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The Collectors – New Zealand’s Mr Mercedes – 197

NZ Classic Car — Thu, 21 May 2009 06:20:50 +0000

A Hawke’s Bay newspaper commented some time ago that if anyone in New Zealand had earned the right to be called Mr  Mercedes it was Ian Longley. Gordon meets with Ian and checks out some of the cars in his collection.

To confirm his status, Ian Longley has been the New Zealand Mercedes-Benz Club’s patron for some years and has been granted life membership of the club. These honours have been well and truly earned through a lifetime of dedication to the Mercedes-Benz marque, and over 30 years’ involvement in the Mercedes-Benz Club.

As a teenager, Ian listened to the stories told by his returned servicemen brothers-in-law, one of whom talked about the Mercedes-Benz vehicles prized as war booty by the Allied troops because they were so superior to their Bedfords. Those war tales may have influenced Ian’s choice of car, although it was a near thing. The rewards of hard work as a farmer and agricultural contractor meant he was able to go shopping for a Rolls-Royce at a relatively young age, but events shifted his focus from the winged lady to the three-pointed star.

He travelled with his father to Waverley in the farm Land Rover to buy stud sheep. On the way home, the Rover came to a halt with radiator problems. The nearest Land Rover agent was Manawatu Motors, in Palmerston North, which towed the vehicle to its workshop. As luck would have it, it held a new radiator in stock.

As the Longleys waited for the radiator to be fitted they watched a salesman manoeuvring a shiny Mercedes 220b into the showroom. Exhibiting a seller’s nose for a buyer, the salesman tried to talk Ian’s father into buying the car, without apparent interest from Mr Longley senior. Early the next morning, Ian rang his father and asked what his plans were for the day?

“Well, I suppose we’re going to Palmerston North,” was the reply.

Back at Manawatu Motors, the salesman started the hard sell, taking Ian’s father into his office while Ian familiarised himself with the foreign car. Finally the big question – well, what do you think?
Mr Longley replied, “Don’t ask me, the buyer’s out there!”

After recovering from that news, the salesman began to explain the finance terms to Ian, to purchase the Mercedes less the value of Ian’s year-old Holden station wagon. Ian asked what the total figure would be, and simply wrote the cheque. The salesman’s confusion is understandable – it was probably his first encounter with a youngster paying cash for such an expensive car.

Ian didn’t even bother to test drive the Mercedes. Most of his driving was on the gravel roads that were much more common then. Having replaced two sets of shock absorbers in the Holden in 30,577km because of stone damage to the damper shafts, he simply asked that the Mercedes be put on the workshop hoist. This allowed him to see its damper shafts and other critical items were protected. To his delight, the car handled the gravel roads without problems, and Ian took that 220b’s odometer from less than 4800 to 151,274km.

Star collection

In total, 46 Mercedes vehicles have passed through Ian’s hands, including the first 230SL sold in New Zealand. At the other end of the spectrum were two Mercedes-Benz tractors and a 1951 170VA utility.
An early club gathering was deemed worthy of coverage in the local Daily Telegraph and Herald Tribune, which reported that the utility was the only one in the country and had, in 1972, covered 400,000 miles (643,720km). In fact it was 685,560km.

It may be news to most people unfamiliar with the brand that Daimler-Benz used to make tractors. Ian owned two such beasts in the late ’70s/early ’80s. Cable-Price Corporation, the New Zealand distributor at the time, had imported six large MB tractors and shipped them to its Christchurch branch in the expectation that the Plains cropping farmers would be queuing to buy them. It didn’t happen. After some time, during which Cable-Price no doubt became increasingly nervous, Ian heard about the tractors, and the company happily flew him to Christchurch to inspect them. He agreed to buy one, with the proviso that he would be given a special deal if he could sell three more, which he did, in the North Island.

Ian later bought a smaller model based on the Unimog’s mechanical components, including its step-down planetary gear system at each wheel. This was a proper tractor rather than a short Unimog, but Ian also used a Unimog in his contracting business, being possibly the first person to fit one with a fertiliser spreading unit. He also modified it to take a hay mower on the front.

Loyalty

Although Ian’s marque loyalty has never wavered, the range of Mercedes-Benz cars he has owned over the years has been extremely varied. An early ’50s 300b, the 230SL, a late ’60s W108 280SE, a W123 300D turbo diesel, a W123 280CE coupé, three mid-’80s W126 280SEs – the list goes on and on.

Needless to say, he is an authority on Mercedes, so his comments on the various models, good and bad, are enlightening. Being a true enthusiast he prefers to dwell on the good.

Ian is also the factory-appointed keeper of Mercedes-Benz long distance records for New Zealand. Lapel pins and grille badges are awarded to drivers and vehicles respectively that have travelled various distances, such as 200,000km, 250,000km, 500,000 km, 1,000,000km and so on.

Normally, Ian makes the presentations, but he couldn’t really present an award to himself, so a German factory representative presented his 1,000,000km pin in 1988. He expects to receive his 2,000,000km pin shortly even though he clocked up his two millionth kilometre some time ago. His total has been boosted by the factory’s formula for converting tractor hours to kilometres.

Factory tour

In 1986 Ian organised a trip to the factory’s centennial celebrations for 16 Kiwis and several Australians, all of whom were generously hosted in Los Angeles by the Mercedes-Benz Club America during a stopover on the way to Stuttgart.

