Mercedes R107 Road trip - Stuttgart or Bust!
Discussion
Right, i thought I would write up this weekend's little road trip.
Earlier this month my mate Dave and I decided that it was high time that we took the old 350 SL that we each have a half share in away to the continent. We've owned it for around 5 years, but it rarely does more than a couple of hundred miles a year, and basically just lives in the garage otherwise. It was missing some service history when we bought it and we hadn't really had anything done the last few years given the lack of miles.
So, last week we treated her to a new set of rubber (£200ish), and got the garage to check the levels and change the oil (another £160 odd). Then we sat down, looked at the map and scratched our heads, deciding where to go. The Loire? No, further. South of France? Perhaps. I then unilaterally decided that it had to be Stuttgart, the cars birth place almost exactly 30 years ago. And to make the destination a little more appealing, there's a Mercedes Museum there, and there would also be the Volksfest, second biggest beer festival in the world, if we left pretty much straight away
So we got together a mass of spare bits, cans of oil, petrol additive, compressor, emergency gear etc etc, because we had a hunch that suddenly introducing a 30 year old car (even if it is known as the "Panzerwagon"), used to sitting in a garage, to 1200 odd motorway miles over a weekend, was a risky plan. I was pleased to discover that my annual £160 Richardson Hosken classic insurance included their "Brooklands Recovery scheme", providing emergency recovery and hire car across europe. And we made spent £60 downloading the necessary updates for the Tom Tom.
We booked the ferry leaving Jersey on Thursday evening at 7.30pm, arriving in St Malo at 10.00pm French time, and decided pretty much to play it by ear. We also decided fairly late in the day, just to add further complication, that it would be good fun to visit the Frankfurt motor show over the weekend as it was "just down the road".
The ferry was uneventful and the sea calm. There was a rather nice Lancia Flaminia from Switzerland parked across from us too. However, we did notice rather ominously that the revs weren't holding and the engine was cutting out as we idled in the queue for the boat.
On arrival, the revs seemed to have sorted themselves, and we headed straight for Paris, and quickly realised that it was going to be murder with the roof up. Wind noise was, surprisingly, quieter with the roof off. A quick stop to put on extra coats and take the roof down and we were on our way again.
We left St Malo at 9.40 pm French time, and took it easy. The Trackstick (GPS device) that we took with us showed that we were averaging around 60 mph as we headed east into the night, fingers crossed, cans of Red Bull at the ready. Bearing in mind the speed limit is 40 mph at home, this was probably a shock to the cars system! We decided to swap drivers every hundred miles or so.
The 350 SL has a 90 litre tank, and does an estimated 15 mpg, so we guessed that we would have to fill up every few hundred miles, which would be a little bit painful given the near 1:1 exchange rate for the £:EURO, and the fact that even 95 sans plomb was around 1.3 euro a litre at the pumps. That meant filling the tank was going to be over 100 notes
Street lighting and cats eyes have never caught on in France, so most of the drive to Paris looked like this:
With the roof down we also found that the radio aerial mounted on the rear deck whistled mercilessly, not the original Mercedes radio could find many clear french radio stations anyway. To make matters worse, the FM transmitter for the ipod couldn't cope with the tinny old speakers, so we resigned ourselves to the fact that we weren't going to have any music on the trip
So dull it became, that we decided that once we got to Paris, rather than navigate around it, we would go right into town, and see the sights:
Arrival in Paris at 02.54am
First of all, the Arc de Triomphe, which we circulated a few times
(Trackstick Info downloaded to Google Earth when we got home showed.....)
Before heading down the Champs d"Elyssee:
And then across to the Eiffel Tower, where we were surprised to find the the Tom Tom led us virtually underneath it:
You can see where the Trackstick shows we stopped for this photo:
At around 3.45am we decided that we ought to get out of Paris on the East, partly because Dave was beginning to get tired, but mainly so that we could avoid rush hour when we set off again later that morning. The Panzer was still going well, and once out in the eastern suburbs near euro Disney, we found a roadside hotel and checked in. It was just after 4am, and we decided that we had to set off again in less than 4 hours in order to make Frankfurt in time for an afternoon at the Motor Show.
So Day 1: Just under six hours driving (including stops and our tour in Central Paris) and around 370 miles travelled.
Paris to Frankfurt next......
