The official Mercedes-Benz Club Founded 1952

Gazette
April 2016
The official Mercedes-Benz Club
Founded 1952
In this month’s issue
CLK55 AMG
220SEb rediscovered
W203 C-Class front struts
Contents
Board of Directors
Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Ian Keers OBE
Vice Chair, Membership Services and Events
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
Correspondence for Club Directors should be sent
to: The Mercedes-Benz Club, PO Box 284,
Stamford PE9 9BY
Honorary President John Surtees CBE
10
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
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 February 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
June closes April 15
July closes May 13
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]
33
4
ClubPubMeetings
4
DiaryDates
7
ForthcomingEvents
9
InvitationReceived
10 News&Views
19 YourLetters
26 ViewPoint
28 ClubShop
Features
30 A rare jewel in the CLK
crown
33 BTCC
35 In Flanders fields
41 F1 news
43 That warm bed feeling
47 Car of the month
35
49
49 From deep in the Archive
TechnicalCorner
50 Spares register
51 W203 C-Class front springs
and struts
54 SL320 wow factor
56 RegionalReports
71 Back numbers
71 Special notices
72 NewMembers
79 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
■ Unique archive of photos, brochures and technical literature
For membership and general enquiries telephone 01780 482111,
0345 6032660 or see www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk
www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk • APRIL 2016 • 3
Forthcomingevents
tickets. Quote the Club code 2016DHFMERCEDES when booking
before the discount deadline of 5.00pm Sunday April 24. Advance
discounted tickets cost £21 for a single day, £34 for a two-day ticket
and just £48 for a three-day weekend pass. Club Members will get two
advance tickets for the price of one! This is a very significant saving
on the on-the-gate prices of £28, £45 and £65, respectively. Children
aged under 16 are admitted for free. Advance discounted tickets can
be bought via www.doningtonhistoric.com or through the 24-hour
ticket hotline 08448 737355 (calls are charged at 7p per minute plus
your network access charge).
At the time of booking you will be asked to request the number
of infield passes you require, allowing you to join the other cars on
display in the Club’s dedicated infield parking area.
Not all the action will be reserved for Donington Park itself. On the
Saturday evening a selection of 30 world-class competition cars will
head to Castle Donington village, where they will entertain thousands
of locals and visitors, parading round the local streets before parking
to form a highly photogenic display.
Karen Coe
The race-prepared Ponton then owned by Club Member
Stewart Imber on the track in 2015 (Jeff Bloxham).
National Concours, Milton
Keynes – Saturday June 18
As 2016 turns towards spring it is only a short time to the Club’s
annual concours competition. It is now time to think about your entry
and start preparation. For some Members the concours is the highlight
of the year and provides an opportunity to display and view some
of the nicest cars in the Club. As many of you will know the major
benefit of the Mercedes-Benz UK Milton Keynes location is that all
the entries are parked on hard-standing and there is enough space for
final preparation of your car without you getting covered in mud,
grass or anything else unpleasant for that matter! The Judges also
have an easier time in inspecting the cars. The hospitality afforded to
the Club by MBUK on this day is excellent and there is always plenty
to see and do. In addition to the competitive classes we will again be
looking to offer some key displays.
Exhibition Class
This year’s Exhibition Class is open to iconic vehicles pre-1976 and
we hope to have some interesting entries as usual.
In addition to these we are again hoping that MBUK will have
some of its latest models available for your perusal and we will know
more about these nearer the time.
As well as the cars there will be display stands, including some
of the Club insurers. Meguiar’s will have products available for final
concours preparation and the Club’s Technical Team will be accessible
to answer any queries.
On-site catering will be available for you to purchase snacks and
drinks from throughout the day.
Judged classes
The competition will as usual be made up of three main sections, the
top level Masterclass, the middle level Concours d’Elegance and the
entry level Enthusiast Class.
Last year’s class winners in the Concours d’Elegance will
automatically progress up to the Masterclass. Masterclass participants
from 2015 may, if they wish, have another crack at the coveted top
trophies or drop back into the Concours d’Elegance. This will again
feature a smaller number of classes, reflecting the change in the profile
of the numbers and models of cars entered into the concours.
Enthusiast Class winners from 2015 will automatically have to move
up to the Concours d’Elegance level. If any Member would like guidance
on deciding at which level to compete this year please contact me.
We have also introduced two new classes this year by popular
demand. The Modified Class will cover a range of modifications from
standard. This class will be judged according to Enthusiast Class
8 • APRIL 2016 • www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk
Rob Halloway of Mercedes-Benz UK (left) presenting the
Masterclass trophy to Brian Ellis at last year’s National Concours.
rules. The Low Mileage Class is for cars over 10 years old that have
covered less than 10,000 miles and so would not be eligible for the
Concours d’Elegance. There is one class for all levels, judged in
accordance with Concours d’Elegance rules. The winner will not be
eligible for the 2017 Masterclass unless the car has covered 10,000
miles by then.
Once again we would like to emphasise that the National
Concours is intended to be an enjoyable experience with the added
chance of winning a prize and we have kept the wider Enthusiast
section in place from last year. Previous competitors will know
how much fun collecting an award can be, but as ever the Judges’
decisions on the day will be final and no subsequent correspondence
can be entered into!
All entrants are requested to bring their Club membership cards
to facilitate registration on the day. It is also always a good idea
to have with you the documentation you have for you car, such as
service books and records, MoT certificates etc. As in previous years
we must emphasise that all competing cars must be driven to the
event under their own power, any vehicles arriving on trailers will
not be eligible for the judged sections of the competition.
I am more than happy to answer queries on any aspect of the
2016 National Concours Day, preferably by e-mail to mfranks911@
aol.com or by telephone on 020 8958 3319.
Malcolm Franks, National Concours Manager
Forthcomingevents
W123 Day – Sunday July 24
We have great pleasure in announcing that the 2016 W123 Day will
be held at the newly refurbished British Motor Museum, Banbury
Road, Gaydon, Warwickshire CV35 0BJ on Sunday July 24. This
year marks the 40th anniversary of this iconic model and it would be
especially nice to see as many variations of the W123 as possible, so
if you have a Berlin taxi, ambulance or indeed anything interesting
please bring it along.
Tickets will cost £10 per car which includes a unique 40th anniversary
Monte Carlo style rally board as a keep-sake, with entry tickets for the
museum being available to purchase from us on the day at the special
rate of just £8 each (normally £14). Please note however that reduced
price museum tickets are limited to 80, making it first-come, first-served
we’re afraid.
Please remember, you do not necessarily have to be in a W123 to
attend as all models of Mercedes-Benz are welcome (except commercial
vehicles). There will be prizes for the best W123s including, of course,
the prestigious Sturman Trophy. There will also be a prize for the best
non-W123.
Part of the display at a previous W123 Day.
For tickets please e-mail [email protected] or call 07794 207944. We are looking forward seeing you all!
Martyn and Susie Marrocco
Silverstone Classic – July 29-31
Final chance to buy tickets
Everyone will need a ticket purchased in advance for this event. There
will be no Club discounted tickets or car passes available after May 31.
The prices for all Club Members (excluding booking fee and postage)
until then are Friday £49, Saturday (limited availability) £75, Sunday
£64, Friday and Saturday pass £87, Saturday and Sunday pass £99 or
three-day weekend pass £114. For children’s ticket prices check with
Silverstone Classic when you book. To buy tickets use the Silverstone
Classic website www.silverstoneclassic.com/tickets or phone
08712 310849. They will be posted to you just before the event.
You will need to provide your car make, model and registration, and
have your credit card details and the special Mercedes-Benz-Club booking
code to hand. This code is only for Club Members and their passengers, and
is available from Membership Secretary Catherine Barlow, either by phone
on 01780 482111 or by e-mail [email protected]
There will be space for at least 150 Members’ cars each day. All cars
booked onto our Club stand will receive a vehicle pass for access to the
infield area.
Part of the Club stand at last year’s Silverstone Classic.
