CLASSIC CARS
SINGLE MALTS
Unlike Any Other
West with the Sun
James Nicholls assesses the best Mercedes-Benz classics available on the market today Photo by Karin Linz/Classic Throttle Shop
O
Built for speed: the 300SLR
ne of the great automotive brands, and certainly one of the most popular in Hong Kong, is Mercedes-Benz. The f irst Mercedes-Benz branded car appeared in 1926, though the company has antecedents going back into the 19th Century. Truly a world leader in reputation for build-quality and long life, Mercedes-Benz has produced a number of legendary vehicles that have attained the classic appellation. Some of these models carrying the three-pointed star badge are perhaps beyond the reach of all but a select few, but there are still some exceptional classic vehicles available to a wider audience. Perhaps we should start with one of all the time greats, the 300SL. The 300SL (Sport Light) was born out of the manufacturer’s racing heritage and in particular the highly successful W194. When introduced in 1952, the W194 won at the Le Mans 24 Hour Race and in Mexico’s Carrera Panamericana, and became one of the most famous racing Mercedes Benz cars of all time when it won the 1955 Mille Miglia. The 300SLR, driven by Stirling Moss and navigator Dennis Jenkinson, still holds the record for the fastest Mille Miglia in history, just under 10 hours 8 Minutes, at an average speed of 157.651 km/h! This phenomenal car had the number 722 as this was the time – 7.22am – that it crossed the start line in Brescia, Northern Italy. By 1954, the 300SLR had given birth to the road-going 300SL, more commonly known as the ‘Gullwing’ in its coupe form, due to its distinctive doors opening from the roof on account of the design of its weight-saving tubular chassis. The Gullwing and the later roadster version were capable of achieving over 250 km/h, which was extraordinarily fast for the time, and were the first production cars to be fitted with fuel injection. These fabled cars with sculpted aerodynamics were incredibly popular in the USA. Now they are incredibly popular the world over and due to limited numbers (1400 coupes and 1858 roadsters) of production are now very rare and correspondingly expensive. The 300SL coupe was available from 1954 to 1957, 14
HK Golfer・Jun/Jul 2009
while the 300SL roadster was introduced in 1957 and ceased production in 1963. Built at the same time (1955 – 1963) is what can perhaps be regarded at the 300SL Roadster’s little brother, the 190SL. Not as fast, not as extreme looking as the six-cylinder 300SL, the four-cylinder 190SL is still a very desirable car. Nearly 26,000 of this model were built, so it is a car that is much easier to find and, as at the time, is much cheaper to buy. In the mid-1950s, a 190SL cost DM16,500 while a 300SL would set you back DM32,500. Being a Mercedes, of course, it is incredibly well built and it should be possible to find a car in good condition and at the right price. A direct descendent of the 300 lineage can be found with the SL Pagoda, so called because of its optional hard top resembling a pagoda-style roof. To make the SL a commercial success and compete with cars such as the Jaguar E Type, Mercedes needed a new car – the 300SL was just too expensive and the 190SL did not really cut it in the speed stakes. The 230SL was an instant classic the day it rolled off the production line in 1963 – and it still is today. Its elegant styling, craftsmanship and all-round practicality make this model, also available in 250 and 280 versions, very desirable, especially in the larger engine 280SL format. There are plenty of them about, they were built like tanks, can readily be found in original right hand drive, usually come with a hard top as well as a soft top, have power-steering and very often have automatic transmission. Another fabled Mercedes is the 280SE 3.5. Try and find a really good two-door coupe or cabriolet of the ‘Fintail’ (W111) production series (1959 – 1968) and make sure it is the 3.5 litre V8 engine car. There is great attention to detail and a very high level of engineering and quality. Well-equipped with power-steering, electric windows, leather upholstery and polished wood, you immediately know that you are in a very special car indeed. One final thing to remember to look out for when purchasing the best classic Mercedes-Benz you can find and afford: make sure that it still has its original Becker radio. HKGOLFERMAGAZINE.COM
Sea, salt and peat – John Bruce explores the unique malts of Islay
F
a med Scottish author, Iain Banks, was delighted to discover upon landing in Port Ellen on Islay that the first road sign he encountered was made up one hundred per cent of distillery names: Ardbeg to the right and Bowmore to the left. However, the significance of the distilleries is unremarkable given that this small island is home to eight distilleries: Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Bunnahabhain, Bruichladdich, Bowmore and Kilchoman. One only has to taste an Islay whisky once to recognize the fundamental influence on the taste. As a vegetarian I appreciate the value of a good vegetable stock a nd as a ny e n c yc l o p e d i a w i l l i n form you, peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter and it is also the primary f lavour of all Islay malts. I suppose that, like bird’s nest soup, the ingredients are secondary to the flavour. Last ed it ion I promised an excursion to Islay, and I could devote whole chapters to each of the unique malts of this windswept island. But, editors being the dictatorial types that they are, I am limited to a few hundred words to describe these nectars of the isles. Forced to choose, I shall pay brief but devout homage to only two of them, but I would encourage any lover of malt whisky to devote some time to all of them; something which I promise will be no hardship. Actually two is an appropriate number as Islay exhibits many divisions both historical and geographical that one cannot avoid as HKGOLFERMAGAZINE.COM
exemplified by the following tale. A great friend of mine, Stewart Saunders, once told me of the grand hospitality he and his wife Mhairi were enjoying at a small bed and breakfast on Islay while over visiting friends. Every morning they were greeted with a glorious breakfast, beaming smiles and benedictions both in the house and at the local shop. Until, that is, they let slip that their friends from the western side of the island were Campbells, at which point rationing was reintroduced, smiles were rarer than Tory councillors in Glasgow and the newspaper was always sold out. Islay, you see, has seen the great rivalry between the Campbells and the MacDonalds played out down the centuries and the clans neither forget nor forgive. When talking of Islay malts it is impossible to ignore the giant that is Laphroaig. Distilled on the southern tip of the island this is perhaps the malt whisky that engenders the strongest feelings in the whisky drinking population. Some love it, but far more are repelled by the intensity of the Laphroaig experience. Distilled from t he nat u ra l ly brown spring waters of the island, redolent of the salt spray that blows i n f rom t he o cea n and suffused with the flavour of peat, it in fact bears very little resemblance to any malt from the Scottish mainland. Personally, I was no great lover of Laphroaig until an older, more dedicated hedonist guided me in the only way to appreciate t h is unique malt. Water is a must and not the wee sprinkle that one might temper a Speyside malt with. Laphroaig demands a minimum of “the same again” and perhaps even a tiny bit more. Try this and be amazed; the overpowering giant becomes an avuncular companion of the evening. Heading north and east, although no great distance, one encounters the distillery of Caol Ila, the Gaelic name for the Sound of Islay and the home of one of my very favourite malt whiskies. Malt from the maltings at Port Ellen, water from Loch Nam Ban and a traditional distilling process produce a whisky that has accompanied me on many an evening of delight. The 18-year-old is truly infused with echoes of sea, salt and peat along with that certain “dinnae ken what” that combine to produce a magnificent whisky which, if Stewart had thought to bring a bottle, could even unite the clans. HK Golfer・Jun/Jul 2009
15