Topic: British near London meet

[adamb]

Welcome to 2012 British W116 owners! It's time for the inaugural Mercedes W116 meet-up somewhere near London.  We can celebrate the 40th anniversary of our favourite motors. Location to be agreed based on the whereabouts of the participants.

I propose Saturday 3rd of March. Meet in the morning at about 11 am, look at cars, share stories.

Lunch about 1-2pm. After lunch go for a drive, possibly in each others cars? After all, how often do you get to enjoy your W116 from the comfort of the rear bench?

No need to come in a W116 if you can't.

Looking forward to your responses.

[calvin streeting]

Should be good for me

bigest Q is where?

[Type17]

Wow, I’d love to make that, but it’s a 3.5 hour ferry trip and about 300 miles… 


…so be sure and take loads of pictures! 

[gavin116]

Hi Adam

Sounds great, suits better than late January when we were originally planning as I would have probably come in the Audi not the Benz. (Although I do not mind meeting with you and Calvin late this January in addition to the "London meet".)  That date seems fine to me, but I do need to be back home by 5pm as I have the theatre that night with a couple of friends.

I was thinking what better place to have our first meet than at the Mercedes Benz Brooklands Centre in Wheybridge.  We could also take a look at the cars on display in the museum (only been once, and never saw a W116, but there were a few R107's, and quite a few other pre and post W116 cars), and we could perhaps get the museum curator to come and look at our cars too!

We could also contact the Mercedes Benz Club UK (I am a member: good benefits for car part discounts and also insurance discount, so worth while being a member, not to mention the monthly gazette etc.) to promote the date, and see just how many W116's we can muster?

Regards

Gavin

[bronzy935]

Yes I'm available: January or March.
Mercedes World at Brooklands is good for me.
1979 450 SEL # 7074

[littlefin]

Sounds like a great idea. Brooklands is good for me too. My W116 is currently 'under the knife' but hopefully will be driveable again by March. I can always come in something else if needs be, although I don't usually get the older cars out during the winter months due to road salt etc.
The 'old' cars at Brooklands generally belong to Mercedes Benz Club members and are rotated periodically. I don't know what's there at the moment, I haven't been there since a MB Club event in June 2011. There's always plenty of good stuff to see though!

[adamb]

So, Brooklands it is. I was thinking Duxford myself but we can do that the next time. January is now proving difficult for me so have a great meet-up if it goes ahead. I think a W116 meeting, if we get a good showing, will be something unique in the UK. We might get some publications interested in a feature. Lets see how many responses we get and if enough then I'll do some emailing.

[marku]

Brooklands would be fine although I will not have the 116 back together by then. When I was at MB World in October I did point out the glaring omission of the 116. It didn't even feature in the display of models from the beginning to the present day. Perhaps a concerted effort could get this rectified.

[littlefin]

We could also contact the Mercedes Benz Club UK (I am a member: good benefits for car part discounts and also insurance discount, so worth while being a member, not to mention the monthly gazette etc.) to promote the date, and see just how many W116's we can muster?

Hi Gavin

I'm also a member of the UK MB Club...if you were to volunteer to become "Model Register Captain" for the W116 (situation currently vacant) you could use the MB Club's resources to promote the event    but then it would cease to be an ORG meeting 
Recent MB Club forum chat was remarking on how few W116's turn up to their club events, although Club records apparently show members own 300+ W116's   

[marku]

Well I did volunteer as W116 Model Register Captain if no one else was prepared to do it (I was currently a register captain) but could not get a definitive answer so I gave  up. Certainly the previous incumbent did nothing for the model. I did feel it was indicative of the favouritism shown to certain models while those like the 116 are unfairly ignored. I do not think that the MB Club should be approached  as then it would as you say not be an W116 Org event, I do not think the Club should have a monopoly on these events and more importantly it would exclude those who are not members for one reason or another but who are simply enthusiasts for the model.

[Type17]

In my local MB club, there is a (minor, light-hearted) running joke about those who own 4-door cars, versus those with the (in their owners’ opinion) more desirable 2-door cars.


The 114, 123, 126 and 116 owners agree that we have the same quality and engines, and most of the handling for less than half the price simply because we have twice the doors 

[gavin116]

Hi Little Fin

I have never actually used the MB club for anything other than getting a small discount on parts and my motor insurance.  I do read the gazette every month though.  I have no idea what the model captain's job involves, nevertheless, I am happy that Mark has stepped up to take the position.  (Perhaps when we meet it can all be explained to me.  I do know that I need my car appraised at some stage to get an agreed value for the insurance.)  I am off this next Wednesday, so I will take a drive down to the Brooklands centre and see what can be organised/offered for our "116.org" day.  I shall let you all know.  I was rather hoping for a few more UK org members to respond, but I suppose from small beginnings...

Gavin

[littlefin]

Hi Marku

Sorry, I hadn't made the connection between you posting here & "over there". 

It strikes me as a little odd that they didn't take up your offer to be W116 Register Captain, since you are already one, and so know what the job entails and what the responsibilites are. You are still V-Class Captain I take it?
Do you attend MBC events regularly? I only ask because a. I haven't been to many in the last few years myself and b. I find the 'management' can be a bit sniffy towards people they don't know personally sometimes. I would have thought they would have been grateful for the offer personally.
The only other candidates who showed any interest (on the MB Forum at least) were Irish members who wouldn't have been able to attend many UK mainland events. If I were you I would contact Red Mackinnon again, or better still come to RAF Hendon on Sunday 18th March - weather permitting  - and speak with him face-to-face.

[pal]

If I'm not sent abroad to teach I will be there!
So far my calendar is clear.
Cheers

[marku]

The operative phrase was 'if no one else would do it'. As I was already a register captain I waited some weeks after the vacancy was posted and only did so because I thought it a great shame that no one in the club was prepared to stand up for the 116. My offer was accepted on the basis that it would probably fall to me by default. The MB Club is an impressive organization with many people who work hard to make it so but it does have a tendency to bias toward some models and against others which ranges from indifference to outright predjudice. After some weeks nothing had been resolved and so as I took this to be verging on official indifference I withdrew my offer in protest and the vacancy is still unfilled.

My point in posting all this was that nothing was to be gained by making the meeting 'official'. There is no point of contact with the club for the 116, it would exclude some and probably deter others. We have a great facility in 116.org with encouragement and technical help that is global, something that the club cannot begin to offer. Better to keep it informal and see how it grows.