Photography from MercedesHeritage.com

We’re happy to offer one of the most comfortable Mercedes-Benz tour and event cars, a gorgeous restored 1959 220SE Convertible. These cars are eminently collectible and wonderful to tour in. With acres of glossy wood and yards of finely stitched leather we liken the 220 convertible experience to driving your personal drawing room down the road.

This example is one of the rare fuel injected cars and has been carefully restored and prepared to touring. And there were no ugly rust repairs required during the restoration: It was a rust free local California ponton. Please call us @ 650-343-7980 for additional information.

Originally a 040 black 220, the car was tastefully two-toned during restoration. You can show and tour in comfort. Call 650-343-7980 for more information.

Sumptuous interior adds living room comfort to fairly lively performance.

$118,000

View the entire listing with 20 images.

Videos from Mercedes-Benz and Motor Trend

We have two SLS videos for you this month, one of which is pure fantasy and one containing some proper footage of Bernd Schneider flogging a new SLR at Laguna Seca (aka Mazda Raceway). DTM Champion Schneider’s footage was shot during the west coast SLS ride and drive in late 2009. Bernd gives us some sense of pushing the automatic transmission SLS to its limits.

And the now famous “tunnel” loop sequence? Well, we don’t suggest anyone try this with their new Gullwing. Even Michael Schumacher couldn’t pull that trick off. Enjoy.

SLS Fantasy

SLS Reality

Roy Spencer, editor MercedesHeritage.com

Photography from Mercedes-Benz

In contrast to Daimler-Benz AG, which raced the Mercedes-Benz SLC in the World Rally Championship, AMG built a racing coupé for circuit competition. Hans Werner Aufrecht sought to triumph over Jaguar and Alpina-BMW in the European Touring Car Championship with the SLC.

According to the Group 2 regulations, the coupé could slim down to 1225 kilograms – in its original guise, a standard 450 SLC tipped the scales at around 1690 kilograms. AMG succeeded in upping the output of the 4520 cc V8 from the previous 160 kW/217 hp to 276 kW/375 hp; at the same time, the rated engine speed was increased from a modest 5000 to 6550 rpm.

An unlikely rival to BMW and Jaguar's 1980 European Touring Car Championship contenders. AMG pressed on, however, and created a winner. And using an automatic transmission at that!

The three-speed automatic transmission basically remained unchanged, the five-speed manual transmission that would have been the preferred option had not been homologated. Work on the AMG racing coupé was completed just before the first race of the 1978 season of the European Touring Car Championship in Monza, Italy. Notwithstanding this, the AMG drivers Hans Heyer and Clemens Schickentanz immediately secured a highly respectable fifth place on the grid, despite there still being plenty of room for improvement as far as both the brakes and the power transmission were concerned.

AMG did the best they could with the SLC's fundamentally hopeless aerodynamics. The competition wasn't much better.

During the four-hour race, the AMG team even managed to move up the field to third, a feat which it then repeated in the race on the Salzburgring in Austria. Finally, in 1980, the 450 SLC AMG came in second in the opening race of the season in Monza again. But it was in the car’s very last European Touring Car Championship race on the Nürburgring circuit that the driver team of Schickentanz/Denzel finally scored the victory that Hans Werner Aufrecht had yearned so long for.

Period photo of the AMG SLC at LeMans 1978.

Daimler Media

Editors note:

Where are these bellowing SLCs today? Our research indicates three of these Group 4 SLCs were initially constructed and, after one was written off in a testing accident, two remain. One of the two – the car pictured at the top of the page – is resting at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stutgart. The other car sits in private hands.

Interior reveals original SLC door panels, simple gauges, fire system and automatic transmission.

Changing Hands

We found two 2007 “SOLD” listings on Race-Cars.com offering the other remaining car, chassis #WDB10702612002394, for $195,000 and 74,500 Euros (about $106,000) respectively. Which was correct?

Weighing only 2,200 lbs and developing 380hp, this rare SLC would be a lively tour and event car. Where is it now? Posts from its then owner Juergen Brodesser dated August 3, 2007 noted he was withdrawing the car from the market to race it in Nurburgring’s Oldtimer event with original driver Clemens Schickentanz.

It seems it took a further two years to sell the car and Brodesser noted in September 2009 that he sold the car to…original driver Schickentanz!

Roy Spencer, editor MercedesHeritage.com

Please post your comments below.

