Benz Lens December 2022 Volume 37.4

Hanjo Stier

Greetings and Salutations.

One of the least desirable traits of modern mankind is the blame game. Driven by a lack of accountability or ignorance of any consequences, most people would rather waste time finding a scape goatthaneveradmittingfault.

This sounded intriguing so I decided to hop aboard the blame train in search of the person who indoctrinated me with my love for the three-pointed star. You see, I didn'tdiscoverthevirtuesofaBenz by myself, oh no, I was born with them.

Easy, you may think, my parents are to blame. And while they smile at these accusations, Vadderremindsmethathisfirstcar was a Morris Minor and he only bought his big Fin a couple of years later. Incidentally, he purchased the butter yellow 230S off a colleague who happened to be my uncle…that'showmyfolksmet.

A few years earlier, my Mom ignored her three brothers' handme-downs consisting of Land Rovers and Beetles until she'd saved up enough for her dream car: an equally yellow Fiat 24 Coupé. Eventually, this impractical Italian joined my Dad's 230S as collateraltrade-insforabrand-new Caledonia Green W6 280S on 3 August 975: the day my older brother was born. (see photo above asthey'releavingthehospital)

Being a young and trendy 20something's couple in the vibrant 970's, my parents now admit that they had no intention of sacrificing their yellow duo but there was a stern voice driving them onwards:

my maternal grandmother, Betty

A farmer’s widow and mother of four, this forceful but elegant and caringladyinsistedthatasleekFiat is no good for new-borns; and a freshfamilyneedssomethingsafer thanamodifiedoldMerc.

And so, in what I now realise is the guilty party I'm looking for, my vivacious granny had influenced both my parents to become lifelong Mercedes drivers. Betty started off driving Yank Tanks (her father-in-law was a big Chevrolet fan) but eventually broke the cycle by walzing into M+Z Motors in Tal Straße, Windhoek, to buy her first Mercedes-Benzinthelate60's.Her salesman of choice was Herr Grassreiner, who used old tricks (like exceptional workshop service and courtesy cars) to sell her seven consecutivemodels.

One of them was a chocolate brown W08 which met a very swift end after just a few weeks; thanks to a careless driver ignoring a stop sign and t-boning the new Mercedes.

Perhaps this further fuelled her determination in convincing my parents to upgrade; and while Dad's old 230S was certainly a sturdy automobile, the grassgreen 280S got a chance to prove itself when a milk tanker lorry rearended us outside the Klein Windhoek Post Office on an idle Tuesdayeveningintheearly80's.

The big Benz was beaten and bruised but we all walked away unscathed. No sooner had it been repaired and my Dad ruthlessly sold Mutti’s runabout Golf diesel. I'd like to think that my Oma Farm spurredhimonaswell…

So who's to blame for your love of Mercedes-Benz? Have you gotawell-definedculpritordidyou discover them in car magazines? Perhaps you froze in front of a showroom one day or made a decision based on logic and reason? Please let us know via emailorsocialmedia!

As always, I hope this issue of the Benz Lens brings you lots of readingenjoyment.■

Where did the year go?

After two years of stopping and starting and red lights all over, 2022 had many of us gearing up to full speed.

Waldo Scribante

Revs in the red, we’ve taken

on extra, dealt with loadshedding and played catch-up wherever we could. It’s been a fastpaced year of challenges and changes – and I for one have even taken to retired life with great enthusiasm!

As the year draws to an end, I hope you will slowly apply the brakes and switch into cruising mode. That you will appreciate and enjoy family, friends and everything you may have missed outoninprecedingyears.

On that note, it’s been absolutely wonderful to properly revive our regional and national gatherings this year and, despite the rising fuel costs, to enjoy the company, camaraderie and banter ofourpreciousMercfamily.

RenéandIwishyouandyours a peaceful and blessed festive season. May 2023 bring amazing opportunities and may blessings abound.

