![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| September 2004 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ne
of the most popular events of the year is back! For all the fans of the latest and greatest from Mercedes-Benz, we will be returning to the Mercedes-Benz USA Vehicle Prep Center in Belcamp, Maryland. Join us on Saturday, October 9, at 9:00AM sharp.
For those who have not attended this event in the past, please put it down on your calendar. The Center goes all out for us by making sure there are special vehicles available for you to sit in, to stick your head in and under the hood, to ask any and all questions, and to just generally appreciate the vehicles Mercedes-Benz has built and will be creating for us, their customers. Three years ago we were surprised with the presence of an A-Class - the small car rumored to be coming here when it is next redesigned. Last year we saw one of the first Maybachs in the country. This time you might see the new SLK or SLR - who knows... We can't divulge what other surprises will be in store this year... our only suggestion is to fill out the centerfold registration form as soon as you can and get it in the mail to Harry Newman. Questions? Call (540) 869-4274 or email at harry_newman@cox.net. The schedule: hot coffee and donuts upon arrival... tours start at 9:00AM sharp... and a very nice noonish lunch after satisfying all of our automotive appetites! Directions: I-95 North, 20 to 25 miles north of Baltimore, take Exit 80 East onto Route 543. Go past Route 7, turn left onto Brass Mill Road (sign says Riverside Industrial Park) and then turn right onto Mercedes Drive. It's quite all right to park on the street. ark
your calendars for this year's Annual Membership Meeting. The meeting will be on Sunday, October 24 at 1:00PM at Mercedes-Benz of Alexandria in Virginia.
This year's meeting promises to be a very eventful afternoon. Besides the review of club activities and affairs, we will have a tour of the newly renovated facility. And, if that's not enough it's time for the section to hold its biannual election of officers. All active members are entitled to vote. Our bylaws permit only one vote per membership. Remember that the Annual Membership Meeting is the second of the three events where 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30-year pins are presented. (See article on page 8.) So come out and enjoy the wonderful hors d'oeuvres, fine automobiles, and the good company of old and new friends. he
Greater Washington Section offers many opportunities to get together each year, but at only three of these events are longevity pins awarded to members based on the number of years they have been in the club (in increments of five years).
The first of the events is the Annual Picnic and Mid-Atlantic Concours, which was held on August 22 in North Potomac, Maryland. The other two events are the Membership meeting in October and our Holiday Party next January. Since the pins are awarded in increments of five years, that means that if you joined the club in 1999, you are eligible for a 5-year pin this year. If you joined in 1994, you will get a 10-year pin, and so on. There is one catch. You must be present at one of the three events at which the pins are awarded. Invariably, eligible members attend one or all of the above events but leave before the pins are given out. We do not mail pins. You must be present! If, for some reason, you must leave before the event is over, please see Klaus or Deborah Hirtes to get your pin. Otherwise, you'll have to wait five more years before you are again eligible! Members eligible for pins in 2004:
The section offers many different events for almost every taste and fancy for its 1,500 members, so we hope you'll join us for one that interests you. See for yourself what the officers and event chairs are working on for you. Check out our web site for the latest update of scheduled events at <http://www.gws-mbca.org>. And always try to recruit new members at every opportunity. If you need applications, please email us with your address or call us. We are the largest section in MBCA and strive to keep it that way.
he
Nominating Committee has spoken with
several well qualified GWS member who
are interested in serving the section as officers for the 2004-2006 term.
The Nominating Committee presents the following candidates for consideration by the GWS membership:
Elections will be held at the Annual Membership Meeting at Mercedes-Benz of Alexandria on October 24 at 1:00PM. Please plan on attending and taking an active role in your section.
resident
- Joe Wozney
I have been a member of the club and section for 18 years. I have served the club in those years with terms as president, treasurer, board member, driving events chair, newsletter editor, and Tri-O-Rama chair. In addition, I served as the national vice president and twice as StarFest chair and worked at five StarFests. I have been fortunate to follow some great presidents and believe, with the help of our great board of directors, we continue to have the best sand most active section in the country. With your support, I would love to serve one more term as your president. There are some tasks that remain to be completed. While we have recently updated our bylaws, we still need to complete the development of a procedures manual to ease the transition of new officers and boards of directors. Finally, I would like to pursue the possible establishment of a section-backed foundation for the furtherance of Mercedes-Benz related member education. Thank you for your support all these years!
