a
1b
1b
2a
2a
2a
2a
2a
2a
2a
2a
2a
2b
2b
2b
2b
2b
2b
2b
2b
2b
2b
2b
2b
2b
2b
2b
2b
2b
2b
2b
2b
2b
3a
3a
3a
3a
3a
3a
3a
3b
3b
3b
3b
3b
3b
3b
3b
3b
3b
3b
3b
3b
3b
3b
3b
4
Score
76
96
94
104
93
86
84
83
80
77
75
85
83
64
101
86
73
93
93
75
103
95
102
75
94
87
104
89
92
80
86
82
72
83
91
88
98
76
87
96
96
79
89
97
88
100
83
87
75
87
85
91
89
92
85
69
83
84
255
Entrant
Ronan Sill
Andy Holmes
Mark Messenger
Tony de Frates
Paul O’Keefe
Ian Keers
Bill Smith
Brian Ellis
Rosemarie Maslin
Gary Edwards
Naser Sharifi
Michael Chapman
John Andrew
Tom Tomkins
John Pinney
Michael Smith
Steve Hudghton
Ron Wright
Richard Lamb
Alan Warboys
Roy Stanbury
Martin Stanley
Chris Dew
Paul Toppin
Kelly Pirie
John Cummings
Chris Jowett
Brian Ellis
Frank Gillett
Trevor May
Monica Blood
Simon Harrison
Malcolm Sinclair
Barry Walker
Chris Day
Paul Panay
David Briggs
Model
220SEb
190SL
190SL
W115 220/8
W108 280SEL
450SEL 6.9
W123 saloon
W111 280SE 3.5
W111 280SE 3.5 coupé
R107 SL
R107 500SL
R107 300SL
R129 500SL
R129 SL
W126 saloon
W124 estate
W211 E55 AMG
W202 C200
W126 500SE
W201 190
W126 500SE
CL65 AMG
W124 230CE
W124 E320 coupé
SLK32 AMG
SLK55 AMG
SLK
W202 C180
W124 saloon
W123 saloon
W123 280E
W124 coupé
W124 E320 cabriolet
R107 420SL
R129 SL280
R107
R107 420SL
Class
4
5
5
6
6
6
6
7
7
8
8
8
9
9
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
11
11
11
12
12
12
13a
13a
13a
13a
13b
13c
13c
13c
13c
13c
Score
267
278
267
265
262
251
247
254
243
203
229
239
233
254
281
266
286
282
230
261
228
193
174
178
256
257
250
268
252
222
222
211
252
267
239
265
261
Brian Ellis with his’Best-in-Show’ C180.
www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk • SEPTEMBER 2015 • 31
BTCC
BTCC Croft – June 27-28
C
ontinuing from last month’s interview
with Louise Goodman, I had a chance
to talk to the rest of the commentary
crew. Steve Rider, the show’s anchorman,
started his career on ITV’s World of Sport in
the 1980s before moving to the BBC in 1985
and covering many events, including Sports
Personality of the Year. He moved to back
ITV in 2006 to replace Jim Rosenthal as F1
anchor. Steve is surely one of the all-time
greats of British sports commentary.
Next on my list were David Addison
and Tim Harvey, a quite superb team who
give excellent insight into the races. David
has done commentary in India and Dubai,
and did his first live commentary covering
the Blancpain GT series. He has also
covered the DTM championship. He got an
offer to join ITV from a recommendation
from none other than Tim Harvey. Tim, an
ex-BTCC champion, won the title in 1992
driving for BMW. He retired in 2003 and
went straight into commentary. I got invited
into the studio just as they were signing
off after qualifying on Saturday afternoon.
They told me that when the cameras roll
they work with no script at all. They chat
to drivers and teams over the weekend and
this gives them some information to use on
the live broadcasts. You would swear they
were reading off an autocue, because they
are so confident and fluid in their dialogue.
Most impressive! They also mention battles
further down the race order rather than just
concentrating on the leaders all the time.
This is great for all the teams as it gives
their valuable sponsors exposure.
The last member of the team is another
ex-touring car driver Paul O’Neill. Paul, who
is the brother of Spice Girl Mel C (‘Sporty
Spice’) commentates on some of the support
races and also joins the BTCC team during
broadcasts to report on social media – Twitter
and Facebook. This team, in my opinion,
rivals any commentary team worldwide, and
we, as fans, are most grateful for the superb
service they provide.
Steve Rider (right facing camera) and Tim Harvey
(left) prepare to do a live post-race broadcast
Qualifying
Adam Morgan came to Croft confident of
some good points scoring positions in his
Ciceley A-Class. Things didn’t go right from
the off, with the car suffering from severe tyre
wear due to the very abrasive Croft circuit,
and carrying 33kg of success ballast certainly
added to Adam’s woes. He said he couldn’t
quite get the “sweet spot” in the set up of the
car, ending up on the fifth row in ninth position.
This track favoured the rear-wheel-drive
BMWs, which got the first two slots on the
grid. Nick Hamilton (brother of Lewis) made
his BTCC début in the Monster Energybacked, ex-Rob Holland Audi.
