Volume 32 | No. 4 December 2017 DIE THE BENZ LENS MERCEDES-BENZ CLUB OF SOUTH AFRICA IN THIS EDITION The new Mercedes-Maybach S 650 Cabriolet 5 Fintail Register event Gariep Dam 28 Mercedes-Benz International Club Survey 8 Calvinia Vleisfees 30 Two Door Day 14 My 115 Story 33 National Concours 2017 16 Snoekbraai 35 Northerns Merc Club Midmas 25 W114/5 36 Editorial The Editor – Stephen Kaalsen LONDON, February 4th 1992— The Princess of Wales took delivery of a new sports car today, raising a chorus of criticism over her choice of a German-made Mercedes. Members of Parliament and union leaders said the Princess, who is 30 years old, should have stuck with her British-made Jaguar. She is the first member of the royal family in memory to use a foreign car. “This decision by the Princess is at best insensitive and at worst deeply unpatriotic,” said Jimmy Airlie, a negotiator with an engineering union. The rumpus compounded the woes of Queen Elizabeth II, whose son and heir, Prince Charles, is husband to the Princess, Diana. As the Queen celebrates the 40th anniversary of her accession, she has been beset by demands that she pay taxes and by newspaper attacks on the antics of younger members of her family. Buckingham Palace said the Princess’s new metallic-red, two-seat Mercedes-Benz 500SL was worth $130,000 and was being leased “for her personal use.” News reports said the Princess had sold her personal Jaguar XJS sports car, although she would continue to use an official Jaguar sedan. According to the time frame driver, Henri Paul. Of course, the live. Diana gave a new meaning in my mind, it feels like I am W140 was not hired because it was to empathy, as she led a life of preparing the penultimate edition the only car available to drive, Lady being kind. And, of course, for us of the Benz Lens for 2017, when Di had a particular preference to a Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts, we actually I am not. I was preparing Mercedes-Benz even though she will most definitely remember her the penultimate edition, but that was not really allowed to drive not only for her kindness, but also was already three months ago. anything but British. for the car she drove and exactly This is my fourth Editor’s letter, In December 1991 Lady Diana how even more stylish the SL and the reality is that a year of shocked the British public when made her look. editorship with me in the chair has she traded in her Jaguar XJS for a Something else I will never come and gone! “Four editions of leased, German 500SL. The wife forget is definitely the year 2017. the Lens later” – and what a great of the Prince of Wales became the Not only was it my first year of journey it was. I LIVE TO WRITE first member of the royal house to editorship I married the love of THE STORY! drive a foreign car privately and my life Claudine, but other club Times in life passes by so thus take a break from a 50-year members Stephan and Daleen quickly. Children grow up, tradition that senior members du Toit also tied the knot. The buildings get built, people age, of the royal family do not drive KZN AGM has come and gone, car values appreciate. Another foreign cars. Diana returned the and it was a trip that I will forever thought to tell the time is knowing 500 at the end of 1992, after trade cherish. The National Concourse that Diana, the Princess of Wales, unions and British government was a roaring success and there is passed on 20 years ago. The could just not approve. That an article in this edition about it. world was shaken when the news specific Almandine Red R129 Thanks again, dear reader, for of her untimely death broke. now lives in the Mercedes-Benz spending your time to read what On 31 August 1997, Diana was Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. I am but blessed to give you to fatally injured in a car crash in a That specific car is now a read. hired S280 W140 in the Pont de timeless, priceless museum piece l’Almatunnel in Paris. The accident which we can see whenever we also resulted in the deaths of her want to. Diana has passed on companion Dodi Fayed and the and in our hearts she will forever 2 Volume 32 | December 2017 | No. 4 FROM THE PRESIDENT from the President Waldo Scribante During October, I once again during a guided tour of the AMG cabriolet (Ocean Blue Edition for had the honour of representing Headquarters in Affalterbach, 150 lucky ladies out there!), the our club at the annual Baden-Württemberg, Germany AMG S63 sedan and AMG S65 International Presidents’ Meeting, - and that is exactly where our S-Class coupé. All