Vice President - Bill Hopper
Secretary - Marianne Sener
Treasurer - Jim Glenn
A European Delivery Story ow
was it? Let's just say our trip wasn't over before we started talking about our next European delivery. And, while our delivery didn't exactly follow the pattern described on the MBUSA web site, it more than lived up to our expectations.
![]() Mercedes-Benz Customer Center Our first stop at the Mercedes-Benz Customer Center was the welcome desk just inside the front entrance. As we were unloading our luggage from the taxi, a porter loaded it onto a cart, gave us a claim check, and took our luggage to a secure storage area. We then walked past the welcome desk to the check in area. There was no agent available to help us so we were directed to a waiting area. Within a few minutes, we were working with an English-speaking agent, who first asked for our Delivery Confirmation/Invoice form and passports. She then gave us a numbered delivery ticket. When we asked about the factory tour, she provided tickets and scheduled our delivery for later in the morning to accommodate the 90-minute tour. Because we were taking the factory tour first, we were asked to return to the Check In area later to complete the process. We expected to be rushed for time, so we took our delivery ticket and restaurant voucher to the cafeteria in the customer center and asked if it were possible to have something packed for the road. The cafeteria worker offered us "sack lunches" which we gladly accepted. These turned out to be much more than we expected, with wine, sandwiches, drinks, and treats. We were told the lunches would be waiting for us when we went to the delivery waiting room. ![]() Customer Center Delivery Area Our factory tour started in the area where raw steel is stamped into parts that will eventually become a new Mercedes-Benz. This area and the fully automated pre-assembly stages were interesting, but not as interesting as the final assembly line, where a chassis and its matching drive train come together, the interior and doors are installed, and it becomes a real car. About 85% of the tasks in this stage are done by trained factory workers, who rotate from job to job every two hours during a shift. New workers go through an extensive training program before they can move to the assembly line where they work under supervision until their apprenticeship is completed. Factoids from the tour: Sindelfingen began operating in about 1915 as an aircraft engine factory. Today, some 43,000 employees work three shifts, with a fourth shift for weekend work. The factory produces about 2000 C, E, and S-Class Mercedes-Benzes (and two Maybachs) per day. The SL, SLK, CL, and CLK models are built in Hamburg. Forty-two percent of Mercedes-Benz cars are painted Brilliant Silver with black as the second most popular color. Roughly 600 cars from each day's production at Sindelfingen go to ports for shipment all over the world. Maybachs go almost exclusively to the middle-east and United States. ![]() A technician shows the author's wife "her" new car! After the tour we visited the gift shop. Despite its size and a huge collection of goodies, in roughly 30 minutes of browsing the only thing we bought was a watch for my wife. Based on our experience, most of what we saw in the gift shop is available from either the hardcopy or online Collection catalog. After our trip to the gift shop we returned to the Check In area where we presented our numbered delivery ticket to the first available agent. The rest of the Check In process involved signing forms and going over registration and insurance issues. As part of this process, the Check In agent put together a folder containing items we would need to keep with us while operating our car in Europe. In its final form, the folder included our temporary registration, insurance policy and green card, the list of insurance contact points from our confirmation portfolio, and the export document Harms would use to notify the German authorities when our car was exported. The last two things we got were the Certificate of Origin for our car and directions to the Harms office (along with a stern admonition to go there first). When I asked about borrowing a navigation DVD, the agent made a copy of our credit card and broke out a brand-new DVD. Since we were dropping our car off in Sindelfingen, we were told to return the DVD to the Harms agent or the Customer Center. At around $540, the European DVD is way too expensive to be a souvenir! ![]() Customer Center Cafeteria With Check In completed, we were directed to a waiting room just off the delivery hall. When our car was ready, a technician came into the waiting room and escorted us to our car. As promised, our sack lunches were handed to us as we left the waiting area. At our car, the technician tailored her presentation to our level of knowledge. She willingly answered our questions and showed us how to program the COMAND Navigation System by entering our first destination. When I asked if it was possible to display speed in kilometers, she used the Control System to do just that. While all this was going on, our luggage was put in the trunk. With the introduction complete and our luggage stowed, we were ready to head to the Harms office to make our drop-off arrangements. Is less than five minutes we were there, and in than ten more minutes we were finished and ready to hit the road!
