Every time I visit John the Mercedes Man (that's how he answers the phone) he has something from the M-B past in different states of restoration. Seeing this 190SL sitting on the lift waiting its full restoration... I kinda nearly fell over. As he tells me what other models are arriving for him to bring back to life for a collector, it made me consider leaving my life behind and trying on the trophy-wife-strategy on whoever this rich collector was (male/female... who cares?).
Yep, it’s got to be up there with one of the most important relationships in your life. Partner, Family, Bestie… Mechanic? But how do you know if you’re onto a good thing or being played? Luckily for us, Adrian from the Rising Sun Workshop is on hand to help us out.
So I finally found the right mechanic for my 1971 Mercedez-Benz 230 and can't have asked for better. I mentioned previously she needed some TLC but with John, she also got a plan of action for her restoration. I'm calling this workshop her retreat where she goes to detox, restore and re-enter the world functioning better.
Living in suburban Sydney, while on the surface it looks a lot like most middle-class suburbs, what's unseen is the village system we operate in, governed largely by older generations of immigrant Greeks. I love this system and I hate it. Recently I was reminded of this conundrum when the alternator on 'Sophia' (my 1971 Mercedes-Benz 230) stopped powering most of the electrics. Instead of booking it into an auto electrician who specialises in this kinda of fix, the village stepped in...
As an architect, I often get caught in conversations where I’m pegged as the “designer” who knows nothing about engineering, budgeting, building and lets not forget how we destroy the planet. At one level, being a designer is revered but in the industry I work in, it seems us “designers” are just flamboyant artists who get in the way. Hence I looked to the man behind my Mercedes-Benz 230 for inspiration...
While it is totally rational to think I could have bought a reliable late 90’s holden for the same price and it would have air conditioning, electrics working, be fuel efficient etc etc… the real rational question to ask is… does it make me smile? Meet my new drive (and love) 1971 Mercedes-Benz 230.
