For generations, the cars have been considered among the world's best in terms of quality and durability. Since 2019, Mercedes-Benz is a company under Daimler AG.
In the autumn, we will see these pickups without disguise (Photo: terjesbiler.no).
On my way south on Autopista 7 at the height of Figueres in Spain, I spotted a motorcade at high speed. I think they were driving between 160-180 km/h.
I was around 100-110 myself. Isuzu D-Max, I thought at first. But the pickups seemed bigger. Maybe Nissan Navarra? I didn't have an "aha" experience then and there. But once at home, I did a bit of "research" online and found one of "my" cars in AutoBild. There, they have photographed car number two, - the one located right at the rear of the tanker in the picture above. "S 2233 DCB".
It's the Mercedes-Benz X-Class.
Now it is no secret that Mercedes-Benz has been working on a pickup project. The concept car has been presented on several occasions earlier this year. The funny thing was that I did not manage to connect the disguised cars to this project as they passed. Admittedly, I observed a rather "massive" front part, even though it was covered. But the back end? It looks quite ordinary. Where did the cool light fixture that was supposed to span the entire rear end go? I note a slight curvature of the lights at the top. It looks promising. I also like the "crack" at the rear side window.
In the thought process of figuring out what these cars really were, I quickly dismissed the D-Max. First of all, it has already come out in a new edition. Secondly, the Isuzus are not as stable on the road at such speeds. Indeed it was the which made me think of something more expensive. The road attitude. These pickups don't just take you all the way up to the hunting lodge in the mountains. They are also proper highway cruisers.
But the idea of Nissan Navarra was not too far from the truth, as Mercedes-Benz has developed the X-Class in collaboration with Nissan. Perhaps Nissan could also have reaped benefits from such a collaboration? I only managed to take a couple of pictures before the entourage disappeared. As mentioned, they arrived at a h…… speed.
19 inch AMG rims, gills on the sides and chrome side spoilers.
The aggressive Panamericana grille with vertical ribs roars: "Move over to the right, you idiot!".
Facelifted GT series
The Mercedes-Benz AMG GT coupé with a fixed roof has been on the market since 2014. The Roadster version since 2016. Then all the GTs got a facelift. Most noticeable is the aggressive Panamericana grille with vertical slats that roar "move over to the right, you idiot!". In addition, all the engine variants got more horsepower. It is not easy to keep track of all the variants. The coupé - the one with a fixed roof - is available in three versions: GT with 476 HP, GT S with 522 HP and GT R with 585 HP. The Roadster is offered as a "regular" GT with 476 HP and GT C with 557 HP. All with a 4-liter twin-turbo V8, so-called front-mounted mid-engine with a 7-speed AMG Speedshift double-clutch automatic. In addition, there are rumors that a GT C variant with a fixed roof will also be available. 4-wheel drive is not offered.
Vertical ribs on all AMG GT models from 2017 onwards.
Wolf in wolf's clothing
Engine-wise, the GT C lies between the GT S and the GT R. The rawhide GT R is said to have been created to compete with the Porsche GTR. What visually distinguishes the GT C Roadster from the other GTs is the front spoiler and the side spoilers, which on the pictured car are chrome-plated. Furthermore, the GT C has widened rear fenders to make room for larger and wider rear wheels. There are 20-inch wheels at the rear and 19-inch wheels at the front. The angle of the side spoilers reinforces the muscular impression. Compared to its predecessor, the AMG SLS, AMG has created a design that looks more like a supercar. The SLS is a good car, but lacks the supercar look. Supercars shouldn't look like upgraded, regular cars. They must not be anonymous. They must be wolves in wolves' clothing.
There is also the sound. If you can afford this car, you must bring the exhaust sound package. I think it's more than just acoustics. The V8 basically sounds quite good, but it can be set so that the exhaust disappears faster, a little less muffled. Enough to make it sound tough. It will sound really harsh if you also change the engine control to "Race". You can of course also change the suspension/damping individually, - as well as much more via the infotainment system.
Above the AMG badge is the spoiler that can be raised from the cockpit.