Lessons Learned
![]() The new car in front of the Parkhotel Adler The Black Forest-Alps Rally package was a bargain, but the two-day maximum stay per hotel is too restrictive. While all four of the hotels we chose lived up to their billing, the Parkhotel Adler and the Schlosshotel Bühlerhöhe proved to be better choices for extended stays. Both are easily accessible, have free parking, and are ideally suited to serve as home base for driving tours to local attractions. Were we to do the Black Forest-Alps Rally again, we would avoid the Graf Zeppelin (Stuttgart) and the Bayersicher Hof (Munich). Both are superb hotels, but are located in the heart of their cities - cities with enough traffic congestion to make driving more chore than pleasure.
Paul and Hwei outside the Buehlerhohe
We'll also pass on euro travelers' checks. Businesses would not accept them and banks charged an additional fee to cash them. What did work for us was a prepaid stored value card from Travelex (www.travelex.com). Once we activated our card, it was easy to get euros from any ATM that accepted VISA cards. American Express offers a similar stored value card, but American Express is not as widely accepted in Europe, so finding an ATM that accepts the AMEX card may be a challenge. Our cell phone was not compatible with the European GSM frequencies and, like most cell phones in the US, it was SIM locked to prevent use with another service provider. In looking for alternatives, we learned that it's possible to rent a cell phone for temporary use in Europe. The problem is that daily rental and high per-minute charges make this an expensive option. The solution we chose was a stored value card from Net2Phone (www.net2phone.com). All we had to do to use it was call a toll-free number (accessible from most European countries), enter our account number and PIN, and dial the number we wanted to call. Using this card we were able to call the US from our hotel rooms without incurring extra charges. The downside to this solution was the lack of an emergency contact number.
Final Steps
pylon alley by Tom Newman
nce
again, Mother Nature showed us how fickle she can be in July. Raining and cold, we set out for Winchester expecting the day...er... hoping the day would improve. It did not. A constant mist permeated the air and soaked the course surface. As such, the designers tightened the course for safety.
In the end, all had a great time sloshing it out and demonstrating that the laws of physics really do work. The biggest challenge was getting the cars to put the power on the ground. This was especially true for the high horsepower AMG cars. Two tenths of a second allowed Carl Beveridge to capture first place over Bruce Roth. If Bruce can find his rhythm again, the seesaw will continue. Steve Walters and Janet McFarland both captured wins in the vintage class. In the C-Class cars, Julian Reeves returned from a long absence to secure first. Ahh, the winds of change. Once again, Denise Dersin edged out Ted Joseph to secure first in the SLK class. Mr. "High Gear" John Bleimaier also returned from a long absence in a shiny new C230 coupe. Good to have you back John, don't be such a stranger! The non-Benz classes produced their usual excitement with Bill Brochu capturing not only the overall win, but the fastest time of the day. Finishing second and third respectfully, the Newman's battled it out to the final run with yours truly edging my father by a scant margin. Autocross is a great venue to see different automobiles come out to play. It's like a rolling car show, but better. We had the opportunity to see our first Dodge Magnum come to play. Chris Mazolla left the surfboards, lumber and groceries at home to leave us with one impression of the car. Beastly. Long time club members Rick and Cindy Ellinger's son Richard co-drove (with Kyle Mason) a 240 SX to a mid pack finish, but assures us he will return. The ladies rounded out the field with Barrie Gochman taking the win over Sharon Payne. However, the margin for victory is getting smaller and smaller and smaller.... Normally, there isn't much to say about lunch, but at this event there was quite a bit of excitement. There was an unfortunate incident at the local gas station where a man stole Ron Mummert's wallet off of the counter and bolted out the door. Ron was on his heels along with several other autocrossers. Mike Wirt dashed into a phone booth and emerged cape in the wind to help wrestle the would-be thief to the ground. Several others of our group help to contain the "perp" until police arrived. It is important to note that the original version of the above story, as Ron tells it, involved 16 albino Ninjas bent on world domination who needed cash to get back to their "Mountain of Power". After a lengthy struggle involving 4 bazookas, 67 shotguns and a flaming toadstool, Ron was able to single handily fight off the lexicon of evil while capturing the leader. This story is bound to get better by Christmas. o
