We're the Poor Cousins of the Mercedes Classic Family

[ctaylor738]

The Gullwing Group (300sl roadsters and gullwing coupes and SLSs) will hold its annual convention April 10-14 in Ojai California.

From the GWG blog:

"Mike [Kunz, head of the Classic Center] has offered to receive 300SL’s & SLS shipped to California for the Convention in April at the MB Classic Center in Long Beach. Pre-Convention service work could be done there on 300SLs and perhaps SLS’s as well ... Mike needs to know how many cars will be shipped to the Classic Center."

Cheers,

CT

[mmizesko]

Even though he praised our group in a video when he took over at the Classic Center, Mike Kunz never returned my 6 calls for sponsorship for PagodaFest last year.  I guess he's not that impressed with us.

Mike Mizesko

[Benz Dr.]

No, I suppose not. Have we ever asked what we would need to do to become more worthy?

[mmizesko]

Dan,

I have not. I suspect we should spend lots more money there on restos.

Mike

[ctaylor738]

They did cough up $500 for PUB 2017.  The guy I worked with was constantin.von_kageneck@mbusa.com.

CT

[Cees Klumper]

Even though he praised our group in a video when he took over at the Classic Center, Mike Kunz never returned my 6 calls for sponsorship for PagodaFest last year.  I guess he's not that impressed with us.

Mike Mizesko

That was my experience in 2002 or thereabouts. I think it's because there are a ton of already-approved Pagoda clubs worldwide, they have no appetite for another one that, in addition, does not fit their 'one country, one club' model that is kind of linked to their importer/dealer network that is per-country. At least this is how it was back then and could be still now.

[mdsalemi]

I don’t think much has changed since Cees’ assessment.

I think we do just fine by ourselves.

At this point with a down and out MBCA, there’s nothing they could really offer us.

I don’t know what official welcoming from the Mercedes classic would mean either. Maybe some of our members who are in the 190 SL group or the Gull Wing group could answer that.

Constantin Von Kageneck left the Classic Center in June, 2020. He had been there for about 10 years in a few positions.

[zoegrlh]

Speaking of the down and out of MBCA, they have gotten themselves in a mess and is hoping that members can bail them out. I will not renew my membership with them when time to renew. I have been a long time member of the AACA, a great run organization. MBCA could learn a thing or two from AACA.

[su8pack1]

Interesting, it's shame that the various MB clubs can't stick together. MBCA is a far cry from what it used to be as well as The Star magazine. I've been a member since I got my SL back in 1982, and just renewed for 3 years before the big dues increase which will probably be my last unless they can turn things around and make The Star more interesting.

[MikeSimon]

Side question: I am not really that much of a Mercedes Guy, what exactly is a "SLS"?

[mdsalemi]

Side question: I am not really that much of a Mercedes Guy, what exactly is a "SLS"?

“Spiritual successor to the 300SL”

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_SLS_AMG

[rwmastel]

Interesting, it's shame that the various MB clubs can't stick together. MBCA is a far cry from what it used to be as well as The Star magazine.

When shopping for my Pagoda in 1999, I was frustrated with MBCA's terrible mail list system, or maybe they were on some goofy primitive web forum.  (I still don't like what they have.)  Either way, not many active users, and basically no Pagods owners sharing advice or information.  I started reaching out to Pagoda owners that I found on other MB enthusiast forums and started exchanging emails.  A couple years later, critical mass had been achieved and this Group was formed.

I imagine that "vacuums" of knowledge were a major factor in starting every clup/group, including MBCA.

[mdsalemi]

When shopping for my Pagoda in 1999, I was frustrated with MBCA's terrible mail list system, or maybe they were on some goofy primitive web forum.  (I still don't like what they have.)  Either way, not many active users, and basically no Pagods owners sharing advice or information.  I started reaching out to Pagoda owners that I found on other MB enthusiast forums and started exchanging emails.  A couple years later, critical mass had been achieved and this Group was formed.

