My Dad's Merc

[Tosh]

I know Derrick Wells quite well - he's looked after my C class and my Pagoda for ages. Was the car in "his" barn - ie the shed opposite his shop? Have a feeling I've seen the car in there - alongside a very slow resto of a 3.5SE Coupe owned by a chap in HK

[decapman]

Yup that's the one
I do wonder why my dad bought the taxi spec car and not something cool like the SE coupe or a convertible, what was he thinking?
However he did buy a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow with Gold plated Spirit of ecstasy from a Lebanese businessman some years later.

Driving through the old Dartford tunnel when it was 50p to go through he found himself with No cash on him at all , apart from a single 50 pence piece.

So he rocks up at the auto pay booth, casually flips the 50p bit out the leccy window, whereupon after tracing a graceful arc it bounces off the lip of the tray, falls to the ground and rolls under the car.
So there he is scrabbling around trying to reach the coin which had lain to rest equidistant under the centre of the car, a queue of irate rush hour motorists honking at the tight wad in the Roller fussing over a lost 50p.

Had us in stiches when he told us that one.

[Ian Gunney]

108's are great - the old man bought a two owner '69 280SE which had been picked up from the factory when new as the first owner didn't want anyone else to drive it. Really classy cars.

[912uk]

I am still looking for a tow bar for mine if you old man comes across one Ian.

I thought I had one from Dave Collins but he said he had scrapped the shell once he stripped it and the tow bar and the car are in the metal yard.

[jamie]

Beautiful car. I grew up in Caterham and remember Rose and Young (and Bell and Colvill, and the row of scabby garages where they used to build Caterham 7s).

[decapman]

Jamie
Really Caterham?
I lived in Buxton Lane for quite a time and went to deStafford
Used to walk past Caterham cars when they were on the hill on my way to primary school
I recall Rose and Young having a mint 190sl once fully restored at £16000 which was serious money in the 1980s
And how we all used to lust after the cars at Bell and Colvill, Lotus dealer and I think Alfa too

[decapman]

Great picture 912!