Earlier this month my mate Dave and I decided that it was high time that we took the old 350 SL that we each have a half share in away to the continent. We've owned it for around 5 years, but it rarely does more than a couple of hundred miles a year, and basically just lives in the garage otherwise. It was missing some service history when we bought it and we hadn't really had anything done the last few years given the lack of miles.
So, last week we treated her to a new set of rubber (£200ish), and got the garage to check the levels and change the oil (another £160 odd). Then we sat down, looked at the map and scratched our heads, deciding where to go. The Loire? No, further. South of France? Perhaps. I then unilaterally decided that it had to be Stuttgart, the cars birth place almost exactly 30 years ago. And to make the destination a little more appealing, there's a Mercedes Museum there, and there would also be the Volksfest, second biggest beer festival in the world, if we left pretty much straight away
So we got together a mass of spare bits, cans of oil, petrol additive, compressor, emergency gear etc etc, because we had a hunch that suddenly introducing a 30 year old car (even if it is known as the "Panzerwagon"), used to sitting in a garage, to 1200 odd motorway miles over a weekend, was a risky plan. I was pleased to discover that my annual £160 Richardson Hosken classic insurance included their "Brooklands Recovery scheme", providing emergency recovery and hire car across europe. And we made spent £60 downloading the necessary updates for the Tom Tom.
We booked the ferry leaving Jersey on Thursday evening at 7.30pm, arriving in St Malo at 10.00pm French time, and decided pretty much to play it by ear. We also decided fairly late in the day, just to add further complication, that it would be good fun to visit the Frankfurt motor show over the weekend as it was "just down the road".
The ferry was uneventful and the sea calm. There was a rather nice Lancia Flaminia from Switzerland parked across from us too. However, we did notice rather ominously that the revs weren't holding and the engine was cutting out as we idled in the queue for the boat.
On arrival, the revs seemed to have sorted themselves, and we headed straight for Paris, and quickly realised that it was going to be murder with the roof up. Wind noise was, surprisingly, quieter with the roof off. A quick stop to put on extra coats and take the roof down and we were on our way again.
We left St Malo at 9.40 pm French time, and took it easy. The Trackstick (GPS device) that we took with us showed that we were averaging around 60 mph as we headed east into the night, fingers crossed, cans of Red Bull at the ready. Bearing in mind the speed limit is 40 mph at home, this was probably a shock to the cars system! We decided to swap drivers every hundred miles or so.
The 350 SL has a 90 litre tank, and does an estimated 15 mpg, so we guessed that we would have to fill up every few hundred miles, which would be a little bit painful given the near 1:1 exchange rate for the £:EURO, and the fact that even 95 sans plomb was around 1.3 euro a litre at the pumps. That meant filling the tank was going to be over 100 notes
Street lighting and cats eyes have never caught on in France, so most of the drive to Paris looked like this:
With the roof down we also found that the radio aerial mounted on the rear deck whistled mercilessly, not the original Mercedes radio could find many clear french radio stations anyway. To make matters worse, the FM transmitter for the ipod couldn't cope with the tinny old speakers, so we resigned ourselves to the fact that we weren't going to have any music on the trip
So dull it became, that we decided that once we got to Paris, rather than navigate around it, we would go right into town, and see the sights:
Arrival in Paris at 02.54am
First of all, the Arc de Triomphe, which we circulated a few times
(Trackstick Info downloaded to Google Earth when we got home showed.....)
Before heading down the Champs d"Elyssee:
And then across to the Eiffel Tower, where we were surprised to find the the Tom Tom led us virtually underneath it:
You can see where the Trackstick shows we stopped for this photo:
At around 3.45am we decided that we ought to get out of Paris on the East, partly because Dave was beginning to get tired, but mainly so that we could avoid rush hour when we set off again later that morning. The Panzer was still going well, and once out in the eastern suburbs near euro Disney, we found a roadside hotel and checked in. It was just after 4am, and we decided that we had to set off again in less than 4 hours in order to make Frankfurt in time for an afternoon at the Motor Show.
So Day 1: Just under six hours driving (including stops and our tour in Central Paris) and around 370 miles travelled.
Paris to Frankfurt next......
Next day we woke up bleary eyed after just 3 hours sleep, forewent breakfast and jumped straight into the car, setting off at just before 8am.
We immediately turned the wrong way up the motorway, heading into Paris. Not a good start!