Photography from Sun Valley Mercedes Dismantlers, Inc.

Have you been to the Mercedes Classic Center in Fellbach, Germany? We haven’t but thanks to an amazing group of images from Sun Valley Mercedes Dismantlers, we can take a virtual tour through many of the significant Mercedes-Benz constructed from the late 1800s to the 1970s and beyond. It’s a mouthwatering display of automobiles, many of which now reside in the Mercedes-Benz Museum. Enjoy this walk through the Silver Star’s storied past.

Here we see a whitegray(158) 300SL roadster, the 190SL competition car and a 300d convertible sedan on the rack above the 190SL.

Mint low mileage 107s sitting in storage containers. Could they have delivery mileage only? Are they V-8 cars or the M110 twin cams?

With the fabled original gullwing-engined high speed transporter having been scrapped in 1967, Mercedes created this replica for PR purposes. Seen here with a 1954(?) W196 GP car aboard, the ungainly appearing transporter was capable of sustained 100 mph shuttles with a race car on its back. An idea from the fertile mind of team manager Alfred Neubauer.

A mind boggling group here. Another W196 GP car (#10) fronts a Sauber Mercedes Prototype and sits next to one of the wankel engined C111s. Behind the C111 we find one of the streamlined 1937 W125s specially prepared for the ultra-high speed Avus circuit in Berlin. #36 may have been von Brauchitsch's car in which he won Avus's 2nd heat with an average speed of 160.37 mph only to fall victim to a failed transmission in the final. Forty-three degree banking allowed the astounding average speeds. Note two more orange C111s sitting in storage boxes above the streamliner.

W194 300SL conquered LeMans for Mercedes-Benz in 1952 and provided the platform for the street version (W198) Gullwing introduced to a stunned motoring world in 1954. These early cars were carbureted.

One of one. This is the one and only fiberglass Gullwing constructed. Inspecting it in Pebble Beach circa 2004, I found the experimental coachwork quality quite crude. Note the "ponton" turn signal housings on each front fender.

Under restoration, this 1954 Grand Prix W196 Streamliner was constructed for high speed tracks. The streamliner returned an aerodynamic advantage of 20.5% over the open wheeled W196. Kling, Fangio and Hermann drove these cars in 1954, the Championship going to Fangio. Note massive inboard finned drum brakes sitting behind radiator.

Mercedes-Benz's 250GTO? The Uhlenhaut 300SLR coupes were fearsome street cars based on the Mille Miglia winning 300SLR roadsters. Constructed for racing manager Uhlenhaut's personal use and never sold to private owners, the straight eight coupe's value could rival that of Ferrari's $25m 250GTOs. With center throttle and deafening noise, the SLR coupe would be quite a driving experience.

Where it all began, the circa 1890 Benz "patent motorwagon."

A W29 500/540k Convertible A or B - hard to tell. Constructed from February 1934 to November 1939, these cars represented the pinnacle of prewar automobile design. Total production of 761 units (342 five liter cars and 419 five point four liter cars) guarantee stratospheric values today.

Cabernet Red R129 SL was a gift to Princess Dianna. After the uproar caused by Britain's then most visible personality driving a German sports car, it was quietly returned to Mercedes.

Circa 1991 Sauber C291 long distance Prototype coupe. Michael Schumacher's tenure driving Peter Sauber's Mercedes engined cars groomed him for Formula ! stardom.

1997(?) CLK GTR thrilled endurance race crowds in the later '90s. This author was one of those thrilled watching Ricardo Zonta's qualifying laps at Laguna Seca. The program faded after Peter Dumbreck's harrowing back flip into the trees at LeMans 1999.

Fabulous recreation of the Bohringer 300SE competition car, the ultimate fintail.

Recreation of the Spa-Sophia-Luttich Marathon Rally winning 230SL.

Charming 114/115 "stroke 8" series also represented at the Classic Center. With over one million constructed from 1968-1976, this series represented Mercedes' most successful passenger car range yet. One could drive a good example daily today.

Interesting 1969/1970 mid-engined C111 project featured 3 and 4 rotor wankel engines. Final 370hp 4-rotor versions were potent road cars offering 0-60 times of 4.8 sec and top speeds of 186mph.

Work-in-progress 600 sits on portable dolly. Note bare 300SL frame on wall in background and W196 streamliner's nose under engine hoist.

