At the Wheel
President Gene Jurick
On New Roads
There are more than 80 Mercedes-Benz clubs around the world, with over 100,000 members, authorized under the auspices of the Mercedes-Benz Classic division of Daimler AG. Each October, Mercedes-Benz Classic invites the national presidents of all of these clubs to the International Mercedes-Benz Club Presidents’ Meeting. Before this issue of the The Star goes to press, I will be attending the 20th annual meeting, in Stuttgart, Germany.
I’m always eager to learn how each of these clubs operates. Some only allow owners of recognized classic cars to join. In contrast, Mercedes-Benz Club of America allows any owner of a Mercedes-Benz – as well as potential Mercedes-Benz owners – to join. The MBCA has the largest membership of any M-B club in the world; Mercedes-Benz Club UK comes in second, with about one-third the number of members that we have.
The presidents’ meeting is an opportunity for all clubs to share information about how they function and to gather ideas that may add to their success. In that these club presidents come from all over the world, the ideas are vastly different. One thing that seems to be true for all: The focus is Mercedes-Benz and the enjoyment that comes from the club and the vehicles.
Mercedes-Benz Classic will present new facets of the group and its brands; it’s always interesting what doors will be opened to us. We will also be provided with selected details on current projects and background information surrounding the Mercedes-Benz brand. In the next issue, I will share all the interesting things that I learn.
The member demographic of the MBCA has changed greatly over the years. This is evident when we attend events put on by our sections. Checking out the event parking lot finds mostly new or near-new Mercedes-Benzes of all descriptions. Many of these members also have other older Mercedes, even a few with recognized classics. However, many of the classics are tucked away and not shared with other members. Kind of sad, because there are some beauties out there.
Another area where we have shifted is on the technical side of things. Not nearly as many of our members work on their cars or are involved with restoring them. Working on newer cars is usually far beyond the capability or the availability of specialty equipment for most of our members. That said, our club continues to evolve and hopefully meets most of the desires and needs of our members. If you doubt that, just attend any of the numerous events that take place on any weekend. You will be welcomed, included and hopefully really enjoy the day.
November 1-3, the 2019 Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance & Motoring Festival will take place in South Carolina. This event has grown significantly during the past years and is recognized as one of the best. Unfortunately, Mercedes-Benz has not had any real involvement in the past.
Last year, there was only one Mercedes-Benz in Sunday’s concours. This year, there are 17 registered for the event. These range from 190SLs to a 1936 500K Special Roadster and 1938 540K Cabriolet. On Saturday, there are 15 unique cars registered to be in the Mercedes Story display and 41 other Mercedes models supporting the showcase. That’s a total of 73 Mercedes on display this year.
Your question at this point should be, “Wow, what happened?” Some of our members suggested this situation needed to change. Three of our regions came together and developed a plan and made it happen. Regional directors Doug Geganto, Hank Webb and Rick Siefert – from Eastern, Southeast and Central regions, respectively – spearheaded this endeavor. There were also many other members that supported the event and made it possible. I thought of listing them here but dropped that idea quickly; I have only so much space in The Star. I am looking forward to attending the event and thanking all those involved for their determination and hard work. If this is the first time you are hearing of this event, you may still be able to attend. Think about it.