Vintage Mercedes-Benz automobiles have been my consuming passion for over five years now. The experience of having my car stranded 900 miles away from me was unbearable! This situation could only be resolved one way: a road trip was in order to bring my beloved 1978 280E home to Georgia once again. But life got in the way and I had to put the car in storage for 18 long months. My great friend, Otto Christensen, was gracious enough to store my 280E in his garage for that period.
Finally, it was time to book a flight from Georgia up to Pennsylvania to retrieve my baby. However, driving an old car 900 miles was not going to happen in one day. This fact led me to decide to stop along the way and connect up with some members of the MBCA during my grand road trip down the eastern seaboard.The first day of my whirlwind trip started with flying from Jacksonville, Florida, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This meant going from 90 degrees and sunny to 45 and rainy. With the flight out of the way, it was time to collect my car. Getting it out of storage from my friend went as expected. Otto was away on work, but his wife Alice was home to let me into the garage. I can only thank them both again for their warm generosity!
The following morning it was time to hit the road. The frosty morning low of 28 degrees was a great way to get the blood flowing at the start of my journey. I left my grandmother’s house at nine o'clock on my way to Blakley Leonard’s warehouse in Roanoke, Virginia. Settling into a nice pace of 70-75 mph meant that I arrived just three hours later, with time to shoot some photos before the sun went down.
A stop in Virginia
Blakley has a broad selection of Youngtimer Mercedes-Benz machines and recently founded The MB Market. This has become a great resource for those of us who share the same passion for Mercedes-Benz. Blakley’s collection starts with his father’s W123 300D Turbo Diesel, the car that brought him home as a newborn from the hospital, paired with a Euro-spec 300TD. His collection is rounded off with an ML60 RS RENNtech and a supercharged W210 E55 AMG as the newest cars. Other notable vehicles in the Blakley stable include his 1988 190E 2.3-16v Cosworth and a 1-of-1 S210 E60RS RENNtech Wagon.
Blakley's real passion is for premerger AMG cars. This is how he came to acquire three R129 SL models with complete first-generation AMG body kits. Perhaps the most collectible is a 1990 500SL 6.0 AMG (M119 engine) with 59,000 kilometers on the odometer. This outstanding trio is rounded out by a 50,000-mile V-12 monster and a standard V-8 engine 500SL. It takes a real enthusiast such as Blakley to appreciate everything Mercedes and AMG had to offer back then.
He graciously gave me a tour of his collection before taking me for a ride. And what a ride it was. We took a spin in his stunning 1990 560SEC AMG widebody.
The car has a healthy list of AMG options, including all the available extra wood trim on the interior, AMG steering wheel, suspension, exhaust, and authentic AMG widebody with the correct stamps. While this widebody does not have the 6.0-liter engine, the 5.6-liter is more than capable and easier to maintain from an ownership perspective. The car is visually impressive and audibly impressive as well with the AMG exhaust system. The blue suede and leather interior adds to the car’s overall appeal, contrasting the stark white exterior nicely. Thanks again for the ride, Blakley!
Heading to the Carolinas
The weather on the following day made for another cool and rainy drive. I again broke my journey, this time with a stop at Pedro Campuzano’s fascinating shop in Mooresville, North Carolina.
Pedro is a great guy, with some pretty serious work ahead of him. On his lift when I arrived, there was a single-owner 190SL. Pedro is in the process of getting this classic up and running so its 90-year-old owner can enjoy it once again.
Once the 190SL project is completed, Pedro plans on combining three different Mercedes-Benz vehicles into one. The starting point for this ambitious project is his 1968 230 automatic. He bought a 1972 280SE 4.5 for the suspension and then a 1972 350SL with a 4-speed manual to donate the engine and transmission. Before you can say that these cars should be saved, all three are unfortunately so far gone that there is not enough good left to restore. The trio will be contributing their best parts to create the ultimate W110.
After talking about Mercedes for about an hour, I followed his lovely 300TD Turbo Diesel to get some lunch. The gold centers to the BBS mesh wheels work well with the Petrol green and draw on the Palomino leather interior colors.
Home at last
Lunch was my last stop before I made it back home to coastal Georgia. The 280 was once again reunited with our old 240D that we sold to a close friend of mine. Now we are able to tear up the Low Country once again with a combined 220 hp! With this being the MBCA, I should also note that I convinced him to sell his BMW E30 to purchase the 240. You can convert your friends one at a time!
I did not encounter a single setback on my 900-mile journey. Everything went as smoothly as one would expect when driving these finely engineered machines. This is another testament to the fact that if you take care of these cars, they will take care of you.
Now, is the time to get out there in your cars and start making memories and friends like Pedro and Blakely. For me, that’s what the MBCA is all about.
