Longest trip in your Pagoda?

[rwmastel]

I believe we have a thread on getting stranded or breaking down in our Pagodas, but when I read a message from Doug Kim about his recent trip to Alaska and how it's a "mercedes-free zone" it made me think about long road trips.  

What's the farthest you have travelled in your Pagoda?

My personal long distance trip is only about 150 miles round trip at most.

Rodd
1966 230SL Euro
1994 E420

[Cees Klumper]

My longest trip would be either Amsterdam-Normandy (France)-Amsterdam (maybe 1,500 miles round-trip) and, in one day, Amsterdam-Stuttgart-Amsterdam (I suppose around 700 miles, did this twice). I'm sure others can 'beat' this easily?

Cees Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic

[George Davis]

2002: Portland, Oregon to Monterey, California and back, 1800 miles (2900 km).
2003: Portland to Palo Alto, CA and back, 1600 miles (2600 km), top down all the way.

George Davis
'69 280 SL Euro manual

[blairwag]

Well, likely everyone's got me beat :-(
My longest is south Jersey to north Jersey - only about 140 miles.
Bit I enjoyed every sweet minute of it ;-)

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
William Blair Wagner: blairwag@earthlink.net
Education is not always knowing the answer,
...but rather knowing where to look for it!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Bob G ✝︎]

1969 a trip with my parents and small sister to San Francisco across HWY 5 guess who had the jump seat? Luggage on the roof rack and trunk and the sun beating in through the back window of the hard top. It wasn't until we got to San Francisco that it cooled down. We took a trip to the local Mercedes-Benz dealership and I noticed the cars had higher ground clearance now I now why.
At the bay area a load of fresh BMW Sedans waiting to be sent to their dealerships Oh how my heart goes out for days like that again, just this time My wife and I will be doing the driving alone.

Bob Geco
1968 280SL

[pkiefert]

About four years after getting the car and before I started worrying about expensive repairs, a spur of the moment trip to Miami Beach from Wash. DC.  About 2200 miles round trip, but I liked the beach so much, the trip extended into almost 3 months so whatever extra driving that included. Never had a safe place to leave the hardtop so didnt get to cruise topless. The only problem in all that time was the fuel hose from tank to pump leaked and I lost two gas tank loads before I realized someone wasn't just siphoning it out. You can't beat that hummmm from the motor/exhaust, it never gets monotonous!

[Naj ✝︎]

Just done 1350 miles roundtrip attending the German MB-SL Club Pagode rally in Heidelberg.
Down from London to Dover and on a ferry to Calais in France. Then thru Belgium and Luxembourg to Germany.
The 280 SL ran without fault. We took a scenic country route using minor roads thru little towns and villages. Good fun driving - It can pull 80mph in third around 6k rpm and on to over 100mph in 4th.
Average fuel consumption 18mpg (US gal.)
Oil consumption 1 liter per 500 miles
naj

naj
'Kloines Scheisserle'
65 230SL
68 280SL

[isofast]

I drove my 1969 280 four speed from the Chatahoochee (spelling) river in Georgia USA. Back to Chicago Il. USA. about 700 or so miles I think...two weeks ago when I bought it. I had a lot of fun after I came to know that the car was ok in every way.

First Place AACA Show Winner 350SL August 2003
I love low mile car's.
1969 280 4spd

[pembash]

Last May, I drove 2100 miles in my 1970 280SL from New Mexico to Maryland. It was a beautiful drive except that my alternator gave way which luckily was available in Little Rock.
pembash
1970 White 280SL

[Klaus]

In 2002, I drove from West New York, NJ to Key Largo [Florida], excursions to Key West [FL] and Naples [FL]. Total miles roundtrip 3400 in 10 days [5500 km]. No problems, afterward had oil change at Wolfgang's and he said it has been a long time since a W113 came in for nothing but an oil change.
This year, the farthest was from West New York to Cincinnati, OH and back via Dayton, Columbus (to participate in the Tech Meet at Joe Alexanders)and Gettysburg. Total miles rountrip 1500 [2400 km] in 9 days.
Klaus

[Albert-230SL]

Last September, for the 2002 Mercedes-Benz Classic Days in Luxembourg, I drove 2848 km (1780 miles) in 6 days, together with 4 other car members of the Spanish MB Club (250 SL, 220 SEb Cabrio, and two 190 SL). We did the return trip from Luxembourg to Barcelona (1150 km / 719 miles) in one stretch, soft-top down the entire time, of course!

No problems, and I realized the low fuel consumption it could reach when driving on the highway at legal speeds (110-130 km/h / 69-81 mph)... the average consumption of the travel was: 10.8 l/100 km (21.8 mpg), and 1 oil liter per 1000 km (625 miles).
I tend to drive my car on secondary roads and highway at higher speed, and then the fuel consumption is around 13 l/100 km (18.1 mpg).

Just a funny comment from the travel: one of the 190 SL owners noticed the difference in handling between the 190 SL and the Pagoda when he tried to follow me during a twisty stage of the rally (and he is an amateur rally driver of current cars!)... After the experience (and some problems both 190 SL suffered during the travel) he has bought a Pagoda to take part in the 2003 Mercedes-Benz Classic Days, in Salzburg (Austria)!  

Regards,

Albert de la Torre Chavalera
Barcelona (Catalunya/Spain)
Feb.'64 230 SL Euro 113042-10-002432

[Ben]

Well i use my 230SL as a daily driver, more or less. Just the week before last the weather was great and I used it for all my business trips. I did 880miles/1420km's in one week, and just topped up the oil once !

Last year, before I did my engine rebuild, I did 750miles/1200km's in one day !