Saturday evening parade lap for SLKs, CLKs and W140s
This year we have an opportunity to mark the special anniversaries of
the SLKs, CLKs and W140s. There will be a parade lap on the evening
of Saturday July 30. I would like to see as many Club Members’ cars
as we can gather to take part in this. Members wishing to participate
must ensure that they highlight their car model and registration number
on the booking form and bring their driving licence on the day.
I look forward to seeing you all at Silverstone in July.
Vivienne Franks
S-Fest 16 – change of date to
August 21
The date of this event – which will celebrate everything S-Class –
has had to be changed to Sunday August 21, but it will still be at the
Coventry Transport Museum. To reserve your place or to get more
information please e-mail me via [email protected] or call 07971 318215.
Tim Shambrook
Amongst the celebrations at this event will be the
25th anniversary of the W140.
InvitationReceived
W123 world record attempt – June 5
Autobedrijf Jansen tell us that on June 5 they will be trying to set a
new world record for the longest parade of W123s. They say: “We
want as many participants as possible, so we would love to welcome
some English W123 enthusiasts. The event will take place in the
Netherlands. For more information and to register to take part look at
our website www.mercedes123.nl”
www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk • APRIL 2016 • 9
News&Views
CL coupés Model
Register Captain
London Classic Car Show
Clive Henderson.
Wales – North and Borders Regional Officer
Clive Henderson has now also been appointed
Model Register Captain for the W215/6 CL
coupé models. We wish him well in this
additional role.
Trevor Mitchell
The Club stand at the London Classic Car Show.
Grille badges
300S on ‘The Grand Avenue’.
The SL Shop’s SportLine.
Grille badges are available from the Membership
Office. They are approximately three inches
(76.2mm) in diameter in a nickel silver finish.
They have a simple fixing which enables them
to be mounted directly on to most radiator grilles
and come complete with a nyloc nut and penny
washer. An adaptor plate is also available (at extra
cost) to bolt the badge to a badge bar clamp.
The cost is £25 or £30 for a badge and adaptor
plate. These prices include postage and packing
within Europe. Please enquire for the cost of
postage to other destinations. To order your badge
please contact Catherine Barlow on 01780 482111
or [email protected]
300SEL from Edward Hall.
The Club took a stand in the ‘Car Club
Square’ at the second-ever London Classic
Car Show held at the Excel in February.
Stand organiser Michael Morrison said:
“The idea was to resemble the Earl’s Court
motor shows of the 1960s and the choice
of cars was based on what could have been
seen on Mercedes-Benz stands there.” It
consisted of Geoffrey Hunter’s 1965 W100
600, Barry Pope’s ex-Roger Edwards
1967 W113 250SL, Clive Ricketts’ 1968
W111 280SE coupé, Sully Gurdere’s 1957
190SL, Philip Thain’s 1967 W110 230 and
Michael’s 1972 W108 280SE.
33,000 visitors came to the show and
the Club was grateful to the organisers for a
generous supply of free tickets for Members,
most of which were raffled or given out on a
first-come, first-served basis on the website
forum. As well as the displayed cars’ owners
other volunteers who manned the stand were
Vivienne and Malcolm Franks.
As in its first year, much of the show was
given over to dealers, auction houses and other
commercial enterprises keen to sell to classic
car enthusiasts thought to have significant
‘disposable income’. The centre of the main
10 • APRIL 2016 • www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk
300SL Gullwing.
190E from Bradley James
Classics.
hall again housed ‘The Grand Avenue’ where
moving displays of cars were staged. Amongst
these was a 300S coupé, apparently a visitor
from Germany. The auction house and dealer
displays included a 190E 2.5-16 EVO II that
subsequently sold for a phenomenal sum –
see ‘Auction news’. Elsewhere there were
W198 300SL Gullwings and roadsters and the
SL Shop, which featured its ‘SL SportLine’.
This is an updated R107 300SL featuring
an uprated engine with 255hp (more than a
500SL), a five-speed manual gearbox, lowered
and heavily revised suspension, a limited-slip
diff, wider ‘baroque’ style alloy wheels and
an updated interior with a new dash display
– anything Mechatronik in Germany can do
can do...
Back in the clubs’ hall, alongside the
club displays were some from slightly lowerleague dealers where newcomer Edward
Hall had a W126 300SEL with fewer than
38,000 miles on its clock and Bradley James
Classics had an admittedly very original and
high specification 1986 190E, but £8,995
seemed quite an optimistic price given its
condition and 124,000 miles.
Chris Bass
News&Views
Auction news
Silverstone Auctions’ Race Retro £292,500 190E 2.5-16 EVO II on
display at the London Classic Car Show.
The winter auction scene is always of interest with several sales pre-New
Year bringing out some unusual cars.
For example, Coys sold a 1969 SSK Count Trossi ‘Evocation’, based
on a 1953 300, for £353,000 – it is sometimes amazing what people buy!
A more predictable 2008 SLR in silver with red seats and just 16,000 miles
seemed inexpensive at £175,000.
There were two Bonhams sales in a short space of time. At their Bond
Street showroom the well-known John Young Gullwing (RYN 9) in silver
with blue trim and owned by him since 1968, in mainly original condition
and with just 44,000 miles, surprisingly did not attract that much interest at
the guide price of £1.0 to £1.3 million, but sold after the event for £896,000.
In the other sale, at the Hendon RAF Museum, a 1966 220SEb cabriolet in
deep blue metallic and grey trim with one owner to 2006 made £57,500, a
1992 500SL in blue-black with cream trim and 65,000 miles but needing
some TLC was £4,830 and a 1993 320CE cabriolet in almandine with
mushroom trim and 85,000 miles was £5,750.
At the same time Classic Car Auctions held a sale at Leamington Spa
only selling two of the seven Mercedes on offer. A 1990 R129 300SL in
blue-black with beige trim and 98,000 miles made just £2,090 and a 1992
300SL-24 in black with grey trim and 54,000 miles a little more at £2,534.
H&H held a nice sale at Chateau Impney with several Mercedes
changing hands:
1963 230SL blue/black with a 250 engine £26,666
1965 220SEb coupé, blue/ivory, only 58,000 miles but needing work
£10,080
1972 350SL blue/black, little history £6,440
1986 500SL silver/blue, 112,000 miles, nice example £19,600
1986 560SL black/cream £10,080
1991 300SL-24 metallic blue/cream, 113,000 miles £3,024
1997 SL500 metallic greenish blue/cream, 73,000 miles £8,176
2000 SLK200 silver/black, nice example with only 23,000 miles
£9,520
H&H also held a sale at Donington Park, selling the following:
1973 350SL silver/blue, 114,000 miles £8,848
1980 280SL white/black, 78,000 miles £7,616
1981 350SL metallic blue/blue, untidy £4,746
Meanwhile in
Paris...
Club Member Peter
Brown visited the RM
Sotheby’s auction in Paris
in early February and
reports the following:
£6million asking price for this
1957 300Sc coupé
Gullwing at Retromobile.
€498,400
1965 300SE cabriolet, estimated at €280,000-€320,000, reached
€230,000 on the night but failed to sell
1970 280SE 3.5 coupé €170,800
1955 300SL Gullwing €1,176,000
1982 280SL thistle green/tan and tartan, 57,000 miles £6,496
1989 SL320 silver/grey, 38,000 miles, ex-Jersey £13,720
1994 E320 coupé, silver/charcoal, 46,000 miles £6,350
2000 CLK230 metallic red/grey, 93,000 miles £3,024
2001 SL320 green/cream, 91,000 miles, tidy £7,840
Barons also entered the festivities, at Sandown Park, selling the
following:
1984 500SEC ‘convertible by Lynx’, silver/black and 197,000 miles
£4,997
1994 E320 Sportline cabriolet metallic blue/mushroom, one lady
owner, 103,000 miles £9,577
2001 500CL silver/grey, 112,000 miles £3,127
2002 CLK500 silver/cream, 114,000 miles £2,482
2002 CLK320 cabriolet, black/black, just 42,000 miles £3,342
At their later sale the following sold:
1980 350SL brown/tan, 97,000 miles £4,290
1992 300SL-24 silver/blue leather £3,465
2000 SLK230 blue metallic/black, 62,000 miles £2,695
2000 SLK200 black/grey, unusual manual, 12 service book stamps,
108,000 miles £2,640
2002 SLK200 black/black, 112,000 miles £1,952
2003 500CL silver/black, 50,000 miles £6,600
2005 CLK350 black/black, 48,000 miles £4,730
As usual Coys attended Autosport International at the NEC. This
exhibition was reported on in the March Gazette by Paul Kelly but the
auction focus for Mercedes enthusiasts centred round the two raceprepared saloons owned by Stewart Imber who has decided to ‘hang up his
helmet’. Both these cars have had extensive Club coverage in the past – a
1958 220S Ponton and a 1964 300SE Fintail – both estimated at £35,000
to £45,000 and sold for £38,900 each. At the moment I do not know the
identity of the buyer but we all hope the cars will still be seen competing,
at Goodwood in particular.