Unusually, their tour of the factory was a walk through rather than an elevated train ride. At one point they were told they could not inspect the area where the 100th anniversary models were being assembled. Later they learned that these were special versions of the 190E, identifiable by their ‘Komplett II’ boot badges and extra equipment. About six years ago Ian found one for sale. The fact it was on the assembly line at the time of his visit was enough reason to buy it.

The factory tour included laps of the test track with Mercedes-Benz test drivers at the wheels of a variety of cars. Ian describes his laps, in the front seat of a 6.9-litre 450SEL being used to the full, as one of his most frightening experiences.

Changing collection

Keeping up to date with Ian’s collection is difficult. The fleet changes regularly, so details and photos are soon out of date. When I first visited him he owned nine Mercedes, including a 2004 A-class, a four-wheel-drive G-Wagen and a 1999 CLK230, among others. Several months later the A-class and G-Wagen had been replaced by a 2005 A200. Since my last visit, a new B200 Turbo has replaced the A200 and CLK230.

Ian bought his 1953 220 in 1995 as an unfinished restoration project. Unhappily, it was unfinished because the owner had died. Originally imported into New Zealand for the German Embassy, its history from then to the time of Ian’s purchase is not known.

Ian had the restoration completed with great difficulty and expense due to the need to manufacture damaged or missing parts. Because the chassis was carried over from the old 170, there was very limited clearance between the chassis rails and drivetrain in the six-cylinder cars, dictating the use of a unique starter motor and extra-long rear gearbox casing.

As with any old and rare car, these unique parts created a major headache for the restorer. The broken gearbox spigot shaft could not be replaced with a later type, so appropriately named We-Can Engineering of Hastings built a new one. It took Ian several years to find the correct starter motor.

The platers were reluctant to re-chrome the radiator grille, because its brass shell was so thin they doubted it could take plating without distortion. Luckily, their doubts were unfounded. The strips on the tops of the front mudguards were reproduced locally – cast in brass and then chromed. The total cost of the restoration may have been daunting, but there is no doubt that the end result was worth it.

Finny

Ian’s ’64 Finny was acquired in more unusual circumstances. Many years ago, the Hawkes Bay County Council realised it didn’t have an appropriate vehicle to transport the Governor-General during his impending visit. A councillor solved the problem by making a quick trip to Cable Price Corporation in Wellington to buy this Mercedes-Benz 220Sb. Clearly he was a civic leader prepared to make a sacrifice for his constituents!

Many years later, Ian acquired the car as part of a property deal – he agreed to buy the former councillor’s orchard provided the car remained. After some misgivings about parting with it, the man’s widow agreed. Out of respect for the previous owner, Ian promptly had it tidied up and repainted by Greenmeadows Panelbeaters in Napier.

In contrast, the later car’s styling cues leave no doubt it’s a child of the late ’50s/ early ’60s. The tail fins, heavy bright-work, jukebox instrument panel and vertical strip speedometer that changes colour with speed, could only originate from that era.

Even though it carries a few extra kilograms, the additional 33kW (44bhp) make the 220Sb significantly quicker than its ancestor. The Finny is not disgraced by today’s acceleration rates, and it could still exceed the open road speed limit by a significant margin if such behaviour was allowed.

Finnies are relatively common in New Zealand, and there are still quite a few nice examples in regular use. This fact and their controversial styling might be why they represent good buying on the classic car market, although asking prices seem to be slowly climbing. On the other hand, the old 220 is too rare to be known in this country, or to use on a daily basis, and this model is highly valued overseas. Ian has decided the time has come to sell the car, so if you would like to give this very special old car a home, call him on 06 878 6779 and have a chat.

Dedication

There are two surviving founders of the New Zealand Mercedes-Benz Club. During the last 40 years of dedication to Mercedes-Benz and the club, Ian has seen his shared brainchild grow from its birth in 1972, in the small town of Waipukurau, to encompass the length and breadth of the country, and more recently the internet, at www.mbcnz.com.

As patron of the New Zealand club, his duty is to keep a watching brief over the club’s affairs. The original purpose of the club was to provide a social and informative function for Mercedes-minded people, and Ian’s belief in those aims hasn’t waned over the years.

He truly is New Zealand’s Mr  Mercedes.

Words: Gordon Campbell Photos: Sean Craig

1984 Mercedes-Benz 230TE Wagon – Wagon Trail – 189

NZ Classic Car — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:54:49 +0000

Tim catches up with a fellow artist to view a classic ’80s Mercedes wagon used to transport artworks and surfboards

Mercedes-Benz cars have been collected as recognised classics throughout motoring history. Grand Prix Mercedes are now almost priceless, and even well looked after Mercedes-Benz saloons from the ’50s and ’60s fetch solid prices. If the car is a limousine specification model or a coupé then it is all the more sought after. But what of the common or garden Mercedes-Benz wagons?

Long used for big family luxury motoring, and often thrashed from years of alpine skiing adventures and beach holidays, the wagons are perhaps less likely to have survived in decent numbers – but then again, old Mercedes-Benz’s have always been known for being rugged and hardy.

First wagon

To find out more I visited artist and art teacher Leighton Upson. His 1984 Mercedes wagon is used every day to cart all manner of things – from painted canvases to Malibu surfboards and a large Alsatian dog named Hogan.
The first thing I learned about the Mercedes T-series wagon is that they will eventually be seen as more than just an everyday classic, because the T-series was the first station wagon Mercedes-Benz ever built.

