Gary Anderson – Behind the Star
Vehicles of Passion
When the current editorial team produced its first issue of The Star, we divided the enjoyment of new and classic Mercedes-Benz automobiles into four categories: pride in the marque, appreciation of the heritage, admiration for the technology and the passion it evokes.
In this issue, we are exploring many facets of that passion. Our cover story profiles the just-released Mercedes-AMG GT C, which we and many other commentators who drove it for the first time in Arizona believe is perhaps the best production sports car ever built.
We also catch up with Elisabeth and Fred Smits who have now logged 53,000 miles in their 1957 220S Ponton – and they’re only about one-third of the way through their around-the-world journey. For those of us who could never aspire to such a lofty commitment – even with the confidence in themselves and their vehicle like the Smits possess – Jon Bernardi takes us with him on a short vacation with a European Pagoda owner through some of the most picturesque scenery in Italy.
But passion can be expressed in other ways. Look at the intense concentration of the trainees in the Sindelfingen factory in 1965 on page 6 and then remember with Graham Robson the many generations of trainees who have passed through the gates of that factory since it was first opened in 1915.
And of course, there is the passion that was expressed by the designers and subsequent owners for the special vehicles built at Sindelfingen in the era between the World Wars, exemplified by the 500K Spezial Roadster converted to 540K specifications –found in pieces by two passionate classic-car chasers – and now maintained and enjoyed, yes, with passion, by Howard Fafard.
To top it off, John Edelman relates the amazing story of a 1971 220SE 3.5 Cabriolet that he and his father loved with passion, but sadly parted with to rebuild their family business; the car returned to them 35 years later. And yes, that passion was still there. Perhaps there is even an underlying passion dwelling in the very materials that make up a Mercedes-Benz. So, the next time you walk outside and look at your own Mercedes-Benz, embrace that feeling of passion that stirs within you. You won’t be alone.
Soul-stirring passion: Driving the new 2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C.