If you are travelling, please do sosafely. Asalways,OnlytheBest.■

Georg Wohlfarth Head of Mercedes-Benz Classic Events & Club Management

Good things to know and other events in 2023

Product anniversaries

• 125 years of DMG's first four-cylinder engine • 120 years first Mercedes-Simplex 60 hp to Jellinek • 70 years Mercedes-Benz 180 "Ponton" • 70 years Mercedes-Benz 220 Coupé (W 187) • 50 years ESF 22 based on series 116 • 40 years world record Nardò 190 E 2.3-16 • 30 years New Nomenclature • 30 years coupé study with four-eye face • 30 years C & E 36 AMG and SL 60 AMG • 30 years VISION A 93 – forerunner of the A-Class • 25 years CLK-Cabriolet (A 208) • 25 years S-Class (220 series) • 25 years E 55 AMG Estate (S 210) • 20 years E-Class Estate (S 211) • 20 years CLK Cabriolet (A 209) • 20 years A-Class F-CELL • 20 years VISION CLS (C 219) • 20 years Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren (C 199)

Company anniversaries

• 140 years of founding Benz & Co. Mannheim • 130 years of Daimler presents first automobile in the USA • 130 years of foundation Daimler Motor Syndicate UK • 120 years of major fire at the Cannstatt plant • 110 years "Mercedes-Palast" Berlin • 100 years F. Porsche becomes Technical Head of DMG

60 years of foundation of Mercedes-Benz Motorenbau GmbH

50 years of cooperation with Puch (G-Class)

30 years of introduction of new type designations Motorsport

120 years of double victory Nice-La Turbie

120 years of victory Gordon-Bennett race

120 years of victory Semmering Race

110 years world record Brooklands Blitzen Benz

60 years of victory Acropolis Rallye Böhringer/Knoll

60 years of Victory Spa-Sofia-Liège 230 SL

40 years of victory Paris-Dakar Ickx/Brasseur

30 years of Sauber F1

25 years of victory FiA GT Ludwig/Zonta

25 years of victory Formula 1 World Championship Mika Häkkinen

driver

Birthday Camille Jenatzy (Nov 4)

95. Birthday Hans Herrmann (Feb 23)

80. Birthday Peter Sauber (Oct 13)

Birthday Jean-Louis Schlesser (Sept 12)

65. Birthday Kurt Thiim (Aug 3)

55. Birthday Mika Hakkinen (Sept 28)

40. Birthday Bruno Spengler (Aug 23)

Birthday Max von Duttenhofer (May 20)

Birthday Emile Levassor (Jan 21)

Birthday Max Rose (Feb 16)

Birthday Emil Jellinek (Apr 6)

Birthday Frederick Simm's (Aug 12)

Birthday Eugen Benz (May 1)

Birthday Dr. Wilhelm Haspel (Apr 29)

Birthday of Prof. Dr. Fritz Nallinger (Aug 6)

Birthday Walter Hitzinger (Apr 8)

Birthday Prof. Dr. Dr. Werner Niefer (Aug 26)

Birthday Edzard Reuter (Feb 16)

Birthday Bruno Sacco (Nov 12)

Birthday Prof. Dr. Peter Pfeiffer (Aug 21)

Birthday Dr. Dieter Zetsche (May 5)

Special birthday exhibition: “55 YEARS AMG – CHANGING THE GAME”

Stuttgart Mercedes-AMG is celebrating its birthday: in its 55-year history, the company has repeatedly set standards in the performance and sports car market and thus written an impressive success story The future of AMG will now be electric, combining high efficiency with added performance and passion. Having a decisive influence on events are both a will and aspiration that run through the history of the brand

The new special exhibition “55 YEARS AMG – CHANGING THE GAME” at the Mercedes-Benz Museum picks up on this momentum with a special concept: eight of the twelve vehicles on display have the legendary AMG 5 5-litre V8 engine under the bonnet – providing the appropriate setting for this birthday with this power unit and its displacement abbreviation “55” in the model designation

This engine used from 1997 onwards is considered a milestone in AMG history – a real game changer As was the AMG 300 SEL 6 8 racing touring car, with which the then still young brand achieved an impressive class victory and second place overall at the 24-hour race in SpaFrancorchamps in 1971, a feat that still impresses today.

Three further vehicle exhibits illustrate the future of Mercedes-AMG: the 2017 show car for the Mercedes-AMG ONE, the current Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E PERFORMANCE and the Vision AMG study – a four-door coupé that offers a fascinating view into the all-electric future of Mercedes-AMG

The latter two can however only be displayed temporarily. Numerous other exhibits round off the special exhibition, including the M 113 K 5 5-litre V8 engine on its own pedestal, plaques signed by AMG engine technicians as Mercedes-AMG’s “One Man – One Engine” seal of quality, the trophy from the 1971 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps and the vehicle log book issued for the AMG 300 SEL 6 8 racing touring car