Race one
After a race-long battle with the MG of Jack
Goff, the Toyota of Tom Ingram and the Audi
of Rob Austin, the drivers swapped places and
a bit of paint during an exciting race, with
Adam taking Austin around the outside at
Tower bend in a superb move on lap 13 out
of 15. Adam finished in his starting position
of ninth. Andy Priaulx took the win in his
1-series. BMW locked out the other podium
places as well. Aiden Moffatt finished 17th in
the other A-Class.
Race two
Adam started race two in 12th position and
again battled with Jack Goff and this time
MG team-mate and former champion Andrew
Jordan, Adam getting the better of them on lap
five. He pursued the pack in front of him who
were battling for fifth position. On lap 14 of
Contact at the hairpin – Adam Morgan tags the back of Rob Austin’s Audi.
by Paul Kelly
David Addison (left) and Tim Harvey.
15 Chevrolet driver Josh Cook had a massive
crash on the exit of turn one and hit the barrier
very hard, smashing both side windows.
Fortunately it seems Josh suffered no injuries.
The race finished under waved yellow flags,
so Adam was unable to catch anyone else,
finishing the race in ninth position for the
second time. Sam Tordoff took the win in his
BMW. Aiden Moffatt finished 18th.
Race three
With a ninth place start for Adam in race three
and having to run the soft option tyre in the
heat, Adam anticipated there could be a tyre
wear issue to contend with. After a great start
and making his way up to the top six, the tyres
rapidly went away and the A-Class slipped
backwards, eventually running off the track
at Tower bend on the brakes and finishing
23rd and out of the points for the first time
this season. The tyres were worn down to the
canvas. The race was won by Rob Collard in
his BMW. Aiden Moffatt fished 13th in the
other Ciceley-prepared A-Class.
It was a disappointing weekend for the
Ciceley team, but some valuable points
were scored. Adam was left seventh in the
championship. The rules for the BTCC can
certainly work against you at some circuits, and
Croft turned out to be one of those for the Wix
Ciceley Motosport Team. This is the great thing
about the BTCC – you don’t get a runaway
winner every weekend, with the success ballast
and the soft tyre option rules. The pendulum
was likely to swing Adam Morgan’s way for
the next round at Snetterton, which was likely
to suit the very quick A-Class perfectly.
www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk • SEPTEMBER 2015 • 33
Feature
Driving Wales
C
by Chris Bass
lub Member James Lloyd has for
many years used his contacts in the
motoring and business worlds to
secure special benefits for other Members.
He’s not very well at the moment but has
not let that stop his work on behalf of the
Club. Thanks to James’s efforts one lucky
Member and their partner will win two
nights’ stay at a very special hotel in Wales
– Llangoed Hall near Brecon. This will be
on offer in a prize draw at the Classic Motor
Show in Birmingham in November – see the
panel on the opposite page.
If you can’t wait until November to
enjoy the quiet, well-maintained roads of
rural Wales Llangoed Hall and two other
outstanding, independent hotels, Ynyshir
Hall near Machynlleth and Bodysgallen
Llangoed Hall
The level of service at this hotel is
perfectly judged. When you walk in you are
not confronted by a formal reception desk,
but someone is on hand to help with what ever
you require. All the staff are knowledgeable
about the hotel’s history and all the services
it offers. The food is outstanding – carefully
cooked, locally-sourced ingredients put
together in interesting combinations. There
are conventional and ‘tasting’ menus to
choose from plus a comprehensive wine list.
Outside there is a kitchen garden and
huge beds of wild flowers.
Llyswen, Brecon, Powys LD3 0YP,
01874 754525,
www.llangoedhall.co.uk
Llangoed Hall is surrounded by rolling
hills and the Black Mountains. It dates back
to 1632 but was rescued and turned into a
charming and very comfortable hotel in
recent times by Laura and Bernard Ashley.
Now in different private ownership it has
a wonderful, relaxed atmosphere, but still
many photos and mementoes of the Ashley
family as well as a collection of paintings
they assembled.
Hall near Llandudno, have got together
under the banner of ‘Driving Wales’ (see
www.drivingwales.com) to attract you to
the principality.
Wales has some of the most stunning
landscape in the UK and its roads are
entertaining. Many are still quiet and they
are properly looked after – ideal territory for
your Mercedes-Benz, with endless sweeping
bends and plenty of hills and mountains to
climb.
These hotels are about two hours drive
from each other and they are all in areas
of great beauty, with coastal and mountain
scenery plus nature reserves, castles and
historic towns offering endless diversions
...and its dining room.
Llangoed Hall...
Ynyshir Hall
Eglwysfach, Machynlleth, Powys SY20
8TA, 01654 781209,
www.ynyshrhall.co.uk
By the Cambrian Mountains and Dovey
Valley, this was once a hideaway for Queen
Victoria. Nowadays its a place for real
‘foodies’, with a range of tasting menus
served with wines carefully chosen to
complement the food.
Beside the main building there is some
new accommodation – each suite has an
outside patio area as well as a log-burning
stove inside plus truly luxurious bathrooms.
Adjacent to Ynyshir Hall is an extensive
RSPB nature reserve which offers gentle but
entertaining walking if you want a break
from the mountains. It was here that red
kites were re-introduced to the UK. The
fascinating town of Machynlleth is nearby.
