Saying Goodbye
Remembering Denise McCluggage, attending the Santa Fe Concorso and a farewell to the Mercedes-Benz ML
Article & Images Matt Stone
The late Denise McCluggage was a seriously accomplished woman, one I’m honored to have called my friend for many years. She was a professional sports-car racing driver, with class wins in her own car at the 12 Hours of Sebring, among many top-notch racing achievements. And she was so much more.
After settling in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in her later years, Denise joined a small but committed band of automotive enthusiasts and established the Santa Fe Concorso eight years ago. Denise hounded me to attend in the hopes I would join her judging team. My disappointment is that I didn’t get around to it during her life: I would have so enjoyed experiencing her show and its surrounding events with her.
When Denise passed away in May 2015 – the 2015 Santa Fe Concorso was being dedicated to her memory – it was time for me to get around to it. The organizers were hosting a pre-show party, featuring one of Denise’s first-name friends, Luigi Chinetti Jr., harking the great days of the Chinetti family’s North American Racing Team (NART), for which Denise drove on a few occasions. The Concorso – September 25-27 – would include a historic road tour, giving participants an opportunity to drive their vintage and classic cars to a historic mining town outside of Santa Fe. I wanted to pay my own personal tribute to Denise and all her lovely qualities that endeared her to so many.
I certainly could have flown from L.A. to Santa Fe and rented a car for the long weekend, but how much fun would that be? I reasoned that a moderately sized, well-equipped sports-utility vehicle would be the ideal road partner for Highway 40 and any off-road riding I might decide to do. I have a considerable history with Mercedes-Benz ML-Class vehicles, and because the ML nameplate would go offline at the 2015 model year end, I judged the vehicle to be an ideal companion of which to sample during its own swan song.
I was working as a staff editor, writer and photographer at Motor Trend magazine during the ML’s original debut in the late 1990s. Mercedes-Benz's jump into the SUV pool was big automotive news at the time. I attended the grand opening of the new Mercedes-Benz assembly plant near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, which was dedicated to the new Mercedes SUV; my parents were excited to purchase one of the first retail ML320s delivered in California.
Mercedes-Benz North America enthusiastically offered a new 2015 ML250 BlueTEC 4Matic for my road trip to New Mexico: The ML churned up Interstate 40 with aplomb, averaging 80 mph and around 30 mpg. This mighty four didn’t disappoint. With its twin-turbocharged 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder diesel engine – the perfect road partner for a long drive – the 29 mpg highway rating was sure to save me a few bucks on fuel. This engine’s 200 horsepower rating didn’t sound all that impressive, but I knew its 369 pound-feet of peak torque would move this vehicle smartly.
It’s smooth at idle, gurgling out the familiar diesel engine rattle/purr but never smoking, and very quiet at cruising speed. My wife Linda was impressed with this rig’s serious passing power; just a nudge to the pedal brought a surge of power; when the snails spooled, nothing proved unpassable – uphill or down. The ML rode beautifully and handled with surefooted suppleness, ensuring it was happy to go anywhere. It reminded me of Denise, always capable whether at a car’s wheel, skiing downhill, writing a newspaper article or book – or judging Concours entrants.
Following the traditional Route 66 towards Santa Fe, we couldn’t resist making a stop in Winslow, Arizona, where we paused at the famously referenced corner in the Eagles hit “Take It Easy” – where a brass statue of a hitchhiker is standing on a corner and the song-mentioned flatbed Ford truck is permanently parked there.
Upon our arrival in Santa Fe, we immediately went to the airport hangar party honoring Denise, the perfect venue for several NART Ferrari racecars and vintage aircraft as background to Chinetti and automotive historian (and friend) Michael Lynch’s slide show and talk about the team’s history, cars and drivers. Of particular interest among the vehicles on display was the 1967 Ferrari 275 GTS/4 NART Spyder that Denise co-drove to a class win at the 12 Hours of Sebring, which put her on the cover of Road & Track magazine, and Steve McQueen drove with Faye Dunaway in the original “Thomas Crown Affair” film.
Saturday dawned bright, dry and clear; as a kickoff to the road tour, all cars and participants gathered in Santa Fe’s old town square for an impromptu cars and coffee, where Mayor Javier Gonzales proclaimed September 26, 2015, as Denise McCluggage Day in Santa Fe. Then everyone fired up for the road tour, a scenic drive through the outskirts of Santa Fe en route to the historic mining town of Cerrillos, which is no faked tourist attraction – we’re talking dirt streets and wooden sidewalks.
The driving routes were designed by Denise in order to offer a blend of scenery, curvy driving roads, and time efficiency. My ML was perfectly suited to the drive. The day was capped by an open mic for a life celebration honoring Denise – held at a local bar and grill and heartwarming to the extreme – with a variety of folks sharing their memories and stories about Denise. My own memories about her are vivid: Denise was a delight to be around and her friendships were deep and true; she sparked relationships with her impish sense of humor and conveyed grace as a human being.
Sunday, Concorso morning, was perfect. The show was held at The Club at Las Campanas on a large, gently hilled fairway amidst a residential community and country club set beautifully in the desert landscape. Featuring approximately 120 cars, the Santa Fe Concorso had something for everyone, including a few cars Denise had owned or raced during her storied life. Santa Fe Concorso presents two Best of Show awards for elegant and sport Concours cars. The 1936 Delahaye 135 Competition belonging to Ann and Ken Smith of La Jolla, California – without question the finest and most elegant Delahaye I’ve ever seen – was recognized for its elegance. The Best of Show Sport award appropriately went to an ex-NART 1964 Ferrari 250 LM presented by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.
After fond farewells to friends old and new, we headed for Sedona, Arizona, a romantic setting with Zen-like ambience in that “Sedona exists at an impossible intersection of soul-nourishing wilderness and pampered luxury – where soaring red rock monoliths cradle an array of resorts, spas, art galleries and boutique wineries” according to the city’s Chamber of Commerce. After two more days of restful sightseeing, wonderful food and photography, we aimed the three-pointed star west for home. Our ML250 delivered us safely home after 1,434 miles of great driving, reminding us what an important role the ML has played in the Mercedes-Benz lineup.
While the ML went away at December’s end, that’s more in name than form. It will be replaced by a similarly sized and packaged SUV as part of the new GLE lineup, which will look very similar to the ML it replaces; there will be a wide variety of powertrain offerings and pack the latest safety, technology, and infotainment hardware.
But all things in perspective, there’s no replacing Denise McCluggage; every motor journalist who ever met her on a press event, and every person who ever reads one of her articles knows there isn’t likely to ever be anyone like her again.
Images:
The extraordinary Denise McCluggage (1927-2015) was multitalented, supremely accomplished and a true friend to those fortunate enough to know her well.
Driving by the corner in Winslow, Arizona, in our 2015 ML250 BlueTEC 4Matic.
Picturesque Route 66 roadside Americana. 
At the airport hangar party and memorial for Denise McCluggage.
The kickoff meeting in the plaza in old Santa Fe before the start of the 2015 Mountain Tour.
On the Concours field at the Santa Fe Concorso.
Denise’s famous polka-dot helmet.
The ML was a comfortable, luxurious, frugal and dependable traveling companion every mile of our journey.