you happen to remember The Man From UNCLE? That was the '60s television series which plumbed the depths of the world of international espionage and intrigue. Agents Napoleon Solo and Ilya Kuryakin were pitted against the enemies of civilization in the form of THRUSH and its minions. You could always tell the secret agents from UNCLE because they were driving Finback Mercedes from one safe house to another. While, in those days, regular folks traveled in Dodge Darts, Chevy Belaires and Ford Fairlanes, the habituas of the cloak and dagger world piloted exotica from Sindelfingen. Back then the common folk lived in split- and bi-levels, neo-colonials or ranches; the UNCLE safe houses were castles, villas and ultra modern architectural showplaces.
The decades have passed but some things never change... August 2004... It was a moonless night as the pale, fin-tailed 190Dc slipped between the brooding pines of the Monterey peninsula. The unlighted curving byways were shrouded in a heavy mist. I turn the massive, ivory steering wheel into the tight sweepers and feel the feed back from the non-assisted recirculating ball system. Classic, round Bosch fog lamps pierce the gloom with their yellow beams. Right, right and left following cryptic instructions written in invisible ink. Always an eye on the heavily chromed rear view mirror to make sure no one is following us. Down shift the Finback's column-mounted, manual gear selector into 3rd. Left into Viscaino and I spy a conspiratorial group of four starships in a pool of light beside a striking modern edifice. We have found our way to the safe house. This safe house is an architectural marvel, perched on a bluff in a grove of tortile pines. As I soundlessly disembark from the classic Mercedes I note the structure's signature influences of Frank Lloyd Wright and Richard Noitra. The vaulted ceilings and cantilevered elements come into focus as I breach the fog. I tap out the parole on the door knocker and give the password. The hand crafted oaken door pivots open. The security system announces my entry. I am among friends. Has your correspondent taken up the life of international espionage? Am I in the thick of deception and conspiracy? Hardly! This is the Pebble Beach classic car weekend and I have successfully navigated my way to the Colson residence which just happens to be located a stone's throw from the venue of the famous Concours d' Elegance and within an easy jog of the Laguna Seca track, site of the Monterey Historic Races. Finding an accommodation in this location on this weekend is decidedly more difficult than locating a safe house for spies in good old East Berlin or Kuala Lumpur! MBCA national president, Richard Simonds, has invited me to join him and a cell of starpeople as we enjoy the hospitality of his kinsmen, Eric and Donna Colson, on this special weekend for car aficionados. The Colson's magnificent home is the ideal staging area for our forays down to Pebble Beach, Laguna Seca, the Concorso Italiano, Quail Lodge, as well as the Christies, Bonhams, Goodings and RM collector car auctions. What a kick! When I got down to the paddock at the Laguna Seca track I saw red. That's because Ferrari was the featured marque for this year's historic races. As the competition began it was a thrill to see the cavalo rampante dicing it out with other noble steeds in the hairpins and down the straight. All this as I luxuriate in the shade of a live oak under the azure California skies on a golden hillside and focus my Steiner optics on the action. At the Concours d' Elegance my favorite vehicles were a Mercedes 540K with restrained, close-coupled, factory, coupe coachwork; as well as an unrestored, James Dean type, Porsche 550 spyder with the improbable, original, California license plate: JFK 007. I am much in favor of the recent expansion of the "preservation class" at Pebble Beach. In the real world, every year there are more restored cars and fewer originals. It is surely appropriate that the world's premiere show should particularly honor the surviving "originals." Ah, the Pebble Beach experience... a magical blend of reality and fantasy. I love it! At the Concorso a gaggle of scarlet vehicles was arrayed on the lawn so as to spell the "F word" when viewed from above. "Ferrari," that is. During that wonderful weekend I found myself carefully examining a British racing green, pre-war SS Jaguar on the green in front of The Lodge. Suddenly, my every muscle tensed and my senses went on alert as I noticed the car's identification placard. Under the section for owner's name was written the single word: THRUSH!
