Hi Ulf
I agree with you that any comments like that are always a generalization. But that's what I have found. In general...:-)
That car from a little old lady probably isn't representative of how a true enthusiast on either side of the Atlantic or Pacific
treats their P1800. I also know about many horror stories of European collectors who buy a cheap Pagoda sight-unseen from some unscrupulous sellers in the US and then are surprised when all the "rust free" claims turn out not to be true. Since I originally grew up in Berlin I have a good insight into what was important to German owners of "Oldtimers". In 2000 I attended the Pagoda meet in Berlin with well over 100 w113 parked together at the Mercedes Niederlassung in downtown Berlin. It was big affair and owners proudly displayed their shiny, well-running cars. But, barely a few of them displayed their cars with the hood open and of those not many had done much work to the engine bay in terms of cosmetic work. Even a "top notch" Pagoda displayed inside that had been restored and serviced by Mercedes themselves, was not as exciting as one would have wished. Is this a generalization? Yes. But, I think the emphasis lies elsewhere with these collectors. Sometimes, I have even seen Pagodas for sale proudly claiming:" Everything replaced. All new panels and floors, welded in at great expense, factory exchange engine and such. Whereas few people here would dare to make those claims....
I think I have a good idea why too. Traditionally a nice, fancy car in a European family 30 or 40 years ago, was driven as a primary vehicle on crowded, salted roads, all year round, often parked under a lamp post at night. Whereas in the US, collectors (especially in California) were already starting to own three and four cars, stored in a garage and driven and cared for carefully from the day they left the dealer (especially if the were European cars :-)
....(although my Grandfather, who was also originally German, bought one of the first Mercedes after the War and he would often complain about how badly it shifted (automatic transmission) and how underpowered the car was, compared to the Lincolns and Cadillacs he apparently preferred. From his perspective, I'm sure there was some truth to it... :-)