Accessible free of charge in the public area of the Museum

The special exhibition “55 YEARS AMG – CHANGING THE GAME” is open to the public free of charge until the end of February 2023 It will be held in the public areas in the foyer and on Level 0 of the Mercedes-Benz Museum Five original Formula One Safety Cars are also on display in the Museum car park: legendary AMG models are also the basis for the silver high-performance cars bearing the Mercedes star that ensure safety on international race tracks

Photos from our president’s visit to the Mercedes-Benz Museum and special AMG exhibit:

CENTRAL REGION

Central Region AGM, Year-end Function

By Jaco Kachelhoffer

Earlier on Saturday afternoon,

prior to the Annual General Meeting, some of the members visited the very interesting and impressive Volksie Museum on a smallholding at the outskirts of Bloemfontein.

The AGM was well attended bytheBloemfonteinmembers,our Northern Cape members, Paul van Wyk (Frankfort) and Meyburgh Erasmus(Molteno).

The Central Region had its Annual General Meeting and Year-end Function on Saturday 26 November 2022 at the Garden City Mercedes-Benz dealership in Bloemfontein.

The huge store houses a large varietyofVolkswagenBeetles,split window Combi’s (also known as “splitties”),1960’sCombi’sandeven an ambulance Combi, which is still fullyoperational.

All the vehicles are beautifully restored and maintained; and in runningcondition.Inthestorenext to the museum there are rows and rows of Volkswagen Combis just waiting to be restored. The visit to themuseumwasindeedahighlight forthememberswhoattended.

Paul van Wyk received the Central Region’s Star Member awardfor2022forhisloyalsupport and attendance of Club events during2022.

Jaco and Annalie Kachelhoffer were again selected as Chairman andSecretaryoftheCentralRegion for2023.

Annalie did a great job with the organizingandpreparationsforthe function which was held in the lovely showroom of the MercedesBenzdealership.Everyoneenjoyed a pleasant evening in each other’s companywithdeliciousfood.

and Volksie Museum visit

On Sunday morning (27 November 2022), a few members enjoyed a good breakfast at a restaurant in order to continue the fun of the previous evening and to say goodbye to the Northern Cape, Frankfort and Molteno members before their departure on the long roadbackhome.

We look back on a reasonably full and successful year. Our member attendance at functions was not always as we would have liked to see and we can only hope that 2023, with CoVid even further in the rearview mirror, will bring backtheenthusiasmandjoyinclub events. May our love of following the three-pointed star flourish in thenewyear!■

EASTERN CAPE REGION

Breakfast Run to Grass Roof

By Fabian Cairns and Nikiforos Georgiou

Alovelyrunwasarrangedbythe

Club for a breakfast outing to GrassRoof,whichwasnottoolonga drivebutalovelytripnonetheless.

Fortunately, P.E. mornings are always fresh, but it soon enough turned into a rather warm day. We had a good turn-out with a nice range of our pointed star beauties for the meander through to Grass Roof.

Afterabitofawaitforourmeals to be served, we headed off to HannesScheeper’shousetohavea look at a few of the special ladies in hisgarages.

These include his 190D Ponton bakkie, 350SL and 230CE as well as his 111 Coupé. We then headed up tothehouseforsomemorechatter over tea and cake, which ended up withabeerortwo.

Thanks again to Hannes and Jenny Scheepers for the invite and the drinks, we thoroughly enjoyed ourtimetogether.■

Eastern Cape

Region

AGM & Christmas lunch

By Fabian Cairns and Nikiforos Georgiou

Given the testing year 2022

turned out to be, it was decided that we should have our AGM and Christmas lunch over the same period, and to make a bit of an outing of it, so we settled on Saturday

Kenton on Sea was the chosen destination because it’s a fairly central spot for the Eastern Cape chapter and, as it was a Saturday,

all of us would have sufficient time to head there without disturbing the sparrows with early morning starts.

Mydrivewasgoingwelluntilmy car’s throttle cable disconnected itself. With a little bush mechanic tactics (and a helping hand from Niki and Miguel) we had it sorted and back on the road, but it made foratightarrivaltimeatKenton.

With the weather turning to some welcome rain, there wasn’t much chance to get the cars lined up for a photo (Ed: excuse accepted) so we headed into the venue a bit earlier; and they weren’t ready to receiveusyet.Theywere,however, veryaccommodatingandeveryone (including young future members) could already make themselves comfortableattherestaurant.

All voting members headed off tooneofthehotelroomsnextdoor where we ran the AGM. Being my first one was a little nerve wracking but all went smoothly in the end with Niki and myself (Fabian) being nominatedagainfor2023.