nterment
Services for Frank Mallory will be held at Arlington National Cemetery Friday October 22, 2004. Attendees are to gather at the Fort Myer Chapel at 12:15 (please, not later than 12:30).
Allow time for security checks when entering Fort Myer, which might include inspection of your car trunk. After a brief ceremony at the chapel, guests will proceed in their personal vehicles to the burial site for interment with Military Honors. The family invites guests to join for a Reception at the Fort Myer Officers Club. Family and close friends may offer brief reflections about Frank at this time. Please limit remarks to no more than one minute. Please RSVP regarding your attendance at the Reception by telephone to Joan Mallory, 301-622-4103 or by e-mail to Tri-Star@mbz.org. Directions: call 703-607-8000 for information or go to <www.arlingtoncemetery.org/index.htm>. 280SE 3.5 coupe, 1971: MB red (code 571)/palomino interior - a striking and beautiful combination. $48K spent on the car & restoration. Won People's Choice at the Mid-Atlantic Concours in 2003. $36K obo. Contact Martin for complete description of restoration at 703-528-0895 or email <stickleys@comcast.net>. 280SEL, 1973: Forest green/tan leather. Immaculate original condition. Garage kept. Hershey show winner. 23k original miles. Must see. $29,500. Call Dave at 301-622-1805. 250C, 1972: Project car. Needs paint and assembly. Straight body, MB Tex, many NOS &used parts. Rare sunroof car. Very strong Euro motor. 4-speed. 90K miles. Dry storage. Runs/drives well. Bargain at $750. Also ultra-rare 5-speed transmission for additional $600.Chuck Taylor, 703 237 0392, or <ctaylor738@aol.com>. 300CD, 1984: White/tan leather. Both tops. Restored earlier. Many upgrades. 108k actual miles. Looks and runs great. $14,000. Call Sterling at 703-960-3943. 280SL, 1984: Euro model. Anthracite/tan. Both tops in good shape. Euro lights. Race factory hitch. Recent valve job and tune. Engine runs great. 186k miles. Minor dents, dings. Clutch failed, not drivable. $1800. Call Bud at 410-703-3839 or email <bud.dixon@us.ibm.com>. 300CD, 1984: White/palomino. V. good cond. daily driver. 28 mpg diesel. 182K. Everything works, including clock. No rust or dents. Upgraded Alpine CD radio. $6850 obo.Call Rick at 410-758-1129 or 410-212-0744 (cell) or email at <rfsailor@msn.com>. 280SE, 1985: Euro model. Medium blue/blue. DOT and EPA. 45 state legal. Twin cam six. 4-speed manual trans, ABS. R-134a A/C. Stainless exhaust, 6-disk CD changer, recent valve job. Sporty. 202K miles, ready for another 100K. Very Good condition. Moving to CA. $6,000. Call Vern Luke, 703-323-1249 or email <vern.claire.luke@cox.net>. 190E 2.3 16-Valve, 1987: Pearl black/black leather. Body/interior very good to excellent with exception - needs dash pad & few stiches in back seat. Recent engine rebuild, but rings broke, so engine needs repair. Many new parts beyond engine: new tires/battery/more.Very nice to drive car. $5000 obo. Call Daniel at 304-229-3928 or email <seeme4vintage@earthlink.net> 420SEL, 1988: Champagne/Maroon. 127k miles. 22 mpg. $7500. Call Lucinda at 887-387-2457. 560SL, 1988: Cream/brown soft top and interior. 117k miles. Auto, AC, great shape. Garaged and well cared for by GWS owner. M-B service/records. 