Ynyshr Hall...
34 • SEPTEMBER 2015 • www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk
...and some if its new accommodation.
From deep in
the Archive
Feature
by the Archive Team
One – transition
The Archive Team has been asked to produce a
regular series of articles for the Gazette. After
a brief discussion we decided these articles
would attempt to give readers an insight into
the breadth and quality of the Club’s unique
Archive.
On the basis that a picture is worth a
1,000 words these articles will rely heavily
on photographs. The pictures we select and
their accompanying words will have a theme
– be it seasonal, technical, sociological or
historical. The Archive’s vast content will
ensure that we will not run out of subjects
any time soon – or indeed for many decades.
We’re also sure that Gazette Editor Chris
Bass will pass on any Members’ requests for
a particular topic to be covered – and we will
do our very best to oblige.
So here goes with the first article –
featuring two brochures from 1954. The theme
of this inaugural article is transition. In 1954 the
Mercedes-Benz car range included the best of
the past and the shape of the company’s future
car development.
As such the integral, unit construction
220 Ponton – the initial step in MB’s future
monocoque development – had burst on the
scene. It was on UK sale alongside the older
body-on-chassis 220 convertible/coupé and
300 saloon/cabriolet models, which would soon
become the obsolete.
The brochures selected still contained the
scent of immediate post-war-year austerity –
but their outlook was positive, one could sense
the good times just around the corner.
It is also interesting to note
Mercedes’ emphasis on exports, which were
not only vital for the company at the time, but
were a sign of its massive global growth in just
a few short years.
If you would like to dispose of surplus
Mercedes-Benz literature or photographs
please let us know. Whether it’s one brochure
or a car load your surplus
material will benefit Club Members. Please
contact the Archive team: Jon and Lynne
Bell ([email protected]),
Mike Venables ([email protected]) or Phil Reed (phil.reed@
mercedes-benz-club.co.uk). If you do not use
e-mail please telephone 01932 346981 and
leave a message.
www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk • SEPTEMBER 2015 • 37
F1news
by Will Gardner
Jules Bianchi
Marussia driver Jules Bianchi died on July
17 from injuries sustained during last year’s
Suzuka GP. Jules began his F1 career as a
Ferrari test driver in 2013, before taking on
a similar role for Force India the following
season, then securing a race drive alongside
Max Chilton for Marussia in 2013. He went
on to score his first race points at the 2014
Monaco race.
Bianchi’s sad death is the first in F1
since that of Ayrton Senna at the 1994 San
Marino GP. A tribute was held on the grid
before the start of the Hungarian race, with
many drivers and pundits adding their words
of praise for the talented young driver. It
was revealed after his death that the force
he suffered in the crash was equivalent to
falling to the ground from a height of 48
metres.
Williams
The Williams team has set its sights on
leap-frogging Ferrari for second in the
F1 constructors’ championship after its
British GP performance. Head of vehicle
performance Rob Smedley believes his team
has the outright pace to overhaul Ferrari in the
championship, although he said this before
its poor luck in the Hungarian race. The team
has been developing the car incrementally
throughout the season and dry pace has been
encouraging, though Smedley accepted that
they have to improve low speed down-force
if they are to achieve their goal.
Massa and Bottas held first and second
early in the Silverstone race, before wet
conditions left them struggling for grip and
eventually finishing fourth and fifth.
Hungary
The Hungarian race took place over the
weekend of July 24-26 and quickly shapedup as a corker. Hamilton took pole, but the
start was aborted as Massa’s Williams was
out of grid position. After a second parade lap
the race started; both Hamilton and Rosberg
bogged-down at the off, leading to them being
jumped by the Ferraris, with Vettel taking the
lead and the eventual win. Hamilton ran off the
track on lap 10 and endured a drive-through
penalty for a collision with Ricciardo, before
finishing sixth, two places ahead of Rosberg,
who suffered a puncture after also colliding
with the unlucky Ricciardo.
Hulkenberg’s Force India suffered a
sudden and catastrophic front wing failure,
leading to a mighty crash and Perez in the
sister car joined him in retirement later in the
race. Hulkenberg was fortunately unhurt.
The poor form of the other Mercedespowered cars continued, with neither Williams
making it into the points. The team expected to
struggle a bit on the twisty course, but Massa
dropped five grid slots for jumping the start
and Bottas picked up a puncture, ruining the
weekend. The only other Mercedes-powered
car to make it into the points was the Lotus of
Grosjean, who came home eighth, splitting the
Silver Arrows.
Maldonado continued his impressively
unpredictable form, picking up a trio of
penalties – for hitting Perez, speeding in the
pit lane and speeding behind the safety car.
Unsurprisingly he bought his Lotus home out
of the points.
Button
Speculation continues to surround the future
of Jenson Button, who is only certain of an
F1 drive for the rest of the season. He won
for the first time in Hungary – the first of
15 career wins – in 2006. McLaren has an
option for a second year on his current deal,
but as yet there is no news on whether it
will take this up. Button is said to be keen
on a move to Williams – the team where he
started out in F1– if Bottas leaves at the end
Rosberg leading Hamilton in Hungary...