AftertheAGM,wewentbackto theHouseKitchentojointheothers and sat down to a great meal with EraldkindlysayingGrace.

Service was a little slow but it was festive and gave us time to hand out the gifts and to have a goodchinwaggingsession.

With no-one being in a hurry (as most of us were spending the evening in and around Kenton) a greatafternoonwashad.

We wrapped up late afternoon and all headed off while it was still light.

A big thanks to everyone who attended from near and far, it was an excellent turn-out with close to 40people.■

KWA-ZULU NATAL REGION

Munshi museum visit and End of Year Function

By Matt du Sart

The KZN Region End of Year Function is one of the most anticipated events of the year and there is a lot of fun, laughter, easing into the festive season, food, drinks and cheer around the table and this year definitely took that up a notch.

We met at The Mushroom

Farm over a quick cup of coffee and a croissant or two while jeering at our events coordinators inate ability to choose the coldest days in KZN for outings, then got moving onto our first stop to view one of the finest car collections of MoobeenMunshis.

The Munshi family were kind enoughtogooutoftheirwaytohost our members for the day at their beautifully housed museum and treatedustofoodanddrinksforthe morning too. What an incredible time going through the variety of carsaswellashearingstoriesofthe family being involved in the

workshop in their own unique ways. It’s moments like these that makeyousoproudtobepartofthe Mercfamily

Next stop was lunch at the quaint Picklepot Café with lots of fun, chatting, shopping, being entertained by the resident dogs andchattingtotheownertoo.Pies, burgers, tea and wine overflowed untilourtummiessmiled.

Venue for the night was the glorioushistoricalCalderwoodHall which is not only a delight but a luxury stay at Christmas time. The decor added to their five themed rooms to choose from: Egyptian, Bridal, Victorian, Indian and

Chinese is exactly what the doctor ordered for anyone’s December. Members made themselves at homerightaway

ThegloriousEndofYeardinner at Calderwood was spectacularly laid out. Meals were plated and served as formalities, speeches, thankyou’s,quizzes,livemusicand dancingweredoneinbetweeneach course.Notmanywenttosleepthat night as they partied into the wee hoursofthemorning.

A special thank you goes to Mercedes-Benz Umhlanga for sponsorships and gifts for the event.■

NORTHERN REGION

Northern Region Year-end Function

By Winifred Du Toit

D

ue to the work involved in

planning the 2023 National Gathering and AGM, the Northern Region made the decision to have a casual, fun-filled End of Year Function to wrap up the 2022 calendar. Thanks to 40 of our Club family who joined a fabulous Year End Function at the Barnyard Theatre at Emperor’s Palace on Sunday, 4December Members were welcomed by their committee to the MercedesBenz Club branded area; and received a lovely branded gift as theyentered

The tables were beautifully festive – thanks to Anna-Lee Dos Santos for the sponsorship and setup The Northern region sponsored a wide range of delicious snack platters, which wereenjoyedthroughouttheshow.

Nite Fever was a sizzling 70’s celebration – a decade that we will never forget. The Bee Gees, John Paul Young, The Village People, Rod Steward, Boney M, Earth Wind and Fire were some of the “artists” who entertained us Thanks to all the club members who were part of a fabulousYear-endFunction!■

Northern Region Two-door Day

By Anna-Lee Dos Santos

On Sunday 6 November, the

Northern region gathered at Mercedes-Benz Bryanston for coffeeandmuffins.

Members thoroughly enjoyed viewing some beautiful new vehicles and experienced warm hospitality from the dealership management.

Our convoy kicked off by headingtothePrisonBreakMarket in the Lonehill area. This popular market offers a wide selection of crafters and designer stalls, indulgent and appetizing artisanal

foods, creative crockery painting, distilling, brewing and wine tasting – all in very classic and unique sheds.

40 beautiful two-door vehicles arrivedonthedayandwereparked in a prime and demarcated area at the entrance of the market. Members were able to enjoy the attractions and offers at their leisure.

Thanks to Jan-Willem Wielsma, as well as Sven and Brigitte Krassnokutski who organized the successfultwo-doorday!

■

Cullinan Run

By Anna-Lee Dos Santos

Cullinan never disappoints!

The Northern Region planned a Cullinan Run for Sunday 9 October, which was kicked off by Steve Rademayer who visited the townandselectedalunchvenue.