Just as with Jaguar in more recent times under Ford ownership, until 1979 Mercedes-Benz had never produced its own estate or wagon versions of its saloon car model ranges. Originally the wagons were available in only three versions – the 240TD with a 2.4-litre four-cylinder diesel engine, the 250T with a 2.4-litre six-cylinder carburetted engine, and the hi-tech 280TE with its 2.8-litre six-cylinder, twin-overhead camshaft fuel-injected engine. The entire T-series range, including saloon car versions, was built from 1975-1986 as the factory code-named W123 chassis code.

Surf’s up

Leighton’s T-series Mercedes-Benz is from towards the end of the model’s production life and is still in good all-round order, with sections of the interior and body in extremely tidy condition.

The 230TE Wagon (or should I say Wagen) is from the lower end of the Stuttgart factory’s powerplant range for the series, being the big four – a torquey engine of 101kW (136bhp). This enables Leighton to head off into the New Zealand countryside to paint the native bush at will, or throw his big Malibu surfboard into the rear whenever the swell of the Tasman Sea calls.

Spaciousness and driver comfort were the two main features that beckoned Leighton to the Mercedes-Benz in the first place, after he’d initially noticed a fellow Spotswood College staff member, Tony Peters, driving it. Before long Leighton bought the big Merc wagon off Mr Peters and headed into the bush with a blank canvas.

The Upson Mercedes-Benz 230TE is an automatic four-speed example with smooth power steering, which gets up to speed quickly and cruises with ease, even with a decent load in the rear. According to the car’s handbook, the permissible rear axle loading weight is 1200-1300kg, although I wouldn’t mind betting it would cart more than this.

Designed to carry people and possessions in typical Mercedes comfort, this wagon also came with a standard factory roof rack with a 100kg weight limit, making it ideal for carrying skis and kayaks. The rear suspension is also self-levelling depending on the weight carried, something Citroën enthusiasts are already used to.

Well appointed

When the Mercedes-Benz wagon hit the market at the end of the ’70s Kiwis didn’t have much choice in big luxurious wagons with a roof rack, sunroof, air conditioning and a luxury finish. Until these Mercedes T-series cars came along, once you moved beyond the well appointed, but less luxurious, Chrysler Valiant station wagons or the lengthy Citroën Safari, you really had to jump to a Range Rover to get an equivalent to a big luxury wagon.

The Japanese weren’t yet making big, well appointed wagons, and your typical Jaguar owner would have heaved into their bowler hat if you had suggested the marque would one day build a station wagon. As for large American station wagons, they were rare imports to New Zealand. You were more likely to ride in one if you had died, courtesy of the local funeral home. Mercedes-Benz really did have much of the large luxury wagon niche in New Zealand to itself for a time.

Survivor

Surviving Mercedes T-series wagons are now at the stage where they are either being preserved (albeit in small numbers), or driven into the ground like many older, long-lived ’70s and ’80s cars. The coupés are stylish collectables, but the wagons are more likely to have been worked for all their might until they’ve become baggy and eventually failed a WoF.

German wagon history was made with this model, and Leighton Upson’s Mercedes-Benz 230TE gives us perhaps one of the last New Zealand views of one of these old German wagons before they all fade away. As for Leighton, he is now looking to rescale his vehicle fleet, and has decided to sell the big Mercedes. But, of course, he’s hoping that it will go to an owner who will preserve it. In the meantime this everyday classic will continue to serve in the name of art and surfing.

1984 Mercedes-Benz 230TE Wagon

Engine     Four-cylinder
Capacity     2299cc
Fuel system    Fuel injection
Bore/stroke    96.4×81.02mm
Max power    101kW (136bhp) at 5100rpm
Transmission    Four-speed auto

Dimensions

Wheelbase    2820mm
Track (front)     1502mm
Track (rear)     1467mm

Performance

Max speed 175kph (109mph
Words and Photos: Tim Chadwick

300SL Roadster 1957 Mercedes-Benz – Roadster Resurrection – 206

NZ Classic Car — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 07:48:51 +0000

Words & Photos: Ash Webb Photos: Quinn Hamill

If you can, imagine walking into a classic car enthusiast’s superbly presented garage and, apart from a fine collection of cars, noticing the following legend – ‘Finer 20th Century Automobiles, Examples Of Highly Complex And Mobile Three Dimensional Craftmanship, Are Higher Form Of Art And Design Than Mere Two Dimensional Paintings Or Sculpture’ – painted across the support beam on the garage ceiling.

That gives you a good indication that the man you are about to meet is seriously passionate about his cars.

The passion

For Garry Boyce, it all started when, as a 15-year-old apprentice fitter and turner, he became involved with the local classic car fraternity. During the ensuing years Garry’s career expanded into all types of engineering positions

Gary had always admired the sensuous, voluptuous lines and the superb performance and handling characteristics
of the car

before he moved into managerial roles within the industry. It was during this period that Garry gained an attitude toward excellence in everything he did.

By then it was clearly obvious to Garry that excellence in cars was represented by the Mercedes-Benz marque, and he vowed that one day he would own one.

However, it wasn’t until the late ’80s that he made good on his vow and purchased his first Mercedes. Even that paled against the eventual acquisition of his first, truly collectible car – which would be the starting point of his collection. As Garry’s collection grew, his sights began to focus on his ultimate Mercedes – a 300SL Gullwing. That model seemed utterly and completely out of the question due to its huge price, so instead he concentrated his thoughts and efforts on the next best thing, a 300SL Roadster. He had always admired the sensuous, voluptuous lines and the superb performance and handling characteristics of the car.