38 • SEPTEMBER 2015 • www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk
...and Hamilton on one of his visits to
the pits.
of the season. McLaren could though insist
he races for them in 2016 under the terms
of his contract. Based on the performance of
McLaren – which has not won a race since
2012 – a potential move to the Grove-based
team seems like a shrewd idea. As we went
to press it was also speculated that Jenson
was to partner Chris Evans in presenting the
new series of Top Gear, so clearly he has
lots to think about!
Lotus
The Lotus F1 team continues to struggle
financially; its start in Friday free practice in
Hungary was delayed, as Pirelli would not
supply tyres until its account (rumoured to
be around £300,000 in the red) was cleared.
Apparently this did happen, as the team
eventually joined the session with a full
complement of tyres. Rumours suggest that
Lotus has around £500,000 of other debt
and that Renault may once again be ready
to buy the team and re-enter the sport as a
manufacturer.
Break
F1 entered its mid-season break following the
Hungarian race, with Mercedes leading the
constructors’ championship, with Williams
third behind Ferrari but with fourth-placed
Red Bull closing the gap. Force India held
fifth place, with Lotus sixth.
Hamilton continued to lead the drivers’
title race, with Rosberg second, Bottas
fourth, Massa sixth, Hulkenberg ninth, and
Grosjean 10th. It was game-on again in
Belgium on August 23.
TechnicalCorner
R107 350SL D-Jetronic
over-fuelling
I
by Peter Bell
bought my 1973 350SL last summer
but, as we were in the middle of moving
to Devon, I had to wait until November
before I could give the car a good shakedown.
It hadn’t run in anger for at least a couple of
years, so over the next couple of months I
refurbished the brakes, fixed the heater control
and eased off the door locks. The car now
started suffering from an intermittent misfire.
The fuel-injector pattern.
Thanks to various articles published on-line
via the Club website, I managed to get my
head around the ignition set up of five degrees
after top dead centre with vacuum retard. I
set up the timing and fitted a new set of hightension leads.
All ready to go now, so I went on a 300mile round trip to visit the in-laws, picking up
a new battery at CPC batteries of Chessington,
Surrey while we were there. The car ran well
until about a mile from home. I detected an
intermittent misfire, which very quickly turned
into a lack of power from many cylinders.
Luckily it was literally downhill for the last
half mile with no junctions. I managed to
coax her home, only to completely conking
out at the top of my drive. Pushed it in and
thought I would sort it the next day, probably
just needing a quick adjustment of the points,
which had probably just closed after my
previous adjustments.
The next day I checked the ignition and
everything seemed OK although, when I tried
The ECU circuit boards.
40 • SEPTEMBER 2015 • www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk
to start the car, I got some cylinders firing
but not enough to start. Now as we know,
most of the time it’s something simple, so my
thoughts returned to basic theory. All you need
to achieve combustion is fuel-air mixture,
compression and ignition. I stuck with the
ignition idea and ordered a new coil, as the one
on the car looked like it could be the original,
a new rotor arm and distributor cap. These
were installed with a new set of plugs. I also
checked the compression at the same time. As
all was OK, so I moved my efforts on to fuel
and its supply. Armed with my trusty can of
STP carburettor cleaner (I always have a few
cans knocking about) I got my wife to crank
the engine while I sprayed some in the throttle
opening. Still only the odd combustion. Well
it couldn’t be a lack of fuel, that stuff starts
anything. Back to spark plugs. On removing
the new plugs I noticed that four had signs
of combustion while the other four were still
very clean, yet all were wet. Could this be a
case of too much fuel in some cylinders? So
SparesRegister
A FREE Service For ALL MEMBERS
All Spares Register entries should be limited to 40 words maximum and sent to
Bob Coxshall, 55 The Avenue, Bengeo, Hertford SG14 3DS to arrive by the
26th of the month preceding publication. All correspondence should be by
post or e-mail to [email protected] In emergencies only,
telephone 01992 302238.
NB Complete cars for sale must be advertised in the classified section.
FOR SALE
Parts for 1960 models onwards Coupés, convertibles and saloons, W111,
W112, W113, R107, W108, W109, W114, W115, W123, W124.
W108 280SE auto engine and gearbox, complete with injection and
accessories, low mileage. Also handbooks.
Vic 0208 890 3220.
Breaking 1991 W126 500SEL, 420SE. W123 280CE. W140 S320, S500.
W220 S600, S320. W210 300 diesel estate, E240 saloon. W124 230
estate. Parts off the shelf for W108, W111, W123, W124, W126 and
W201 190 range. 1984 W123 230E, 1992 W124 300TD, complete at
the moment, both with good engines and auto gearboxes. Dave 07710
672986 [email protected] (no text messages).
W124 parts Breaking W123. Parts for 1962 W111 220SEb Fintail.
Parts for W114 parts. W113 hard-top glass and chrome. R/C107
Fuchs wheels and tyres. Roger or Joe 07831 432186 or
[email protected]
W108-W112 parts Including new old stock exhaust sections and outer
sills, good and poor doors, used seats, bumpers, air suspension
axles, M189 engines, wheels and tyres, Dunlop callipers, lights
etc. Sell or ideally swap for parts for my W111 Universal project.
[email protected] west London.
