Many Mercedes-Benz Club of America (MBCA) members and attendees of last year’s Mercedes Freude in Newport Beach, CA may recognize the side profile of an Ikon Gold Mercedes-Benz 450SEL, the picture car for 2022’s premiere national event. 2023 commemorates 50 years since the world introduction of the W116 - the world’s first official “S-Klasse”. The relevance of the Ikon gold 450SEL selected for last year’s Freude theme was no random choice.

I want to thank past president Julie Bruggner and the entire search committee for putting their faith in me to guide this next chapter at MBCA. It’s such an honor to serve the members and many stakeholders of this wonderful organization.

Unity

At Monza late in 1954 Mercedes-Benz revealed the sports-racer that it was readying for the 1955 season. Although based on the successful W 196 Grand Prix car, its W 196S was in fact thoroughly re-engineered under its magnesium skin to master the long-form races of the World Sports-car Championship lasting from 600 miles to 24 hours.

Last summer Mercedes-Benz opened up its wonderful new Classic Center, located in a massive converted airline hangar in Long Beach, California.

Few cars in history have been graced with such long, single-generation lifespans as the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class. While all SL roadsters are special for the generation that grew up with them, the 1989 to 2001 models possess a unique cultural hold.