Author Topic: Happy Birthday (Read 9044 times)

paults1 · « **on:** September 25, 2013, 12:13:32 »

My 230SL born this day Sept. 25. 1963.

Rolf-Dieter ✝︎ · « **Reply #1 on:** September 25, 2013, 16:12:54 »

paults1 · « **Reply #2 on:** September 26, 2013, 18:26:15 »

Thanks, I'll print it out on photo paper & hang it my garage.
Paul, '63 230sl born on 9/25/1963

J. Huber · « **Reply #3 on:** September 27, 2013, 13:17:38 »

Happy 50!

Now, without sounding too much like a "birther" -- I am curious what you are basing your actual day on? My car is also very close to turning the big 5-0 -- my data card has a stamped date of November 11 '63... Is that the official one? Or is there another? Thx. And take a nice Birthday Drive!

paults1 · « **Reply #4 on:** September 28, 2013, 02:04:36 »

It is the date hand stamped on the data card. This was discussed on a very old MB website, not available now.

Garry · « **Reply #5 on:** September 28, 2013, 02:32:19 »

I believe it was the date that the car came off the production line in Germany and if that is correct will infact be the correct birth date.

Happy Birthday to your car.

Here is mine for 10 Sep 1965

Garry

Flyair · « **Reply #6 on:** September 28, 2013, 06:04:07 »

If the production date is 10 sept 1965 and the delivery date 14 sept 1965 it shows that the car did not wait Long for her owner. The correction in date may mean that either the delivery took longer than expected or the buyer was... superstitious

280sl1968 · « **Reply #7 on:** September 28, 2013, 06:50:45 »

Quote from: Garry on September 28, 2013, 02:32:19

I believe it was the date that the car came off the production line in Germany and if that is correct will infact be the correct birth date.

Not wanting to steer this discussion too far away from the original post, but based on replies to another thread I started on confusing dates on my data card, I'm not sure if that is always true. The data in the Technical Manual shows production months based on serial number:

http://www.sl113.org/wiki/DataCard/USModelYear

These do not always correspond to the month of the date stamp on the data card - the difference can sometimes be a few months, as was the case with my car (Nov '67 vs Jan '68). Some have suggested that the date stamped at 'Übernahmetag' on the data card might better be described as the date of transfer to the dealer (or customer if a factory delivery). I think it translates as 'Acquisition Date' or, per the Technical Manual, 'Date of Delivery'

Not sure if the underlying data used to compile that Production Month table in the Tech Manual actually drills down to daily production by serial number. That would be interesting. Some posters on a German Pagoda forum seem to be quoting a specific production day for a particular serial number but I don't know where that information comes from.

David

Flyair · « **Reply #8 on:** September 28, 2013, 07:04:34 »

David,

Speaking of which....
I remember someone telling the story that at one point Pagodas were so much sought after that some dealers were acquiring these cars by dozens in order to be able to avoid long waiting periods for their clients (while probably making some extra fee

. In such a case the acquirer was probably the dealer and not the end buyer.

Garry · « **Reply #9 on:** September 28, 2013, 10:47:59 »

David,

In my case the cars production number 12948 aligns with a production of September and was picked up by the owner from the factory as a Tourist delivery at that time. Have you a data card that the production number is out of sync with the stamped date on the data card for the Übernahmetag ( 'acquisition date' according to Google translate) as I was of the understanding that these data cards were issued by the MB factory with each car and thus already stamped when they reached the dealer. Delivery could run from a day to a month depending on shipping

The question would then be, 'how does the MB Classic Centre get access to all the data cards for owners now that were stamped later after the car left the factory?

Or maybe they were individually stamped when the car left the factory as distinct from the production line. That means someone running around all the cars in a parking lot stamping them on or around the day they leave and copying the data card to microfisch, rather than when they came off the production line?

280sl1968 · « **Reply #10 on:** September 28, 2013, 12:06:08 »

Garry

What I imagined was that the data card was stamped by MB when the car left the factory gate. I suppose, much like modern car plants, the new vehicles might sometimes sit at the factory for a few weeks before being transported to the dealer.

My data card is here:

http://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=18587

Based on its serial number, it would have come off the production line in December 1967 (previous reference to November was my error - I assume the serial number shown in the Tech Manual table is the last produced in a month), but the date stamp is 18 Jan 1968. I had assumed this was when it left the factory on its way to the dealer.

