[Aditya]

Mercedes-Benz has completed 120 years in motorsport. Incidentally, 2014 is also the first time the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team has won the World Constructors' Championship in Formula 1. To mark the two milestones, the company organised Living 120 years of Motorsport, an exclusive parade of classic Mercedes-Benz cars. The parade were flagged off from Nariman Point in Mumbai and drove to Kala Nagar, Bandra and back via Haji Ali, Worli Sea Face and Bandra-Worli Sea Link.



The cars assembled at Nariman Point, opposite NCPA.

Let's start with a car that's familiar across Team-BHP - the mole's Ponton:




















I absolutely adore old Mercs - all of them! But, if there's one that I would have to point at and say, "This car has stolen my heart", it would be this delightful Pagoda:

[Aditya]

The showstopper of the event was undoubtedly this grand and stunning Nurburg, driven by BHPian xtreme power:























Another car from xtreme power's stable - the gigantic, all-conquering Unimog:

[Aditya]

Some comparatively modern SLs:














A pristine 560 SEC (another of my personal favourites):

[Aditya]

Classic sedans and estates:






























My favourite S-Class of all time? Probably:




An E-Class convertible:






A picture of the line-up before the flag off:

[Aditya]

Some present-day Mercs:

[Aditya]

The flag off:

[Aditya]

Some images of the drive:






































Living with a classic is no joke. These cars require a lot of TLC and patience. This ol' girl overheated on the way back. A 10-minute break, some fresh water in the radiator and she was on her way:


This immaculate W114 driven by Kaizad and Harry ran like a dream. They just stopped to help:




It's seldom that one gets to see so many classic Mercs together at one place. Some of these models are ones I grew up seeing. They have left a lasting impression on my mind and heart. Couple that with a number of familiar faces and this was a Sunday morning well spent.

[Aditya]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to Vintage Cars & Classics in India!

[FINTAIL]

Let me do the honours-

Pretty much most of the cars have been seen before. Most of us here are familiar with-

A} BML/8998- TheMoles Ponton. Quite possibly the oldest diesel Ponton surviving in India. Bombay regd, 1956. Simply stunning, as usual.

B} CNW/4999- This one is an ex-Calcutta Ponton. Team BHPian owned.

I'm seeing the green W120 for the first time.

C}MRX/5914- Gawd! This W111 Fintail is gorgeous and how!

D}BML/7841- Owned by a certain Poona based collector. Must've driven down. As mint, as they come. In black!

E} MFA/250- That 240TD is something, mind you! (As an aside, the number is quite similar to MAF/350, a certain car in Pune!)

F} BLN/5005- That W124 is owned by Jatin.

G} BRB/1273- That Nurburg is a piece of art, a masterpiece! BRB is Gaya, Bihar. So, this car is originally from Bihar.

MZE/2003- W116 was for sale a few years back.

Some new cars here and there. Some regulars. A successful event, as is evident.

Oh! yes. The only BMW regd. car is a Merc. A 170V at that.

[the mole]

Aditya great job with the coverage. You summed it up beautiful. If you are a classic mercedes fan and did not show up for the event,Boy! You missed a chance to rub fenders with some of the most amazing classic mercedes Benz cars in India. Some of them left me gawking for more. A big thank you to Mercedes and autocar and a bunch of enthusiasts ( you know who you are) who made this happen. I was also very happy to see the Managing Director of mercedes Mr Eberhard Kern and his wife personally taking interest and admiring the cars and chatting with the owners. It Mercedes seems finally decided to pummel their way through into the Indian market on the back of their long heritage here!

I don't have the calibre of pictures that Aditya has put up. However I will put up just one of the cockpit view of the event from my car!

[Aditya]

Mercedes-Benz has sent in three more pictures.

Here's Mr. Eberhard Kern, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India flagging off the parade:


Th cars on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link:


Led by the SLS AMG:

[Seventhgear]

Thank you for sharing some great snaps.Some of the cars were very well maintained and had great paint jobs on them.

Sure these exotic are showered with lots of TLC by their respective owners and it shows.It was nice to see the evolution of the designs through the ages.But have to say that all the designs are beauties right to the present day ones.

Though couldn't make out from the pics..but weren't the crowd thin for such an occasion.shortage of merc lovers eh?

[latentpotential]

Thanks for these pics! These plus the night time pics by Dippy make for a good visual treat indeed.

I tried hard to be there for the parade as a viewer, however other priorities prevailed, and I missed the Unimog perhaps the most. These are in my opinion one of the most interesting 'different' vehicles anywhere today.

[mbz180]

Originally Posted by FINTAIL

Let me do the honours-

Pretty much most of the cars have been seen before. Most of us here are familiar with-

I'm seeing the green W120 for the first time.

FINTAIL, small correction - the green Ponton is not a W120 i.e. a 180, but a W180, i.e. a 220S and that too with the highly desirable Webasto sliding top.

Out of the regular cars covered on Bhp was another Ponton, the ivory 180a, though I'm not sure whether the owner is a member of Bhp.

[Praveen92]

So glad to see all the pics finally !!
Disheartening that I missed it ..