Although less expensive than a Gullwing, roadsters still commanded high prices, which meant the only way he could ever achieve his dream would be to search the world for a restoration project. The task proved harder than Garry could ever have imagined, mainly because most of these highly desirable sports cars had already been restored. However, persistence paid off and, after many years of difficult searching, Garry finally found a 300SL Roadster in a somewhat distressed condition in the Netherlands in 2001.

Garry’s new acquisition, a 1957 300SL Roadster, number 154 off the production line and described by Garry’s wife as piles of junk in cardboard boxes, was imported into New Zealand in 2002.

History

Garry’s 300SL was originally delivered on November 6, 1957 to the Mercedes-Benz distributor in Honduras, and it spent the next few years in Central America. Garry’s next documentation confirms the car was back in Munich around 1962. He believes it received serious frontal damage around that time, and it’s more than likely it was sent back to the Mercedes factory for reconstruction.

The car stayed in Germany until 1988/9, and at the height of the classic car price bubble was purchased by an American restorer and shipped to the US. Restoration was started in the US, and a lot of money was spent during that time before the owner realised the difficulty and enormity of the restoration project. As a result, work on the car was abandoned, although much mechanical work had also been completed by that stage.

Garry understands that the owner died not long after the restoration on the 300SL stopped, and believes there were another 20 or so cars under various stages of restoration in his collection, mostly English, including Jaguars and MGs.

The 300SL was then purchased as part of a job lot, along with all the other cars in the estate, and shipped to Europe. It was at this point that Garry entered the picture.

At home

As landed in New Zealand, the 300SL consisted of the previously mentioned collection of boxes, plus the car’s body and engine sitting on the chassis. At the end of 2002, Hamilton’s Mercedes-Benz restoration guru, Lloyd Marx, was given the task of completely disassembling the car before sending it to Ron Spyve’s Panel Shop for media blasting. The body was still on the chassis and the suspension was still intact at this point. As the layers of paint were removed it became all too obvious that the Mercedes’ body was in far poorer state than originally thought. Many areas had been badly repaired, rusted, and then patched over again.

The task of reconstructing the body was enormous. Approximately 60 per cent of the body had to be replaced with new parts or completely refabricated from scratch

When the time came to separate the body from the chassis, it also became apparent that the body-to-chassis mounts – the 300SL’s body is mounted and shimmed to the chassis at 17 points – had rusted out and been shoddily repaired over the years. In some cases filler was discovered under the mounting points. This added more problems to the already enormous re-fabrication task ahead. With the body finally removed from the chassis the frontal impact damage that Garry believes have occurred in the ’60s also became apparent.

Going straight

The 300SL’s space-frame chassis is constructed of 24mm, overall diameter chrome-molybdenum tube (with a wall thickness of 1.2mm). Triangulated in structure, the chassis has a total stripped weight of only 84kg. It’s a complex structure – although far simpler than the Gullwing’s chassis – and its straightness was essential for a satisfactory final result.

Accordingly, the chassis was placed onto an auto robot for complete mapping and detailing. The results were distressing – the top left hand side of the chassis was badly twisted by up to 25mm. The enormous strength of the chassis meant the task of straightening it back to its correct alignment required extra machinery and hydraulics to force it into position.

The driver’s side door skin was refabricated along with every piece of bodywork below those famous wheel-arch ‘eyebrows’

Garry and Ron Spyve knew that once the chassis was straight, body reconstruction could commence with the body mounted back on the chassis, where it would provide a perfectly correct platform to start from. The body mounting shims were purposely left out to minimise distortion during reconstruction. The task of reconstructing the body was enormous. Approximately 60 per cent of the body had to be replaced with new parts or completely refabricated from scratch. A lucky find for Garry was a complete front left guard, and front 600mm section all-in-one panel piece, which had to be imported from Germany.

New aluminium bonnet skins were also ordered, the originals having suffered from severe electrolytic corrosion over the years. The driver’s side door skin was refabricated along with every piece of bodywork below those famous wheel-arch ‘eyebrows.’

Experts

Garry received visits during this part of the reconstruction phase from an international group of 300SL Gullwing specialists from the US, all of whom were in awe at the level of work being carried out, what was being attempted and how Garry and his team were achieving their results. Garry admits that sticking rigidly to the original construction methods was not a viable option, given modern technology regarding panel-bonding materials available today. These materials were particularly important where aluminium was laid directly over steel, providing sufficient electrolytic insulation in those critical areas.

Once the body was completed it was mounted back onto the chassis, complete with the 2mm shims under each mounting point, then the body was gapped with doors, bonnet and boot perfectly aligned. The suspension and chassis were also double-checked for all clearances before the body was completely removed from the chassis and placed onto a dolly in preparation for painting.

The suspension and the chassis were then sent back to Lloyd Marx for disassembly and subsequently bead blasted and black powder coated for durability. With originality at the forefront of Garry’s mind, the overriding objective was to restore the 300SL Roadster exactly as it would have looked when it rolled off the assembly line in 1957. Every surface was meticulously colour matched to the original finished items. Bolts, nuts, screws and washers that were related to the chassis were blackened, providing the original ‘blue’ finish, and under the bonnet these items were cadmium plated, with particular attention to achieving the exact shade of coating, as close to the original as possible.