However, back on track we decided to push on to Reims to have a gander at the historic pit buildings in Gueux. It was only in the bright sun of the morning that we felt confident enough to start pushing the car a little harder, but the stretch of road out of Paris appeared to be policed by gendarmes in scoobies, so once again it was steady, if somewhat wind buffetted, progress.
We got to Gueux in time for breakfast and stocked up on croissants at the village patisserie. However, on approaching the famous straight out of town, we discovered that the pitlanes had been closed for a show that weekend so rather than hang around we pushed on once again. No pitlane photos this time round.
As the day heated up the temperature gauge rose slightly above the 175 mid-reading that it usually sits at, but we were pleased to see it settle at a new constant as we pushed on. The Panzer may not have been eating up the miles in a true GT sense, but it was certainly proving to be a lot easier than we had expected.
Infact once we got into Germany around lunchtime, the Tom Tom effortlessly redirected us around some heavy autobahn tailbacks, and we made it into Frankfurt for around 3.30pm - still time to catch 4 hours or so of the motor show
The Flemings Hotel was 5 minutes walk from the Messe Hall where the Motor show was staged http://www.flemings-hotels.com/en/frankfurt_messe. The Panzer was parked up safely in the underground carpark having barely missed a beat. We felt understandably proud of her!
Some from the show:
The Merc SLS Gullwing, much prettier in the metal that some of the photos suggest:
The Mansory Cyrus, a carbon fibre homage to the DBS. Garish as it seems, this was for us one of the best cars at the show, it was so over the top it stood out. There was always a crowd around it. Forget the nasty carbon fibre Cayenne or the Pink Continental - this is the Mansory to have!
From the tuners, equally attractive in my mind (although these are not my pictures) was the Startech XK, with rather delicious looking caramel leather:
The Fisker Karma was also very pretty!
Was it Sarkozy we saw trying out the back of the Rapide for size? According to reports, its got just about enough legroom for him!
Interesting BMW concept
Some classics (already in the "spotted thread")
Lovely old cabriolet they were using to demonstrate automated parking skills !!
Mechatronik mercs have modern engines and drivetrains. I'd have one in an instant when the lottery funding comes through
http://www.mechatronik.de/
Original Mini on the MINI stand:
The Ghost
There seemed to be a theme when it came to suicide doors:
Sterling Moss Special..
And ...well, I better stop there, because there were too many more to mention……
Needless to say we were pretty shattered when we left the Messe at 8pm. After a quick catch-up nap we had dinner at http://www.buffalo-steakhaus.de/ , arguably the best steak (argentian fillet) I've eaten recently and highly recommended, followed by some beers in town. A good day all round and another of the objectives ticked off the list.
So Day 2 we drove for a total of 7 hours and travelled 358 miles.
Next day would be the trip down to Stuttgart - taking the old girl home.
We immediately turned the wrong way up the motorway, heading into Paris. Not a good start!
However, back on track we decided to push on to Reims to have a gander at the historic pit buildings in Gueux. It was only in the bright sun of the morning that we felt confident enough to start pushing the car a little harder, but the stretch of road out of Paris appeared to be policed by gendarmes in scoobies, so once again it was steady, if somewhat wind buffetted, progress.
We got to Gueux in time for breakfast and stocked up on croissants at the village patisserie. However, on approaching the famous straight out of town, we discovered that the pitlanes had been closed for a show that weekend
so rather than hang around we pushed on once again. No pitlane photos this time round.As the day heated up the temperature gauge rose slightly above the 175 mid-reading that it usually sits at, but we were pleased to see it settle at a new constant as we pushed on. The Panzer may not have been eating up the miles in a true GT sense, but it was certainly proving to be a lot easier than we had expected.
Infact once we got into Germany around lunchtime, the Tom Tom effortlessly redirected us around some heavy autobahn tailbacks, and we made it into Frankfurt for around 3.30pm - still time to catch 4 hours or so of the motor show
The Flemings Hotel was 5 minutes walk from the Messe Hall where the Motor show was staged http://www.flemings-hotels.com/en/frankfurt_messe. The Panzer was parked up safely in the underground carpark having barely missed a beat. We felt understandably proud of her!
Some from the show:
The Merc SLS Gullwing, much prettier in the metal that some of the photos suggest:
The Mansory Cyrus, a carbon fibre homage to the DBS. Garish as it seems, this was for us one of the best cars at the show, it was so over the top it stood out. There was always a crowd around it. Forget the nasty carbon fibre Cayenne or the Pink Continental - this is the Mansory to have!
