In the rearview mirror this morning of my 1957 VW Beetle I glanced at my wife in her '69 280SL only to see the car smoking and rapidly being consumed in a huge cloud of white smoke as she pulled to the shoulder off the highway, 30 mins from home. We were on our way to German Car Day at the Lars Anderson Museum of Transportation in Brookline MA. I knew this was not good. I got out and opened the hood. The engine seemed "highway hot" but not over heated. Nothing was leaking/dripping from the engine. The smoke that I saw, dissipated quickly, and did not smell of oil.
I am thinking head gasket.
The engine turned a tad when I turned the key so it is not seized. We called AAA and a flatbed was there in 20 minutes. Luckily, we were just 2 exits away from a highly competent Benz shop that we had used 2 years prior, so we put the car there, dropped the keys in the slot, and went to the lawn event in my VW and had a nice day in spite. Our mechanic is VERY good, and knows the old cars well. Will call him in the morning and give him the scoop. My wife said the car about a minute before "started making like a grinding noise" and lost power quickly. She thinks that the engine was still running when she pulled it over and shut it down. The smoke dissipating quickly tells me coolant, not oil. We have had it 7 years and it has always run very well.
Thoughts? We are hoping for the be$t....