SWVA in Poole managed to sell three Mercedes, a tidy 1989 230CE
in black with black trim and only 30,000 miles at £7,776, a 1994 E220
cabriolet also in black with 120,000 miles at £6,264 and a 1996 W140 600
coupé, again in black, with 83,000 miles for £6,210.
And finally Silverstone Auctions appeared at Race Retro with three
Mercedes. A 1985 280TE resprayed in silver with black leather and
114,000 miles went at almost double its estimate for £18,225. A 2008
McLaren SLR in black with red interior and just 20,000Km crossed the
block at £226,000.
The most amazing result though was for a 1990 190E 2.5-16 EVO
II. Claimed to be the best and lowest mileage example in the world the
recorded kilometreage was just 2,773 (1,720 miles) – its condition was
quite superb although the seats had a little more wear at the front than
might have been expected. This did not detract the buyers though. The
estimate was an eye-watering £140,000 to £160,000, which I thought quite
high as a previous excellent example with slightly higher mileage sold
last year at the Silverstone Classic for £101,000. The result – a staggering
£292,500! Obviously a new record and hard to take in.
Malcolm Franks
1966 600 sedan €100,800
1961 190SL €112,000
2004 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren €274,400
Peter also took in the Retromobile show, where London dealer
Fiskens had an alloy 300SL Gullwing on offer for £6million.
...and Bedford
Just too late for Malcolm Franks’ round-up, Classics Central
reported sales of two cars for Club Members at its Bedford sale at
the end of February. The full list of Mercedes sold was:
1991 500SL £4,246
1990 190 £605
1992 300SL-24 £3,300
1976 230 £275
Chris Bass
www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk • APRIL 2016 • 13
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]
YourLetters
Help after flooding
Letter of the Month
Dear Chris,
After having nearly four feet of dirty river
water in my unit on Boxing Day, ruining a
600 Grosser part way through restoration,
a decent left-hand-drive 280SL Pagoda and
a mint W124 220 coupé ready for selling,
and hundreds of new and used parts, plus
electric tools, a compressor, a microwave,
parts microfiche and vacuum cleaner, I
would like to thank Club Members Barry
‘Chip Shop Barry’ Smith, Brian Speed, Bob
Gascoigne and Leigh Holbrook for giving
up a day of their time to help me clear the
mess. It made all the difference, as it would
have taken another week on my own. I am
slowly getting straight, thanks again.
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.
In remembrance of Derrick Carman
Cheers,
Dave Collins (aka ‘retrodave111’), via
e-mail
Dorchester
recommendation
Derrick Carman with Roy Shakeshaft’s W111 coupé in the summer of 2009 when
Derrick joined Roy and Mike Maisey for a trip to a Tatton Park show.
Dear Chris,
I should like to inform the Club of the death of Member Derrick Carman, who passed on
January 20 aged 86, in Gloucester Hospital, after struggling with several ailments over
the last two years.
He was born and lived happily his whole life in Cheltenham. He enjoyed the Club,
always standing quietly at the back of the events and trips he attended and will be known
to many fellow Members. Ill health prevented his attendance at events in recent years. He
was married to Sheila for 53 years.
I met Derrick when he introduced himself to me on my first trip to Essen in 2000.
We became good friends and accompanied each other on this trip, which Derrick eagerly
awaited every year until his last in 2010. Derrick enjoyed Essen mainly because it brought
back many memories of his love of cars generally (and he was very knowledgeable
about them) and the very long list of cars he had owned over the years, which he always
purchased new.
He started with Austins, Morrises and a Mini, which he loved. One of the cars he enjoyed
the most was a Sunbeam Rapier coupé. His first German car was an Audi 100 coupé.
Being an engineer by trade, it was the build quality of the W123 that drew Derrick to
the Mercedes-Benz marque and, like most of us, once he had driven a Mercedes he was
hooked. Several further W123s and W124s followed, along with some W201s driven by
Sheila. Derrick’s first S-Class was a W126, which instantly became his car of choice,
and so started a very long purchasing history involving the S-Classes. Several W140s,
described as “a proper gentleman’s car”, were followed by several W220s, “fantastic to
drive, elegant to look at” – and possibly Derrick’s all-time favourite modern Mercedes.
Diesel W221s proved popular, for “build quality and fuel economy”. There was even a
W222 in the garage at the time of his passing. In between all this, a few SLs, E-Classes
and CLSs, an ML-AMG and even a Smart roadster passed through his hands. The list of
cars he owned was quite amazing and he could remember every one of them in detail.
Quality issues were never really a problem due to not owning a car long enough, but
his W211 E-Class tested his patience due to electrical gremlins and an early W140 was
returned after a few days with poor paint issues. I’ll not go into Derrick’s idea of how a
car should be washed!
I listened to many amusing stories over the years of the fun Derrick had negotiating
buying and selling his cars as well as driving them. As he collected the keys to one, he
would place the order for the next. He was a specialist at it, and I told him he should write
a book with all the stories and tales, but alas it wasn’t to be.
Following a spell in the RAF, Derrick had a long and enjoyable engineering career
in the R&D department of a business involved in skip lorry design. He also enjoyed
photography, big band music and walking his dog. He is survived by his wife Sheila.
Mike Maisey, via e-mail
Dear Chris,
I would like to recommend Casterbridge
Motor Company Ltd, Unit 11A Casterbridge
Industrial Estate, Dorchester DT1 1PL,
telephone 01305 257588 or 238638 and its
owner Roger Legg for the superb standard
and reliability of his service.
I own a 20-year-old W124 which Roger
keeps on the road (198,000 miles) which
drives and feels like a vehicle with just 1/3 of
this mileage. My previous W124 achieved
263,000 miles before failing its MoT test.
Roger is a complete Mercedes
enthusiast and copes well with all problems
with a friendly, unflappable manner and
invariably delivers the car at the stated time.
As one local described him: “Roger is an
endangered species!”
Norman Coggle, Bridport
Interesting supplier
Dear Catherine [Barlow],
I recently had to replace the off-side mirror
glass on my daughter’s SLK280, my
Mercedes-Benz dealer quoted £82.50.
Not being happy with that I did some
hunting on various internet sites and found
prices from £22 to £28 for the same thing.
However, after further hunting I found
cpm@less4spares who quoted me £11.99
for the same thing. I ordered it at 11.00am
and it was delivered the very next day. Apart
from being very, very competitively priced
their service was also very good.
Best regards,
Bob Ruddock, via e-mail
www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk • APRIL 2016 • 19
The R129 high in the Alps on the way to Monte Carlo in 2010, Michael and Angela Chapman’s R107 behind.
ViewPoint
by Ian Keers
Clarity once more
When I acquired my 500SEC last October it
had a vertical crack in the windscreen about
six inches long in the bottom centre area with
a clear impact point of a stone or something.