7/04 VA insp. Includes hardtop rack and cover plus never-used car cover. $18,900. Call Bob at 703-319-1607 or email at bobtravels@hotmail.com. 560SL, 1989: Silver frost hardtop/d. brown soft. 132k miles. Auto, A/C, 6-CD. Garaged. Excellent condition. MB service, all records. One beautiful SL! $19,500. Call Dee at 410-745-3984. SL320, 1996: Pearly Burgundy/tan leather. Power operated black soft top/hardtop w/roll bar. Only 73kmiles. New tires, battery. Side air bags. All SL features. Beautiful in nice condition. Extended warranty thru 7/06 transferrable. $23,900. Call Clemence Stephen at 410-836-2291 or 410-459-3124 or <cstephen46@cs.com> E320, 1998: Sedan. Smoke Silver/Parchment Leather. Burl Walnut. 44.4k miles. ASR/sunroof. Car is clean all scheduled check-ups. New tires 2003. Suggested retail is $21,723. Reduced to $16,000. Call at 703-339-7776 or 703-405-7702 (cell) or email at <fffquiltlady@cox.net> C43, 1999: Brilliant silver/gray-black two-tone leather. 63k miles. All options. New tires, front discs, pads. Sensing Wipers, Xenons. Phone. All records since new. 7/100 Starmark. Clean. $25,000. Call John at 703-371-8706 or email at <internet@thehuangs.us> CLK320 Cabriolet, 2000: Azure blue metallic ($1000 special order) 33k miles.Garage kept since new. Voice actuated phone/6 CD changer. Command system incl. navigation. Maintained to specs. at EuroMotor Cars. Recent tires and battery. Current new price is $60,000. This car $39,995. Call Howard at 301-656-9496. E55 AMG, 2001: Silver with Blk/Silver leather. 10,200 miles. Xenon headlights, heated seats, Premium Bose Sound System, K2a option (6-CD changer, V60 Motorola cell phone all with voice activation), lots more. All fluids flushed (again) on 8/25/04. $50,000. Call Bill Shaw 703-860-2434 or email at <armoredveh@aol.com>. Snow Tires: For SLK230. Used 2 winters. Make an offer. Call Sharon at 703-719-0222. Wheels: Purchased for snow tires for 1985 model. Never used. $50 obo for the pair. Call Joe or Ann at 703-631-9864. Special tools and manuals: For 350SL (107). Other tools for diesel valve adjusting also for sale. Worth more than $1600 - take all for $950 plus shipping (approx 50 pounds) See full list at <www.dcdentistry.com/mbparts.htm>. Mark at 202-872-0022 email mryan@dcdentistry.com. Parts: Fender trim, triple plated for SL, new! New for 116 chassis, M116, 117 engine: dr side mirror unit; pass side mirror replacement; turn signal unit; charcoal canister; tuneup video, oil filter. Becker Mexico. Factory manuals (body, elec, mech), Catalog C -exploded view/parts of body/engine. A/C manifold, coolant, pressure tester, etc. $150 all. 703/768-3125. Hardtop: For 107 chassis cars (1972-89). Red. Any reasonable offer. Call Michael at (w) 202-736-4720 or email <pagodaw113@aol.com> FREE!: From 1995 SL320 - folding hardtop stand, hardtop cover, windstop (behind seats). No charge! Call James Cullen at 410-435-7766.
The Metro Tri-Star is published monthly by the Greater Washington Section of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America, Inc. It is furnished to each of the approximately 1,750 Section members. Please send all materials for publication to The Metro Tri-Star, 1625 Park Overlook Drive, Reston, VA 20190. For display advertising information, contact Joe Wozney, Editor, at 703-437-7866. Explicit permission to copy or republish any article is given to all sections of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America, Inc. The articles in Metro Tri-Star are the opinions of the writers and no authentication is given or implied as to the validity of any expressed opinion. |