I imagine that "vacuums" of knowledge were a major factor in starting every clup/group, including MBCA.

The MBCA website has always been problematic. I am not an IT guy, nor am I a database specialist. But I do know one of their issues was they wanted a one stop solution to do everything. That is, maintain the face of the club with a website, provide all that a website does for its members, as well as manage all of the internal club functions having to do with their tens of thousands of members at the time. Something tells me that that was not a great idea. When they redid the website a few years ago, they started with an obsolete build of Drupal software, which only got worse as it took a very long time to complete. At least two of the executive directors refused to consider any professional assistance outside of their home area. I’m just not guessing that Colorado Springs is a hot bed of database or website engineering. And look where they are now…

At one time, maybe 15 or 20 years ago there was a very active MBCA forum, divided into different categories much like we are. The categories were generally the different models. The forums essentially were killed. Some active MBCA members attempted to create their own forum, and this effort was squashed. So there’s nothing. I used to visit the W113 section regularly. So did Joe Alexander, Pete Lesler, and other people from our own group here. So the forum was reasonably robust at one time before they killed it. Back in 2011, our Michigan section hosted a national board meeting and at that board meeting, the Mercedes-Benz representative highlighted how bad the website was and wanted to help fund it rebuilding. I don’t know whatever happened with that but probably nothing… The website only got worse.

Very glad you did what you did Rodd else we probably wouldn’t be here!!

[neelyrc]

Just today I received an email from MBCA apologizing for any inconvenience experienced with their site as they are redeveloping it.  The saga continues!

[UJJ]

FYI, the MBCA website is currently under construction.

[rwmastel]

Interesting, it's shame that the various MB clubs can't stick together.

Im not sure what you mean by stick together.  Survive?

In my short stint on MBCA's national board, I keep encouraging them to pick a focus, both a focused demographic and a focused menu of services.  They try to do all things for all MB enthusiasts, and that's hard.  And, they've been saying for years that the people (members) are the most important thing, yet they can't provide a nice user forum to help users connect.  Disappointing.  Single model clubs like ours, the long established successful forums, and the social media MB enthusiast groups in the last 10 years have been stealing MBCA members a log time.

[su8pack1]

Im not sure what you mean by stick together.  Survive?

In my short stint on MBCA's national board, I keep encouraging them to pick a focus, both a focused demographic and a focused menu of services.  They try to do all things for all MB enthusiasts, and that's hard.  And, they've been saying for years that the people (members) are the most important thing, yet they can't provide a nice user forum to help users connect.  Disappointing.  Single model clubs like ours, the long established successful forums, and the social media MB enthusiast groups in the last 10 years have been stealing MBCA members a log time.

The AACA is a club for all makes as long as they're 25 years or older, and they do very well, I attend many of their events. My interest, and my opinion is that most of the MB enthusiast members are not that interested in the EV's, SUV's, F1, and the very newest MB cars, and I don't mean owning ones as many do. Just my opinion as that is where I fall, and what I see at our local MB chapter events and get togethers.

[mdsalemi]

Im not sure what you mean by stick together…

In my short stint on MBCA's national board, I keep encouraging them…they try to do all things for all MB enthusiasts…yet they can't provide a nice user forum to help users connect.

Nothing wrong with catering to the marque instead of a model. Many car clubs do this pretty well. PCA, BMWCCA, FCA, ACNA etc. They all have challenges but nothing like the MBCA.

MBCA did have a nice forum once. They killed it because they wanted it run under the software that was doing EVERYTHING. We have here, modified forum software that does forums well. That wouldn’t fit the program.

Your “encouragement” was probably viewed as some kind of affront to an established way that the powers in command were not interested in hearing about. You were one of many…

Dan Caron, Dr. Benz held a FABULOUS “Meeting of the Clans” in 2006. Many car clubs came together. Some of the Concours around the country provide events where clubs from various marques can and do work together. It just takes a friendly commitment, and “champions” who want to make it work!