585 HP and 680 Nm from 1900 revolutions means that 0-100 can be covered in 3.7 seconds and the top speed is 316 km/h. It is of course of more theoretical interest. The equipment list includes, among other things, rear wheel steering. Dynamic Plus package gives access to the "Race" setting. The canopy folds down in 11 seconds at speeds up to 50 km/h. The model pictured had a white and black leather interior. It goes well with the gray color. The AMG rims and the red brake calipers don't spoil either. Prices for the GT C start at just over NOK 2 million. The exhibition model had additional equipment for almost 300. German prices start around 000 million.
Meanwhile, rumors of a 4-door AMG GT…
The white interior is inviting.
Piano varnish (optional) is recommended, otherwise there may be a bit too much shiny aluminium. Steering wheel in leather/alcantara.
20-inchers at the rear and 19 at the front. The chrome side spoiler reinforces the roadster look.
Engine is M100 6,3 V8 with approx. 250 HP, - or as Rolls-Royce would say: "Enough!".
When I was at the Classic Car Show at Exporama earlier this month, I took note of cars that are not only nice, but also rare.
Arnardo's Mercedes
I believe this is the only Mercedes-Benz 600 type W100 in Norway with Norwegian history. The golden grin suited the colorful circus director well. Just as well as it suited former Hollywood stars and oil sheikhs in the Gulf. In 1972, 172 examples of this beautiful car were produced, one of which ended up in Norway thanks to Arnardo.
The Mercedes-Benz W100 was produced between 1963-81 and was never replaced. Many claim that Maybach took up the legacy several years later. I disagree with that. The W100 is a unique chapter in automotive history.
Difficult to get far enough away to get the whole car into the picture. 5,54 meters long, 2,5 tonnes heavy.
Beautiful 300SE done in ivory white with matching steering wheel.
S-class
Lined up near Arnardo's huge battleship, the "Finn-Mercedes" W112 seems a little small, even though it represented the S-Class of the time. However, the 300 SE with a 3 liter inline six is no small car. I don't know if this car has Norwegian history, but such a car, with automatic transmission and air suspension as standard, would probably belong to a ship owner, or something like that. Therefore, early S-Class is a rare commodity... in Norway, that is.
Nice with chrome.
A low waistline and large glass surfaces are typical of the era.
Lamborghini Espada 400GT
Lamborghini has lived through several eras, and one can of course debate which one is the best. If I were to choose the most beautiful, I think it would have to be the Miura and then the Espada, - both from the first years of the car brand's history, and represented at the exhibition. I was able to take some pictures of the Espada. I've probably never been so close to an Espada before. It was a car that adorned posters in the boys' room and that the car magazines in the seventies wrote about - but that very few ever got to see up close.
A low center line and large glass surfaces were typical of the time. With a front-mounted engine and 4 seats, the Espada was not the toughest car in its class. It could still kick off with a 3,9 liter V12 and approximately 350 horses.
The Espada was made in 3 series from 1968 until bankruptcy in 1978. The model on display is probably a series-II car. You can see it in the design of the dashboard. Later, the radio was moved closer to the driver. I allow myself to be fascinated by the beautiful interior, which - after all these years - can surely be re-stitched.
The interior is typical for SII with wooden insets. Beautiful, but unfortunate placement of the radio.Magnesium rims from Campagnolo - who probably make the most beautiful wheels in the world.
Beautiful and very rare car for collectors around the world.
Iso Grifo
Admittedly, the Lamborghini Espada is a rare car, but the Iso Grifo is even rarer. Extremely rare! It was only built in 413 examples, and it is said that they were built without any kind of rust protection, so several examples must have already been turned into crackers.
Iso Grifo only made one model, based on a Chevy powertrain (5,4 V8), as well as a beautiful body designed by Giugiaro while at Bertone, - a design I would without a doubt place in the top 5 most beautiful. This was actually the first time I have seen an Iso Grifo with my own eyes. It amazes me how classic and timeless this car is.
I wonder if there were more people than me who first became aware of this great car brand through the world of toy cars. For the initiated, both Corgi Toys and Matchbox had Iso Grifo in their model program, – and the advertisements for these were read with wide eyes. I see that it is still possible to buy them on Ebay.
From this angle, one senses a certain resemblance to the Corvette.