From the tuners, equally attractive in my mind (although these are not my pictures) was the Startech XK, with rather delicious looking caramel leather:
The Fisker Karma was also very pretty!
Was it Sarkozy we saw trying out the back of the Rapide for size? According to reports, its got just about enough legroom for him!
Interesting BMW concept
Some classics (already in the "spotted thread")
Lovely old cabriolet they were using to demonstrate automated parking skills !!
Mechatronik mercs have modern engines and drivetrains. I'd have one in an instant when the lottery funding comes through
http://www.mechatronik.de/Original Mini on the MINI stand:
The Ghost
There seemed to be a theme when it came to suicide doors:
Sterling Moss Special..
And ...well, I better stop there, because there were too many more to mention……
Needless to say we were pretty shattered when we left the Messe at 8pm. After a quick catch-up nap we had dinner at http://www.buffalo-steakhaus.de/ , arguably the best steak (argentian fillet) I've eaten recently and highly recommended, followed by some beers in town. A good day all round and another of the objectives ticked off the list.
So Day 2 we drove for a total of 7 hours and travelled 358 miles.
Next day would be the trip down to Stuttgart - taking the old girl home.
Edited by CY88 on Monday 5th October 09:06
Great write-up and great pics. 
I've always hankered after an R107 for high days and holidays, but would love to take one on a trip like that even more.
There is such a variation in prices, from £6k to £14k, and even the newest car is 20yrs old now, so much to look out for and beware of, although they do seem pretty bulletproof.
FWIW I'm not taken by the later R129, to me it now seems dated, whereas the R107 seems 'classic'. Many say that the R129 is a fantastic car and tremendous VFM, which I can understand, I just don't know if I could buy one.
Looking forward to the next installment!
goes off to look at the classifieds for an 87-89SL ... AGAIN
I've always hankered after an R107 for high days and holidays, but would love to take one on a trip like that even more.
There is such a variation in prices, from £6k to £14k, and even the newest car is 20yrs old now, so much to look out for and beware of, although they do seem pretty bulletproof.
FWIW I'm not taken by the later R129, to me it now seems dated, whereas the R107 seems 'classic'. Many say that the R129 is a fantastic car and tremendous VFM, which I can understand, I just don't know if I could buy one.
Looking forward to the next installment!
goes off to look at the classifieds for an 87-89SL ... AGAIN
I know what you mean about the R129, its a lot more car for about the same money or less, but its not quite got that classic appeal yet.
Anyway, to finish the write-up...
We got up at a reasonable hour on Saturday morning, knowing that it was only 2 hours or so down to Stuttgart. We hoped to get there in time to have a look in the Mercedes Museum before going to the Volksfest, which is held in a showground right next to the museum. Again, I'd booked a hotel in advance right next to the destination.
The car started on the button again, almost banishing the fears that we'd held at the beginning of the trip. In fact, we were now regretting the extra weight we were carrying in the form of tools, oil, a tent, and air compressor! It was all taking up valuable boot space as well! We set off around 10.20 am and noted the huge tailbacks leading into town, no doubt all going to the Motor Show. So imagine our anger when the Tom Tom sent us down the wrong slip road (that our story and we're sticking to it) barely a mile down the road, and we became hopeless lost in the system of ring roads and traffic
What a mess!
So after almost an hour of slow progress around the city, we finally made it onto the open road. Whereas in France we'd been happy to stay in the fast lane, the number of cars pushing over a lepton made us keep in the central lane of the autobahn. This also gave us a chance to check out who was passing us, which included one of the SLS from the Motor show, which we heard approaching before we saw. It sounded like a pod-racer from Star wars, and the engine note was still audible as it disappeared from view as quickly as it had appeared. I barely managed to get a photo:-
This lovely Swiss Dino also sailed past, although the passenger seemed a little surprised when I flashed the camera at her:-
Lots of road works on the autobahn meant that it ended up taking us about 3 1/2 hours to get into Stuttgart, arriving at just before 1pm.
So we parked the car up in the underground car park of the hotel, and made our way across to the showground in Stuttgart, situate on the aptly named Mercedes Strass. Our aim was to walk through the Volsfest and have a quick visit to the Mercedes Museum before enjoying a Stein of beer or three.
And this is what we saw once we'd crossed the road:
Several hectares of fairground rides, full of Germans, a lot of whom were in traditional lederhosen and "wench" outfits.
