Restoring elegance and power (CP 1/2009)

People love Mercedes sports cars. But an antique model restored to its original form is pure joy for the connoisseur.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, which is the loveliest car of all? This is the question posed, in effect, at the annual Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance competition held in Rochester, Michigan, USA.

This past August, the Award of Excellence went to a BASF-owned 1957 Mercedes 300 SL with Gullwing doors. The award criteria were vehicle aesthetics, design, and style.

The ‘Parade of Elegance’ took place on the grounds of Meadow Brook Hall, the former residence of Matilda Dodge Wilson, wife of automotive pioneer John Dodge. This year over 12,000 visitors attended to admire some 230 classic cars.

For the Mercedes SL, the Award of Excellence represented the payoff for months of hard work, the competition being the first public showing of the vehicle following extensive restoration.

The Gullwing generated considerable media interest when its restoration was documented by a TV crew from the North American car restoration show Dream Car Garage. The company that performed this painstaking restoration, Legendary Motorcar, used the eco-efficient 90-Line product by Glasurit^®, a BASF Coatings brand.

Recreation

These experts relied on the extensive Glasurit color archive to re-create an original Mercedes paint color from 1957. “The Glasurit 90-Line waterborne basecoat system is undoubtedly the best waterborne system on the market today,” says to Peter Klutt, host of Dream Car Garage.

“The fact that it is used in the original production of ultra-luxury cars such as the Maybach, the Rolls Royce, and the Bentley testifies to the quality of the system and the confidence that these manufacturers have in Glasurit paint.”

Serial production of the Gullwing started in 1954, after débuting at the New York Auto Show. The car was nicknamed “Gullwing” for the distinctive design of the doors, which open skyward rather than out to the side, making it look like a seagull spreading its wings to fly.

Mercedes produced 1,400 Gullwings between 1954 and 1957, 80 percent of which were sold to customers in the US. The vehicle owned by BASF was one of 76 produced in its last year of manufacture, 1957.

The car had a number of different owners and paintjobs prior to being purchased by BASF ten years ago. Now that the Gullwing has completed participation in the Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance, the Mercedes 300 SL has returned to the lobby of the BASF Coatings North American headquarters in Southfield, Michigan..

www.basfrefinish.com

www.dreamcargarage.com