Steve then announced that he was getting married and it was the first anniversary of his being discharged from hospital after a lengthy Covid battle, so he was unabletojointhe outing.

Koos Du Toit, Northern Region Club Secretary, offered to host the outing. The Northern region enjoyedalovelytriptoCullinanand

for most members it was a 65km drive (one way) to the beautiful townofCullinan.

The convoy kicked off in Centurion and it was the perfect day to take classics on a run. Jacarandas were showing off, the mainstreetwaspackedandpeople enjoyedmusicandentertainment.

40 Club members rejoined at our lunch spot: the quaint Premier Hotel which was built in 905. Members chatted and enjoyed the most delicious lunch in a perfect setting. Thanks to Koos Du Toit for arrangingalovelydayout!■

Ontbyt op 20 Nov

by Hoeka Toeka Restaurant

By Waldo Scribante

Daar is met groot afwagting

uitgesien na ons maand uitstappie na die Hoeka Toeka restaurant te Hoekwil op die plato by die Wilderness. Die 20ste November het aangebreek en dit was 'n heerllke sonskyndag. Die afspraakwasdatonsmekaarbydie Sasol vulstasie buite George sou ontmoet.

Wat 'n heerlikheid om te sien hoe die klublede die een na die ander opgedaag het en die ry van Mercedesse al hoe langer geword het. Daar is eers heerlik gekuier voordatalmalaangelandhetendie stoet in beweging gekom het vir die rit na Hoekwil Weereens het ons net besef in hoe 'n mooi deel van die land ons woon 0 Mercedesse, in konvooi, het rustig gery en die heerlike vars lug van die Tuinroete ingeasem

Aangekom by die restaurant het ons groep heerlik saamgekuier met 'n pragtige uitsig op die Outeniqua bergreeks in die agtergrond Die geparkeerde motors het sommer dadelik statuur gegee aan die restaurant endieontbytspyskaarthetbestaan uit 'n groot verskeidenheid van geregte.

Ons het almal heerlik gekuier en geëet en weer tot die besef gekom dat dit spesiaal is om saamgebind te word deur 'n gemeenskaplike belangstelling. Net te gou was dit tyd om te groet tot'nvolgendekeer ■

Oktoberfest

By René Scribante

t was Oktoberfest time on the I 29thofOctober.

Eisbein and German sausage platters combined with true German side dishes (prepared by SCape members Chris and Rensche Kühn) and a beautiful evening, so what more could we askfor?

We could… it was the Black Forest trifle that stole the show withGermanmusicontheevening.

We even had true Germans Jürgen and Regina joining us for this festive evening with beer and lotsoflaughter.

Wewerealsodelightedtohave Anton Schonken joining us and representing Stanmar Motors in George.

Everyone dressed the part for this joyous German evening, and wecan’twaitfornextyear’sone.

PROST!■

By René Scribante

And just like that we have come to the last events for

Gala evening auction benefits two very worthy causes

By René Scribante

The Mercedes-Benz Club of

South Africa’s (MBCSA) annual AGM & National Gathering was hosted by the Southern Cape region in June this year. At our Gala evening we had a charity auction. The MBCSA Southern Cape region nominated to support Carpe Diem School and Oudtshoorn Dogs In Need(ODIN).

An amount of R 59 625.00 was raised for each of the abovementioned charities, a total of R9250 00!

Wecannotthankourmembers enoughformakingthispossible!

From left to right: Waldo Scribante, Elzeth Grobler (Pricipal Carpe Diem School), René Scribante

Post on Facebook from Oudtshoorn Dogs In Need (ODIN):

On a HOT HOT day... busy with an Outreach in Oudtshoorn but hardly able to concentrate because our Vet bill is sky high... and what will we do? While educating the young men - feeding their dogs - the call came from

Mercedes Benz Club of South Africa (MBCSA). Ms Scribante informed Kennel mommy that we

nominated at their charity auction! So much crying and phoning committee members, of course

Hospital was the first to hear the GREAT news.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

At the annual MBCSA AGM & National Gathering hosted by the Southern Cape region in June this year - specifically at the Gala evening - the members had a charity auction. The MBCSA Southern Cape region nominated to support Carpe Diem School and ODIN.

An amount of R59 625.00 was raised for both ODIN and Carpe Diem. The irony? Carpe Diem visits ODIN regularly! We were as excited for them as for ourselves.

This "breather" meant more to us than you can imagine... we are collecting animals in need since early hours every day to get them to our Vet for help and our staff don't get home before 8pm; having to go into areas where it takes time to drop off, explain and educate... all made possible thanks to our Vet and supporters such as the MBCSA.