I absolutely love driving this car and the exhaust note is pure magic !

Regards,
Ben in Ireland.
'64 230SL 4sp.

[Joe]

Today, I took a 1.5 mile (2.4 KM) trip to the alignment shop and back. Car ran OK, but idles poorly. This bests my previous longest trip (Friday: 0.7 mile, 1.1 KM).
I hope to get a longer trip in before the summer ends, perhaps as long as ten miles (16 KM)!. To do that, I need a tune up and a new license plate. My plate expired in 2000.
Joe

[n/a]

I use mine every weekend, where ever it takes me!!! (or doesn``t take me as it died last week...had the ignition command unit changed, among a few other things).....and drove about 300 miles.....a normal weekend!!!!!!
But my choice is easy, the Pagoda or.....a rental car...oh gosh I hate rental cars...

Fabrice
Silver 1971 280 SL
New York City

[n/a]

Question to George Davis....
(nothing mysoginist in my question...I love women!!!)
top down all the way...were you on youe owr or with girlfriend/spouse/whatever ??
the reason I ask, is that I am the one top down in winter (just need a nice VERY thick cashemere turtle neck ), but whenever I am with my girlfriend, even in august she wants top up[!]...
If you``ve driven with 'her', how do you 'educate' her to be topdown?? :?:  :?:  :?:    :?:  :?:  :?:

Fabrice
Silver 1971 280 SL
New York City

[George Davis]

Fabrice,

on the "top down all the way" trip my wife was with me and found the trip generally enjoyable.  We both hated driving on the freeways around the SF bay area, but that wasn't the car's fault.  The biggest concern is the hair-do.  The wind messes it up, and a hat ruins it, too, so when the hair-do really matters, top down is not the way to go.  Perhaps all you need is a large, very effective wind-blocker?

George Davis
'69 280 SL Euro manual

[Albert-230SL]

About the soft-top down issue and the hair-do... What about a glamorous headscarf    in the style of Grace Kelly and her 190 SL... instead a modern wind screen on the car  :evil: ?

When I did that long trip to Luxembourg last September, we went 5 cars together, and because of both 190 SL, we were travelling at speeds of 110 km/h (69 mph) during some part of the trip, when the speed limit was 120-130 km/h. Driving soft-top down, even at such speed you can enjoy the travel and the speed: you feel something... For me it's another advantage of the Pagoda: lower risk of fines!
In a good modern car on the highway, you only feel something from 160-180 or even 200 km/h (100-112-125 mph)... under the risk of a huge fine. I would fall asleep driving an E320 at 110 km/h (69 mph) more than 30 minutes!

Regards,

Albert de la Torre Chavalera
Barcelona (Catalunya/Spain)
Feb.'64 230 SL Euro 113042-10-002432

[Gerhard]

Longest trip was in August, during my vacation (10days) I drove approx. 2500km [1,500 miles]. All that time top down  and beautiful weather. The wife wasn't to keen on driving top down all the time but when we came home she warned me not to sell my 230SL. In short she's addicted to the car and driving top down.
On one of the camping sites I managed to do some grease work :?:  on the front wheels. Managed an avg. of 8km/l.



Gerhard
1965 230SL

[ghenne]

2000 miles in one week. We entered the New England 1000. It was 500 miles each way to get to the Rally, and another 1000 miles in the Rally itself. The car ran beautifully the whole way. I drove the car pretty hard in the Rally itself, including hill climbs and race track sessions. We finished 2nd in class!

[Dick M]

Just returned from 450 mile trip from our California Sierrra gold country through Napa Valley wine area.  Unfortunately We had to keep the cloth top up as it was in the high 90 deg F. temperature....no AC.  Car temperature fluctuated from 180 up to 200 pulling hills and waiting in traffic.  Amazingly the car got almost 18 mpg. and used a half quart of oil.  Car performed without a hitch.

My wife... not a top down no AC fan... kept cool with a water spray bottle and wet cloth..

Dick M
1970 280SL

[bpossel]

I just purchased my '71 280SL in Sedona, AZ. and drove it home to Memphis, TN.  approx. 1,400+ miles.  Keep the air-conditioner off, speed at 65-70MPH, temp held at 180, sometimes moving slightly above.  Car drove nicely!  A bit in the cabin however....
Proud new owner!

[France]

Well, I can't beat many of you.  I took Sarasota's Little Red Truck (alias Carling) on her first "big" trip in mid-winter.  That's the prime top-down time in Florida, after the real cold is over (yes, it does get almost freezing in winter!) and before the stifling humidity sets in.  We went 70 to 90 mph up Highway 75 all the way to Gainesville, a round trip of about 500 miles counting all the poking into interesting surrounding areas.  She performed beautifully.

As to the hairdo question, although I have tried Albert's Grace Kelly method (you really have a thing for Audrey and Grace, don't you?), I prefer to just let my long hair stream in the wind and sort it out when I arrive.  Tell your women to apply Paul Mitchell Extra Body Daily Boost to the roots.  You get that kinda Brittney Spears smooth-spiky look... Or she could try a motorcycle helmet...[:0] but I don't think it would look as good in transit!

Trice
1968 280SL US, signal/bl leather, auto

[Albert-230SL]

quote:Originally posted by France

... although I have tried Albert's Grace Kelly method (you really have a thing for Audrey and Grace, don't you?...

Yes, you caught me!... :oops: ...  But I think is not so rare...  

Besides these 190 SL (Grace) and Pagoda (Audrey) coincidences, they are two of my favourites actresses.

Regards

Albert de la Torre Chavalera
Barcelona (Catalunya/Spain)
Feb.'64 230 SL Euro 113042-10-002432