Sometimes the weather gods are kind to you. When you let loose this saying on the annual Mercedes-Benz event of Klaas de Poel and his crew in Surhuisterveen, then there is a 100% match. Also on September 1st everything is right. A great organization, hospitality, excellent catering facilities, the reunion with old acquaintances and a record number of Mercedes-Benz owners know how to find their way to the De Poel stables. And they all bring stars and sunbeams. Star Cars & Coffee has started.
I park the Volvo at around 13.15:XNUMX PM at the other side of the event. I let the sounds of Diana Ross sink in, and walk around the corner. There I see a familiar image. The stream of visitors is guided in the right direction, cyclists are given priority, and in the meantime there is time for a chat with Asmes. I have known him for years. He tells me that the relentless stream of Benzes - despite the announced starting time of 13.00:XNUMX - already took shape from eleven o'clock. The collection of Benzes consists of examples I know. Many owners also visit Star Cars & Coffee for the first time. We can also see that from the import license plates, which start with the last letters of the alphabet. And great: the visitors come from far and wide, and even from across the country's borders. And not only that: they also set a record, because never before have there been more than four hundred cars on display during the event.
As always, there is no distinction in Mercedes-Benz outfit. Classic, older youngsters and very young specimens drive in a convoy onto the terrain. The drivers are welcomed by the ever enthusiastic Henk Mulder; you really don't have to explain to him which type of Mercedes-Benz and which model slowly passes by him. Beautiful, year in year out he is one of the defining people during Star Cars & Coffee. And always approachable.
Of course I also speak to Klaas and his wife Epke. I speak to Asmes, and other crew members. And there are Liesbeth and Johannes, and it is also nice to meet Peter van Wijk again. His tough daughter Anouk is also there. A few moments earlier she directs the Mercedes-Benz 220 CDI (five tons on the clock, top condition) to one of the spots on the flooded terrain. Yes, it is such a day. It is right. It is right again.
A good and always valuable habit is that I visit a booth with miniatures during an event. This is also the case now, because in Surhuisterveen every lover of miniature models will find what he or she wants. Of course, the main part of the offer is provided by Mercedes-Benz. But my gaze reaches further for a moment. I fall in love with a 1:18 NOREV scale model of the Peugeot 104 GR, the model I have such a soft spot for. But the sellers also have a nice range of Saab models in 1:43 in stock. From the museum in Trollhättan, the place where the very last Saab 96 built ended up. The great Erik Carlsson drove the car there himself. And this car, in a 43-scaled form and including the correct total production number (from model 92 to 96) on the windshield, is irresistible. Of course I buy this collector's item. And not least because I recently said yes to the Saab 96 GL V4 Super from 1978. This must be so, coincidence does not exist.
I am delighted, am in Swedish (or rather: Finnish) mood for a moment, am looking forward to the arrival of my Saab, but return to the Benz world. Upon my arrival, Asmes Douwes told me that there is also a very special Mercedes-Benz W115 present. The car belongs to the German Strich/8 club, and Udo Langenberg and his wife arrived with it a few hours earlier. This Mercedes-Benz 220 wears a special shade: all available paint colours from the W114/W115 history have been applied to it, including the colour number and colour name. Different tastes are also visible within the interior.
You will read the story about the car in the magazine in due course, but a hint is that the car is part of a large school project, where the mechanics and sprayers of the future showed how much talent they have. The Benz does not wear a drop of paint wrong, you don't know what you see. And you won't either, when the Benz appears in AMK. For me, the car is the crowd puller of the event, and not just for me.
Whether it is a coincidence or not: the examples from the W114/W115 series attract the most attention. There are some pearls among them, and somehow the Strich/8 series is also always the source of my sympathy for the Benz brand. The cause goes back to the early seventies, when our neighbours covered the kilometres in a 220 D. But that is not all: I once again conclude that the W114/W115 series is one of the most harmonious in the history of the brand. And that is confirmed when I look inside the collection of Klaas de Poel. Especially the kareol red 220D (March 1974) with 25.506 kilometres on the counter is a jewel of a Benz, although for example the 240 D in Ahorngelb with sliding roof also scores high.
Prizes are also given to special cars, regardless of condition. Klaas and I search for a few candidates, and among other things we come across a special W124. At first glance you don't see anything special about it, but under the hood lies the secret: it hides a generator of more than 400 DIN hp, a turbo has been installed and the basis is an engine from the E500/500E. Then you know. A beautiful and very early 190 also wins a prize. I myself find a beautiful W115 from 1975 (original Dutch registration) my favorite, and this Benz is also a prize-winner.
The event is coming to an end, the after-party is long and is accompanied by unpretentiousness, fries, a special hamburger bun and cool colas. It fits so well in the atmosphere of these Star Cars & Coffee events. These have been characterized for years by organizational quality, respect for each other's property, hospitality and accessibility. It seems organic and self-evident, but it never is. And therein lies the greatest compliment you can give the organizers. The organizers, who can once again add a great, record-breaking and Benz-worthy event to their account. And that is a major achievement year in, year out.