Two very interesting cars. The car in the lift is likely an open latter '30s 770 and to its left you can just see the tail of a prewar six wheel military parade car. More of Mercedes' storied and today somewhat controversial prewar heritage.

Three liter straight eight powerplant powered Mercedes back to the top of both the Grand Prix and Sports Car Championship world during 1954/1955. A technical marvel with desmodromic valve gear and Hirth type crankshaft, output peaked at 302hp.

Gorgeous 1932 Maybach Zeppelin DS8 convertible was displayed at the sumptuous 2009 Mercedes-Benz Classic Center display at Pebble Beach.

Through the past darkly: rows of Mercedes icons in storage.

Roy Spencer, editor MercedesHeritage.com

Related links: Mercedes-Benz Classic Center Irvine, CA Parts, Sales, Service

Recommended reading:

The Mercedes-Benz Racing Cars by Karl Ludvigsen

Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Racing 1934-1935 by George C. Monkhouse ISBN 0 904568 42 3

Mercedes-Benz W196 by Michael Riedner ISBN 0-85429-717-0

Please post your comments below.

Photography from Peter Beaufoy, Achim Gier, Michel Hautekeer, Prof.Dr. Volkan Sinci

We’ve had over 51,000 different Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts visit MercedesHeritage.com since we went live late last year.  What are your fellow enthusiasts driving? Let’s take a quick tour around the world and have a peek at some of YOUR cars.

Four SLs and Four Goodfellas from Ankara, Turkey

Our friend Prof. Volkan Sinci sends these images of a small gathering of SLs in Turkey, four different generations in fact. Dr. Sinci is a professor of Cardiovascular Surgery at Gazi University and owns the SL300-24 pictured. He reports there are about 40-50 SLs roaming around ancient Ankara and sent us some images representing about ten percent of those cars!

Four decades of SLs are covered in this image taken during a warm May afternoon in Ankara, Turkey. Dr. Sinci stands behind the SL300-24, his cousin behind the SL500 and his brother-in-law behind the blue metallic 107. A local businessman owns the white 1969 280SL. Four SL "good fellas."

Four beautiful SLs from Ankara. R129 and R230 profiles in the front row demonstrate the vast difference in styling themes. The later car is as soft and flowing as the earlier is aggressive and and masculine. A great shot.

220SE and 600 from Brussels, Belgium

We met Achim Gier when we sold him the silver 600 pictured below in 2005. He bought the short wheelbase car as a running and driving restoration project and has courageously refurbished all the mechanics including the hydraulics, the suspension, wood and seats. Courageous indeed! Also pictured is Achim’s 1963 220SE coupe which he’s owned for 10 years. He’s a passionate Mercedes enthusiast.

"When I was a little boy and people asked me, what would I like to become later, I answered 'King or Pope', because these two were the only people I knew at the time who had a 600 - the King of Belgium still has at least two and his son married in the Landaulet a few years ago. " Such was the young Gier's passion for Mercedes-Benz. That passion burns strongly still as he was bidding on the tatty 600 Landaulet in London last October.

The 600 joins Gier's 1963 220SE convertible. He tastefully painted the 600's roof a contrasting anthracite gray. Two lovely cars from a dedicated Mercedes enthusiast.

Australia Checks In

Australian Peter Beaufoy sends us these images of his gorgeous and very rare RHD 280SE 3.5 Coupe. Our records indicate only 245 RHD 3.5 coupes constructed and Peter figures 280 were built hence his 3.5 is rare indeed. And beautiful as well resplendent in its 904 blue with whitewall tires.

“Hi Roy, A quick note to say how much I enjoy your newsletter. I have attached a couple of pics of my 280 SE 3.5 Coupe which is in the final stages of restoration. This car is one of the 280 RH Drive Coupes manufactured and one of only 26 that were sent ex Factory to Australia with the complete spec. i.e. Electric Windows. Electric Sunroof and Behr Air Conditioning. It is a joy to drive.Cheers. Peter Beaufoy Melbourne, Australia.”

Peter's 3.5 posing with Mrs. Beaufoy (we presume) at a show in Australia. Note 107 in background and "DMB 280" license plate. Thanks for the images Peter.

560SL Touring France

The demand for 560SLs is picking up in Europe and we have sent a few superb examples abroad over the last few years. One of our clients and an avid MercedesHeritage.com reader sends these images of his desert taupe 1988 from Elsass, France, a car we prepared and sold to him.