Engine concerns

The valves needed replacing, as there were marks on the pistons indicating contact, so the engine was completely rebuilt to original specifications. Garry explains that the 300SL’s dry sumped, 3.0-litre, six-cylinder overhead camshaft engine is significantly different to other car engines produced in the ’50s and was the first road-going, direct petrol-injected engine.

The head is not fitted at 90 degrees to the bore, but at a thirty-five degree angle and the fuel is directly injected into the block into a triangular-shaped envelope between the top of the piston and the head. It was too early in the automotive industry to be able to directly inject fuel into the head without causing significant heating problems which would cause the head to burn away. The Bosch fuel injection system on the 300SL was actually borrowed from the aircraft industry, and was used on many German V12-powered military aircraft at that time.

Garry attributes the 300SL engine’s output of 185kW (248bhp) from only 3.0-litres to this innovative technology, undoubtedly an outstanding achievement in 1954.

The engines in the 300SL Gullwings are identical to those fitted in the Roadsters, with the exception of a high performance camshaft option that produced an additional 37.5kW (50bhp).

The engine lays over at a 55-degree angle inside the body to get the bonnet height down, and it is not fitted straight fore and aft, but on a 10-degree angle. From there, the drive shaft runs at an angle back to the low pivot, swing axle independent rear suspension. Unlike the Roadster, the Gullwing was fitted with a high pivot swing axle independent suspension, which was renowned for its unstable cornering characteristics. The brakes are 380mm diameter, 90mm wide alloy turbo-fin servo-assisted drums all round, again top end performance technology in 1954 – later models had received disc brakes by 1960.

Classic silver grey

The body received the original DB 180 Classic Silver Grey paint and the interior was retrimmed in black leather – although originally red, Garry’s wife chose the black, which they both agree suits the car better.

Throughout the reassembly process, Garry has been able to source about 70 per cent of the remanufactured parts from Germany and 30 per cent from the US. There are more 300SL Roadsters in the US than anywhere else in the world, providing an excellent parts supply structure. Gary acquired many other parts during various visits to car shows overseas, like Techno Classica in Essen, Germany, and he says it’s just a matter of knowing where to look for those odd, hard-to-find pieces. Of course, these parts come at a price – for example, try 460 Euros for each windscreen wiper blade!

Overall, the car’s incredible complexity has made the reconstruction and reassembly process very torturous, but Garry sums up the final result as “scrumptious.” The 300SL’s final test will be its public debut at the NZCC Classic Car weekend, where the car is entered in the Masters’ Class at the Ellerslie Intermarque Concours. Garry also intends taking his car to attend the 300SL Gullwing Group Concours Conference in Sonoma, Northern California later in 2008. There, the world’s best Mercedes-Benz 300SL specialists will be able to examine Kiwi craftsmanship first-hand.

Postscript

As with most car restorations, there are thousands of interesting stories to be told and I could have sat listening to Garry all day. Strangely enough, as he travelled around the world on business, talking to different car people, the fact he was in the process of restoring a 300SL Roadster soon became the favourite topic of discussion. Those who were really in the know commenting – “Oh! You are brave!”

Gary’s partner in crime, Lloyd Marx, a restorer of many concours level cars, admits the 300SL Roadster is the most difficult and complex restoration he has ever undertaken. But wait, there’s more! Yes, this is only the first part of Garry’s 300SL journey and he has a few more projects underway. I’m afraid you’ll have to keep watching the pages of NZCC for more updates.

SPECS

300SL Roadster 1957 Mercedes-Benz

Engine: In-line six-cylinder
Capacity: 2996cc
Bore/stroke: 85mm x 88mm
Valves: sohc, two per cylinder
C/R: 8.55:1
Max power: 185kW @ 6200rpm
Max torque: 275Nm @ 5000rpm
Fuel system: Bosch direct fuel-injection
Transmission: Four-speed manual
Suspension: Front Double wishbone, coil springs, telescopic damper, torsion bar stabiliser; Rear single-joint swing axle with compensating spring, coil springs, telescopic damper
Steering: Recirculating ball
Brakes: Turbo-fin servo-assisted drums

Dimensions

Wheelbase: 2400mm
Length: 4570mm
Width: 1790mm
Kerb weight: 1330kg
Height: 1300mm

Performance

Max speed: 210kph (130mph)
0-100kph: approx 10 seconds

1985 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 – Benz by Cosworth – 183

NZ Classic Car — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:48:48 +0000

The Cosworth Mercedes-Benz 190s were very expensive in their day, but these two examples – one competition prepared, the other standard – show why they were worth the extra cost.

Words Tim Nevinson Photos Quinn Hamill

It will probably never happen again. In an extremely competitive 2.0-litre saloon market-place every manufacturer’s product was costed to the last cent, and rarely over-engineered. Each manufacturer in that segment also sold vehicles that were smaller, higher volume machines; the likes of BMW, Audi, Saab and Volvo took this tack – and all made a song and dance about their products’ strength and fortitude.

To be over-engineered a car does not have to be heavy, it merely has to exceed customer expectations

Mercedes-Benz had never been in the small car market, and its products were seen as substantial, high-quality machines even amongst the large and expensive limousines with which they competed. Its cars were used as taxis in Europe, the Middle East and Africa simply because they were seemingly unburstable. Mercedes-Benz products were not cheap, but were engineered to be totally dependable.

The company’s decision to break into the light car market was seen as a joke by many, who thought the car would be frumpy, heavy and clumsy. Because the resultant light car looked just like a scaled-down version of the bigger models, this opinion was understandable – not that it bothered Mercedes-Benz, which realised that it had hit the trump card as soon as its W201 design was introduced in November 1982 as the 190.