The previous owner informed me that a new
screen was on back order with MercedesBenz through Autoglass and that he would
advise them of the change of ownership,
which he did. Since then I have been waiting
and waiting for the screen to turn up and have
called Autoglass from time to time to check on
progress, always to be informed that it was still
on back order. Fortunately the crack did not
run and, as it was outside the steering wheel
diameter, it was not an MoT test fail point. To
be honest, as the months went by I had begun
to think that it would never show up and that
I would have to try to find a second-hand
one. Then, out of the blue in mid-February,
Autoglass called to say it had arrived! To say
I was delighted would be an understatement.
Whilst making the appointment (they come to
you), I reminded the dispatcher that this was a
1987 car and asked if she would send someone
with experience of cars of that period. She
The new screen for the 500SEC before fitting, note how deep it goes at the bottom on
these cars.
26 • APRIL 2016 • www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk
assured me she would be sending a ‘MasterTech’, so that was fine. On the morning of the
agreed day I received a call from my man who
said how much he was looking forward to
doing my job and that he had got one other to
do first and then he could spend the rest of the
day on mine. Finally, Dick Wood, Autoglass’s
Master-Tech in the Northampton area turned
up and proved to be the most excellent guy I
could have had.
The screens on the W126 coupé are
extremely deep and so as well as the visible
trims, quite a bit of engine bay trim had to
come out first. I stayed with him all the time
so was able to hoover out all the accumulated
rubbish which was lying in the now exposed
bulkhead area. I also rodded out the drain holes
in the inner wing tops and blew them through
with compressed air. The car does have some
corrosion here and there and I must say I
was very worried about the screen aperture,
especially as Dick told me that if they find
corrosion they will not fit the new screen as
they cannot guarantee it. I remembered Chris
Bass writing about this problem on his W201
some time ago and all the work involved in
putting it right, so I watched Dick remove
the old screen with some trepidation; it was
fine! Huge relief on my part I can tell you.
Dick cleaned the aperture and applied a thick
line of adhesive around the screen and then
mounted an ingenious device to the car’s side
window and to the new screen, effectively
giving him another pair of hands to make
the installation, made very tricky due to
the depth of the screen into the engine bay,
meaning it had to be lowered in behind the
raised bonnet. Finally it was in and the trims
re-fitted and what a great job it was. As well
as the big crack, the old screen had several
pock marks and chips plus old tax disc
holders and stickers etc, so the difference a
new, clear screen makes to the car is amazing.
Even more pleasing is that it is a genuine
Mercedes screen with the three-pointed-star
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
Ripstop nylon jacket with
Club logo, black or navy.
£60.00
Reversible Storm-Dri jacket
with Club logo, various
colours. £60.00
Gazette binder – holds 12
issues, complete with year
stickers. £13.00
Backpack, black and tan with
silver Club logo. £19.00
Water-proof blouson jacket
in navy, black or grey £60.00
Club fleece with silver logo, in
navy blue, burgundy, black, grey
or green. £34.50
Club polo shirts in
various colours, ring for
details. £23.50
Padded body-warmer with
Club logo. £34.50
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.
28 • APRIL 2016 • www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk
Rugby shirt, long sleeve with Club
logo, various colours, £34.50
Club holdall/sports-bag
in various colours £26.00
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.
Feature
LP’s CLK55 AMG cabriolet.
A rare jewel in the
CLK crown
by Red Mackinnon
Red is the CLK Model Register Captain and this is the first of a series of articles celebrating
the 40th anniversary of the launch of the first CLK.
W
hilst many of you out there may
have heard about this MercedesBenz model, mostly from me
I suspect, you might not have ever seen
nor known about the W208 CLK55 AMG
cabriolet. It does exist but it was offered
through Mercedes-Benz dealerships in 2002
only, right at the very end of the W208 CLK
production run, which overlapped with the
incoming W209 coupé. Until last year I had
only ever caught a quick glimpse of two of
these cars in my entire life, both in London
and both only as fleeting drive-pasts, with
them not stopping to let me look, listen or
ride! Every now and then one comes up for
sale, as do Fabergé eggs, but it’s not a very
A rare car, especially in the UK.
30 • APRIL 2016 • www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk
common occurrence and when it does happen
it only lasts as long as a politician’s promise.
I met lucky Club Member ‘LP’ who is
the proud owner of one of these rare cars.
Talking to him it was apparent that he is a
petrol-head from the start and that MercedesBenz vehicles are in his blood. Although the
CLK55 AMG is his first CLK, it is not his
first Mercedes. “I am a W124 man really,”
he says “I have had many over the years and
currently have an E320 AMG coupé which
is a genuine vehicle from new. I have had
a lovely W124 220 saloon and also another
‘normal’ E320 cabriolet which I loved, but I
sold it as after a time I was thinking about a
change, possibly a W215 CL as I liked the
pillar-less profile of these vehicles.”
“After the W124 cabriolet was sold
I had a ‘cabriolet hole’ in my life and so I
was looking around for something to fill the
gap. I was scanning Autotrader a few years
ago and saw the CLK advertised. I called
the seller and was very surprised to find that
the car was still available. After seeing it
wearing a coat of ‘designo copper’ metallic
The full AMG body-kit of the W208 CLKs
always helped to bolster the car and it
suits its body shape perfectly.
Feature
BTCC
Paul Kelly’s studio portrait of the 2016 Wix-backed A-Class.
BTCC for 2016
by Paul Kelly
New race engineers
Ciceley Motorsport has announced that
current race engineer Paul Ridgway is to
leave the team for pastures new and move to
the factory-backed Volvo touring car project.
Paul has been with Ciceley Motosport since
2013 and has been a major factor in getting
the Mercedes-Benz A-Class from mid-pack
challenger to race-winner.
Team owner Russell Morgan said: “It is
with great sadness that Paul is leaving us,
not only for his brilliance as an engineer but
also as a close friend to both Adam and me.
Paul has made it clear that he still wishes to
see ‘his Mercs’ fighting at the front and will
always be on hand to assist where possible.”
The team has replaced Paul with very
experienced Italian crew chief Marco
Calovolo. Marco has over 25 years
experience in touring car engineering and
worked recently with James Thompson in
the World Touring Car Championship. He is
looking forward to the challenge of a new
championship, new car and circuits. Marco
has worked in Formula One, DTM and was
a key member of Alfa Romeo’s WTCC
success and the Lada WTCC team.
He will be joined by Federico Turrata
who will oversee Aiden Moffatt’s A-Class.
Federico has worked in the Chinese Touring
Car Championship. Both will fly in to work
on the cars and to the races. They will be
clocking up some serious air miles, that’s
for sure!
A handover period took place during
a three-day test for the team in Portimao
(Portugal) in late February with both Wix
Racing and Laser Tools Racing eager to form
a successful relationship with their Italian
engineers – and develop a taste for espresso!
RML Engineering will supply all
suspension and chassis components for the
BTCC championship in 2016. The new setup, which will cost teams £50,000 per car,
has to be tried and tested to get the cars up
to speed before the season-opener on April 2.
Adam Morgan has tested it and said, “I have
never had so much rear grip in the wet. The
system seems to work well with the A-Class”.
The official BTCC test saw the teams
head out to Portugal and the Autódromo
Internacional do Algarve circuit. Five teams
went, including former champion Andrew
Jordan in his Ford Focus. The Ciceley truck,
containing both the Wix and Laser Tools
sponsored A-Classes, set off three days
earlier for the long journey south.
The teams arrived at the circuit under
rain clouds and the weather turned wet for a
few hours each day. It didn’t deter the drivers
however as they all went out on full wets,
certainly not what was expected – in the
end they were worried about running out of
wet tyres! Adam loved the undulating track
and was at the top end of the time sheets
for most of the test. Eventually the track
dried out, the organisers keeping it open
for an extra hour each night to compensate
for the unexpected
precipitation.
Adam said: “All
in all a positive test
and I have more
racing laps under
my belt. I am getting
used to the new
suspension
set-up
and having valuable
time with my new
Marco Calovolo.
race engineer.”
The teams were then looking forward
to the next test, at the media launch
day at Donington Park on March 22. I
will be doing a report on this event in a
forthcoming Gazette.
The livery for the Wix Ciceley A-Class
has a new flame effect for 2016. The car
looked awesome when I photographed it in
the studio recently.
