In March of 2020, the New York Times ran an article on the auction website Bring a Trailer, a site where cars old and new were shown and sold across the country to the highest bidder. It looked like fun, so I started following the sales. It had always been a dream of mine to own a Mercedes-Benz two-door convertible, and the site did not disappoint. I watched as R107s were sold throughout the summer across the country. Finally, in the spring of 2021 a car showed up for auction near me. I bid until I was outbid. Most of the cars were collectibles which I could never afford, so I started watching for one with many miles logged. I found our little 1977 Maple Yellow 450SL with 135K miles on her, and I bid and was still outbid. But the next morning I got a call that the high bidder had backed out - she was mine if I wanted her, and I wanted her! I negotiated for her while standing on an Atlantic Ocean beach while the owner drove along the Pacific. I asked him to have the car checked out for a cross-country drive, and a few weeks later we were on our way to California to pick her up. And there, the adventure begins…
Our trip was such a learning experience! Just getting to know our new car, all her foibles, and all the things that weren’t quite sorted out when we picked her up. We traveled through 12 states to get her home, visiting friends and family along the way - we wouldn’t have made it without Lori Cockerham & Dan Schmidt, who found a vintage foreign car repair shop in Fort Collins, CO - big shoutout to Lou MacDonald at Autobahn, who found worn rotors after we came in with an air valve issue! And on top of that, Lori named our car Gigi, which is perfect!
So a little naivete and a lot of luck got her home with us. She valiantly took all the curves and all the mountains in the blistering sun and the battering rain. She needed a quart of oil every other day - anywhere that could leak did, and it spattered everywhere - her engine looked like a crime scene. And she shook a few nonessential parts off (all salvaged) every so often. But she handled herself with aplomb and got us home safely, and we learned to love her so much through this intense honeymoon!
It’s taken about two years and very dedicated work by Lou Palumbo at Gullwing Motors in Mineola to sort her out. Before we became her caretakers, she had sat in a garage in California, undriven, for nearly two years. Now she no longer leaks oil, transmission fluid, or coolant; she has a recharged A/C; she’s been touched up and her paint and brightwork polished. Gigi is a pleasure to drive and fun!