So we decided to have a look in one of the beer tents on the way.... the Hoffbrau one, which seats 5000 people...
And we found a table infront of the stage and ordered a drink...and thats about the point we realised we weren't going to make it to the Mercedes Museum!
I have a few photos of us in grey felt drinking hats singing "Ein prosit" later on during the afternoon, but they're not pretty! Necking Steins like pints isn't really the accepted pace, and realised later on that afternoon that, in light of the 10 hour drive we had the next day, we had to head back to the hotel. So, according to Mrs88, who had a garbled phonecall from me before we turned in, I would have been tucked up fast asleep up by 9.30pm!
So day 3, fantastic afternoon, but only 144.72 miles in a disappointing 3 hours 32 minutes
Anyway, to finish the write-up...
We got up at a reasonable hour on Saturday morning, knowing that it was only 2 hours or so down to Stuttgart. We hoped to get there in time to have a look in the Mercedes Museum before going to the Volksfest, which is held in a showground right next to the museum. Again, I'd booked a hotel in advance right next to the destination.
The car started on the button again, almost banishing the fears that we'd held at the beginning of the trip. In fact, we were now regretting the extra weight we were carrying in the form of tools, oil, a tent, and air compressor! It was all taking up valuable boot space as well! We set off around 10.20 am and noted the huge tailbacks leading into town, no doubt all going to the Motor Show. So imagine our anger when the Tom Tom sent us down the wrong slip road (that our story and we're sticking to it) barely a mile down the road, and we became hopeless lost in the system of ring roads and traffic
What a mess!
So after almost an hour of slow progress around the city, we finally made it onto the open road. Whereas in France we'd been happy to stay in the fast lane, the number of cars pushing over a lepton made us keep in the central lane of the autobahn. This also gave us a chance to check out who was passing us, which included one of the SLS from the Motor show, which we heard approaching before we saw. It sounded like a pod-racer from Star wars, and the engine note was still audible as it disappeared from view as quickly as it had appeared. I barely managed to get a photo:-
This lovely Swiss Dino also sailed past, although the passenger seemed a little surprised when I flashed the camera at her:-
Lots of road works on the autobahn meant that it ended up taking us about 3 1/2 hours to get into Stuttgart, arriving at just before 1pm.
So we parked the car up in the underground car park of the hotel, and made our way across to the showground in Stuttgart, situate on the aptly named Mercedes Strass. Our aim was to walk through the Volsfest and have a quick visit to the Mercedes Museum before enjoying a Stein of beer or three.
And this is what we saw once we'd crossed the road:
Several hectares of fairground rides, full of Germans, a lot of whom were in traditional lederhosen and "wench" outfits.
So we decided to have a look in one of the beer tents on the way.... the Hoffbrau one, which seats 5000 people...
And we found a table infront of the stage and ordered a drink...and thats about the point we realised we weren't going to make it to the Mercedes Museum!
I have a few photos of us in grey felt drinking hats singing "Ein prosit" later on during the afternoon, but they're not pretty! Necking Steins like pints isn't really the accepted pace, and realised later on that afternoon that, in light of the 10 hour drive we had the next day, we had to head back to the hotel. So, according to Mrs88, who had a garbled phonecall from me before we turned in, I would have been tucked up fast asleep up by 9.30pm!
So day 3, fantastic afternoon, but only 144.72 miles in a disappointing 3 hours 32 minutes
Edited by CY88 on Saturday 3rd October 22:13
Fantastic write up and glorious pics. I bought the other half a 500SL 1986 a few years back. Lovely car. The only issue was the heater slider controls. Kept blowing hot air even on cold. Other half not very happy (hot flushes etc.) Gave it to a trusted mechanic who still did not fix it properly. In fact I believed him to be a real expert and sold him my 450 SEL 6.9 for peanuts as it was for himself. He made a very healthy profit on that car, but hey ho we all live and learn. Kerry although very fit, works out every day at the gym had a back op many years ago. So getting in and out was always a problem. She'd have to push the seat back to get in and then re adjust for driving. I think the final straw came when whilst having right leg outside the car, door swung back on her shin and you know how heavy those doors are. So was sold.