Adam Morgan’s car at the test session
in Portugal.
www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk • APRIL 2016 • 33
Feature
Rows of graves everywhere.
In Flanders fields
T
his trip to Ypres in August last year
followed a very cold visit to the First
World War Battlefields of the Somme
in 2014 and one to the Normandy Beaches in
the summer of 2015.
All three trips have been in the company
of Andrew Spooner, an excellent and
knowledgeable guide of WWI and WWII
battlefield sites. Several Members have
participated in all three trips and it’s great that
we have a group willing to commit themselves
to such an adventure, but equally good that
new people come from all over the country to
join us.
Because people came from widely spread
starting points, we arranged to meet on the
other side of the Channel. It turned out that
those who didn’t use the Channel Tunnel had
the better deal, as did those who travelled
earlier than the first official day of our trip.
These included Jay and Roy Isden and David
by Steve Howie
and Mavis Cherril who were on their first
trip with us. This was because we were at the
height of Operation Stack in which the police
dealt with delays at Dover or Folkstone by
intermittently closing one of the major trunk
roads to the continent, the M20 motorway, to
use it as a lorry park. We were all anxiously
watching traffic reports in the days prior to
our departure to see if this procedure was in
place or not. Before we left it wasn’t, and
we received reassuring messages from those
who had gone before. And all looked good
as we set off down the motorway; the M20
was clear with the unused portaloos on the
hard shoulder placed there for lorry drivers’
convenience (if you excuse the expression)
looking forlorn and neglected. All good so far.
Then we arrived at the terminal to be informed
of a two-hour delay due to the fact that one of
the two tunnels was closed. At this point in
August, delays at the tunnel weren’t reaching
national news unless they were very bad, but
this one did because it was caused by a Somali
man walking almost all the way through the
tunnel from the camp near the Calais terminal
of Eurotunnel known as ‘The Jungle’. This
had the effect that we unexpectedly met
Angela and Arnold Klintworth who were on
a train two hours after us, not to see them for
the rest of the day until the evening. It was a
shame that they missed the first two events
and had to go straight to the hotel, but they
had the opportunity to visit the second site
(described below) on their way home at the
end of the trip.
Once on the train, the journey was, as
usual, rapid and smooth and we headed
Some of our cars at Ploegstreet, Rob and
Pauline Morrison’s SLK in the foreground.
Queuing for the tunnel.
Roy and Jay Isden’s and David and
Mavis Cherrill’s SLs.
www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk • APRIL 2016 • 35
Feature
Launches
Ahead of February testing, the teams scrambled
to launch their cars for the 2016 campaign.
New Mercedes customer team Manor revealed
its new MRT 05, which has also benefited in
design support from the Williams team. It has
an all-rookie driver line-up in DTM champion
Pascal Wehrlein and GP2 race-winner Rio
Haryanto. Force India cut it fine, with a launch
half an hour before the start of the February
test, stating that its plan for the VJM09 will be
to become the most successful of the Mercedes
customer teams, overhauling Williams, which
has finished third in the constructors’ battle in
the last two seasons. Williams itself revealed
a car that was visually very similar to last
season’s car, which appeared to have reached
the end of its development potential toward
the end of last season. The team countered
these concerns by saying that the car will be
substantially revised ahead of the first race in
Melbourne. Meanwhile, Mercedes itself also
revealed a visually similar design with the team
saying that this season they are concentrating on
perfecting all areas of team performance.
Token change
The ‘token’ system designed to control engine
development through to the 2020 season is very
likely to be abandoned next year. This complex
system awarded points to differing parts of the
engine that had to be ‘spent’ if any development
was planned and it was disliked by the teams.
This leaves far more freedom for engineers to
explore the potential of their hybrid systems,
whilst allowing manufacturers like Renault
and Honda the chance to catch up with those
leading the field.
At the same time the finally agreed pricecap for customer engines will mean that at least
the smaller teams will be able to benefit from
developments without paying additional costs.
Barcelona
Pre-season testing finally got underway on
February 22, at the Circuit de Catalunya
Barcelona. This year both pre-season sessions
took place very close together, with the second
F1news
Hamilton...
by Will Gardner
four-day session starting just five days later.
Early results in the first session saw
Hamilton rack up over 130 laps, posting some
very quick times, with both the Force India and
the Williams running well, with all 11 teams
running on day one. The new Haas team also
ran well, posting some competitive times, as
did the beleaguered McLaren team, whose
early results appeared encouraging, backed up
by positive comments from Jenson Button who
had done little to hide his frustrations last year.
By the end of the two test periods,
Mercedes had shown excellent reliability from
both cars and although the fastest lap times
were set by the Ferrari team, they managed far
fewer track miles. Williams and Force India
showed pleasing results, both clocking up
decent mileage, with good speed and reliability.
The McLaren team did appear to have made
progress since last year, but there is clearly more
work to do.
Worst
The smart money in F1 suggests that 2016
will see another season of Mercedes F1
domination, but F1 still struggles to remain
unpredictable or interesting. In his typically
outspoken style, F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone
recently told the Daily Mail that “F1 is the
worst it has ever been,” and added “I wouldn’t
spend my money to take my family to watch
a race. No way.” A few days later the same
newspaper quoted Dieter Zetsche (Chairman
of Daimler who sees a lot of his marketing
budget going on F1): “At the Geneva Motor
Show I was not going on stage to say I would
never drive a Mercedes and that customers
should not do so. I don’t understand how
someone who is not only the CEO but the
partial owner of the product (F1) talks that
way...”
To try and add to spectator interest,
changes are being made that will see
qualifying split into three sections, with
the slowest drivers eliminated every 90
seconds. These plans have been met with
little enthusiasm from seasoned observers,
who see nothing wrong with the current
qualifying set-up. However, Williams’ deputy
team principal Claire Williams has said that
critics should reserve judgement until the
new format has been tried, though McLaren
driver and former world champion Fernando
Alonso branded the change as “sad.”
Further changes will be introduced in
2017, which could see increased car speeds,
as well as the controversial ‘halo’ device
that further encloses the cock-pit to enhance
driver safety. Hamilton has been quoted
as saying that this is the worst move in F1
history, whilst – perhaps predictably given
their rivalry – Rosberg responded by saying
that he thought the device was quite cool and
a major step forward in driver safety.
Television
...and Rosberg testing in Barcelona.
Channel 4 has confirmed that David
Coulthard has become the first member of its
commentary team. Following an agreement
with Sky Sports F1, which shows every
race live, the broadcaster has announced
Bahrain, Spain, Europe (Azerbaijan), Britain,
Hungary, Belgium, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico
and Abu Dhabi as its live broadcasts. Best
of all, there will be no advertisement breaks
during the races.
For the remaining 11 GPs Channel 4 will
show a comprehensive highlights package,
which started with the Australian race on
March 20.
www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk • APRIL 2016 • 41
Feature
220SEb coupé 860 WBJ – its bonnet star is missing and it’s got a smashed headlamp lens, but it’s dry and not showing much rust.
That warm bed feeling
In the May 2015 Gazette (‘My first Mercedes’) Nick Kisch recalled his first Mercedes-Benz – a 220SEb coupé
– and contacted some of its previous owners. Here he brings the story up to date.
860 WBJ reunion
On Sunday January 3 Derek Cooper, fellow
Club Member and the former owner of
my 220SEb coupé, had organised for us to
meet, along with the current owner Mario
Sbuttoni, and George Sutton the previous
owner to Derek – so the four of us could see
860 WBJ again.
Following Mario and me in his car, were
Derek, his wife Helene, George and his wife
Diane. We turned into a block of flats under
which there was a gated alley somewhere
round the back of Ealing Common. A
secluded row of lock-ups at the rear came
into view. Mario drew up at the corner
garage which had a double-sized door. As he
The BMW 501 that once belonged to Nick Kisch’s Dad – under the apocryphal kitchen sink.
by Nick Kisch
put his key in the padlock, he turned to me
and said, “No crying please.” Then slid the
door back.
