Classic Jalopy Blog

The Long Way Euround – The Cars 2

The Long Way Euround – The Cars

On our 3,900km road trip, we had 10 cars participate.   None of the 10 required a lorry to return home.   However, pushing these cars hard over such a distance is going to result in a few minor mechanical issues.  On the whole the cars did incredibly well, considering we drove them as they were designed to be used when new. A few of the...

Guest Post: W210 E430 – Replacing Cabin Air Temperature Sensor Fan 0

Guest Post: W210 E430 – Replacing Cabin Air Temperature Sensor Fan

Editors Note: This is part two in a series by Nick Gruzevskis about owning a W210 430.   The first part can be found here.   I’m one of those individuals that can’t handle interior noises, mostly rattles & squeaks, but in this case it’s been a buzzing noise coming from the dome light in my new E430. I had procrastinated long enough, so did some...

The Long Way Euround – Day 6: Bombala to Sydney 3

The Long Way Euround – Day 6: Bombala to Sydney

Today was the final day of our big Classic Mercedes Road trip.   We started at 6:15AM in Bombala where it was 2 degrees outside.    We were down to 9 cars, as one of our drivers had some unexpected work commitments that came up, so had to leave his car in Melbourne. We stayed in the pub in Bombala.  I generally only book places...

Gippsland Vehicle Collection – October 2024 1

Gippsland Vehicle Collection – October 2024

As part of my big Classic Mercedes road trip, I visited the Gippsland Vehicle Collection.   This was a stop on our drive from Melbourne to Bombala via Gippsland and the Monaro Highway. The museum is located in Maffra and is housed in a great historic factory. One of the nice things about the museum is that the collection changes over time.   As of the...

The Long Way Euround – Day 4: Euroa show, great driving roads and MBCV BBQ 4

The Long Way Euround – Day 4: Euroa show, great driving roads and MBCV BBQ

Today was day four of The Long Way Euround, the Classic Mercedes road trip I am doing through NSW and Victoria.  Day four was one of our busiest, and so far probably best days on the trip. Yesterday we had finished in Bendigo. Even though the total amount of driving was less than over days, we had a lot to cover.   We made out...

2024 Australian National Show and Shine, Euroa 2

2024 Australian National Show and Shine, Euroa

Today I attended the Australian National Show and Shine, at Euroa.   This is part of a multi-day Classic Mercedes road trip I am doing with a group of friends.   The Euroa Show and Shine was the anchor event of our trip, which we dubbed the Long Way Euround.  Our trip was really more about the drive than the show, but we were still keen...

The Long Way Euround – Day 3: The Grampians, Goldfields Way and a wrecking yard 4

The Long Way Euround – Day 3: The Grampians, Goldfields Way and a wrecking yard

Today was the third day of our Classic Mercedes road trip.   Yesterday we finished in Horsham after driving the Silo Art Trail.   Horsham is a great starting point for The Grampians National park, which was our drive for the morning. It was quite cold and wet as we rolled out of Horsham at 6AM.  For the first part of our drive, we were still...

The Long Way Euround – Day 2: Mallee region and Silo Art Trail 2

The Long Way Euround – Day 2: Mallee region and Silo Art Trail

Today was the second day of our big Classic Mercedes road trip through NSW and Victoria.   Yesterday, we finished up in Cobram, Vic, after a day driving the windy roads of the Upper Murray Region.   Day 2 had the longest distance driving of the trip, so we woke up early. ready roll out by 6AM. The morning greeted us with grey skies and steady...

The Long Way Euround – Day 1:  The Upper Murray 2

The Long Way Euround – Day 1: The Upper Murray

Today was the first day of my annual Classic Mercedes road trip – The Long Way Euround.   While the major event that anchors the trip is the Australian National Show and Shine in Euroa, it is more about the trip than the destination.   I’ve previously covered the plan for the six days of the event. We started our road trip in Bathurst.  Trying to...

Planning a 2024 Classic Mercedes Road trip – The Long way Euround 2

Planning a 2024 Classic Mercedes Road trip – The Long way Euround

Each of the last two years, I have done an extended road trip in Classic Mercedes.   I have found them so enjoyable that it has become an annual event.   There is such a sense of adventure exploring our beautiful country in a classic car.   There is even more of a sense of adventure avoiding motorways and driving exclusively on back roads, through great scenery...

Guest Post: Adding a W210 E430 to the garage 1

Guest Post: Adding a W210 E430 to the garage

The only constant of our garage is new acquisitions, we never seem to be able to slim the fleet down. The latest addition was considered necessary when my daughter (Jessica) came to grief with her 2005 CLK320 on a concrete wall at Eastland Shopping Centre, Ringwood. Given we are insured for market value, we weren’t confident that it would be repaired. Once we got...

450SLC A/C upgrade and front suspension rebuild 1

450SLC A/C upgrade and front suspension rebuild

After owning my 450SLC for over 20 years, there has really only been one thing that has disappointed me about the car.   That is the performance of the A/C.   I don’t think it was ever optimized for the Australian climate even when new.  When you add in the use of R134A gas, plus aging components, on the days you really need it, it can’t...

2024 ACT German Car Show 0

2024 ACT German Car Show

Today was the 2024 ACT German Car Show.   I always enjoy this event, so was keen to go again this year.    I had originally planned to bring my 1977 450SLC.   However, it wasn’t back from the workshop due to a leak from the A/C.  In its place, I took my 1987 560SEC, same as last year. Unlike last year, there was a fairly...

240D algae part 2 0

240D algae part 2

Over the last week or so, I’ve been dealing with the algae in the fuel tank of my 240D.    In the last update, after changing the fuel filters, I added the Penrite Diesel Biocide.   I was already noticing after about 30 kilometers the pre-filter was looking quite dirty and the car was down on power. It seemed that some of the algae was...

Guest Article: Impressions of a 1996 Toyota Comfort 0

Guest Article: Impressions of a 1996 Toyota Comfort

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of using my friend Justin Tan’s 1995 Toyota Comfort for a few days. This is the short-wheelbase version of what we know as the Crown Comfort. It is a commercial grade purpose-built fleet vehicle, and is unashamedly so. Justin’s car is an ex-driver-instructor car from Japan and has some subtle clues of its previous career such...

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