MB and SLS only offers them in black.
And interior bits are only in black, too--and have been for many years.
John--
Good to know. When did they change the interior bits from all black regardless of interior color, to matching?
The photo I posted was my
own car, prior to restoration; January '69 production.
The value of originality is real. The challenge is, the definition is being stretched as the value goes up. This is not always intentional, because parts and paint or whatever may have been changed 30, 40 or yes, even nearly 50 years ago on some 230s. Those changes look original, but are not. As Brian Peters (Motoring Investments) notes on one of his holy grail cars:
...mostly original cars are in a class by themselves. Forty plus year old cars which have essentially “time traveled” to the present with most of their parts and finishes intact are quite rare, more rare than most people suspect. This is because it takes someone who has seen many, many examples of the same model to develop the ability to look at a car and determine what is original and what was redone albeit redone very, very well. Or, redone a very long time ago (just because paint is faded and falling off does not mean that it is original).I particularly like his last line. Memories fade over time, and when a car changes hands unless its documented provenance is included, it's a difficult task indeed to prove or claim originality. There are far more claims of originality that are realistically or practically possible. That's my opinion. A car with 40+ year old tires, belts, hoses, wires and essential electrical bits, all working? Possible yes, but bring a trailer, or don't drive it far.