Inside was all manner of antique
furniture, boxes, a trolley, a trailer, an engine
stand and, yes, even the obligatory kitchen
sink. A trailer wheeled out of the way and
some of the boxes removed, silhouettes of
two old cars could be made out beneath the
plastic covers.
Closest to the entrance was the rounded
boot of a black BMW 501 V8 2.6, a familiar
sight to me as this car had previously
belonged to my father. A collection of
501/2 BMWs were a constant throughout
my childhood. Having owned half a dozen
or more of them, in what seemed like a
single-handed crusade to save any that were
spotted, so rare were any German cars on
British roads in the 1960s, we would flash
headlamps at any others spotted while we
were driving.
Derek and Helene also have a connection
with this car – they had used it as their
wedding car in Nimes, France in 1978, my
dad (who worked with Derek at the National
Physics Laboratory) using the 1,460km (900plus miles) round-trip to ‘run in’ the newly
rebuilt engine. Remember having to do that?
Simultaneously we were all drawn in
by the rakish, lower silhouette of a W111
www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk • APRIL 2016 • 43
Car of the month
David John’s 230CE
D
avid writes: ‘I have owned this W124 230CE for almost two years now and have
enjoyed every minute. It replaced my previous Mercedes-Benz, a 190E LE.
For a long time I had admired the lines of the CE and looked at many before I
came across this 123,000-mile example. Having seen so many that did not impress me
condition-wise I vowed that this would be the last one I would travel to look at. Although
it was not my first choice of colour or power unit it was the overall condition and history
that swung it for me. Beryl 888 is a rare colour and before viewing this car I had only seen
it on colour charts, so I had reservations, but I was very pleasantly surprised seeing it in
the metal, especially with the mushroom leather and walnut interior.
It was supplied new by Portman Manchester, with its distinctive registration. The first
18 services were carried out by official dealers around the north of England, which is very
comforting. Soon after collecting it I had my local Bosch garage carry out a major service
and check over on it using original parts that I sourced from the ever helpful Peter Knight
at Mercedes-Benz Poole.
I have also changed the indicator and repeater lenses to the correct orange colour for
the year and had d:class attend to the driver’s seat bolster. I entered it for the Enthusiast
Class at the National Concours in 2014 and it was awarded 94 points, placing it third. This
was the first concours I had entered and I was very pleased indeed as you can imagine.
Later last year I attended the national W124 Day at the Haynes Museum and to my great
delight and surprise was awarded with the cup for the best two-door. My CE is for me
now the ideal specification – automatic; Sportline chassis, wheels, steering wheel and
gear knob; leather interior; electric sunroof and walnut trim. Just perfect and nothing too
complicated. It is a joy to drive and I hope to keep it for a good while.’
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]
www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk • APRIL 2016 • 47
Feature
From deep in the Archive
by the Archive Team
The first ‘Roster’ of the American club’s members and our Club’s hand-written Minute Book.
T
his ‘From deep in the Archive’ article
has a transatlantic flavour. As the UK’s
Mercedes-Benz Club was the first in
the world it obviously has strong and friendly
relationships with other Mercedes-Benz
Clubs around the world. This relationship is
particularly strong with that of the MercedesBenz Club of America, which was formed 60
years ago this August.
To research the background of its
foundation, Gary Anderson, Editor of The
Star, the Mercedes-Benz Club of America’s
magazine, recently visited the Archive,
(Gazette, March issue) along with his friend
Graham Robson, a contributor to The Star and
well-known UK motoring author and journalist.
Gary was particularly keen to find any
references of the foundation of the USA club
in our Archive. Thanks to some sterling work
by Jon and Lynne Bell, the Archive did the
business.
The UK Club’s 1952-58 Minute Book
– itself a work of art, beautifully written in
fountain pen – carried the 1956 AGM Report
in its September 29 entry for that year. Under
Item 5, this entry reads as follows:
‘The Chairman stated that the proposal
to form an affiliated US section had received
ample publicity to all Members to references
received in the Club Gazette issues during
1955/56. It was a natural development under
the US circumstances and although the (UK)
Club loses the subscriptions of around £70pa
to start with, it had been agreed that the US
club should pay us a capitation fee of 50c per
annum for each of its members. These, in time,
might grow considerably in numbers and thus
would make up the present financial loss.
The US members had formerly registered
the “Mercedes-Benz Club of America” as a
company, limited by guarantee and non-profitmaking, registered in the State of Illinois. An
active board of directors has been formed and a
good response was received from those members
formerly direct Members of the British Club.
It was clearly understood that they were
affiliated to us. The Chairman said that there
was no formal motion to be put to the meeting
on this subject, which was reported for the
general information of Members.’
Prior to the 1956 AGM the Archive holds
the June 1956 issue of the Gazette, which
contained the following: ‘As of August 1 1956
it is hoped that American Members living in the
USA will be running their own club affairs, still
being attached to the Mercedes-Benz Club in
the UK and using our Club rules with variations
to suit local conditions. Also the same Club
badge will be worn. Will all American
Members please communicate with Lorentz B
Knouff esq, Holmes, Dixon, Knouff & Potter,
208 South Lasalles St, Chicago 4, who will be
pleased to hear from all American Members in
regard to the foundation of their section.’
The Archive Team was also able to turn up
the original of the first Mercedes-Benz Club
of America Roster dating from March 1957.
This showed that the newly-formed club had
an original membership base of 125.
This was a very sound start to what has,
over the last 60 years, become the world’s
largest Mercedes-Benz Club. The initial cadre
of members included Briggs S Cunningham,
the well-known racing driver, racing car builder
and successful team owner. For many UK men,
now of a certain age – your scribe included
– Briggs Cunningham was revered, thanks
probably in equal part to the success of his
racing team and the excellent Dinky Toy model
of one of his racing cars. Briggs Cunningham’s
list of Mercedes-Benz cars on his application
form and in the 1957 Roster included the 1914
Grand Prix team car (number five), a 28/95
short-chassis roadster, a 38/250 SSK roadster
and a 300 four-door saloon.
This first Mercedes-Benz Club of America
Roster also shows that there was an enviable
number of pre-World War II cars, including
500 and 540Ks owned by the members;
however the majority of them, just like Briggs
Cunningham, also owned post-war MercedesBenz saloon cars as their everyday drivers.
This popularity in 1957 of post-war
Mercedes cars was a reflection of MB’s
considerable US export success which began in
the very early 1950s. Thanks to the efforts of
New York Mercedes distributor Max Hoffmann,
the company gained considerable success in the
US with its Ponton saloons, which was latterly
augmented with the 300SL and 190SL sports
cars – both a Hoffman inspiration.
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. Even early Gazettes are
welcome, although the Archive does have a
full collection of the later A4-format editions.
Please contact the Archive team: Jon and
Lynne Bell, Mike Venables, Phil Reed, Sophie
or Andy Holmes ([email protected]). If you do not use e-mail please
telephone 01932 346981 and leave a message.
Briggs Cunningham’s application for membership to our Club – one of his cars at the
time was a 300 saloon.
www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk • APRIL 2016 • 49
TechnicalCorner
1. Strut top mounting.
2. Loosening the strut’s inner rod.
W203 C-Class front springs
and struts replacement
by Tony Leach
I
t was MoT test time again and the tester handed me a piece of
the offside front spring with a smile and a failure certificate. The
rear springs had been replaced a couple of years ago so it was
not really a surprise after 120,000 miles on the original springs. This
MoT testing station doesn’t do repairs, which I prefer, so I booked
the car in with Nair Autos in Harrow for Brian Nair to change the
springs. He ordered a pair of genuine springs and allowed me to
photograph the work.
The W203 has a MacPherson strut arrangement at the front
so the strut has to be removed with the spring and then the spring
compressed using a special tool to compress it. A second special tool
is needed to undo the strut top mount after the spring is compressed.
Start by removing the plastic cap on the top of each strut top
mounting (photo one). While holding the 22mm nut just loosen the
inner 7mm Allen headed rod as this will help a lot later on (photo
two). When replacing the nut torque it to 60Nm.