A completely original Tatraplan with an assumed all-Swedish history.
Tatra plane
Talk about being ahead of its time!
This futuristic and streamlined spaceship was created in the 30s. The pictured model is probably from between 1949 and 1952. As it has old Swedish plates, I assume it also has Swedish history. I don't think Tatraplan was ever imported to Norway.
This is truly the "Back to the Future" car. It is extremely aerodynamic for its time, and brings to mind a spaceship with its small "stabilizer fin" growing out of the roof backwards above the engine cover. I think the show car would have looked best with the bonnet closed. But on the other hand, - how often do you get to look into the engine compartment of a Tatraplan? Common 4-cylinder rear engine solution, certainly not unlike the one we eventually saw in the later Skoda MB. But subsequent Tatras – the 603 – built in the communist era had air-cooled V8 engines placed in the rear. It was probably not just for the pleasure of the party pamps. I'm sure it must have been a great time for Czech engineers too.
Imagine if Audi had stepped in earlier and saved this fine car.
The forerunner of the Audi 100 C4?
The NSU Ro80 also belongs in the rare car department, although it is not as rare as some of the other cars featured here. The NSU Ro80 was sold in Norway through the NSU dealers and I remember seeing a couple of them on the road.
When I see it in the showroom, it reminded me of an Audi 100 C4 that I owned in the 90s. I would have thought that the same designer was behind both the Ro80 and the C4, but it's not official, although the designer behind the Ro80 worked for Audi after they bought NSU.
Unfortunately, the Ro80 was only known for its engine problems. The Wankel engines were probably not properly tested before they were put into production. It is said that whenever two Ro80 owners met each other on the road, they would show their fingers the number of times they had changed engines. However, the problem has long since been identified and fixed, so that today's Ro80 owners are unlikely to have to point fingers at each other.
It's a shame that such a fine car should end up in disrepute. I'm sure if NSU had more capital behind them, they would have offered an alternative engine offer during the life of the model, or had the wankel engine fixed.
Beautiful, beastly and rare.
Fiat 130 Coupé
There were two Fiat 130s on display, a sedan and a coupé. The two are totally different. The coupé has a typical late 70s feel, and seems to have been developed 10 years after the sedan version. I've always been fascinated by the coupe version, but have only seen a few in real life. For several years the car magazines "Motor" and "Nå bil-ekstra" had full-page advertisements for the Fiat 130 and 130 Coupé. But there was no one on the road. At least not the significantly more expensive coupe.
The coupe has some similarities to the sedan, but nothing visible. Not a single piece of sheet metal. Nothing of the interior. Pininfarina redesigned the entire car from the inside out. What these cars have in common is related to the chassis, suspension and brakes. The engines are different. The sedan has a 2,9 liter while the coupe has a 3,2 liter V6. I have forgotten what the cars cost in the 70s, but the coupe was in any case a lot more expensive than the sedan. Not surprising, because it was a completely different car. But the fact is that few in this country dared to put serious Porsche money into a Fiat. I don't think Fiat managed to sell more than a handful. Maybe not even that many.
In the 6 years the 130 coupé was in production, 4 cars were sold worldwide. That's about twice as many as the Lamborghini Espada sold at the same time. The probability that you will meet a 491 coupé on the road is nevertheless staggeringly small.
A few more cars
I'm taking some other cars with me too. They're not as rare, or not rare at all. I found two of them as private cars outside in the parking lot. One is a Daihatsu Copen. A funny name that I remember getting a lot of attention in CAR Magazine . Was it a pun on "coupé" or "Coupé open"? It reminds me a bit of the Ka convertible. I took a picture of the car because it's very rare in Norway. One of the reasons is that I think it was only delivered with the steering wheel on the right side.
The name doesn't hurt anyone, but British motoring media didn't like the name "Copen".
Lancia Flavia Coupé.
We have previously photographed the Lancia Flavia Coupé here at Terje's cars. It is a rare car anyway.
Also includes this nice picture from the exhibition's Amazon section.
Kensington is not only famous for its green spaces, - its Victorian and Edwardian architecture. There are few streets in the world where the luxury cars are so close together. Few have garages. The original stables in the back streets have long since been converted into homes, small shops or business premises. Therefore, cars must be parked along the street.