W211 Four Black DOTZ wheels fitted with Toyo 225/50 ZR17 98y tyres.
Balanced, ready to fit with lockable nuts. As new, only 800 miles.
Collection or you arrange to be shipped. £675 ono. David 01243
826638, 07818 418766 or [email protected] Bognor Regis.
Hard-top bag Purpose-made, padded with zip. Safe, dry and dust-free
storage for your hard-top. With hooks to attach to the garage wall.
Stored my R129 panoramic top. Good condition. Collection only,
near Portsmouth. £50. Steven 07584 22965, 07584 229656 or
[email protected]
W124 coupé Cream cloth interior, seats, headrests, armrests, door cards
etc, all in very good condition, buyer collects £120 ono. 01954
781288 or 07771 902912, Cambridgeshire.
W126 Witter tow-bar assembly Only used two or three times, with
fitting instructions £70 ono. Andy 01626 863622 Devon.
W123 Pair of new front springs to suit 200, 230E, 300 or 280E £30. Used
steering box, fits coupé, saloon or estate £70. W115 240 diesel new
old-stock front exhaust down-pipe £45. Eric 0151 639 0149.
W208 CLK cabriolet Mesh wind deflector screen in a zipped cover,
used but VGC, cost £660, asking £300 ono. Nearside rear light unit,
cracked, part number 208 820 01 64 £25 ono (£99 new).
Alec 01297 624191 Devon.
W113 Pagoda SL Hard-top, inner and outer sill and wing mouldings.
Headlamps and glasses, rear lamp lenses and surrounds, rear lamps,
rev counter, fuel gauge, heater radiator, king-pin and trunnion
kits.01773 835462 David.
Emergency spare wheel With tyre and short wheel bolts, used on a
W221 S-Class but will fit several models 2005 on. Part number 219
400 0002, 4.008 x 17H2, tyre – T155/70R17 110M CST17 £45.
[email protected] 07889 486260.
W113 Nearside window winder mechanism £100 ono. R107 complete
grille, good condition £80, power steering box with ram and track rod
ends etc £100 ono. Steve 01992 462866.
W123 estate Luggage cover/dog guard, green, £25 to clear. 020 8891
6525, 07957 631113 or [email protected] Middlesex.
W126 S-Class ignition unit MB part number 007 545 2232 03,
specifically for the later 420 V8 engines in coupés and saloons.
Used but in excellent working order when removed from car.
01460 271749 [email protected]
Breaking 1985 500SEL Gold, 151,328 miles, same owner since 1986,
standing in the open for five years, could be renovated but very good
for spares, clock does not work. [email protected]
01689 855775.
W201 For spares or repair, unfinished project, 1985 schwartz blue 190D
left-hand-drive, fitted with 2.5 turbo diesel out of a W202. Plenty
of good spares. Genuine AMG boot spoiler. Garaged for nine years,
runner. Also Gazettes 2004 to 2014. 01617 678071, 07762 879677 or
[email protected] Lynne Rohmann
PCMIA Card adapter Plays SD cards, MMC and memory sticks in all
Comand units, five in one. £10 post free. Martin 01992 813132 or
[email protected]
1996 R129 SL320 Set of genuine AMG alloy composite two style
wheels, in need of refurbishment, 235/45 x 17 and 265/40 x 17 £400
[email protected] North Devon.
1994 W124 cabriolet Original equipment wind deflector, offers. Steven
Beck [email protected] Sheffield.
R107 450SL Starter motor, working when removed £75. Speedo head
with gauges and surround £75. Other SL parts available (no chrome).
01992 462866 [email protected] Stephen Crone.
W108 Nearside front wing, boot, bonnet, all front screen chrome and
more chrome fittings, brake servo. 220 and 280 engines for W111.
W114 door cards complete with accessories. Many more parts.
Tuncay [email protected] 07969 526696.
W201 Swan neck detachable ball tow bar assembly, boxed, unused, part
number 201 301 0356/126 584 5221, fits early 190, MB price £350,
will accept £175 ono, buyer to collect from West Midlands. Tony
01922 622870.
Distributor contact set Part number A 000 158 20 90, new, suitable for
some M130/129/127 engines. £5 plus postage. Manuel 07973 149121
or [email protected]
1994 R129 500SL Four eight-hole Mercedes-Benz 16-inch alloy wheels
with tyres. Blue MB centres, all need refurbishment, 225/55 ZR16
tyres – Dunlop Sport 2000 6mm tread approximately, Kumho – looks
almost new tread, Pirelli P6000 – 3mm, Continental Conti Eco
Contact CP – 2mm. £150, buyer collects. Close to junction 22 of the
M5, Somerset. Chris Exley 07980 730421 [email protected]
W166 ML250 Blue Tec Engine management upgrade for W166 004
vehicles only. Genuine Brabus PowerXtra D4 performance kit.
Additional 35hp and increase in torque, up to 46mpg or 25mpg. £800
ono. Cost new from main MB dealer £1,800. Rod 07764 781657
[email protected]
Mercedes-Benz roof bars Brand new and unused. Unwanted gift. Will
fit CLS, S-Class, R-Class, W204 C Class, W212 E-Class and W207
CLK. £85 plus delivery or buyer collects from Cheshire. Rod 07764781657 [email protected]
W219 CLS55 AMG Four AMG wheels, 10-spoke, gloss black VGC.
