InMotion
Your community’s transportation station...
Greater VICTORIA Advertising Feature
• Services & Accessories [B16] • Classifieds [B16]
inmotion.vicnews.com
• October 28, 2011
Victoria’s automotive community update... • Driver’s Education: Halloween safety tips for drivers [B9]
Events & Activities... to Oct 30 – Galaxy Motors’ October Food Drive for the Goldstream Food Bank. Bring in a food bank donation and receive a free car wash, including windows and vacuum. FMI : www.galaxymotors.net nov 6 – 2011 VI Spine Series Group Bicycle Ride on the Galloping Goose from Dockside Green’s Café Fantastic to Royal Roads, beginning at 9 a.m. or meet at 10 a.m. at the top RRU parking lot for the return ride. A community celebration follows at Lido Restaurant in the Inner Harbour from 11 a.m. to noon. FMI: series@vispine.ca nov 6 – Winter Hornet Series starts at Western Speedway. FMI: www.westernspeedway.net
Driver of the Week...
Marlon Martens, Victoria Royals play-by-play on The Zone @ 91.3 FM, drives a 2007 Toyota Sienna “She’s a boat, and slow off the get go, but can really cruise and gun it up hills.”
Continued on Pg. B7
Mercedes Benz restorer unearths the ultimate gullwing barn find Victoria exotic and classic car restorer Rudi Koniczek is enthusiastic about the cars that he restores even at the worst of times. But he absolutely ALYN EDWARDS comes alive when he Classic talks about literally RIDES unearthing one of the rarest cars in the world from decades of dead storage in a rat-infested garage at a home in Santa Monica, California. For the past 40 years, Rudi & Company has been one the world’s foremost restorers of Mercedes Benz 300SL roadsters and gullwing sports cars. Owners have shipped cars for restoration from as far away as Europe, South Africa and Japan. He has restored about 100 of these cars and currently has half a dozen under restoration. His shop also restores other special interest cars to concours standards. He takes a lot of pride in having restored the 1960 Mercedes Benz 300SL bought new in Montreal by Pierre Elliot Trudeau. It was a rush job to be completed in time for Justin Trudeau’s wedding in Montreal. The restoration that usually takes a full year was compacted into eight months. The roadster is magnificent and is part of Canadian history. The Mercedes-Benz 300SL was introduced in 1954 as a two-seat, closed sports car with distinctive gull-wing doors and the first gasoline powered car with direct injection. Later it was
Victoria’s Rudi Koniczek saved one of the world’s rarest cars from decades of dead storage in a California garage.
offered as an open roadster. It was the fastest production car of its day. The ‘300’ referred to the three litre engine and SL stood for Sport Leicht. From 1955 through 1963, there were approximately 1,800 M-B 300SL roadsters built and 1,383 gullwing coupes produced from 1955 through 1957 in Stuttgart. Gullwing refers to the way the doors lift up. In that period, the factory turned out 29 very special lightweight alloy body gullwing coupes with Plexiglas windows. These are among the world’s most valued collector cars worth $2.5 million. Only 28 of the alloy-bodied cars were accounted for. The whereabouts of
number 29 was one of great mysteries that evolved in the classic car world. Koniczek had restored the cars with alloy body number one and six. He knew where all the other alloy-bodied cars were except for body number 21. Twenty years ago, he heard about a gullwing that had been stored in a garage in Santa Monica for decades. It was a rumour that he and a California enthusiast followed up on over the years. This spring, Koniczek was able to make a deal with the owner of the car. But getting the gullwing out of the garage would be another major challenge. The widower owner was in Continued on Pg. B4
BEST SELLING
Vehicle is not exactly as shown.
2011 ELANTRA SEDAN 2011 AUTOPACIFIC BEST COMPACT CAR‡
YOUR HYUNDAI DEALER IN VICTORIA
FIND OUT WHY WE’RE DIFFERENT!
OWN IT
102
$
†
BI WEEKLY PAYMENT PLUS TAXES AND APPLICABLE BANK FEES.
WITH
1.9
%
FINANCING FOR 84 MONTHS
AND
$
0
DOWN PAYMENT
ELANTRA L 6-SPEED DELIVERY & DESTINATION INCLUDED
HIGHWAY 4.9L/100 KM 58 MPGʈ
Local Victoria Number
888.739.2308
DLR # 30622
The Hyundai names, logos, product names, feature names, images and slogans are trademarks owned by Hyundai Auto Canada Corp. Finance offer available on approved credit from Hyundai Financial Services based on a new 2011 Elantra L 6-speed (stock number 11E5554) with an annual finance rate of 1.9% for 84 months. Bi-weekly payment is $102. No down payment is required. Cost of borrowing is $1,357.04. Finance offer is based on a vehicle price of $17,344 including a delivery and destination of $1,495. Registration, insurance, PPSA, license fees and all applicable taxes are excluded. Delivery and destination charge includes freight, P.D.E., dealer admin fees and a full tank of gas. Fuel Consumption for 2011 Elantra L 6-speed Manual (HWY 4.9L/100KM; City 6.8L/100KM) are based on Manufacturer’s testing. Actual fuel efficiency may vary based on driving conditions and the addition of certain vehicle accessories. Fuel economy figures are used for comparison purposes only. Offer available until Oct. 14, 2011 and subject to change or cancel without notice. See dealer for complete details. Inventory is limited, dealer order may be required. Hyundai’s comprehensive Limited Warranty coverage covers most vehicle components against defects in workmanship under normal use and maintenance conditions.