Jack up the car on one side, support it on an axle stand and remove
the road wheel. The next job is to remove the plastic mounting clip
for the brake hose, ABS and brake pad sensor cables (photo three).
Unclip the cables, cut the tie-wrap holding it to the strut and slide it
out of the metal tangs on the strut and up the brake hose out of the
way (photo four).
3. Plastic clip for brake hose and sensor cables.
4. Removing the clip.
www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk • APRIL 2016 • 51
TechnicalCorner
Chris Wilson's SL320.
SL320 – wow factor
by Chris Wilson
I
n June 2004, when driving past the local
Renualt dealer in Dunfermline, I noticed
that it was closing down. The showroom,
usually full of new cars, was now displaying
two Mercedes-Benz SLs – one a 1994 R129
SL320 and the other an R107 380SL. There
was also a Humber Hawk, Jaguar XJS and
Ford Escort. I pulled over for a better look,
parked and went in. A cursory look around
and I gravitated to the SL320, it was very
clean, rust-free and in blue (beryl blue) – it
looked great. The mileage was 41,765 from
new, the upholstery in cream with deep
pile cream carpets in good condition for a
10-year-old car. I wanted this car.
Three more visits over the next six
weeks, my mind was made up and the
car was mine. It was purchased from the
dealership's owner, being one of his personal
car collection. The documents showed that
the car was first registered in Peterborough as
L743 PFL. One year later and a new owner
in Glasgow re-registered it with 3 ORL.
A friend of mine works at a MercedesBenz dealer and my first port of call was
his home to show the car off. He said,
“Leave it with me for a few days as it will
need some work.” I was confused, but
he explained that the power-steering and
automatic transmission fluid pipes would be
rotten as they had no wax protection from
new. He was right – they just crumbled. He
ran me home as the excitement died away.
Four days later all was well and the car was
checked over by an expert. Excitement rose
again, and the car was to give 11 years of
joy and delight – driving to France, Monte
Carlo, the Alps, Italy and Switzerland, just
what the car was made for.
Shift work and other commitments
left the car little used and often 'SORN'.
Although garaged (and gathering dust) a
Little over a month in and the arrival of new wings signalled the
start of the strip-down.
54 • APRIL 2016 • www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk
change of residence from a two-car garage
to a single was a problem. Modern garages
are too small, the car just gets in and no
more. One day, when opening the garage
door, one of its operating cables snapped,
a large spring under tension shot out of its
holder and smacked the near-side rear wing
of the car. You could cry.
An examination in early January 2015 of
the car's paint work showed a little rust on
the left front wing surrounding the indicator
repeater and on the off-side front wing rust
under the paint, which looked like snail trails.
The plastic trim had picked up some scratches
over the years and there was no getting away
from it, something had to be done. I checked
out some of the local coachworks but I just
did not feel comfortable handing the car over
to them. I wanted a good job done. No, I want
a great job done.
No rust repairs were required in the hidden areas.
RegionalReports
Anglia – North
In the Mercedes-Benz Club we are fortunate to have an annual
event, called the Officials’ Study Day, which was the brainchild of
our Chairman Ian Keers when he first took office over 10 years ago.
This is where all the Regional Officers and other Club Officials get
together to discuss Club business, including national events for the
forthcoming year. Roger Hinton and I were interested attendees on
the day. If you haven’t attended a national event they are absolutely
great days and highly recommended. They are always listed in ‘Diary
dates’ near the start of the Gazette in bold type and details are given
in ‘Forthcoming events’.
For more years than I care to remember I have attended car
events and one question I always used to ask myself is where do
these events come from? In other words who had the original idea
to hold this particular show. As the years went on I actually realised
that in a lot of cases the answer is we did, which is exactly why
Richard Lee-Warder, Roger and I have held regular meetings over
the winter to bring you a number of events for 2016, many of which
we have created from local knowledge, and we hope they provide
a mix to appeal to all Mercedes palates. A very important emphasis
for us as your Regional Officers is getting a balance between purely
social events, such as our relaxing Sunday lunches and drives into
the countryside (of which our region has a plentiful supply), and
organised car shows and classic car events. A surprising fact is that,
despite being a one-marque club, most Members drive cars under
20 years old and one of the important things we keep in mind is to
ensure that we join events which do not have an age restriction, so all
our Members can enjoy the day. So, after much head-scratching and
coffee-drinking our programme was finalised at our meeting in early
February and we are very pleased with the ‘Airfix kit’ of events we
have assembled for you.
Members’ cars on the Norfolk coast in 2015.
July 31 Old Buckenham Air Show
August 14 Norwich Motor Show
September 3-4 Peterborough Classic Car Show
October 9 Sunday lunch run
Paul Jobling
Retirement of Dave Brady of the Blickling Estate
We were sad to learn of the impending retirement of Dave Brady,
the Blickling Estate’s Head Ranger and a good friend to the Club.
Dave’s knowledge of the history of the estate, its land, woodland
management and natural history are consummate.
He has given freely of several Sundays to conduct our Members
on entertaining and instructive walks, suffused with his enthusiasm,
round this magnificent expanse of Norfolk countryside. We would
like to record our sincere thanks to all our friends at Blickling and
particularly to Dave; we wish him well in his retirement. We’ll miss
getting our boots muddy with him.
Richard Lee Warder and Roger Hinton
Pub meetings
Tea with the Queen! – May 22
Members at one of the pub meetings.
Sandringham.
A very enjoyable Sunday lunch run is back by popular request and
will take place on Sunday May 22 – a run to Castle Rising and the
Queen’s Norfolk residence at Sandringham. This is an event not to
be missed (we understand Her Majesty is baking cakes as we speak),
so please put the date into your diary and watch out for details in a
future Gazette.
Sheringham Classic Car and Bike Show – June 12
This event is getting bigger every year. It takes place in the village of
Sheringham on the Norfolk coast and last year was attended by over
400 cars. It is open to cars of all ages. Please contact me via paul.
[email protected] for an application form.
The Walcott Fish and Chip Run and Vicarage
Gardens – July 10
This event was so popular in 2015, Richard has decided to run it again
in 2016, but this time with a traditional fish and chip theme. This will
be followed by a visit to the wonderful Old Vicarage Gardens nearby
which were created from nothing and now rival’s Monet’s garden!
I have listed the events for the remainder of the year here and will
go into much more detail about each one in later Gazettes.
56 • APRIL 2016 • www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk
As well as our weekend motoring events we have monthly pub
meetings which are held on the first Wednesday at Bunkers Bar at
Dunston Hall, Ipswich Road, Norwich NR14 8PQ. Bunkers Bar is
the golf club area of the hotel and not the main hotel itself. Please
arrive anytime from 6.00pm.
We plan to make each meeting a special event, with speakers,
presentations, quizzes and many other features. On Wednesday
April 6 we will have a quiz, don’t worry if you don’t know your
sprockets from your springs, this is not an automotive quiz, but one
that everyone can enjoy.
Importantly Bunkers Bar is providing a hot buffet meal for us,
which enables everyone to get together and chat while choosing
what to eat and then settling down at a table. We don’t have a cost
as yet, but this should be nominal, at £5 to £6 per head. As a bonus,
local Mercedes-Benz specialist Autotechnic will be at this meeting
to present prizes to the lucky winners as well as being available to
Members in the break for any car-related (not quiz-related) questions.
This follows the February meeting which was in Italian style
when I gave an insight into Lake Garda, where I have a holiday
apartment, and the Mille Miglia. This was very well received by the
40-plus Members who attended.
As we went to press the March meeting was scheduled to have
Phyllida Scrivens giving an enthralling presentation on her new book
Escaping from Hitler.
Call for a quote today
The best policies for either
classic or modern Mercedes-Benz
W123 models: 280TE estate 1984,
230TE estate 1985, 280CE 1983, 230E
saloon 1981. All in very good order,
regularly serviced, all on original alloy
wheels, nearly new tyres, no body rust,
good bright work. For more details,
plus pictures contact Bertie on
07710 350602 (Suffolk). (03/16/12)
SLK320. 2000. Auto, metallic blue,
cream interior, 40,000 miles, serviced,
MoT. Full service history. £3,900.