Rear 9.5 x 18 ET28, front 8.5 x 18 ET25. No tyres. Used on my
W211 E55 AMG and E63 AMG. E-mail for pictures steve.clare2@
virgin.net £350. Bath, Somerset 07836 515624.
1986-2000 R129 hard top stand Very little use, as new condition. £160
including mainland delivery. Bob Maughan 01934 824414 07709
281750 north Somerset.
R107 SL front bumper chrome parts Also rubber trims for front and
rear and two new front bumper brackets. Offers to A Moffatt
01626 863622.
R129 SL rear brake discs New, fit early (1990-1993) models, £20
the pair. Derek 07808 688483 East Sussex Derek Wellman
[email protected]
Workshop manuals, parts catalogues, special tools, owners’ handbooks
and sales literature too numerous to list. These are all original (not
reproductions), factory-printed books for all post-war models up to
1984. Geoff Marshall 07414 538004 [email protected]
W215/W220/W221 Set of refurbished Mercedes-Benz 19-inch alloy
wheels, front 19 x 8.5J et 44, rear 19 x 8.5J et 46, five studs and
locking wheel nuts in excellent condition, Maxxis Mazi tyres. Cost
£1,200, will accept £750. Denise Templeman chicosmum@gmx.
co.uk 01792 844480 07803 711356.
W126/R/C107 Mercedes-Benz 15-inch x seven-inch flat-face alloys. Set
of five with very good tyres, all in excellent condition. Christopher
01460 271749 [email protected]
WANTED
R129 SL Both sun visor vanity mirrors and rear view mirror in black
or mushroom for 1997/8 SL320. 01375 643857
[email protected] Essex.
W124 Blue interior for pre-1990 saloon in MB-Tex, cloth or leather.
Eric 01516 390149.
W126 500SE Two 7J x 15 H2, 15-hole alloy wheels. Tyres 205 65 VR15.
Original Mercedes-Benz only. Part number MA126 400 07 02.
John Sadler 01580 200243.
W124 200TE Low-mileage eight-valve engine. Martin 07411 111838
Surrey.
W110 200 Four-cylinder petrol engine in good condition. Martin
07411 111838.
W180 220S Insulated fuel supply pipe from fuel lift pump to carburettors.
Both under body fuel supply lines from fuel tank to reserve/filter unit.
Any other parts for this model will also be of interest.
Tim 07831 230577 or 020 8998 9508 West London.
R129 hard-top storage bag. Tom 07771 870943.
1992 G300 long wheelbase Left-hand front dashboard audio speaker
(would buy pair), boot-liner, mats and any other protection.
David 07973 122422 [email protected]
W201 Fender to bumper brackets, part numbers A2016261514 and
A2016261414. Also bumper bracket A2018800114.
Stuart 07970 275792 [email protected]
1967 W113 230SL Complete wiring harness, right-hand-drive, automatic,
chassis number 113 04222 018754. Must be in good condition,
with or without fuse box. [email protected]
1999 R129 One five-hole alloy wheel rim. Write to Ken Wakefield,
42 Perrins Lane, Stourbridge, West Midlands DY9 8XP.
W108 Black leather seats and door cards. Any condition – looking
for a winter seat restoration project.
[email protected]
www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk • SEPTEMBER 2015 • 43
RegionalReports
Anglia – South
Monthly evening meeting at the George and
Dragon, Kelvedon – June 10
Graham Knight with his celebrity S65 AMG and daughter Bronwen.
Another great line up of Members’ cars on a sunny evening at
the George and Dragon.
Another warm, sunny evening had
several Members enjoy a chat about cars
in the car park! David Page had brought
along his newly-acquired, near mint,
low-mileage W211 E220 CDI finished
in travertine silver, also known as desert
silver. Tony De Frates couldn’t resist a
little leg-pulling, by pointing out this
unusual colour, according to MercedesBenz in Germany, is popular with the
older driver!
As time marched on there was a call Roger Wyncoll just
from the bar that dinner was ready to be couldn’t resist!
served. With a number of new items on the menu this month it was
difficult to decide what to order. Roger Wyncoll was enjoying the
eating experience so much he was seen to indulge in a second desert!
After dinner Tony De Frates shared his experiences of his recent
Mille Miglia trip which rounded the evening off very nicely.
David Page and Roger Wyncoll
‘Darcy’ having a good look at the cars arriving.
Coffee and Star Cars – June 28
A wonderful venue to display our cars.
John Williams and his beautiful 190SL at Hylands House.
purchased by Eric Clapton. They will all be presented with a framed
photo of their car in due course.
We were treated to six AMG models on show, ranging from the
early S65 though a CLS63, SLK55, SL55 to the latest S63 and SL63.
SLs were generously represented, in every model from 190 to the
very latest. A wonderful opportunity to see and compare the various
models. On a lighter note we were entertained by Steve and Clare
Corby arriving in a lovely 420SL with the gorgeous ‘Darcy’ taking
the limelight in the back seat. Whilst his 190SL is in for restoration
John Bolden brought his MGC.