While we covet the small bumper 107s here in the States, it seems Europeans are warming to our 560s with the protruding 5mph bumpers. This desert taupe 1988 was ordered with dark brown leather, an elegant color trim combination.

Top down touring over the cobblestones in Elsass, France. The 560s now have some cache in Europe and are preferred by some over the cool Euro 500SLs.

Seen on the Street in Paris

Our sharp eyed MercedesHeritage reader, Michel Hautekeer from Brussels sends these images taken on a recent trip to Paris. Covering both ends of the spectrum of SLs – a Hamann Volcano SLR and a comparatively petite 230SL, Michel’s images reinforce the notion that you never know what you will find parked among the econoboxes in Europe.

Just a fabulous image. This young man simply had to touch the beast sitting at the curb on Avenue des Champs Elysees. I wonder if he sat on the SLR's carbon fiber hood for a better look? Understated would not be the adjective of choice to describe the Hamann Volcano SLR.

Brawny SLR seems to be on holiday from the Middle East. Hamann's engineers felt massive rear wing necessary to prevent their 700hp monster from going into orbit.

230SL was spotted on Avenue du Faubourg Saint Honore' in Paris. Always in style with its jewel-like details and chrome, this Pagoda provided a touch of automotive art parked among a line of today's bland, monochromatic offerings. Note European headlamps, absence of bumper guards and solicitations stuffed under the wipers. Hood to fender fit looks pretty good too.

Quaint 230SL looks to be trimmed in parchment. Based on the appearance of the car, it looks to be a regularly driven 230SL, a rarity anywhere in the world. Note Euro only chrome trim under license plate and missing tail pipe tips.

What are you driving? Have you seen something unique on the street? Send us your images and description and we’ll try to include you in our next MercedesHeritage.com visitor’s trip around the world.

Roy Spencer, editor MercedesHeritage.com

Please post your comments below.

Next generation SL under cold weather testing

Photography from Mercedes-Benz, MercedesHeritage.com, Detroit News, Auto Express

We don’t want to forget about the current and soon to be released offerings from Mercedes-Benz. The current lineup of new models available from your local dealer ranges from the stylish, crisply drawn C-class models to the sophisticated and edgy new E series. The new SLS Gullwing is garnering much of the automotive press today but a bone stock new SL550 is a very competent, stylish personal roadster. And there is the Smart car program if you need something in which to toodle around town. What a fabulous line-up of cars.

SLs: 2010

What’s going on with the SL range? The current car arrived in 2002 to enormous acclaim. This author feels the 2003 SL55 to be the most technically and visually significant SL since the original Gullwing. Almost 500hp in a gorgeous off-the-showroom floor SL. Quite an audacious SL from Mercedes-Benz.

2003 SL55 was a milestone car: gorgeous styling, power retractable hard top, expanded interior dimensions, and almost 500hp. A massive departure from the prior R129 series SL.

The superbly balanced, voluptuous original R230 series shape was spot on and immediately rendered the blocky previous generation positively prehistoric. However, this car is approaching the end of its production life, nine years and counting. The recent facelift to align the nose design with the “face” of the rest of the models stimulated sales but buyers are beginning to look toward the next generation.

2011 Night Edition

Will the hip 2011 “Night Edition” signal the end of the series? We have some new data on what may be the last of the R230 generation SLs. We learned from 35 year Mercedes sales veteran, Tony Spencer, that the Night Edition’s matte finish black will be a metallic. Very interesting. After the matte satin black color is applied, the final clear coat will contain the metallic matter. The paint code for this “designo Night Black Metallic” is 056.

100 examples of the Night Edition SL550 scheduled to arrive in spring of this year. Price will be about $119,255.

Here is the order data and codes for this unique new SL:

Paint: 056 designo Night Edition Black Metallic (Matte Finish)

Upholstery: 831 Black Premium Leather with Silver Contrast Stitching

Trim: 736 Hand-Polished Black Ash Wood Trim

Packages:

P01 Premium 1 Package

321 Wheel Package

Options:

067 Illuminated Door Sills

220 Parktronic

413 Panorama Roof

831 Premium Leather Upholstery

Deliveries are scheduled to begin in Spring of this year with pricing around $119,255. And remember, only 100 units will be constructed.

2012 and Beyond

The next generation SL is largely finalized and definitely under hot/cold weather testing in various parts of the globe. The images below verify this and signal the beginning of the speculative game centering on the new car’s final shape. Current Mad Max road warrior camouflage betrays little of the new shape but automotive artists are beginning to challenge their rendering software to give us glimpses of possible designs.

