Mercedes-Benz Type W188 I 300S (7/52 - 8/55) or W188 II 300Sc (12/55 - 4/58) coupé / Washington D.C. USA / Easter 1982 / Camera: Argus "C-Forty-Four." The Argus (circa 1957) was a fully mechanical (no batteries!) rangefinder. This car was parked at the curb, and looked like it had not been moved in a long while.

Photo of a photo. Mercedes-Benz Type W108 and Type W111 comparison / 1994 / Camera: Pentax 6x7. Photos are from the book Mercedes-Benz Automobile Vom 190SL zum 300SL / Author: Heribert Hoffner / ISBN 3-405-12604-5.

Mercedes-Benz Type W126 sedan / The road sign may have confused the driver.

1966 Mercedes-Benz Type W111 230S / WWW / 1999

1989 Mercedes-Benz Type W124 300E / WWW / 2000

Mercedes-Benz Type W123 / Ruthin, Wales, UK / 1995 / Trivia: Ruthin is the town where John Lennon's first wife Cynthia was from. The town had a nice restaurant that we visited three nights in a row.  Note the "L" sticker in the rear window, which signifies the driver is Learning.

Mercedes-Benz Type W124 wagon / Invergarry, Scotland, UK / June 1995

1957 Mercedes-Benz Type W121 190 Ponton sedan. My first classic Benz! Purchased from the ninth owner on June 17, 1989. Featured a Webasto sliding sunroof, and the original Blaupunkt "Frankfurt" tube radio (AM/FM/LW). Location: George Eastman House / Camera: Pentax 6x7 / Rochester, NY / June 17, 1989. Sold the car June 24, 2016.

1966 Mercedes-Benz Type W108 250S sedan. This Autobahn cruiser spent its first 29 years in Tucson, Arizona before being driven to the northeast US during the summer of 1995. Purchased September 1, 1995 / Photo: July 4, 2012 / Camera: LG cell phone

1989 Mercedes-Benz Type W124 260E / Purchased June 2, 1999 with 102,057 miles on the odometer. Photo taken in Italy Valley (south of Naples, New York) on October 29, 2000. The original owner was a woman from Pittsford, New York. It was sold new by the Holtz Mercedes-Benz dealership in Rochester. The original window sticker price was just over $40,000. Camera: Nikon Coolpix 990. As of October 2017, it had 177,404 miles, which was an average of 4,100 miles per year since 1999.

1982 Mercedes-Benz Type W123 240D / Had 291,000 miles as of December 2002. The diesel engine was overhauled in November 2001 at 275,000 miles. The car was originally sold by the Mercedes-Benz Manhattan, Inc. dealership in New York City. The window sticker price was $22,303. Camera: Nikon Coolpix 990. Purchased on September 28, 2001 with 273,546 miles. Drove it until June 11, 2008 when it had 361,846 miles.

1999 Mercedes-Benz SLK230 Kompressor (tag: W21-6170) / July 25, 2023 / Camera: iPhone 13

My buddy Larry Hansen (d.) purchased this 1999 R170 SLK230 roadster in February 2003 with 15,000 miles on the clock at a cost of $25,000. At the time, he noted that DB548 "Firemist Red Metallic" paint was originally a $600 extra-cost option. The SLK features an automatic folding steel roof that disappears into the trunk. Under the hood is a four-cylinder, 2.3 liter (2295 cc), 193 bhp supercharged engine.

The SLK was liberated from Larry's estate for $3,750 on October 17, 2018 with 59,505 miles on the odometer. Of course, it needed minor things, but overall it had been well maintained. For the duration of my custodianship (Oct. 17, 2018 – Apr. 22, 2026), all operating expenses were split 50-50 with an investment partner.

The "W21-6170" tag was Larry's reference to the Mercedes-Benz W196S (streamliner) 300SLR (№ 722 / with W21-6170 tag) that won the 1955 Mille Miglia. Larry (a consummate, lifelong Mercedes-Benz aficionado) obtained that vanity tag for the SLK a few years earlier, and we got it back when proof of his demise was presented to the NYS DMV.

Mainly due to only driving it a few times each spring, summer, and fall, on April 19, 2026, I listed it on Craigslist for $7,900. Two days after posting the advert, I got an email from an interested party who included a phone number. I set up a time to meet, and we showed him the car that same night, and closed the deal the following day—April 22, 2026. So, it was listed for three days, and it was g-o-n-e! The 89 year old gentleman who bought the car never dickered on the price, and paid in C-notes. The odometer read 62,353 miles, so it had been driven 2,848 miles since October 2018, for an average of 356 miles/year.

Mercedes-Benz 300SLR (№ 722 / tag: W21-6170) Winner 1955 Mille Miglia