[V8] re SLC
quattro + 5 or 8 = fun
thequattroking at yahoo.com
Sat Jul 15 18:12:58 EDT 2006
Thank you guys, I appreciate the kind comments. that car sure made my life
better! I will keep the car forever. If anyone wants a pic of the car
BEFORE my restoration started, let me know i will send you one. I will
spare u all the gruesome pics of the restoration. My plan is to drive the
car across country as soon as I have it finished.
Take care,
Shayne
PARTING: 1972 Mercedes Benz 280 SE 4.5
PARTING: 1986 Audi 4000 CS quattro
> From: Unka Bart <gatorojo at earthlink.net>
> Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2006 12:54:01 -0500
> To: <v8 at audifans.com>
> Subject: Re: [V8] re SLC
>
> Amen Ingo, very nice story, Shayne!
>
> On Jul 14, 2006, at 7:06 PM, Ingo Rautenberg wrote:
>
>> I suggest you submit this story to Car and Driver or Autoweek with a
>> few photos :-)
>>
>> Great story, Shayne!
>>
>> On Jul 14, 2006, at 2:34 AM, quattro + 5 or 8 = fun wrote:
>>
>>> WOW, you guys bring back the memories. My first car was a 1972
>>> Mercedes 280
>>> SEL. I bought it when I was 15 1/2. I did not even have my
>>> license. I
>>> just fell in love with it. I am now 31. When I was 15 1/2 the
>>> Eagle Talon
>>> was the HOT car. But I just wanted that Mercedes. It had about
>>> 180K miles
>>> on it. Amazingly, I kept it running. My dad redid the interior
>>> for my 17th
>>> birthday. Leather from Italy, perforated in German, sewn in
>>> Spokane WA. He
>>> spent $5,000 on the interior. He made fun of me for owning a car
>>> that was
>>> always needing work. For two winters, I drove it to college without a
>>> heater. And, if you have ever experienced a Spokane winter, THEY
>>> SUCK. I
>>> had to roll down the windows to keep it from fogging up inside. I
>>> started
>>> dating this girl who lived 3 hours away. I would work like crazy
>>> just to
>>> buy premium unleaded to go visit her. I barrowed a 1980's boom box
>>> for
>>> tunes as the old Becker was dead. Just after 220K miles, the
>>> tranny went
>>> down. I thought my life was over. I was about 18 when that
>>> happened. My
>>> dad came through again. He bought me a BRAND NEW tranny. I could not
>>> believe it. He still made fun of me. Then, about 3,000 miles
>>> later, the
>>> timing chain went through the valve cover. I was devastated.
>>> AGAIN, my dad
>>> came through. He bought the motor. I was lucky enough to find a grey
>>> market 4.5 and get it in the car. Turns out, it had about 55 more
>>> HP then
>>> the stock engine. OH YEA!!!! He still laughed at me. Shortly
>>> after the
>>> new engine was installed, I decided to drive 1200 miles to Denver
>>> to give
>>> the car a "shake down". I did it in 12 hours FLAT. The speedo
>>> recorded a
>>> 152 top speed. This was back in the day when Montana was "safe and
>>> prudent". Or, when you are 18, driving a 23 year old car with an
>>> original
>>> suspension 15" tires and old brakes, that meant balls to the wall
>>> as fast as
>>> the damn thing can go. Yeah, the exhaust manifolds glowed. Yeah,
>>> it was
>>> 115 degrees out. Yeah, I passed a cop doing 135. But who cares!?
>>> I was
>>> 18, had a Benz and was unstoppable! I continued to be senseless,
>>> driving it
>>> into the winter with 300 pounds of sand in the trunk. I did this
>>> routine
>>> until 1998 when the car was hit. It had 330K +/- on it. I tried
>>> to sell
>>> the car over and over again. But, who wanted a beat up nearly 30
>>> year old
>>> car that barely ran? Thankfully, I came to my senses. I still
>>> have it. I
>>> am NEARLY done with a 40K$ restoration. I have a custom suspension
>>> that I
>>> designed and built. It has a new paint job. Not concourse, but
>>> VERY nice.
>>> I have about 2 weeks of solid work left on it. Yes, it has a ton
>>> of miles.
>>> But, it is has CLASS, CLASS AND MORE CLASS. It will hit 70 MPH in
>>> first
>>> gear, roast a Camaro Z-28 from 60-120, sounds AMAZING with a dual 2.5"
>>> exhaust and most importantly got me to and from the girl who is now
>>> my wife.
>>> I will die in that car. Oh, my dad still makes fun of me but I now
>>> know he
>>> secretly loves the car.
>>>
>>> I plan to drive her again this summer or early fall.
>>>
>>> What a car...what a car.
>>>
>>>
>>> BTW, I also plan to install the ABZ 4.2 in my 5 speed this summer.
