He said.....After some 13 years of fond ownership I decided it was time to part with my much loved hobby car...my 1972 Mercedes-Benz 350SL (R107) Roadster. During that time, we had organised a professional reupholster of the interior including new carpets, seats and door trims, a replacement soft-top and restoration of the rather 'original' hardtop, all the time maintaining the mechanical side and engine bay without destroying the integrity and originality of this 40 year old gem! And as a result of our efforts it won its class on several occasions and was also runner-up on another at the annual Concours d'Elegance of the Mercedes-Benz Club NSW Inc of which we have been members since 2002.
So why sell it now? A number of factors contributed to the on-again, off-again decision:
GETTING OLDER - with very evident signs of arthritis, I was finding it increasingly difficult to even get behind the wheel, let alone getting down to the ground to maintain the underside which is a "must" for any concours vehicle and I certainly did not want it to deteriorate from its top-notch condition
SELFISH - even though we jointly owned the car, it was really my toy - and I would not use it if it even looked like raining. This in turn put pressure on the our daily drive - who needed it when!!!
Our Beautiful new Motorhome care of Sunliner and Albury Wadonga RV
NEW PURSUITS - with the possibility of our getting a much talked about motorhome last year, it
was time to make way for the new "toy" and by disposing of the Merc the way was cleared for us to focus on a new future. And as She has said...'the hobby car itch has well and truly been scratched'!!
So last July I finally took the plunge and listed it for sale through a reputable online market - it was there barely 24 hours before the first enquiry came which materialised into a sale over the ensuing days. I was naturally concerned it would be going to a good home and I was more than pleasantly surprised when I learned it was going into a classic car museum of some note being put together by a collector on the NSW Central Coast and ultimately for public display. I immediately realised I would be able to visit at my leisure whenever possible to see our pride and joy and to recollect all those memorable times we had with her.
The museum has not yet opened but I understand it is planned for April 2016 and it will be good to finally see our cherished 350SL again.
I bought this car when I retired from international corporate life to give me an interest - we mere
males work at a hectic pace in our professional lives, often without realising and certainly in most instances with absolutely no time for personal hobbies - I was always on a plane to somewhere in the world and often travelling on a Sunday to maximise my work week overseas before returning home exhausted, only to do it all over again, and again....! So you can imagine the void created by the sudden loss of this hurdy-gurdy. But now, its time to tick off other items on the retirement bucket-list and caravanning/motorhomes has long been in my headspace as something I'd really embrace.
But out with the old and in with the new sounds a bit harsh - we had some really fun times with our old 350SL and we'll always look back with fond memories and certainly no regrets.
