300 SL - No Good Bye Forever

I just found this article in an old issue of Motor Revue (1989). Fritz B. Busch, one of the best known car journalists and also museum owner in Germany, writes about the Mercedes 300 SL (R107). Now, this alone probably wouldn't be worth a blog note. But let me quote (and translate) Mr. Busch: "... before I had closed the door the girl asked: What do you think, will this car become an oldtimer? I wasn't unprepared. It was the same question my neighbour had asked before, my friends and others, including my wife Liane. ... It was the question that was in the air. I answered with a clear nodding and said 'that's for granted'. Because this car does have only two seats, a fabric top, more than 24 meters of chrome and it is a Mercedes. ... 'one day people will bow in front of this car like they do it with a Gullwing.' ...". And so on. What is interesting that Mr. Busch wrote this article in 1989, the last year the car was produced. Today, we look back 21 years, and the car is an established classic car. And interestingly, at least in Germany, the 300 SL fetches the highest prices of all the R107 series, more than the 8 cylinders and more than the early models. So Mr. Busch was at least partially right, and none of the R107 successors will be able to redo what the R107 300 SL has achieved, I bet. Only the future can tell, though.