>>> YEEEEEE
>>> HAAAAAAAAAAA!!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Shayne
>>>
>>>
>>> PARTING: 1972 Mercedes Benz 280 SE 4.5
>>> PARTING: 1986 Audi 4000 CS quattro
>>>
>>>
>>>> From: Ed Kellock <ekellock at gmail.com>
>>>> Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 17:10:44 -0600
>>>> To: <v8 at audifans.com>
>>>> Subject: Re: [V8] re SLC
>>>>
>>>> I may never get over the 1973 450sl until I own one. The gated
>>>> shifter in
>>>> it is directly responsible for my first interest in the Audi V8.
>>>> I had
>>>> never seen that configuration in any other type of car before.
>>>> And it
>>>> also had a V8.
>>>>
>>>> When I was 10 my mom bought a '73 450SL brand new after my
>>>> grandfather
>>>> passed away. We (mom, dad, me, sister) bugged the dealer for over
>>>> 6 months
>>>> before she ordered one. Then she got impatient and had them find her
>>>> another one that could be had sooner. I'll never forget the drive
>>>> home with
>>>> her that night. I was mesmerized. My father and sister followed
>>>> in our '69
>>>> Plymouth Fury III. It was silver green metallic with green MB Tex
>>>> interior,
>>>> black soft top, no alloy wheels.
>>>>
>>>> From them until '86 or so when Mom sold it and I was not able to
>>>> afford it,
>>>> I dreamed of the day I would own it, drive it, and continue to
>>>> care for it
>>>> as I had for the 13 years we had it. It had 86k miles then.
>>>>
>>>> I was never officially allowed to drive it and was caught red
>>>> handed only
>>>> once, but I did get my seat time. My first time ever driving a
>>>> car was in
>>>> it when I was 14, before my parents probably ever even anticipated
>>>> the
>>>> concept of a teen driver. They still don't know that I snuck it
>>>> out of the
>>>> garage one night at 3am, all carefully planned and executed. I
>>>> drove it
>>>> around for over half an hour before returning it to the garage and
>>>> going
>>>> back to bed.
>>>>
>>>> I know by today's standards it's not that special, but I still
>>>> love the look
>>>> of the pre-'74 small-bumper cars. To my eye, the silver green is
>>>> the best
>>>> color. I really liked the SLC, still do, we considered one a
>>>> couple years
>>>> later when we decided to ditch the Fury for another Benz. Instead
>>>> we got a
>>>> Harvest Beige 1973 280. That I was allowed to drive and had my
>>>> 1st two
>>>> accidents in, both very minor.
>>>>
>>>> I still have the metal vin plate from the 450 and the original
>>>> bill of
>>>> sale. In '86 it went to a doctor in Toronto. I mailed him a
>>>> letter and he
>>>> mailed back offering to let me buy it for 18k because he had put
>>>> some money
>>>> into it. We sold it for 12k. I would like to find it. I think
>>>> I'd be
>>>> incapable of not buying it unless it was thoroughly trashed.
>>>>
>>>> 0-60 in 10 seconds, in 1st gear all the way. Leave the gear
>>>> selector in S
>>>> and at 50 mph, floor the accelerator enough to punch the kick-down
>>>> button,
>>>> and it will drop into 1st. Fantastic feeling and sound. No
>>>> Ferrari and no
>>>> Audi V8, but I'll never get over it. Until I own one maybe.
>>>>
>>>> I still have Instamatic photos of every single new Mercedes on the
>>>> lot from
>>>> those dealer visits. I also used to ride my bike around the
>>>> neighborhoods
>>>> near our house at Edwards AFB and catalog all the Mercedes I could
>>>> find.
>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> ... funny Ed, the longer I know you the more I realize that we're
>>>>> cut from
>>>>> very similar cloth ...
>>>>>
>>>>> I have to admit, a '74 450 SLC was the first (and only) MBZ I ever
>>>>> drove. In fact it was very likely the first non-murkin car I
>>>>> drove. There
>>>>> were three things that hooked me on the SLC ... I loved how flat
>>>>> the car
>>>>> stayed in hard cornering (compared to what I was used to) ... I
>>>>> appreciated
>>>>> the slushbox that would also downshift on deceleration ... and I
>>>>> really like
>>>>> the lines and scale of the car. To some respects the SL with the
>>>>> hard top
>>>>> installed (how often do you see that?) is a bit short and abrupt
>>>>> for my
>>>>> taste ... although I like the concave top ...
>>>>>
>>>>> ... and if I'm going for an "SL" ... I'll take it as an ur-300SL
>>>>> thank you
>>>>> very much!
>>>>>
>>>>> Steve B
>>>>> San José, CA (USA)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The ugly comments are merely subjective. I like them, but not
>>>>>> enough to
>>>>> own
>>>>>> one. When I get one it'll be the SL.
>>> !
>>>
>>>
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>>
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>
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