@ ODIN 072084374

René Scribante, representing the

were one of the beneficiaries

our Vet Eden Small Animal

Dr Susi Kok (Eden Small Animal Hospital, George), Marlene Mennie (ODIN), René Scribante (Chairperson of the MBCSA Southern Cape Region) and Waldo Scribante (President of the MBCSA)

Non-profitOrganisation No.042-116-NPO

AllekorrespondensieaandieSkoolhoof AllcorrespondencetothePrincipal

Hoof/Principal:E.Grobler

carpediem.inclusive@wcgschools.gov.za carpediemgeorge@gmail.com www.carpediemskool.co.za

Privaatsak/PrivateBagX6576 Langstraat/LongStreet GEORGE 6530

Telefoon/Telephone: 044-8744074

GratitudeandourheartfeltappreciationfortheamazingdonationtoCarpeDiemSchool

Theproverbsays:”Ittakesavillagetoraiseachild”andnowCarpeDiemSchoolisprivilegedto experiencethisproverbinactionwithanamazingdonationreceivedformyouastheMBCSA.

OurheartfeltappreciationtowardsallmembersthatcontributedtoblessuswiththisdonationofR59625! Thiscontributionwillensurethatwecancontinuetofeedmorethan220+learnerseverydayandto supportthemoverthecomingholidayswithfoodparcels.Also,thiswillhelptofixourswimmingpool that,duetoESKOM,hasaburnt-outpumpthatneedsfixingimmediately.Weusetheswimmingpoolfor therapyandwearejumpingforjoy,asyourdonationisanansweredprayer.

Wefoundthatyoucannotteachachildeffectivelywhentheirtummiesarescreaminglouderthanthe adaptedcurriculumandespeciallywithouruniquediversityoflearnerswithdifferentdisabilities(Autism, DownSyndrome,Deaf,SeverelyIntellectuallyImpaired,Physicallydisabled,SpecificLearningDisabled, PartiallySighted)atCarpeDiemSchool.Wecantestifythatafterahotmeal,thelearnerscanmoveontoa dayoflearning,doingactivitiesandtherapywithpositiveresults.Youhavenowmadeitpossibleforusto continuewithfeedinglearnersatschoolandtakingcareofthem.

Onbehalfofmyselfasprincipal,theSchoolGoverningBody,112staffmembersandall387learnersat CarpeDiemSchool,wewouldliketoconveyawordofthankstoyouall.Thankyouforcaringenoughto taketimetomakeadifferenceinmanyyounglives.

Beblessed,besafeandmayGodprotectusalleverydaywearegranted.Haveablessedfestiveseason becauseyoubroughtChristmasearlythisyeartoCarpeDiemSchool!

Kindregards ElzethGrobler

PrincipalCarpeDiemSchool

E-mail:elzethg@gmail.com

Contactnumber:0832709040

VISIE-STELLING

CarpeDiemstreefdaarnaomdieuniekepotensiaalvanelkeleerder metspesialeonderwysbehoeftesoptimaalteontwikkeldeurgepaste opvoedkundigeenterapeutieseprogrammetebied.

VISIONSTATEMENT

AtCarpeDiemwestrivetodeveloptheuniquepotentialofevery learnerwithspecialneeds,throughtheuseofsuitableeducational andtherapeuticprograms.

TotheChairmanofTheMercedesBenzClubofSouthAfrica(MBCSA)

Killarney Motor Show 2022

By Zillen Venter

The75thannualKillarneyMotor

Show was held on Sunday, 30 October 2022, at the Killarney International Raceway. The event once again featured a wide variety ofexhibitionsanddisplays,ranging from classic cars to street racers. Theaimoftheorganisersistocater foralltastesinmotoring.

The Mercedes-Benz Club once again supported the Killarney Motor Show under the banner of the Cape Multi Motor Club and this year our members supported the event well with a display of 23 beautiful vehicles representing the Mercedes-Benzmodelline-upfrom the1950'suptothe2000's.

The classic cars were the focus of the Mercedes-Benz Club's display with cars such as Dennis Porter's beautiful 1958 W180 (11) 220SCoupeandPeterBreen's1965 W111Coupe.

The aim of this year’s display was to showcase the extensive Mercedes-Benz model range from the glamorous 1950's up to the early2000's.