True story. About week after getting the car, she parked in the car park at the gym she used to go to in Hendon. When she comes out there are three W107's all in diamond blue metallic, all parked next to each other and she has not got a clue which one is hers. Phones me up in a panic. Kerry yours will have a little rubber spoiler on the boot lid and a 500 badge. Problem solved, but it did make me laugh especially when I got home and she says, I should have known that was mine as my sunglasses where lying in the centre console. Oh and before you ask, yes she is blonde but not original
True story. About week after getting the car, she parked in the car park at the gym she used to go to in Hendon. When she comes out there are three W107's all in diamond blue metallic, all parked next to each other and she has not got a clue which one is hers. Phones me up in a panic. Kerry yours will have a little rubber spoiler on the boot lid and a 500 badge. Problem solved, but it did make me laugh especially when I got home and she says, I should have known that was mine as my sunglasses where lying in the centre console. Oh and before you ask, yes she is blonde but not original
Edited by graeme36s on Saturday 3rd October 22:03
Day 4 and we were up at 7.00am, surprisingly bright eyed and bushy tailed. Straight into the car, we set of at 7.41am, and headed out of Germany, according to the Trackstick hitting our V-max on the autobahn heading east. Not too bad for a 30 year old motor after 700 odd miles.
Interestingly we crossed the border at 8.50am at an obscure little bridge on the site of a factory, having been led onto some tiny single lane roads by the Tom Tom. Needless to say, the roads were empty:
As we drove on into France Dave noticed that the petrol warning light had come on, despite the gauge showing half full. A quick tap on the instruments cluster soon revealed that the fuel gauge needle had stuck, and when released, it sank down to empty! So followed a nail-biting 20km drive to the next service station in Alsace, where we had breakfast to celebrate not conking out at the side of the road, and filled the car up at a cost of 120 Euros, the biggest hit of the trip.
At this point we decided to just get back to St Malo without stopping for lunch, and having decided not to visit the Reims circuit, and navigated around Paris, we found ourselves in Le Mans by mid-afternoon. We'd got used to the engine temperature rising 5 degrees for an hour or so at the hottest time of the day, and with the roof having been down throughout the trip, save for the first 50 miles, we both had sunburnt faces.
At this point our estimate arrival was 17.48 hours, only 12 minutes later than the ETA shown on the Tom Tom when we'd set off from Stuttgart that morning. With the ferry leaving at 21.00 hours, we decided to take a quick detour down the coast to Cancale, a popular seaside town, to have a plate of fresh mussels for tea at about six o'clock:-
Setting off for the short drive along the Coast Saint Malo:-
Approaching the walled town just before 8 o'clock.
On day 4 the Panzer completed a 9 1/2 drive from Stuttgart, travelling 653 miles (1,052 kilometres). As we idled in the queue for the boat, we agreed that the engine appeared to be running smoother than it had when we had set off.
All in all we covered a total of 1525 miles, dare I say, with ease. The old girl did good
Interestingly we crossed the border at 8.50am at an obscure little bridge on the site of a factory, having been led onto some tiny single lane roads by the Tom Tom. Needless to say, the roads were empty:
As we drove on into France Dave noticed that the petrol warning light had come on, despite the gauge showing half full. A quick tap on the instruments cluster soon revealed that the fuel gauge needle had stuck, and when released, it sank down to empty! So followed a nail-biting 20km drive to the next service station in Alsace, where we had breakfast to celebrate not conking out at the side of the road, and filled the car up at a cost of 120 Euros, the biggest hit of the trip.
At this point we decided to just get back to St Malo without stopping for lunch, and having decided not to visit the Reims circuit, and navigated around Paris, we found ourselves in Le Mans by mid-afternoon. We'd got used to the engine temperature rising 5 degrees for an hour or so at the hottest time of the day, and with the roof having been down throughout the trip, save for the first 50 miles, we both had sunburnt faces.
At this point our estimate arrival was 17.48 hours, only 12 minutes later than the ETA shown on the Tom Tom when we'd set off from Stuttgart that morning. With the ferry leaving at 21.00 hours, we decided to take a quick detour down the coast to Cancale, a popular seaside town, to have a plate of fresh mussels for tea at about six o'clock:-
Setting off for the short drive along the Coast Saint Malo:-
Approaching the walled town just before 8 o'clock.
On day 4 the Panzer completed a 9 1/2 drive from Stuttgart, travelling 653 miles (1,052 kilometres). As we idled in the queue for the boat, we agreed that the engine appeared to be running smoother than it had when we had set off.
