StripLot W108

This one just slaps you right in the face when you first see it, and it’s proven to be one of those cars that tend to people at odds with each other. They either love everything about it or think the car has been forever ruined and is tacky as hell. I dunno man, I absolutely love it, it looks like a ton of planning and work went into it, somebody definantly had a vision when they took on this project. But that’s not to say I wouldn’t love it if it was olive drab with chrome blazin though. What I especially love are the original alloys being made into 3 piece stunners, I’ve only seen this on a couple other cars, that brown wagovan with the RT AWD rebarreled steelies, and the dude who made 3 piece Ronal Bears come to mind, not that Bears are OEM but making a one piece alloy into a three piece blows my mind. Maybe that’s gonna be the next big thing. Rare JDM was and still is huge, offset with custom hardware and lips exploded a couple years ago, the powder coaters and dippers have stepped up their game, maybe one-off wheels like these are the next step.

Don’t You Dare Restore It

“The Barn Find”, the holy grail of every car nut, especially when it comes in the form of an all original 300SL Gullwing. This one is fresh out of 35 years of storage and available from Gullwing Motor Cars. Because of it’s rarity, incredible heritage, and potential value I’m sure it will be snatched up and brought back to better than showroom condition. And then sit in a garage. It’s essence, it’s soul lost forever. It’s dry and completely solid, it’s patina telling the story of every adventure it’s been on. Freshen up the mechanicals, throw some period correct black steelies on it and enjoy it for God’s sake! If you couldn’t already tell, I’m a firm believer in the phrase “it’s only original once”, this one has the potential to be the most epic “hood ride” on the planet, I would respect the hell out of that.

Outlaw Style 300SL

Visual freakin’ impact man, this thing is seven different kinds of badass. It’s a shame original ones are too “valuable/classic” for 99% of thier owners to consider modifying them, because they wear it well. Having said that it doesn’t make sense for me to say I wish they had kept it more original and period correct under the hood, but I would much rather be looking at 3 big carbs and a lot less plastic under there.

Mercedes SLS AMG Gullwing

Looks like the SLR is on it’s way out, MB’s next supercar will be a collaboration with AMG rather than McLaren this time around. Am I the only one who thinks it bears more than a passing resemblence to a hardtopped S2K married to an Aston Martin?

Carfax This

Mercedes SLR on eBay, Buy It Now is only $45k. Heater works, needs paint. Auction Link

and I didn’t have my camera

There are some cars you just know you will never see on the road. And then sometimes you get a surprise. I was driving back to work today, it was overcast, about 30 degrees with some snow blowing around but not sticking to the road and my jaw dropped, I could barely wrap my brain around what my eyes were seeing. A real deal ’55-’57 Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing. Literally 1 million dollars in shitty Ohio winter weather in rush hour traffic. I managed to get behind it and it was breath taking. It was in perfect shape but I don’t think it had even been restored, it was not shiney, just a beautiful even smooth dulled silver over red interior with undamaged but not show quality chrome. It was wearing 1956 Ohio plates which I’m pretty sure is illegal as hell here. It very calmly puttered away from the red light we were at and I had to give my poor D16Y7 hell to get beside it and there is Eric Clapton! This may sound absurd to you, but believe it or not he lives about 2 miles down the road from me here in Columbus, Ohio. His current wife is from Columbus and they keep a house but I don’t think he spends a lot of time here, although he has been known to frequent the athletic club down the street. But really the driver was irrelevant, the car was clearly the bigger star, to see something that iconic, rare, valuable and historically significant being used as “just a car” was once in a lifetime.