However, the stars of the Mercedes-Benz Club's display was thetrioofveryspecialAMGmodels, namely the Long Family's 2010 R230SL65AMGBlackSeries(oneof only 350 cars), Hannes Pienaar's 2008C209CLK63AMGBlackSeries (oneof500carsandoneofonly120 RHD cars) and Graham van Heerden's 2010 C196 SLS AMG featuring the imposing gullwing doors.

This year's event was the first post-Covid show and was very well attended. The attendance would havebeenbetterhaditnotbeenfor the traffic congestion and parking shortageproblemsexperiencedon theday

A big thank you to all the members who exhibited the cars andsupportedtheeventthisyear.■

Western Cape regional AGM at Rola Motors

By Hanjo Stier

The Western Cape Region held

theirAGMfor2022onSaturday 26NovemberinthemorningatRola MotorsnearSomersetWest.

About 20 members attended a meeting which was hosted by our regional chairman, Zillen Venter, in the upstairs boardroom of this Mercedes-Benzdealership.

RolaMotorsalsoprovidedafew snacks and light refreshments, as well as invitations to drive some of theirnewvehiclesafterourAGM.

Theregionalcommitteewasreelected with Zillen at the helm and Brendan Moran as vice chairman. JP van der Poel remains secretary fortheWesternCapeRegion.■

Western Cape Year-end Function

By Brendan Moran

With another year on its back,

it was once again time for our region’s Year-end Function. This year we returned to one of the Club'sfavouritevenues,CapePoint VineyardinNoordhoek.

Some of our members met for a convoy along Victoria Drive to enjoy one of the Cape’s scenic coastal drives through Camps Bay, Bakhoven, LLandudno, Hout Bay andChapmansPeakDrive.

On arrival at the venue we had an unfortunate mix up, where our usualreservedparkingintheshade had been given up to a group of

international motoring journalists whoweretest-drivingthelatest(yet tobelaunched)VWAmorakrange.

The venue is always popular, thanks to its elevated position and sprawling views of Noordhoek Beach. We had 48 members in attendance for the year end lunch, whoallenjoyeda3-courselunch.

Some of the models in attendanceincludedaC114Coupe, Pontons,R107's,R129,W116,W123 and W108 saloons, a C126 coupe andaPagodaSL.Someofthemore modern vehicles were SL 65 AMG, W202,CLCandanS203.■

Distinguished Gentleman’s Drive

By Brendan Moran

Thisyear,someofourmembers

attended the Distinguished Gentleman's drive on Sunday 25 September. This is an annual event that takes place worldwide to raise funds for men's mental health and prostatecancerresearch.

The event was founded in 2021 during Covid, with Movember as theircharitypartner.Itisanon-road motoring event, aimed at uniting pre-80's classic cars, designed to encourage enthusiasts and classic car owners to dress dapper and driveformen'shealth.

This year’s event started with registrationandwelcomeattheSilo District of the V&A Waterfront in CapeTown.

The cars were all displayed in front of and around the Silo Hotel courtyard providing a splendid backdropforallthebeautifulclassic carsthattookpart.

Apart from the great cause which the event supports, the diversityofcarswhichtookpartwas truly impressive, covering all the top classic car brands, and it provided a chance to meet and befriend some new fellow petrolheads. Our Club was represented by about ten of us in fivecars.

After registration and the driver's briefing, we left the Waterfront in convoy along the Atlantic Seaboard on a scenic drive

through Sea Point, Camps Bay and alongVictoriaRoad.Theroutethen turned towards the mountain and Constantia neck, and back down to Kirstenbosch where the convoy stoppedtoregroupandwalkabout discussingthecars.

After that we headed back to the Waterfront to park and display the cars at the Silo District, where someofusalsohadlunch.

TheDistinguishedGentleman's Drive is a truly cool event that supports a very good cause. The club will be sure to attend it again nextyearinevenlargernumbers. Youcanreadmoreabouttheevent and its global following at www.gentlemansdrive.com■

By Hanjo Stier

Idon’tknowaboutyoubutIliketo

start with the sour bits and get to thesweetstufflater.AndI’llalsoput up my hand immediately and proclaim that most of my negative remarks are deeply rooted in a middle-aged desire to cling to the past; where everything was just better.

Meet the Mercedes-Benz E300 Coupé or, as I like to call it, a big automotive ying and yang. Everything that is right and wrong with today’s car world is perfectly embodied in this automobile.

DidItype“better”?Myapologies, I meant “easier”. 20 years ago we didn’t have keyless entry or start/stop systems, Android Bluetoothoractivelanemitigation.