There were five raffle prizes of which two were donated by David
Page and Keith King – greatly appreciated. In conclusion, a brilliant
morning enjoyed by all.
Roger Wyncoll
The Crown pub meeting at Wormingford –
June 30
Jeff Brown’s immaculate Pagoda.
We were unsure of how many would turn up being that the Club’s
national SLK Day at Mercedes-Benz World was taking place on the
same day, but our fears were completely unfounded. A record number
of cars came to Hylands House – from early SLs to the latest models.
In fact so many great cars turned up that we could not decide on one
‘Star Car’, so we chose three. John Williams’ beautiful 190SL, Jeff
Brown’s fabulous Pagoda and Graham Knight’s S65 AMG, originally
The balmy evening bought out the SLs at the Crown.
www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk • SEPTEMBER 2015 • 45
Call for a quote today
The best policies for either
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www.peterbestinsurance.co.uk
CarsforSale
WANTED.....WANTED...
VERY URGENTLY WANTED
SLK320 2000. Simply stunning one
owner car, National concours class winner
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Designo black nappa leather seats and roll
bars, clear wind deflector, factory fitted sat
nav and upgraded sound system, xenon
lights/washers, AMG wheels, full service
history with all bills and MoTs. Pristine
condition. Always garaged, comes complete with indoor dust cover and fitted
luggage. 51,000 miles, MoT Nov 2015.
£6.500 Tel: 07905 147927 (Essex)
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300SL R129 1993. Pearl Blue, Mushroom
leather, 113,500 miles, present owner over
4years. Recent brake and front suspension
overhaul. New branded tyres, Lorensor
wheels. MoT to July 2016. £6,000 ono.
Tel: 01902 676396 (West Midlands)
(08/15/03)
WANTED
C-Class W202 (94-99) in first class
condition. No corrosion, with full service
history, under 80,00 miles. Automatic.
Tel: 07768 074812/Email: mjursell@
yahoo.co.uk (Southampton) (08/15/05)
Service & Restoration
of 113/107/129SL’s
SL350 2003. 5 speed tiptronic auto, full
spec Comand, keyless Go Bi-Xenon
headlights. Heated seats, glove box & central
compartment. Vented seats. Parktronic,
54k mls, service history. £9,995.
Tel: 07710 433459 (Norwich) (08/15/04)
WANTED
W115 220 Diesel by Club Member.
• SALES • SERVICE • HIRE • ACCESSORIES & PARTS
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1991(J) Mercedes 190e 1.8 Injection 5
Speed Manual Saloon.
Tel: 07769 825936 (S. Leics) (08/15/06)
www.pjhodge.co.uk
SL280-R129 2002. Only 44,000 miles,
brilliant silver, blue Nappa leather, soft-top,
panorama glass hard-top, all MoT
certificates, full service history. £10,000.
Tel: 07825 313933 (Herts) (08/15/07)
300SE Auto. 1987 Nautic Blue 172,000 miles.
Blue/grey cloth upholstery in excellent condition,
ABS, electric windows/sunroof, M-B alloys,
Blaupunkt, FSH with M-B specialist, 12 months
MoT, two owners from new, very good condition, a
delight to drive, £3,850 Tel: 029 2076 4887/
Mob 07710 34 84 74 (Cardiff) (08/15/09)
280SL 1985. Cyprus green. Warranted
mileage:
63,078.
Hard/soft
tops.
Automatic. Insured up to 24.06.16, MoT until
05.07.16 Undersealed. £19,750 ono.
Tel: 0115 9120351 (Notts) (08/15/08)
280CE Coupe 1982. Petrol, blue, velour
interior, sunroof, air con, 2 previous owners,
109,000 miles, no rust, chrome & coachwork
as new, restored 5 years ago, 5,000 miles
since much money spent. £6,950.
Tel: 01283 734078 (Derbyshire) (08/15/10)
Signal Red/contrasting Charcoal Cloth. Power
Steering, Central Locking, Manual Steel Sunroof,
Electric Heated Mirror/s, Sundym Glass, Graduated
Tinted Top Screen.
The Copy Deadline For The
Next
Issue is 1ST SEPTEMBER
This is a wonderful, original 3 owner example which has covered 34,000 miles from
new. There are 7 Service Stamps (Mercedes/Specialist) in the service book including
a file containing past MOT’s and for some of the work undertaken over the years to
verify the low mileage. Manuals, Tool Kit and Triangle are all present. The car is in
220S
Saloonwith
1964.
74,500
outstanding original condition, commensurate with
theFintail
low mileage
no rust
miles
fromAccordingly
new. Original
whatsoever, the vehicle still retains it’s original ABS
sticker!
the paintwork&
interior
all the
excellent
condition.
is in beautiful condition with no wear to the driver’sinterior,
seat and
carpets
includingColumn
the
gear
radio,
carextremely
cover, good
boot area remain as new. Mechanically the vehicle
is inchange,
fine fettle,
drives
Michelin
tyres,
replacement
exhaust,
taught and without fault. We have just undertaken a thorough service on the vehicle
battery,
dampers.
replacing all fluids due to the vehicle being subject
to very radiator
little use &
during
the pastOver
few years. This car is a sensible proposition for those
looking
for ainquality
classic
£16,000
spent
last 13
yearsforwith
frequent use. Priced at £5,795.00 including 12M.B.
months
MoT atWill
point
of sale.
specialist.
cruise
comfortably
10%
Mer
Tailo
at 70mph. MoT to 27/01/2016. Owner
98 HELLESDON PARK ROAD, isNORWICH,
5DR
30 years older thanNR6
car, which
now
deserves
new PLEASE
keeper. £17,500.