Not much to be learned from this heavily camouflaged cold weather test hack. We can see side view mirrors sitting on separate stalks rather than integrated into A post as on current cars.

Speculation has the next generation SL debuting at the 2012 Paris Motor Show and production moving from Bremen to Stuttgart. Did the sensual sculpture we saw in January at the Detroit Auto Show give us a secret glimpse of the “face” for the new SL? Many insiders think so. And the more upright nose profile seems logical in light of new EU pedestrian-protecting laws that will influence many new designs.

Grille profile of Mercedes sculpture presented at the Detroit Auto Show may give us a glimpse of new SL's face.

We have plenty to look forward to in the next generation SL. If it is half as dramatic and groundbreaking as the R230 series was in 2002, we will see another world beater from the silver star.

Tony Spencer (408-345-2255) can answer any questions you may have regarding current and future Mercedes-Benz products.

Roy Spencer, editor MercedesHeritage.com

Please post your comments below.

Photography from MercedesHeritage.com

With about 350 listings currently available for your viewing on MercedesHeritage.com, there is something for everyone’s budget, not to mention a growing supply of rare NOS and used parts. Have a look at this month’s featured listings. Is there something here that you’d like to have in your garage when the spring touring season begins?

If you have a car that needs a new home be sure to click into our “Classifieds” section and list it for free. Find buyers for your parts and literature as well.

Featured Listings

1980 450SL White/Sienna 21k miles: $17,000. This is a last year of production 450SL. We recently removed it from hibernation in Santa Rosa, CA and have carefully sorted it out. Finished in white with rare sienna MB tex interior, this is a very attractive SL. Yes, it feels like a new SL with zero steering freeplay and the taught, precise feel its original owner felt when she drove it off the showroom floor in 1980. Call Roy Spencer @ 650-343-7980 for more details.

1963 220 Sedan Beige/Brown: $7,500. Auto, Black license plate California car. We like Fintails and once sorted they are a roomy, comfortable vintage Mercedes-Benz - and quirky too. Call 949-690-3232 for details.

1952 220 A Convertible: $138,500. Restored and one of the 220s to receive the attention of celebrated artist Hiro Yamagata. This 220 succeeds as a spectacular 220 as well as a piece of automotive art. The ocean murals are just lovely. An excellent art piece as well as highly visible promotional piece. Call Heritage Classics @ 310-657-9699 for more details.

1995 SL320, Black Creme: $20,000. 7,600 miles! R129 series SLs have become very good values. Technically sophisticated and comfortable to drive, these cars have reached the bottom of their depreciation curves. This six cylinder example is pricy but where do you find one with less than 8k miles? Call 203-629-8341 for details.

1959 220SE Convertible: $118,000. This is a spectacular fuel injected 220 that was comprehensively restored about 800 miles ago. Acquired as a local rust-free, unmolested California car then carefully disassembled for restoration. Burgundy over Black. Ready for MBCA shows and spring touring. Call Roy Spencer @ 650-343-7980 for details.

2006 SLR Black/Black: $255,000. 1176 miles! One of the wildest and most competent street cars ever offered by Mercedes-Benz, the SLR has become THE supercar value today. This car listed new for over $450,000 and can be bought for just over half that amount today. Call Beverly Hills Classic Cars @ 310-409-9000 for more details.

1970 280SL Beige Metallic/Brown: $28,500. Pagodas are always in style and this car looks interesting. Call Roger LeComte @ 310-713-7372 for details. Be sure to check our Research Database before you buy a Pagoda.

European Headlight Lenses for 111/112/108/109: $199.95. Call 716-688-0540. List your classic Mercedes-Benz parts too!

Be sure to watch the video below before you buy any 107 series (1972-1989) SL or any (1964-1971) Pagoda.

Preview the Research Database.

There are hundreds more listings to view in the MercedesHeritage Classifieds and more arriving daily. Be sure to check our listings regularly.

Roy Spencer, editor MercedesHeritage.com

Photography from MercedesHeritage.com

For 40 or so hearty classic car enthusiasts, New Year’s day 2010 was not to be squandered lounging around the TV watching bowl games. Nor was it a day to waste sleeping off the previous night’s partying.

