When the Car Decides
Hi Friends!
A few weeks back, we discussed what to do with my favorite barn find 1956 Gilera motorcycle. I was hoping that you guys would reinforce the direction that I was leaning to fully restore, but most pretty thoroughly disagreed and pushed for the opposite. Now, my moral dilemma has definitely gotten even more difficult to see through and I’m even less sure which path I’ll eventually take. I’ll admit, I want to do right by this bike. That remains incredibly important to me, but at the end of the day, the bike itself does seem fairly impartial (at least at this point) to whatever the final decision is going to be (believe me, we’ve talked). That however, is not always how things like this work out. Sometimes the car chooses differently…..
Recently, I learned of a story surrounding a car that by all intents and purposes completely defines the word “survivor”. This is a car that continuously moved and manipulated itself through and into the most ideal situations imaginable and as of a couple of weeks ago really completed that circle in a serious way. This does happen with a number of special cars, but this one is clearly very different.
Of course, we all remember RM Sotheby’s Rudi Klein Junkyard Sale. It was without a doubt one of 2024’s most talked about (and in my opinion, most brilliantly marketed) collector car-oriented events. As we covered post sale, it also produced some pretty astonishing results, including a world record for alloy bodied Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwings. This alone, barely scratches the surface of what Mr. Klein was able to collect over the course of his tenure however and other highlights included Lamborghinis, Porsches, an Iso Prototype and comparatively speaking, a fairly depressed and lowly looking 300 SL Roadster.
Chassis number 198.042.7500173 began its life with admittedly a little bit of a head start on the desirability scale compared to many of its counterparts. Just one of 30 examples known to be factory equipped with competition style Rudge wheels, it left the line in September of 1957, wherein it was delivered to its initial custodian, a Mr. Thompson of Klitzingen, Germany. As it was a European spec car, it was also bestowed with the longer and more high speed-oriented 1:3.42-ratio rear axle, not typically bolted to US bound cars too.
Although unclear how long Mr. Thompson remained in possession of the car, it is known that it lived a fairly low-key existence and stayed off the radar basically completely, until it somehow made its way to California and into the possession of Mr. Klein. There, it remained in the darkness of his warehouse for 40 years, protected from the elements and the eyes of the world. That is, until it crossed the block with RM Sotheby’s last October.
I remember going through the catalog initially and stopping on this car. With its single headlight, unbalanced looking stance and what appeared to be a fairly rotted out interior, even though it looked like a still breathing, semi-alive, reasonably complete car comparatively, something about it felt just plain downtrodden and sad. I thought to myself, this thing is like the old dog at the pound with the downturned eyes that’s got 24 hours left to go and knows it. As such, it immediately became a favorite of mine and I vowed to watch closely as I genuinely wished for it to find the perfect home.
Meanwhile, while we were all scratching our heads in astonishment at the insanity of this collection, 300 SL expert Tim Quocksister of Silver Arrow Cars in Victoria, British Columbia (among other places) was licking his chops and rallying his troops. This was simply a car that he had to have and restore and he couldn’t wait to get to work. With hundreds of restorations under his belt, including numerous 300 SLs, this was a well-traveled path for Tim that he felt confident with and he was convinced that he was the right person to take ownership of the car next. With zero hesitation, Tim put down a winning bid of just under $1.2 million (which in many cases is the price of a restored example) and the car was his.
Tim knew that a car like this needed the attention of the best, so he enlisted Mike Kunz, Nathaniel Lander and the team at the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center, just up the road in Irvine, California to begin the process of going through the car and figuring out what exactly Tim had just done, how bad it was going to be and what they needed to do to at least figure out a place where they could get to work. As they began the initial process and started digging through the wreckage, what they found was truly incredible. Inspection of the body and the chassis, revealed little to no damage and little to no rust. Once moving into the engine bay, they popped the top on the motor and realized that its internals were almost flawless. “This is a car that we can probably have running later today” they excitedly told Tim over a phone call. At this point, the question of whether to restore or not was almost instantly put to rest with Tim replying “Don’t touch the dust. Let’s get it moving.”