Tel: 07514 282767. (Central Midlands)
(03/16/01)
E320 Coupé W124,
1995. Silver, black leather
seats
in
excellent
condition. 185,000 miles,
full service history (mostly
Mercedes) and same
owner for last 15
years. Drives beautifully.
MoT December. £1,700. Tel: 01598 741281.
(North Devon) (04/16/01)
01376 573033
CarsforSale
www.peterbestinsurance.co.uk
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, MoT June 2016, two owners
from new, very good condition, a delight to
drive, £2,150. Tel: 029 2076 4887/
Mob 07710 34 84 74. (Cardiff) (04/16/05)
SL320 1995 (M). 92,000 miles. Excellent
condition, Interior clean and odour-free.
FSH. 2 owners, MoT Mar 2017. New
convertible hood, hard top trolley. Kept
in heated garage, summer use only.
Genuine reason for sale. £5,950.
Tel: 07841 047928 (Belfast NI). (04/16/02)
• Soft stretch indoor covers from £99
• Breathable outdoor covers, fleece
lined, from £112
• Custom Indoor covers from £145
• Custom Waterproof covers from £275
• Battery conditioners, dehumidifiers
G300 LWB, Dec. 2000.
OM606 turbodiesel, auto.
3 owners (current one
8 years). History known
throughout, paperwork to
match. A very original
W463,
well
specced
(leather, AC, satnav, etc.)
properly cared for all its life,
in excellent condition.
MoT Oct. 2016. £22,500.
Tel:
07340
819120
(Derbyshire) (04/16/04)
01780 749449
01780 749449
1993 MERCEDES-BENZ
E220 COUPE
A stunning low mileage car in
Malachite Green with cream leather.
Just serviced by MB Swindon.
£7,495
1988 MERCEDES-BENZ
560 SEC
01296 509899
Registration for Sale
E36 AMG
£9,950 on retention
Tel: 07768 216620
Very smart in Smoke Silver Metallic
with dark brown leather. Drives
superbly with 22 service stamps.
The Copy Deadline
£7,495
For The
1993 MERCEDES-BENZ
190E 1.8 AUTO
Next Issue is
5th APRIL
CLK500. Convertible. 2005.
Cherished car in immaculate
condition, full MB service
history, only 21,500 miles,
green with cream leather
interior, powerful V8 engine,
yet she does 32 mpg at a
steady 80 mph; cheap tax
and insurance, join the CLK
rally this summer in this
beauty. Only £14,950.
Tel:
07711 494765
(Cornwall) (04/16/05)
Low mileage and drives like new.
A great example and the perfect
first classic MB.
£3,495
www.iconiccarsandwatches.com [email protected]
Gazette
e
pl
m
a
x
e
190 Ponton 1957 Black, low mileage,
original car, full service history from new,
full length Webasto roof, 2 owners from
new, MoT Jan 13, tax Jan 13, lots of
documentation. £POA. Tel: 01234 567890
320 Cabriolet Sportline. Black. Full service
history, mostly main dealer. Costly original body
kit. Wheels unmarked, tyres excellent, Merc
wind deflector, 155,000 miles. Engine excellent.
Uses no oil. Has been cherished. More pictures
can be sent via e-mail. Offers around £10,000.
thoroughly excellent and elegant car. Tel: 07481 994 746. (Berkshire). (04/16/NM1)
W140 series S280. 1994. Last of
production cars to be built to a
specification not a price. 88,000 miles,
FSH, 9yrs dry stored, cherished
No. TTR161 included. £4,995 ono.
Tel: 07710 83001. (Manchester) (04/16/NM2)
Members £18 inc VAT
Non-Members £36 inc VAT
Advertise your
Mercedes-Benz
or number plate or sale with a
colour photograph from only
£18
inc VAT.
Double Box
£36
inc VAT.
The deadline for
receiving your details is the
beginning of the month
Tel: 01452 730 770
Email: [email protected]
www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk • APRIL 2016 • 79
SpecialistServices
WILTS, GLOUCS, SOUTH WEST
and anywhere! (mobile)
TONY CRIDLAND has moved
(from Gibb Garage) to Dursley,
Berkeley area.
Service & repairs to all models,
early 60’s SL’s through 126, 203,
210 etc
Mobile or collection any distance
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]
Tony 07966 468710
All aspects of repair & restoration undertaken
to the highest standard at competitive rates
Redcastle Classics Limited
CAR MATS
19 Sir Alfred Owen Way, Pontygwindy Industrial
Estate, Caerphilly, CF83 3HU
Tel: 029 20882110
www.redcastleclassics.com
[email protected]
Classic
Mercedes Mats
Specialists in 190SL restoration, servicing & repairs
Also Pagoda 113 series, Fintail, Ponton etc. 1950s-1980s
Project1:Layout 1
15/12/09
09:50
Page 1
SilverStar Garages Limited
JOSEPH JOOS
Over 50 years experience
Specialist service,
repairs and overhauls
Quality second-hand spares
~ Open 6 days a week ~
(01908
217141
or
07831 432186
Fax: 01908 217353
www.josephjoos.co.uk
07919 885705
www.classicmercedesmats.co.uk
Tel: 020 8361 6750
Lazarus Court,
Woodgate, Rothley,
Leics, LE7 7NR
Tel/Fax 0116 230 3801
From classic to modern all MERCEDES BENZ
vehicles serviced & repaired, MERCEDES
Trained Technician, full workshop facilities
available, free quotations and friendly advice
Discounts for club members.
www.silverstargarages.co.uk
Sovereign Motor Centre
Unit C5, Connaught Business Centre,
Forest Hill, London SE23 1AH
Tel: 0208 699 4455
Servicing, electrical, mechanical repairs,
air-con, bodywork.
Merc-Care has been established since 1988
with fully equipped Mercedes workshops
and fully trained technicians. We at
Merc-Care offer a personal service to your
vehicle with all the latest Star computer
diagnostics and Mercedes special tools.
NO JOB IS TOO BIG OR SMALL.
All types of body repairs and insurance
work undertaken
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.
ONE CALL AND MERC-CARE DOES IT ALL!
INTERIOR WOOD TRIM
SPECIALISTS
City Polishers Limited,
The Workshop at No 39, 39 Albert Street,
Spalding, Lincolnshire, PE11 2LD
Tel: 07977 741889
www.nicholas-martin.co.uk
Email: [email protected]
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
SERVICING SPECIALIST REPAIRS
’S AUTOMOTIV
M
A
AD ENGINEERING E
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
we are agents for Penrite oils. We look forward to your enquiry!
Limited
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
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
Steve Redfearn Motor Co Ltd
169 Gladstone Rd, Wimbledon, SW19 1QS
Tel: 0208 540 2311 Fax: 0208 5430812
[email protected]
Specialising in Mercedes Benz repairs &
servicing. Full test & report facility available
before you purchase your new car
80 • APRIL 2016 • www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk
Specialising in
Mercedes-Benz
servicing & repairs
Established 15 years
Unit 1, 28 Send Road, Caversham,
Reading, Berks RG4 8EH
Tel: 0118 946 2750
[email protected]
www.starmotorservices.com
SM Auto-Care
19 Enterprise Way, Thornton Dale Ind Est
Pickering, N Yorkshire Y018 7NA
Tel: 01751 474847
Fax: 01751 477725
All repairs carried out on Mercedes
models by trained technicians
T W NEALE MOTORS
65 School Road Himley,
NR Dudley West Midlands DY3 4LG
Tel: 01902 897447 Fax: 01902 892450
INDEPENDENT MERCEDES BENZ SPECIALISTS
EST. 1968. REPAIRS AND OVERHAUL + SERVICING.
T.M. Motors
Unit 8, 24 Central Avenue,
West Moseley, Surrey KT8 2QH
Tel: 0208 941 4044 Fax: 0208 941 4340