With generally clear roads – due to most of humanity having indulged in the above – and the ingenuity of consummate classic car nut Martin Swig, January 1 has become an ideal day to tour the gorgeous roads north of San Francisco with scores of fellow car enthusiasts.

Healeys, 911s, 356s and Alfas ideal for California's Route 1.

Ready to get on the road. Our lowered 350SL is looking quite sharp with two-tone paint scheme. White 220S convertible is also a comfortable touring car.

This year’s edition was run under gray skies dropping a spot of rain here and there but nothing that seriously slowed the proceedings. I was up at dawn and soon aboard the MercedesHeritage.com “lightweight” Euro 350SL heading over the Golden Gate bridge to join the group at Poggios in Sausalito.

The St. Johns in their beige metallic/green leather 300SE. Fabulous car!

After signing in and chatting with friends, the group was away at nine sharp, heading north on the gorgeous CA Route 1 toward Stinson Beach. The cars were an eclectic bunch that included Austin Healeys, sundry Alfas, a few Ferraris, numerous Porsche 356s and 911s, 2002/3.0 Cs  BMWs and a thundering sinister looking Black 1971  Chrysler LeBaron coupe. I had to laugh at the Chrysler. My father was a Chrysler/Plymouth dealer from 1970-1973 and he drove an identical new Black/Black LeBaron. Quite a luxo-barge in its day. You could change radio stations with a foot plunger.  I think I was in that car when I first heard Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven.

Yeah, these guys are digging it. Scott Gorden and pal Franco heading north on Hwy 1 in the ex-Neil Young 220S convertible. Top down touring up the California coast: It doesn't get much better than this. Well, maybe a little sunshine would have been nice...

Some toured in more comfort than others. While the Healey 100/4 pilots roared by with nothing but a cut down windscreen protecting them from the cut of the wind and occasional drizzle, the two fellows warmly ensconced in the stylish if large Bentley Continental Coupe whooshed by looking very cozy indeed.

Healeys certainly demonstrate the spirit of the event. Such charismatic cars.

Bentley boys enjoy drawing room comfort while making time in Bentley Continental.

I erred on the cozy side and enjoyed the refined comfort of our taught handling, restored 4-speed 350SL. While the initial twisty bits were slightly frustrating due to a fairly mild pace, I was able to hook up behind a quick and competent group of small bore machinery for some safe 70-90 mph touring.

We roared through the gently rolling pastures in Petaluma for a half hour at this pace, the 350SL sure-footed and predictable on its lowered suspension and progressive rate springs. Great fun and no heroics. An unmodified 350SL would have been hopeless. This was the car’s first aggressive run and I had a short list of revisions by the time we returned to Poggios.

Resting our restored 350SL overlooking the Pacific before roaring through Petaluma's pastureland. The car behaved beautifully.

On the final and serpentine run up the back side of Mt Tamalpais, I was slightly shocked at the sight of the bellowing Chrysler LeBaron filling my mirrors.  I gave him a little room so he heaved by and, after following him for a few miles, concluded this was one taught handling beast. I had a good look at the massive rear suspension modifications and enormous tires before he dove inside an early 911 to continue his march forward. Cool car.

Jag XK120 roadster with steel wheels and rear spats holding off a Healey. And the headlights are actually working.

If you live in the San Francisco Bay area, mark you calendar next year and visit californiamille.com for details on this and Martin’s other tours. If you’re out of state, why not organize a similar event in your area?

My favorite car? Well, aside from my cool SL, I wouldn’t mind swapping next year for Jay Heuman’s sublime Lancia Aurelia coupe.

Yes, I just might swap the less than lithe 350SL for a drive Jay Heuman's lovely Lancia.

Roy Spencer, editor MercedesHeritage.com

Please post your comments below.

Photography from Roger LeComte and azcentral.com

Video from markstevensquest

Scottsdale 2010 will be an event that may take auction company Russo and Steele years to put behind them. With gale force winds and driving rain forecast during the Arizona auction week, company officials figured their 800 foot tents would survive the predicted onslaught. Sadly, they were wrong and experienced an auction’s nightmare, the destruction of two of their tents and damage to over a hundred of their client’s cars.

Flanked by collapsed tents, some of Russo and Steele's Scottsdale inventory looking sadly worse for wear. Note massive tent pole resting on Torino and Belvedere.

That Barrett-Jackson, historically the anchor auction for the week, opted to move in massive concrete highway barriers well before the weather hit to stabilize their enormous outdoor tents will undoubtedly undermine Russo and Steele’s defense when the predicted lawsuits hit.