Not since the Rover 2000 in 1964 had a 2.0-litre car been so well engineered, and because Mercedes has since got into the cost-cutting loop itself, a car this well engineered probably won’t happen again. To be over-engineered a car does not have to be heavy, it merely has to exceed customer expectations, which for most 2.0-litre cars in the 1980s were unspeakably low. To take this point to its extreme, Colin Chapman once said that his ideal Grand Prix car would self-destruct as it crossed the finish line (first, of course) – for it to achieve any more would merely be a sign of over-engineering.

Big Car Solutions

Mercedes engineers of the time would have struggled with this philosophy, and their Mercedes W201 design used small versions of big-car design solutions. The W201 wasn’t especially space efficient, nor was it fleet of foot, but this didn’t bother Mercedes or its customers. Its current customers got a smaller, cheaper car with close to the same amount of prestige, and the company soon had new customers queuing up to buy into the perceived prestige and fortitude for a small car price. Mercedes answered critics of the model’s poor rear access and space by retorting that if customers wanted more space then there were bigger products to meet that demand.

To taxi drivers the world over the 190 was a gift from above – they weren’t bothered about how much space their customers had, as long as it was just enough.
Taxi drivers got an unbreakable vehicle that was economical to run. The Mercedes 190 with its 67kW 2.0-litre carburettor engine was a supreme case of supply creating demand. Mercedes-Benz provided a product which exceeded its new customers’ expectations, and when it introduced the diesel 190D and fuel-injected 190E it had all bases covered.

More than 1.8 million W201 sedans were made between then and May 1993, without major reengineering. By any standards it was a huge success, and changed the Mercedes image for ever. Unfortunately, however, it also introduced the company culture to the vagaries of volume production and cost cutting. The 190 had few inherent faults (timing chains and unreliable climate control being the main ones on earlier cars), which meant that by Chapman’s standards it was hugely over engineered – many a 190 has over 400,000km on the odometer. An excellent 190 can now be picked up for small change, and still delivers good value.

Before the 190 was introduced, Mercedes realised that its image was a bit on the blue-rinse side for the dynamic 2.0-litre market, and decided that world rallying would be a good showcase to ease the Mercedes name into the more youthful ‘small’ car market whilst still emphasising its inherent strength, just as SAAB was doing with its 99 Turbo. The Swedes at this time were encountering a similar problem to all the other competition departments of manufacturers with main products that were turning to front wheel drive. Front drive cars just couldn’t handle the power or provide the agility that rally regulations permitted, and rallying was dominated by rear-drive cars with four-valve engines.

Record Breaker

The way Mercedes saw it, its W201 rear-drive platform with a special four-valve engine and lightweight two-door body would be just the ticket to get it on rally podiums around the world, and into the minds of the younger buyer. Unusually for the great German engineering colossus, it outsourced the cylinder head design to the acknowledged four-valve engine expert of the time, Cosworth, which, whilst it had not produced engines in Mercedes-type volumes, had made a better job of it than most with Ford.

Cosworth was amazed to get the phone call from Stuttgart, and the subsequent delivery of the 2.3-litre M102 engine marked a turning point in Cosworth’s history, as it elevated the engineering concern to the status of a volume manufacturer and valued consultant to big industry. Both companies benefited hugely from the exercise, but not quite as they had planned it.

During early development of the MB201 rally car Audi turned the rallying world upside down with its four-wheel-drive quattro. Virtually overnight two-wheel-drive was dead and buried as a successful rally weapon. Mercedes killed off the its two-door project and rally programme, but the project got far enough along for Mercedes not to back out of its partnership with Cosworth and they gamely carried on, feeling that the four-valve 2.3 would at least prove the 190 was no slug.

customers got a smaller, cheaper car with close to the same amount of PRESTIGE

In August 1983, at the world’s fastest high speed test track near Nardo, in Southern Italy, a 190 with the Cosworth 2.3-16V set three world records; the fastest average speed of 247.939kph for 50,000 kilometres; 1,000 kilometres at 153.54 miles per hour, and 24 hours at 246.713kph (153.30 mph). Twelve international class endurance records were also established. The 190E 2.3-16V model was then released to the public at the Frankfurt Auto Show a month later in September 1983, with a ready-made reputation for speed and reliability.

The record-breakers were only slightly modified from what could be bought at Frankfurt. The windscreen and headlight wipers, and the outside rear-view mirrors, were removed, and headlight and grille shields were fitted. The rear axle ratio was changed to 2.65:1 and the tyres to Pirelli P7s.

Otherwise, the cars were standard, featuring Cosworth’s light alloy cylinder head with twin overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder, electronically controlled (Bosch LE Jetronic) fuel injection, air bathed injection valves, a single poly-V-belt, hydraulically damped engine mountings, and an oil cooler.

Clever Casting

The Cosworth-developed engine produced 54 more kilowatts and 56Nm more torque (72hp and 41lb/ft) than the single overhead cam 190 engine. The extra fine sand Cosworth used to sand-cast the cylinder head was specially imported from Australia; it gave a finish so fine that machining was unnecessary in several locations. The 16V uses mechanical lifters instead of hydraulic, allowing the M102 2.3-litre (2299 cc) engine to develop 138kW (185 DIN horsepower) at 6200rpm. Torque was 199Nm (174lb/ft) at 4500rpm.