IMAGES
VISIT
TEL: 07500 047560 FOR MORE
Tel: 01590 612552 (Hampshire)
WWW.DEUTSCHE-MARQUES.CO.UK
(08/15/12)
www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk • SEPTEMBER 2015 • 77
Web
SpecialistServices
ACCIDENT & BODYWORK REPAIR
P J Smith
Classic and modern paint and bodywork Ltd
Unit 2, Manor Park,
Windsor Rd, Bedford MK42 9HW
Tel: 01234 341410
Accident repair and restoration specialists
VANLEIGH COACH WORKS
Unit 7, Central Ave, West Molesey,
Surrey KT8 2QH
Tel 0208 783 1212
[email protected]
All aspects of repair & restoration undertaken
to the highest standard at competitive rates
CAR MATS
Classic
Mercedes Mats
INTERIOR WOOD TRIM
SPECIALISTS
AM’S AUTOMOTIVE
D
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City Polishers Ltd
156 Broadgate, Weston Hills Spalding
Lincs PE12 6DQ.
Tel: 07977 741889
www.nicholas-martin.co.uk
Email: [email protected]
Tel:
01603 880522 Fax: 01603 880058
www.adamsautomotive.co.uk
email: [email protected]
With over 40 years experience in restoration, we are Mercedes specialists
maintaining and restoring these cars to customer requirements with Historic
event preperation and modification as part of our services. Please remember
we also cater for other main marques from 1900 to 1972 and that
Project1:Layout
1 look15/12/09
09:50 Page 1
we are agents for Penrite oils. We
forward to your enquiry!
MERCEDES DISMANTLERS
Mercman Ltd
Unit A, St Erth Industrial Estate
Rose An Grouse, Hayle, Cornwall, TR27 6LP
Tel : (+44) 01736 757777
Email [email protected]
www.mercman.net
Mercedes parts from 1960 to 2014
JOSEPH JOOS
Over 50 years experience
Specialist service,
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Quality second-hand spares
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SERVICING SPECIALIST REPAIRS
Fax:
www.josephjoos.co.uk
Radford Road, New Basford, Nottingham NG7 7NQ
Service & repair work, body work repairs,
used car sales, MOT’s, A/C servicing, valeting,
collection & delivery. Nottingham’s alternative to
main dealer service at an affordable price.
www.mercserve.co.uk
07919 885705
www.classicmercedesmats.co.uk
P J Smith
Classic and modern paint and bodywork Ltd
Unit 2, Manor Park,
Windsor Rd, Bedford MK42 9HW
Tel: 01234 341410
Accident repair and restoration specialists
CAR STORAGE
Richard Thorne
The Courtyard Garage, James Lane,
Grazeley Green, Reading RG7 1NB
Tel: 0118 9831200 Fax: 0118 9831414
www.rtcc.co.uk
Dehumidified, alarmed storage.
Transport from anywhere, MOT.
M4 J11 3 miles.
Tel: 020 8361 6750
Merc-Care has been established since 1988
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Advertisers’ Index
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Airflow............................................................ 48
Avantgarde..................................................... 48
Baviera............................................................ 75
Brian Nair Mercedes Service & Repair..... 75
British Motor Heritage Limited................. 36
Carcovershop ................................................ 75
Central Classic Auctions................................ 8
Charles Ironside .....................................52, 79
Chelsea Cars.................................................. 79
Cheshire Classic Benz Ltd........................... 23
Classic Preservations.................................... 26
Classicline Insurance.................................... 44
Coupe and Cabriolet ................................... 32
Cumbria Car Care ....................................... 58
d:class.......................................................... 6, 19
Footman James............................................. 39
Gasoline Alley............................................... 58
Gem-Tech ...................................................... 44
Hamilton Classic........................................... 79
Hilton and Moss...................................IFC, 79
Howard Wise Classic Cars .......................... 23
Hurst Park Classic Cars................................ 62
Klasse Series Automotive............................ 76
Lancaster Insurance Services...................... 42
Laurent Nay................................................... 62
Mercedes-Benz UK Ltd.......................... OBC
Mercedes-Benz Milton-Keynes Parts........ 56
Merparts Ltd.................................................. 76
MK Engineering............................................ 75
80 • SEPTEMBER 2015 • www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk
Peter Best Insurance..................................IBC
Peter Jarvis ..............................................77, 82
PJ Hodge & Sons Ltd................................... 77
Rees Bros. ..................................................... 56
Sandown......................................................... 16
Scenic Car Tours ........................................... 13
Silchester Garage.......................................... 66
Sporting Classic Motors Ltd........................ 58
Strongman Tools Ltd.................................... 74
SVS.................................................................. 76
T&D Heaney ................................................ 71
The SL Shop.................................................. 19
The Wheel Specialists.................................. 71