Ironically, there were trucks waiting outside the Russo and Steele compound to deliver similar concrete barriers the night of the tent failures. But it was too late. The damage had been done.

While most cars were insured, many were under-insured or self-insured. And even if damaged cars are repaired, the issue of diminished value due to claimed negligence on Russo and Steele’s part will undoubtedly be hotly contested. How will the value change for what WAS an original paint, 14k mile 1969 427 COPO Camaro after it is repaired with fresh paint and massive roof repairs?

More carnage after 800 foot tent was blown away by fierce Arizona weather. Note Ford model T with top crushed by tent support pole. How did the 380SL top of picture fare?

Plymouth Superbird owner likely had a heart attack at this sight. Note crushed front roof area, broken back window glass and serious nose damage. And a rare 4 speed car as well. What a shame.

McKeel Hagerty, CEO of classic car insurer Hagerty, estimates this loss to be the second largest in recent history after hurricane Katrina. Hagerty insured 108 of the cars damaged in Arizona and estimates losses could reach $3m.

Personal injuries thankfully were minor although there were some very close calls. The fierce winds ripped the 3 foot tent stakes from the ground and turned them into 80lb spears.

These projectiles not only ended up impaled in the nearby 101 highway Loop but also pierced through roofs, seats AND the floors of the of some cars. Were there occupants in these cars we could have seen some serious injuries.

Massive damage to one of our clients' 1999 Bentley Arnage. He sold the car for 1/2 its undamaged value and will wait for the insurance settlement.

Same client's Hudson "step-down" coupe. The tent poles were simply dragged over the cars by the brutal weather.

One lesson here for those who occasionally consign a car to an auction is to confirm your insurance coverage and perform some due diligence regarding the auction house’s coverage and liability, particularly in the event of “natural events.”

Tent Failure:

Swift action by Russo and Steele’s management allowed the proceedings to continue with some fairly hefty sales recorded. The Auction’s marquee car, the 1948 Tucker convertible prototype failed to sell at a high bid of $1.4m.

Top sellers were:

1. 1960 Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina Series II ($797,500)
2. 1967 Ferrari 330 GTC ($209,000)
3. 1971 Dodge Hemi Challenger ($187,000)
4. 1968 Shelby GT500KR ($159,500)
5. 1957 Facel Vega FV4 Coupe ($137,500)

To learn more about classic car insurance, click here to visit Hagerty’s website.

Roy Spencer, editor MercedesHeritage.com.

Please add your comments below.

We created MercedesHeritage.com for every classic Mercedes-Benz enthusiast to use and enjoy. Perhaps one of the most appealing sections is our large classified section covering any Mercedes constructed from 1900 to 1973 as well as any SL constructed from 1954-2012.

Evaluating SLs:

There are hundreds of SLs for sale on the site but how do you quickly determine which SLs are worth pursuing and which to ignore? We faced the same questions and uncertainty as we purchased and restored over 600 Mercedes-Benz SLs during the last 20 years.

Now you can benefit from much of what we have learned about these often complicated, always appealing Mercedes-Benz SLs via our clever and informative Research Database.

Please have a look at a few examples of the Database’s unique content below. The short video features MercedesHeritage.com founder Roy Spencer illustrating the power of the database.

Here's an example of what you will find in the database. The slide above is 1 of the 125 frames within the Pagoda "Basic Training" tutorial slide show. The thumbs below the large image show the sequence of slides and allow you to scroll forward/backward. Each image is captioned and provides valuable structure/systems/originality information and much more. Knowledge gained from single frames can prevent you from paying $5,000 too much for a 230/250/280SL! There are another 40 informational and unique documents in the Pagoda section alone.

Here's a frame from the 560SL "Basic Training" tutorial photo essay. Again, each captioned slide contains a crystal clear image and description of critical areas of concern for this particular SL. And the thumbs below the large image show the sequence of slides and allow you to scroll forward/backward. This single frame could give you the knowledge to avoid buying a damaged 560SL. There are 98 more educational frames! We created slide shows for 380SLs, 350SLs and 450SLs as well. And you'll find a hundred additional educational links throughout the 107 chassis SL sections.

Roy Spencer on the Research Database:

The link below allows you to look around the database and see the links available for each year/model SL/SLC/SLR covered.

Preview the SL Research Database