Classic Jalopy Blog

250SE Concours runner up 0

250SE Concours runner up

I heard this week that the 250SE was the runner up in its category at the recent German Car show and Mercedes-Benz Concours.  The German Car show functions as the 2016 MBCNSW Concours.  The category was for the W111/W112 Coupes and Cabriolets.    This was the first time I’ve displayed the car with the correct headlights and wheel trims and the car is the...

Ad of the week: Michelin Radial X 0

Ad of the week: Michelin Radial X

The radial tyre revolutionized tyres and driving and Michelin were the first to bring it to market.    All the performance cars of the era wore Michelins.  The Michelin Radial X was a revolutionary tyre that spelt the beginning of the end for the Bias Ply tyre. Why do drivers “in-the-know” ride on Michelin “X” tires? Because they know (as you will, too), that...

Ad of the week: Coupe d’Etat – Mercedes W111 Coupe 0

Ad of the week: Coupe d’Etat – Mercedes W111 Coupe

This weeks Ad features the introduction of the 220SE Coupe, photographed in front of an Austrian castle.   The 220SE was introduced at the Geneva auto show in 1961 and was overshadowed by the Jaguar E-Type.   The Mercedes W111 Coupe represents one of the most elegant designs of the 1960s and is one of my favourite Mercedes-Benz models. Coupe D’Etat For over half...

Ad of the week: This car has its ups and downs 0

Ad of the week: This car has its ups and downs

This week features a great ad highlighting the Hydropneumatic suspension of the Citroen DS. This car has its ups and downs. Moody?  No.  French, and logical. When road conditions change, you can change the height of a Citroen car to suit the road.   Citroen can do it, and only a Citroen. Deeply rutted road, heavy snowdrift?  Uo you go, and pull away with plenty...

Ad of the week: 280SE W111 0

Ad of the week: 280SE W111

This weeks ad features a double page ad featuring the 280SE Cabriolet W111 to the pre war 540K.   The choice of the desert scene is rather odd for these type of cars, and the picture feature the American model with the strange front running lights. If you were a prince in the 1930’s, you might have owned a Mercedes-Benz 540K.   Today, you can...

Ad of the week: Mercedes-Benz racing engineers 0

Ad of the week: Mercedes-Benz racing engineers

This weeks ad tries to link the mainstream 60s models from Mercedes Benz to the racing programmes of the 50s.   It is actually not that far fetched as the overhead cam motor in the W108 250SE pictured did have fuel injection and there would have been lessons learned from the racing programme.   The ad would have been referring to engineers like Rudolf Uhlenhaut.   Ulenhaut...

New old stock Bonnet for the DS 3

New old stock Bonnet for the DS

After my unfortunate DS crash I was able to locate a new old stock bonnet for my DS.   The bonnet for the DS is aluminium which makes repairing the current bonnet rather difficult.  I have heard that at least in 1955, this was the largest single aluminium panel on a car, but I don’t know if this true or not.   I can...

250SE Freshening up 0

250SE Freshening up

I had ordered a few parts for the 250SE a few months ago but had not yet had a chance to fit them.   The first was the winder knob for the front quarterlight on the drivers side.  I had found a reproduction one of these on ebay and mine was slightly warped, so the inner disc that hides the screw kept falling out....

Ad of the week: 1963 Dodge 426 0

Ad of the week: 1963 Dodge 426

This weeks ad focuses on the 1963 mid size Dodge models with the 426 RB motor (note this is not the fearsome 426 hemi engine).   As was the focus of the time, the emphasis is on drag strip times.   This ad is on the back of another Michelin ad I purchased so it was a bit of free bonus.   Once I...

Ad of the week: Citroen Technology 1

Ad of the week: Citroen Technology

This weeks ad focuses on how innovative a car company Citroen was before it was merged with Peugeot.    The two cars shown are very similar to my two Citroens – the Traction on the top and the DS21 below it.   They are not quite the same as this is a French made Traction and the DS21 is a Pallas model unlike mine.   ...

Frontal Damage to the DS 1

Frontal Damage to the DS

Today I went to the Citroen Car Club meeting to get the historic rego signed for my Traction Avant.   I am not often able to attend these meetings so it was good to catch up with the members.   The club had a raffle at the meeting and I even won a prize! I took the DS and it was running really nicely on...

2016 Sydney German Car Show 1

2016 Sydney German Car Show

This year the NSW Mercedes-Benz Club concours and the German car show were combined into a single event.   Overall this seemed to work reasonably well as they opened up additional paddocks and it meant one of the best turnouts of Benz’s for some years.    For some reason the turnout for the other German makes was rather poor, and perhaps they were assuming...

Ad of the week: W111 European Delivery 0

Ad of the week: W111 European Delivery

This weeks ad has a great photo of the W111 Coupe.   While this car is a 220SE, it looks very similar to the 250SE that I used to have – this car has a red interior and mine had a red wine coloured one, but they look similar.   It also wears the zoll plate for European delivery programme. This Mercedes-Benz Invites You...

280CE W123 power steering 0

280CE W123 power steering

The 280CE came back for a visit this week complaining of groaning power steering.   Turned out that the belt was slipping once the wheel got toward full lock.   On further inspection, the belt had become too loose – not because it was stretched, but because the bolt that allows the belt adjustment had lost its threads in the critical area and it...

Ad of the week: Jag Engineering and Elegance 0

Ad of the week: Jag Engineering and Elegance

This weeks ad is a well known Jaguar ad focusing on both the engineering and design elements.  Most specifically it addresses the Jaguar IRS, which was very advanced for it’s time.  Jaguar used it up until the 90s! It is an early ad because it shows the outside bonnet latches and a different position than normal for the reversing light.     The picture...

Ad of the week: Citroen Safety 0

Ad of the week: Citroen Safety

This weeks ad a great summary summary of all the safety features of the DS and a nice cutaway.   These days they try and sell cars with lifestyle shots, but this ad delves deep into some of the technical features. The Citroen… a safe car you should look into. Safety “No Spoke” steering wheel. Rugged hemi head engine, built to maintain high cruising...

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