Right around this time, word was starting to get out that Tim had purchased this vehicle and offers from the enthusiast community to contribute good quality, but equally patinaed original parts started to come in. Headlights, accessories, trunk components and most importantly a really, really nice, really correct set of leathers for the interior were offered and made their way into the car. In fact, virtually everything that they needed found its way to the Classic Center almost like magic. A few short weeks later, the car was on the road and driving flawlessly (as one could expect for a car just out of a 40-year-old slumber) and all parties were ecstatic.
This was an undeniably amazing series of occurrences, so it only made sense for RM Sotheby’s to reengage, get involved and to help Tim to collectively complete their part of the circle with the car together. It was decided that the car was to be an enthusiastic participant in the 2025 ModaMiami weekend’s Concours event. At this point, one would assume this tale to be complete and the story ended in victory. Not for this car however. In no way was the story done here. After all, it was at the Moda Concours that a couple of beautiful, strawberry blondes would take note of the car and would extend that circle further than even Tim, the team at RM Sotheby’s, Mercedes-Benz Classic Center or likely even Rudi Klein himself, probably could have ever imagined.
Upon arrival at the Biltmore Coral Gables, the car was an instant hit. Images flooded social media of it surrounded by top collectors, celebrities and automotive royalty of all types. Many wondering, how could it be that a car that looked so bad, so recently was actually so good? One couple in particular seemed to take a special interest. They paced back and forth around the car a number of times, seemingly enamored. Tim noticed, opened the door and offered the two a seat. They gladly accepted and once inside the car, refused to leave.
Eventually, David McNeil noticed that Teddy and Roxanne, his two beloved Golden Retrievers had found something special and he should probably follow their lead. After all, special cars are what MacNeil is all about. As one of the world’s foremost car collectors (and the Founder and CEO of WeatherTech), David’s collection hosts some of the most legendary automobiles of all time, including Zagato bodied Aston Martins, Singer 911s, a Ferrari 250 GTO and of course, multiple iterations of the 300 SL. Instantly, he noticed that his four-legged proteges were on to something here, negotiations began, arrangements were made and Mr. MacNeil was the proud owner of a new, just slightly used Mercedes-Benz.
Now, I’ve been assured that part of the deal that was struck between Silver Arrow and Mr. MacNeil on the lawns of the Biltmore, was that he cannot restore this car. This makes sense also. Why would he need to? With a collection of painstakingly perfected examples already in his stable, this may be one of the only destinations this car could have possibly landed where it’s almost guaranteed that it will remain original and in its present condition.
When you think about the series of improbabilities required in order for this car to wind up where it did, it’s barely believable. A semi-charmed start, which somehow led halfway across the world, into a dusty junkyard garage owned by a gentleman with one of the most peculiar collecting habits on earth (which ultimately protected and preserved the car for four decades), then on to the stage of one of this hobby’s most prestigious auction houses, into the hands of one of the world’s foremost experts, to the top restoration and preservation professionals for the marque, then all the way across the country to the lawn of a significant event and then into what is quite likely the top car collection on the planet, where it is now contractually protected from restoration for what could potentially be forever.
It’s easy to say that these things are just hunks of metal, wood and leather, but I think we all know that the reality is (and it’s been said repeatedly here and everywhere else), old cars are different. They have real personas, genuine souls and sometimes there’s a little bit of grit and determination that goes along with that as well. This car woke up on day one and said to itself, I am not to be tinkered with. I am perfect the way that I am and this is the way that I’m going to stay. It made a choice, it’s stuck with it and it’s made it work.
Again, this car is the absolute definition of the word “survivor” and it knew that this is exactly what it was going to be right from the start.
Congratulations to all parties involved here. Everybody did the right thing and the world’s a better place for it.
That’s it for this week……
Darin Roberge