the V8 AMG’s hosted in Stuttgart by Mercedes- weekend started, on the Friday. now feature the “Panamericana” Benz Classic Club Management We had the pleasure of a private grill, which first made its debut on (MBCCM). True to purpose, the tour of the customer workshop, the GT R. MBCCM provided a wonderful followed by a tour of the factory, After the tours, we were opportunity for club leaders from where their famous V8 engines hosted by AMG for dinner in their around the world to network are hand-built with AMG’s “One Private Lounge, which provided and exchange invaluable ideas - Man, One Engine” philosophy. (It a wonderful opportunity to strengthening international bonds takes approximately four hours meet and network with MBCCM through a shared passion for the to assemble a single engine and members and fellow presidents. brand. there are only around 50 AMG Our Saturday commenced engine builders.) with various presentations from A weekend to remember We were also treated to MBCCM members, including an presentations from the various interesting presentation of the Mercedes AMG maintains model Design Leaders, highlighting results of a 2016 international that the spirit of the brand can the finer design elements of the survey of all club members. This be experienced most intensely AMG GT C Edition50, AMG C63s was followed by an open bus tour Volume 32 | December 2017 | No. 4 3 FROM THE PRESIDENT of Stuttgart, with its numerous it was launched!! vineyards. We even stopped for a Before lunch, we had a look Melcher and the letters “AMG” quick visit to Stuttgart’s famous TV at the Classics and Youngtimers stand for Aufrecht, Melcher and tower (151 m high viewing deck), for sale at “All Time Stars”, and Großaspach (Aufrecht’s birth where we enjoyed a panoramic after lunch we had time for a town). The former Mercedes-Benz view of the city, topped off by the quick farewell, not believing the engineers needed no marketing, beautiful autumn sunset. weekend was over so soon. as they were masterful tuners That evening, we had a Heartfelt thanks to Georg who quickly made a name for “Küchenparty” at the restaurant Wohlfarth and Marcel Schuh themselves in racing circles, their “Zauberlehring” where we of MBCCM for a wonderful, success at major events putting participated in preparing our inspirational weekend - and AMG on the map. dinner at various food stations. of course, for their support of Towards the end of 1998, Hans What an experience! MBCSA. Werner Aufrecht sold a majority Sunday, we were off to the By the time you receive interest in AMG to, as it then was, MB Museum, where we were this edition of the Benz Lens, DaimlerChrysler AG. He then privileged to have a preview of the Christmas will be around the established HWA AG (again named “50 years of Mercedes-AMG - Half corner. René and I wish all our after himself) and motor racing, as a century of Driving Performance” members a very festive season well as parts of the customised exhibition - currently on display and prosperous 2018! vehicles construction business, at the museum and definitely were spun off and transferred to worth a visit! They have a replica HWA AG. of Aufrecht and Melcher’s original A brief history of AMG: Since 2005, Mercedes-AMG Red pig (300SEL 6.3) on display. GmbH has been a wholly owned The exact history of the original is subsidiary of Daimler AG and is unclear, but the legendary racing AMG was founded in 1967 as currently celebrating “50 years of car was most likely scrapped after a racing engine forge in Burgstall Mercedes-AMG”. being used for tyre and tarmac an der Murr, near Stuttgart, under testing. Fortunately, the replica the name AMG Motorenbau was engineered from the original und Entwicklungsgesellschaft blueprints. mbH (AMG Engine Production Also on display was the newly and Development, Ltd.). It was revealed AMG Project One, of named after its founders, Hans which they plan to build 250 Werner Aufrecht and Erhard vehicles - all sold for €2.5m before 4 Volume 32 | December 2017 | No. 4 The new Mercedes-Maybach S 650 Cabriolet A limited edition of 300: the new Mercedes-Maybach S 650 Cabriolet – the ultimate in open-air exclusivity. A limited edition of 300 wing. Other special elements on the exterior include the high-quality 20-inch Maybach forged wheels in a The Mercedes-Maybach S 650 is based on the open- powerful design and a bichromatic finish. On opening top S-Class and has adopted the latter’s classic the doors, the Maybach logo is projected onto the aesthetic proportions, among other features, with floor through entrance lighting.