All in all we covered a total of 1525 miles, dare I say, with ease. The old girl did good
Edited by CY88 on Saturday 3rd October 22:20
graeme36s said:
True story. About week after getting the car, she parked in the car park at the gym she used to go to in Hendon. When she comes out there are three W107's all in diamond blue metallic and she has not got a clue which one is hers. Phones me up in a panic. Kerry yours will have a little rubber spoiler on the boot lid and a 500 badge. Problem solved, but it did make me laugh especially when I got home and she says, I should have known that was mine as my sunglasses where lying in the centre console. Oh and before you ask, yes she is blonde but not original
I was amazed that we only saw one other R107 on the whole trip, a red one on a French motorway, roof down, elderly man driving, female passenger and two kids in the back. I was expecting to see more! They certainly seem to be more popular in the UK
Thanks for the comments!All i can say is that is one great drive, some fantastic photos too
I love road trips across europe in intersting cars and walst i was reading the whole story i've been thinking about doing almost the same thing in a later r107, because they are reliable, comfortable, classy and the fact i'd rather take a 20 odd year old classic then a modern eurobox.
But i'd rather go into the merc museum then go to any beerfests.
I must be the vast minority.
I love road trips across europe in intersting cars and walst i was reading the whole story i've been thinking about doing almost the same thing in a later r107, because they are reliable, comfortable, classy and the fact i'd rather take a 20 odd year old classic then a modern eurobox.
But i'd rather go into the merc museum then go to any beerfests.
I must be the vast minority.
Edited by RSD 25 on Sunday 4th October 13:33
Great story . I`ve just completed a week around Germany last Saturday with my 1996 C36 Mercedes .
1750 miles of fantastic adventure at high speed , taking in the Mercedes museum and the factory at Sindelfingen - truly memorable experience
I may even put some pictures up having read this !
PS saw 160mph on the clock and averaged 30.8 mpg for the trip so very impressed with my super C-class !
1750 miles of fantastic adventure at high speed , taking in the Mercedes museum and the factory at Sindelfingen - truly memorable experience
I may even put some pictures up having read this !
PS saw 160mph on the clock and averaged 30.8 mpg for the trip so very impressed with my super C-class !
RSD 25 said:
But i'd rather go into the merc museum then go to any beerfests.
I must be the vast minority.
Not at all! Had we not managed the afternoon at the Frankfurt show, we would have definitely done the Museum instead. As it was, Mercedes was the featured exhibitor in Frankfurt, and they had many of their museum exhibits there as well I must be the vast minority.
mickyveloce said:
PS saw 160mph on the clock and averaged 30.8 mpg for the trip so very impressed with my super C-class !
I reckon we averaged about 15 mpg CY88 said:
RSD 25 said:
But i'd rather go into the merc museum then go to any beerfests.
I must be the vast minority.
Not at all! Had we not managed the afternoon at the Frankfurt show, we would have definitely done the Museum instead. As it was, Mercedes was the featured exhibitor in Frankfurt, and they had many of their museum exhibits there as well I must be the vast minority.
mickyveloce said:
PS saw 160mph on the clock and averaged 30.8 mpg for the trip so very impressed with my super C-class !
I reckon we averaged about 15 mpg A great trip !
As you`ve seen my write up on a similar venture at a similar time in my C36 , you`ll know what a great adventure this is . I love the older 107`s and it is always nice to see cars like this used properly . I think I may have struggled with you`re fuel bills though at 15 mpg!
As you`ve seen my write up on a similar venture at a similar time in my C36 , you`ll know what a great adventure this is . I love the older 107`s and it is always nice to see cars like this used properly . I think I may have struggled with you`re fuel bills though at 15 mpg!
Just totted up the receipts and, including setting off with a full tank, we stopped for petrol a further 5 times whilst away and spent a total of £484.82 on fuel, together with one bottle of lead replacement additive.Uhura_Fighter said:
Is the 107 a 1973 car? (mine is 79)
Not sure about the 30 mpg figure posted by someone but on a run I can see 18mpg, but get 12-16mpg mostly.
My car's a 1979 as well, but perhaps appears older as it doesn't have the front spoiler, alloys and electric windows. I was in 2 minds about fitting a front spoiler, but I wanted to keep the colour coded wheels Not sure about the 30 mpg figure posted by someone but on a run I can see 18mpg, but get 12-16mpg mostly.
The wikipedia entry for the R107 says that the 350SL averages about 15 mpg.
Thanks for the comments.
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