The height of technology was remote central locking and maybe climate control. Nowadays you need a software degree to change the ventilation’s temperature, nevermindthedirection.

Or, as in the case of this E300 two-door, careful voice commands or even touchier multi-zone steering wheel buttons The operation of these phenomenal

gadgets can be as irritating as it is amazing. Touching the wrong button at 120km/h is absolutely infuriating but getting the dashboard lady to phone home is wondrouswitchcraft.

Right, grandpa. What else? The styling. Just take a look at this black beastinfrontofyou.Itlookschunky and complicated, yet with an understated aggression in its flowing proportions. See what I meanaboutyingandyang?

Mercedes-Benz somehow managed to make this car look timelessly classy while still serving ourdesiresformodernbrashness.

In my humble opinion, the interioriswheretheyswayedmore towards a new-age design because classy basics with modern tech have already been trademarked by Volvo. Nope, this Mercedes coupé screamsmodernitywithitsturbine airvents,acresofscreensandmore

mood lighting than a bachelor’s penthouse.

Same goes for the operation of its many gadgets, which my dear parents or uncle (who owned multiple Mercedes’ between them) would simply recoil from in utter horror.

Bless them, the Stuttgarters did their best by including a few shortcut keys while designing a fairly intuitive infotainment user interface, but Mother Dearest just gaveitafewblankstares…

Short of letting her drive, I farmed her initial reactions for this review because they were mostly positive. Yes, she wasn’t overly smitten with this vehicle’s aggro looks but delighted in the automatic seat-belt butlers. Glossing over the tech fest, she found the window line too pinched but commended the great parking cameras.

Again, good and bad in one car. Then there’s this vehicle’s cuttingagepowerplant.

Any self-respecting Mercedes grand tourer should at least have six or eight cylinders (in my book) yetthisflashynewbieshowsupwith apuny2-litre4-cylinder.

A four pot! I’ll quickly add that it obviously fails dismally in terms of aural satisfaction but that’s where mycritiquestopsinstantly.

This four banger manages to extract up to 190kW or 370Nm, no thanks to the help of modern technologies like high pressure injection, turbo-chargers and mild hybridsystems.

This sort of fire power was reserved for the aforementioned bigsixesorsmallV8’sofmyyouth… exceptthattheywereslower,dirtier and much thirstier! If driven very nicely,themakerclaimsanaverage

of 7.3L/100km from this E300 Coupe’s66Ltank.

Mercedes-Benz alleges 0100km/h in 6.4 seconds and the obligatory limited top speed of 250km/h.

Our best 0-100 attempt yielded averyimpressive6.14secondswith plenty of aggression in all-out Sport+ mode. A single emergency brakestopsimulationwasoverina staggering 2.61 seconds and 35.81 metres.

Trustme,thisisprobablyoneof theemostamazingpartsaboutthis car: with nine ratios in a lightningfast transmission, and north of 250hp on tap almost instantly, this two-door E300 outperforms most oldBenzeswhenitcomestoitsmix of performance, emissions and economy.

Longevity? Well, there’s that flipsideagain… I’d like to think that in about 30 years’ time, we’ll look

back on this vehicle and proclaim it to be simple and easy to live with. Because that’s what we’ve always done and – Mercedes EQ series incoming – probably will do for the foreseeablefuture.

Each E300 is sold with a 2-year warranty and 5-year/100,000km serviceplan.■

Alan Poulter

Owner: SASwiss

Tel: 0828921380 & 0727508090 Email: saswiss@polka.co.za Address: 80AOlifantsfontein Road, GlenAustin, Midrand, Gauteng, 1685

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Smythe Insurance Brokers CC 031 701 0226 info@smythebros.com

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PLEASE NOTE: The placement of ads is a service rendered to our members. Neither the editor nor the committee accepts any liability pertaining to condition or ownership of goods advertised. It remains the responsibility of the reader to investigate these issues before closing any transaction. DISCLAIMER: The Mercedes-Benz

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user of the Mercedes-Benz Trademarks, is an independent organisation and the views expressed in the Newsletter are not necessarily those Mercedes-Benz SA, Mercedes-Benz AG

the Mercedes-Benz Museum GmbH.* Opinions expressed are those of the individual contributors and should not be interpreted as ofcial club policy. While great care has been exercised in the compilation of the material published, members are advised to personally verify information, statements and claims before committing themselves to acts on transactions.

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