Fangio and the 6.9
- Thread starter Oversize
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- Thread Starter
- #83
Oh and some thoughts re Stirling Moss & reports he was there at the 6.9 launch.
The pic in this thread clearly shows Moss at Emu Bottom. However the regos visible in the background indicate this was taken years later.
Plus Fangio appeared unflustered in a suit however Moss was clearly overheating with his top removed. That indicates different temperatures when the pix were taken. Clearly Moss was involved in something rather taxing which made him overheat. Reports from Hedley the owner of Emu Bottom suggested starting a Silver Arrow which is possible. Seems the location was popular with MB , since it was rather private and secluded. Driving a 6.9 (even at elevated speeds) would not make a driver so hot since the car is fitted with AC.
Lastly if Moss was there with Fangio the media would’ve taken pix with them together, since they were good mates and obviously Moss was a popular character with huge media interest.
The pic in this thread clearly shows Moss at Emu Bottom. However the regos visible in the background indicate this was taken years later.
Plus Fangio appeared unflustered in a suit however Moss was clearly overheating with his top removed. That indicates different temperatures when the pix were taken. Clearly Moss was involved in something rather taxing which made him overheat. Reports from Hedley the owner of Emu Bottom suggested starting a Silver Arrow which is possible. Seems the location was popular with MB , since it was rather private and secluded. Driving a 6.9 (even at elevated speeds) would not make a driver so hot since the car is fitted with AC.
Lastly if Moss was there with Fangio the media would’ve taken pix with them together, since they were good mates and obviously Moss was a popular character with huge media interest.
If I recall, it was owned by a member of Topklasse… I’m sure the Godfather would remember!
Mark, you have gone to some extraordinary lengths to providing all this vintage information and the great pictures. Whilst not wishing to be negative of your work and also the venerable Classic model the 6.9 can be perceived for, it saddens me to see the 6.9 to be neglected to the extent to which it is by the parent Company. There has obviously been considerable and perhaps evidence as to the sad state of many of these magnificent cars being allowed to degenerate to nothing more than " scrap", and some of that blame needs to be sheathed home to Mercedes Benz in Germany. If one could purchase suspension parts for a "reasonable" price ,it would provide owners with the necessary encouragement to actually save these cars, but the cost is punishing.
Problems were evident even back in 2005 when I attended Mercedes Classic Days in Salzburg. There were hordes of Gullwings, Adenauer Saloons and Coupes, yet I only ever saw one 6.9, and not a solitary 6.3 nor, for that matter, a 600. Maybe the writing was on the wall even then. Sad. Regards Styria
Problems were evident even back in 2005 when I attended Mercedes Classic Days in Salzburg. There were hordes of Gullwings, Adenauer Saloons and Coupes, yet I only ever saw one 6.9, and not a solitary 6.3 nor, for that matter, a 600. Maybe the writing was on the wall even then. Sad. Regards Styria
- Thread Starter
- #94
Well it is an interesting balancing act if you consider the business plan. MB are in the business of selling cars. Anyone with the cash to spend $1.5M on a car is unlikely to keep it more than 5 years before upgrading. So maintaining that vehicle after that time isn’t of immediate concern to the company.
However they do need to consider how to attract various buyers to the brand instead of the competition....
I don’t think MB should abandon their heritage since that’s one of the reasons they retain their good(ish) reputation. They should be supporting older cars especially their hero models, well beyond their normal life cycle. One of the reasons I was attracted to the brand was the availability of parts for almost any model despite their age. Now many parts are NLA & they’ve even gone to the lengths of deleting part numbers from the EPC making it even harder to source old parts. This fact diminishes my faith in the brand.
Unfortunately they dropped the ball post W140 when cost of manufacture became a major consideration. Quality & reputation clearly suffered & they’ve struggled to repair the damage ever since.
However they do need to consider how to attract various buyers to the brand instead of the competition....
I don’t think MB should abandon their heritage since that’s one of the reasons they retain their good(ish) reputation. They should be supporting older cars especially their hero models, well beyond their normal life cycle. One of the reasons I was attracted to the brand was the availability of parts for almost any model despite their age. Now many parts are NLA & they’ve even gone to the lengths of deleting part numbers from the EPC making it even harder to source old parts. This fact diminishes my faith in the brand.
Unfortunately they dropped the ball post W140 when cost of manufacture became a major consideration. Quality & reputation clearly suffered & they’ve struggled to repair the damage ever since.
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Patrick_R
Grand Master
Yep, accountants designing cars instead of engineers is never a good thing.
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- #96
I think I’ve come to the end of the road regarding my research into this event. However there will be more (hopefully good) news regarding the sale of the car & it’s new owner! I look forward to the day the car is returned to her former glory.
FYI yes I still have the maintenance books & even an original rego label which link the rego plates to the VIN.
FYI yes I still have the maintenance books & even an original rego label which link the rego plates to the VIN.
- Thread Starter
- #98
Actually no the Fangio car had a later VIN (see Skye in my signature). I can’t view or edit that on my phone for some reason.
I believe the earliest offical Aussie car was previously owned by Tim Woods & was a flat blue colour. It was a 1976 model with compliance in 1978. First owned by Mercedes with the rego AYZ442 and VIN ending in 1432.
So I suspect Tim’s old car was used as a test vehicle before compliance was granted & it was eventually registered.
I suspect MB decided to give Fangio & the media the later car since it had the full wood veneer treatment, unlike to earlier versions. It is also likely it had less kms than the 1976 test vehicle.
I believe the earliest offical Aussie car was previously owned by Tim Woods & was a flat blue colour. It was a 1976 model with compliance in 1978. First owned by Mercedes with the rego AYZ442 and VIN ending in 1432.
So I suspect Tim’s old car was used as a test vehicle before compliance was granted & it was eventually registered.
I suspect MB decided to give Fangio & the media the later car since it had the full wood veneer treatment, unlike to earlier versions. It is also likely it had less kms than the 1976 test vehicle.
- Thread Starter
- #99
Digging through some old pix now!! I’d been trying to find these for years....
Skye not long after purchase (13/04/2003). This was just before I transitioned to a digital camera, so the next ones will be better quality.
Skye not long after purchase (13/04/2003). This was just before I transitioned to a digital camera, so the next ones will be better quality.
- Thread Starter
- #100
Spotted this special car at Motorex 2023! I believe it's the same car Brabham used in the demo race with Fangio at Sandown 10/09/1978, which was the day before Fangio helped release the Aussie 6.9 to the media.
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