The European version of the 2.3-16 ran a 10.5:1 compression, versus 9.7:1 for the US version. European versions also had a higher red-line (7200rpm versus 6800 for the US) and also had a lower ratio rear axle, which gave higher top speed. The Euro version achieves its 138kW with the same displacement by using higher lift cams with longer duration and a free flowing exhaust. The serpentine Cosworth exhaust manifold created a problem for RHD markets, so these markets didn’t see the 16-valver until revisions were made in this area.

Acceleration was about eight seconds from zero to 100 kilometres per hour, and maximum speed with the standard 3.07 rear axle was 230kph.
Mercedes fitted a close ratio Getrag five-speed gearbox (top gear is 1:1), with a dog-leg first, and added a stopwatch, voltmeter and oil temperature gauge to the centre console. Self-levelling hydro pneumatic five-link rear suspension and ABS were part of the car’s excellent specification. Later models offered traction control and an electronic differential, which provided anything from 20 to 80 per cent lockup.

Evolution I and II models added self levelling to the front which, with the rear hydro-pneumatic, then gave the driver three different ride height adjustments – this was in 1988!

Three Points

In the spring following the announcement of this out of character Mercedes buzz-box, the world’s motoring press were treated to three significant discoveries on the same day. The first was that the new Nürburgring was dull and clinical, a shadow of its former self. In a celebrity race former champions Sir Jack Brabham, Phil Hill, John Surtees, Denny Hulme, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Alan Jones and Keke Rosberg – along with Stirling Moss, Carlos Reutemann, John Watson, Klaus Ludwig, Manfred Schute, Jacques Laffite, Udo Schutz, Hans Hermann, Elio de Angelis and Alain Prost – all of them driving brand new Mercedes 190 2.3-16s, were handed a sound beating by a young Brazilian, Ayrton Senna, a virtual unknown who had made his F1 debut just two months before.

the subsequent delivery of the 2.3-litre M102 engine marked a turning point in Cosworth’s history

Unlike the established stars, who were in a celebrity race for a bit of fun, as we later came to expect Senna took this opportunity to beat F1’s stars very seriously. Alain Prost took pole, but Senna took him out after half a lap and went on to win. It was the beginning of a new era in motor sport, not least because the third discovery was that Mercedes wanted to be seen as a players in motor sport, and had produced an excellent weapon with the 190 2.3-16.

It was five years later that Cosworth-AMG cars entered the DTM series (the German touring car championship), and the 16-valver was able to show its racing potential. Over the next five years the car won 50 races for Mercedes, taking several championships and creating many new German star drivers as late as 1993, its final competition season. Once the DTM ball was rolling, Mercedes continually updated the homologation of the 16-valve engine, along with new aerodynamics and parts, to keep its car competitive against the M3 BMWs and Audis.

In all, 17,037 2.3-litre 16-valve 190s were produced, until 1988 when Mercedes upgraded to the 2.5-16 using its stock 2.5-litre block and in-house manufacture of the Cosworth-type cylinder-head, complete with an automatic transmission option. Whilst the 190 2.3-16 Mercedes was never officially called the Cosworth, the name stuck, but pedants will tell you that only the earlier 2.3 is a true Cosworth, the 2.5 being made entirely in Germany. In total, 4784 2.5 models were produced before the model’s demise in 1992.

Evolution

The first W201 Evolution cars came in 1989 with larger wheels, and a year later the Evolution II had striking flared arches with 18-inch wheels, a larger front air-dam and ducting, and an air deflector above the rear screen cleaning up the air for a large boot-mounted wing, in total giving a drag co-efficient of 0.32. The Evo II had 168kW (225bhp) in road specification, and more importantly sported a special short-stroke version of the M102 block, along with a four counterweight forged steel crankshaft and a top speed of 250kph.

Over the next five years the car won 50 races for Mercedes, taking several championships and creating many new German star drivers as late as 1993

In all 502 examples of the Evo II were built before production ended on May 5, 1993, but not before the DTM cars were producing 283kW (380bhp) at a mind warping 10,000rpm – all normally aspirated and only 2498cc. About 1.8 million 190s were produced before the C-class replaced it in 1994. Whilst the standard 190 has yet to be acclaimed as a classic, a landmark car if ever there was one, the Cosworth, through its racing success and undoubted prowess as a road car, has carved a niche as a little gem for itself amongst aficionados of motor sport and Mercedes products.

German Marques

In New Zealand a couple of brothers, Ron and Evan Campbell, have such respect for the Mercedes-Benz marque that they decided to turn a road-going 2.3-16 into a Targa rally car which can double as a circuit racer. It is amazing that nobody has done this before, as the Cosworth-Mercedes has great weight distribution, superb handling and a tough drive train. Not content with one car, the Campbells have an identical 2.3-16 in immaculate condition (in spite of its incredibly high mileage) serving as an everyday drive car. This car was fortunate to inherit the full Recaro leather interior and electric driver’s seat, all faithfully reinstalled with the original factory looms by Ron, right down to the door-mounted controls from the rally car.

Evan buys and sells used, NZ-new European cars to the trade, and naturally has developed a great knowledge of the German marques and, in particular, has a soft spot for the Cosworth, with four examples to date passing through his business. Ron markets Dynatron, a vehicle security system that can not only immobilise your car but can, for a price, go as far as to track a vehicle’s movements as soon as it is tampered with, allowing a vehicle to be shut down and recovered before any further damage or loss occurs.

