A Sunday full of surprises (classic cars again)
08-20-08, 05:42 AM
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A Sunday full of surprises (classic cars again)
I was near Ludwigsburg on Sunday with my girlfriend visiting some of her relatives. Upon arriving I noticed that their neighboring house had a large garage filled with classic cars. Shortly before we were planning on leaving I sort of snuck out back and struck up a conversation with the old man working on some of the cars I had seen earlier.
The bad news was that I didn't think I would need to bring along a camera for this trip. Thankfully Sybille (my girlfriend) had hers with her and I was able to borrow it. Note to myself: always bring a camera along wherever you go in Germany!
The name of the man was Manfred and he is a retired doctor in his late 60s who enjoys fixing up his classic cars with his now plentiful spare time. His pride and joy is the blue 1952 Mercedes 300A you see below. Germans tend to refer to this Mercedes as the "Adenauer" because the first chancellor of Germany after World War II had a soft spot for these according to Manfred. The history of the car is a bit vague since he found it on a field in Turkey while on vacation there. The vehicle was in poor condition. Manfred paid the farmer who owned the field a small sum, had the car brought back to Germany and with the help of some close friends with the expertise fixed her up. I have to say, they did a great job. She looks lovely.
The inline 6 cylinder engine with an output of 115 horsepower according to the owner.
The interior. No precision engineering here, just old-fashioned hard manual work!
Another picture of the interior. Manfred was very kind and even allowed me to sit inside the car. The cream leather seats you see here are the originals but were restored recently and they were very comfortable. They feel like a comfortable sofa. They do!
The speedometer. There were so many buttons in this interior and they weren't labeled either. Manfred claimed you'll get used to it when you drive the car as often as he does.
The analog clock and the radio.
The inside of the driver's door.
Manfred also had a couple of older BMWs in the garage. At this point I was allowed to roam around and check out the remaining classics he had. I can't give you any information on the cars because I myself have no clue as to what they are exactly.
A BMW in the midst of being restored. Could this be a 2002?
The bad news was that I didn't think I would need to bring along a camera for this trip. Thankfully Sybille (my girlfriend) had hers with her and I was able to borrow it. Note to myself: always bring a camera along wherever you go in Germany!
The name of the man was Manfred and he is a retired doctor in his late 60s who enjoys fixing up his classic cars with his now plentiful spare time. His pride and joy is the blue 1952 Mercedes 300A you see below. Germans tend to refer to this Mercedes as the "Adenauer" because the first chancellor of Germany after World War II had a soft spot for these according to Manfred. The history of the car is a bit vague since he found it on a field in Turkey while on vacation there. The vehicle was in poor condition. Manfred paid the farmer who owned the field a small sum, had the car brought back to Germany and with the help of some close friends with the expertise fixed her up. I have to say, they did a great job. She looks lovely.
The inline 6 cylinder engine with an output of 115 horsepower according to the owner.
The interior. No precision engineering here, just old-fashioned hard manual work!
Another picture of the interior. Manfred was very kind and even allowed me to sit inside the car. The cream leather seats you see here are the originals but were restored recently and they were very comfortable. They feel like a comfortable sofa. They do!
The speedometer. There were so many buttons in this interior and they weren't labeled either. Manfred claimed you'll get used to it when you drive the car as often as he does.
The analog clock and the radio.
The inside of the driver's door.
Manfred also had a couple of older BMWs in the garage. At this point I was allowed to roam around and check out the remaining classics he had. I can't give you any information on the cars because I myself have no clue as to what they are exactly.
A BMW in the midst of being restored. Could this be a 2002?
08-20-08, 05:43 AM
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Another BMW in great shape. Looks like an ancestor to the modern-day 3 series but hell, Dustin ain't no expert on these things!
Another one of Manfred's pride and joy cars, a BMW 2800CS. Beautiful machine, beautiful.
Tucked away in the corner was this body. I have no idea what this car is. It looks Italian, that's the best I can come up with. Perhaps it is an older Alfa Romeo or a Lancia or some sort of Fiat.
Two similar older Mercedes buses are on his property. This one is currently being restored...
...while the other one is being used for spare parts and storage. There's an old desk and a washing machine in the rear of this wreck!
A couple of motorbikes including a cute Vespa.
Another one of Manfred's pride and joy cars, a BMW 2800CS. Beautiful machine, beautiful.
Tucked away in the corner was this body. I have no idea what this car is. It looks Italian, that's the best I can come up with. Perhaps it is an older Alfa Romeo or a Lancia or some sort of Fiat.
Two similar older Mercedes buses are on his property. This one is currently being restored...
...while the other one is being used for spare parts and storage. There's an old desk and a washing machine in the rear of this wreck!
A couple of motorbikes including a cute Vespa.
08-20-08, 05:43 AM
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My last photos of that day, a 1939 Opel Blitz firetruck with an extendable ladder. I could tell from an information plaque inside the open engine bay that it was a 1939 model. I'm a genius!
08-22-08, 12:50 PM
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Thanks, guys. 
This doctor was a charming little fellow (yeah, he was short and enjoyed more than one beer while fixing up his cars!), very knowledgeable about his cars and other brands in general. I like old cars but I am not passionate enough to find myself a garage to store them in. And, I completely lack the technical skills and know-how that would allow me to fix and care for them.
This doctor was a charming little fellow (yeah, he was short and enjoyed more than one beer while fixing up his cars!), very knowledgeable about his cars and other brands in general. I like old cars but I am not passionate enough to find myself a garage to store them in. And, I completely lack the technical skills and know-how that would allow me to fix and care for them.
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