There is another later typed date of 14 Sep 1968 which confuses things further, but I think that speaks to Flyair's point of waiting lists and dealers selling cars at a premium. I'm guessing the later date is when it was eventually sold/registered to the first owner.

It would be interesting to know if more detailed production schedules can be accessed at MB with regard to day of production. I'm sure that data would have been recorded at the time.

David

Flyair · « **Reply #11 on:** September 28, 2013, 18:09:38 »

my car is one of the latest to come out the production line (29798 born to this world in February 1971) and the Übernahmetag date is in April. As it is a US version that means it took two months to reach the buyer (BTW in Atlanta).

So the Übernahmetag cannot be the date when it was produced as no Pagoda was produced in April 1971 or after as far as I know.

280sl1968 · « **Reply #12 on:** September 28, 2013, 18:45:16 »

Stan

Is there a mistake in your VIN in your post? From the table in the Tech Manual, I read the last car produced as having VIN ending 023885.

Something doesn't quite add up in the table anyway. Total 1971 production was apparently 830 cars, but based on the VIN sequence, January production was 474 and February was 300, making 774 in total.

David

Flyair · « **Reply #13 on:** September 28, 2013, 19:04:19 »

David,
I mistakingly put 1972 instead of the obvious 1971. Thanks for pointing this out. Otherwise my car was the 88th if I count well from the last being produced.

As for the table not adding up, perhaps is some cars were made in December 1970 with the plaque showing 1971?

Rolf-Dieter ✝︎ · « **Reply #14 on:** September 28, 2013, 21:33:40 »

Quote from: Flyair on September 28, 2013, 18:09:38

So the Übernahmetag cannot be the date when it was produced as no Pagoda was produced in April 1971 or after as far as I know.

Correct Übernahmetag translated means Date when taken over (by purchaser)

Garry · « **Reply #15 on:** September 28, 2013, 21:51:22 »

I have asked the question to Tom Hansen at MB Classic Centre in CA as to when this date stamp is put on the data cards. I gather it is not on all cards as noted in the Tech Manual. Hopefully he can shed some light on it.

Garry · « **Reply #16 on:** September 30, 2013, 05:31:42 »

Tom Hanson, Mercedes Centre CA has answered the question that I asked.

Question "Do you know what the rubber stamped date against the Ubernahmetag box is. Group was having a discussion on whether it is done as last thing on the production line, or the date of delivery to the dealer or date sold to the customer."

Answer received from Tom
"When it's stamped, and most of them aren't, that's the date it left the assembly line"

So that answer will generate a mystery for some of you like Stan who has a date that does not align with the data that we have on the Tech Manual pages on production by months and year.

Can anyone clarify where that data came from and is it correct?

Garry

280sl1968 · « **Reply #17 on:** September 30, 2013, 10:00:09 »

Garry

The Daimler Classic Center in Germany gave me a similar response too, in their words, the car was "finished produced" on the date stamped.

Not sure how that ties to the data in the a Technical Manual. Your question re the source might help us answer some of the anomalies.

I wonder why every card wasn't date stamped.

David

Jordan · « **Reply #18 on:** September 30, 2013, 17:00:32 »

My card is date stamped 20 Okt, 1966. I better get off my ass and get myself, I mean my car, a birthday present. We have some celebrating to do.

Flyair · « **Reply #19 on:** September 30, 2013, 18:00:39 »

Jordan

Some strong liquid for both of you will be fine. How about some 100 Octans gas for your car and vintage whiskey for you. Obviously the must of the must would be to have the whiskey from your Pagoda production year

280sl1968 · « **Reply #20 on:** October 02, 2013, 12:47:57 »

Looks like we are back to square one with the date stamp on data card question.

I had a follow-up message from Daimler AG Archives & Collection after the message from the Classic Center in Germany that states:

"We regret inform you that we cannot tell you with sufficient reliability what “Übernahmetag” means exactly."

I still question whether the date stamp can be taken as a date of production given that :

i) it apparently wasn't stamped on all data cards; and
ii) the instances of a date discrepancy between the data card date stamp and the monthly production data by VIN number in the Technical Manual.

It would be useful to verify the underlying data used to compile the information in the Technical Manual. Maybe Daimler's Archives could help with this.

David

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Author Topic: Happy Birthday (Read 9044 times)

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