The Campbells both know all there is to know about the Cosworth-Merc, and have put together a package that is ideal for Targa and track. We tried both the road car and the Targa car around Pukekohe Park Raceway, which is not the ideal environment for either car in their current set-up, but we came away mightily impressed.

Jekyll and Hyde

The standard production car – with a staggering 357,000 kilometres on the clock – would have cost NZ$137,000 when new in 1986, and as such one would have expected it to be pretty good. It doesn’t disappoint; the Cosworth engine is tractable and well mannered at a gentlemanly pace, and the ride and handling – whilst firmer than a standard 190 – is composed and tight. It is when the car is extended that the bark from the 16-valve engine encourages you to press on and test its limits.

The engine is a joy to use, as is the gearbox until you really start pressing on. The brakes do all that is asked of them in a few laps of the circuit, but quick down-changes are an art to be mastered as the lever seems to get lost when you are hurrying down the ’box for the hairpin. Whilst the roll is controlled by normal standards, coming out of the hairpin the back becomes impatient and tries to get ahead – good fun and easily controlled.

With the rally set-up the car is slightly nose up, ideal for chucking at unknown corners

All of this is fixed in the competition car, which is one of the easiest, most vice-free cars I have driven on a circuit, even set up as it is with rally damping rates and springs. It was so good that after a few laps I could feel myself wanting to take liberties with it, and felt that at this point it was probably a good time to stop, whereas Ron riding in the left-hand seat was happy to see more action, and felt that I was starting to get into the groove!

The Difference

With the rally set-up the car is slightly nose up, ideal for chucking it at unknown corners, but mitigating against high speeds on the circuit. The Campbells have fitted a short throw gear linkage on this car, which improves the change out of recognition, and the roll and steering ratio which flustered the standard car on the track are all taken care of with strut braces front and rear, competition King springs (courtesy of Edgar and the team at George Stocks), Koni oil-filled adjustable dampers and a smaller steering wheel that makes the steering far more direct – thankfully the car still has power steering.

The 16-inch wheels come from the later C-class, now with 20mm spacers. Brakes are equipped Mintex pads all round, with big Brembo 292mm grooved rotors clamped by 500E four-pot ATE Teves callipers at the front, and two-pot 300E callipers with Brembo grooved rotors at the rear; all supplied by Race Brakes and an essential part of any competition car. For circuit racing the car is lowered another 75mm (more at the front) and the 900lb front springs give way to 1500lb, while at the rear they go up from 700lb to 900lb.

The wheel arch flares are superbly blended in and actually came from a MkI Golf, although the plan is to secure a genuine Evo II kit with all the bells and whistles before too long – 18-inch racing rubber is the only constraint! The roll cage by Mark Herbert is a superb piece of engineering, as is the fuel cell now in the boot, done almost entirely by the brothers in time for the last Dunlop Targa and now with 120 litres capacity – for endurance racing, perhaps? The whole car is very professionally prepared, giving a solid, reliable, manageable package that allows Ron and Evan to enjoy the driving and spirit of competition, knowing that this car will, like their road car, exceed all expectations.

And yes they both drive and, equally important, both navigate (although co-drive is probably a more appropriate term), with split times that are a hair’s breath apart be that on the circuit or on the Dunlop Targa

Road car 1986 Mercedes Benz 190E 2.3-16

Engine: Four in-line M102983
Valves: 16
Capacity: 2299cc
C/R: 10.5:1
Max power: 139kW (187bhp) @ 6200rpm
Max torque: 235Nm @ 4500rpm
Fuel system: Bosch KE Jetronic
Transmission: Five-speed Getrag
Suspension: Front Struts and lower A-arms; Rear Self levelling independent five-link
Brakes: Front Std W124 (300E) single pot sliding calliper; Rear Two-pot with solid disc
Final Drive: 3.07 LSD
Tyres: 205/55-15

Dimensions

Length: 4430mm
Width: 1706mm
Wheelbase: 2665mm
Height: 1361mm
Track F/R: 1445/1429mm
Fuel capacity: 70 litres
Weight: 1240kg (unladen)

Performance

Max speed: 240kph
0-100kph: 7.9secs
Economy: 10.5 litres per 100km

Race/Rally car 1986 Mercedes Benz 190E 2.3-16

Engine:Four in-line M102983, flowed head, race/rally cams, lightened, polished and blueprinted with blade faced crank and ARP rod bolts
Valves: 16
Capacity: 2299cc
C/R: 11.5:1
Max power: 194kW (260bhp) @ 5500rpm
Max torque: 290Nm @ 4800rpm
Fuel system: Revalved and machined Bosch KE
Transmission: Five peed Getrag with shift kit, Sachs paddle clutch
Suspension: Front Std struts and lower A-arms Koni adjustable with 300lb King springs; Rear five-link Koni oil adjustable with King 300lb coil springs
Brakes: Front Four-pot ATE callipers, Mintex pads grooved, vented Brembo discs; Rear Two-pot with grooved Brembo discs
Final Drive: 3.92, 3.46, 3.27 or 3.07. All 80% LSD
Tyres: 205/55-16 Dunlop DO2

Dimensions

Length: 4430mm
Width: 1706mm
Wheelbase: 2665mm
Height: 1361mm
Track F/R: 1485/1469mm
Fuel capacity: 120 litres
Weight: 1260kg (fully fuelled)

Performance

Max speed: 200kph (Targa gearing: 3.92 diff)
0-100kph: 6.1 seconds (3.92 Dif)
Economy: 33 litres per 100km – racing octane