Several of them have already been caught by car spotters and spread on social media. The diversity is great. Italian sports cars, British classics, German prestige cars, vintage cars and a couple that look like they've been in Wacky races. If you explore the small, narrow back streets, you can find places where the owners of local vintage car dealers have placed their cars on the street for public viewing. Within Kensington you will find no less than two authorized Ferrari dealers and one Lamborghini dealer. Norway has - by comparison - none.
This is Mecca for car enthusiasts. I chose not to include pictures of newer, German cars. Here they are so close that they would have filled the blog pages on Terje's cars right up until Christmas.
Aston Martin Rapide S. Probably the world's most beautiful 4-door vehicle. 6,0 liter V12 produces 552 HP.Early spring in Kensington. This great T2 camper is a decorative element together with the fruit bloom.1963-66 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III with its lovely Spirit of Extacy.The Ferrari 612 Scaglietti is a rare sight with a 5,7 liter V12 mounted just behind the front axle.Ferrari California T probably bought from one of the Ferrari dealers in South Kensington.Classic Bentley Brooklands.It can hardly get more British than this. This is probably the last Limited Edition, 1275 ccm from 1990-95.Ferrari California (closest), Lamborghini Quattroporte and Ferrari 599 GTB (the red one across the street).Mercedes Benz 200 (W115) facelifted model with wide grill has been in these streets for several years. I think the color Signal Orange suits the brick facades well.Wandering through Holland Park I found this beautiful W126. I had almost forgotten how great the over 30 year old design actually is!Near Holland Park I found this Fiat Nuova 500 L. Ideal car for getting around London.Lightly patinated 1994-2000 BMW 3-series (E36) convertible.Classic Saab 900 Combicoupé is a typical Kensington car.This 1998 Infinity Q45 with a retrofitted Bentley grill makes tourists smile. Pictures of this donning abound on the web.
KENSINGTON
Kensington's southern boundary is a line between Harrods and Stamford Bridge (Chelsea FC). In the north, the district extends to Westfields (Shepard's Bush) in the west and Hyde park in the east. Westfields is a huge shopping center with many shops - many very exclusive. You will also find large chain stores along Kensington High Street.
Along Old Brompton Road in the south you will find several smaller shops, cafes and restaurants. Kensington is a quiet district with almost no nightlife. I can recommend the following three hotels: Hilton, 179-199 Holland Park Avenue. Great location for Westfields and Central Line to Oxford Street. Lexham Gardens Hotel, 1 Lexham Gardens, is a cheap hotel, with good rooms and friendly service. Regency/Doubletree, 100 Queens Gate has nice newly refurbished rooms, and good access to shops and cafes.
Beautiful Oslo scene in February (Photo: Knut Haugland)
This was one of the best things you could drive on German soil before the war.
W29 is the internal designation for the large K-Mercedes from Germany in the thirties. They are sold at auctions at staggering prices. So high that no one dares to take them out on the road. But thanks to American replica builders, cars like the 540K are released. Maybe even near you? The concept is quite simple. You put a 5 liter Mustang engine (or Chevy engine) on a chassis with a frame and let skilled coachbuilders and saddle makers recreate the soul of the beautiful car.
The Mercedes copies do not contradict the concept of the original. The pictured 540K has a powerful eight that can drive effortlessly both on Autobahns and American Interstate Highways. I'm guessing it drives like a Ford Mustang from a couple of decades ago. However, the original from 1936 had eight in a row, 4-speed manual gearbox and visible manifolds only on the right side. With its 180 HP, it was no slouch on the newly built German Autobahns of the 30s.
At first I didn't think this great color combination was offered in the 30s, but it was became it actually. It went by the name Elfenbein. Think what a sight this must have been for people in the 30s. (Photo: Knut Haugland)
I thank my friend, Knut Haugland, for the nice photos he took, when this great replica was delivered to someone in Oslo. It is similar to the original, both in proportions and details. Unfortunately, some American replica builders over the years have made the replicas a bit more American than the German original. Perhaps a thought Vegas Style, - just so much that the whole thing tips over into being tasteless.
But not this one.
When I look at the pictures of the nice W29 replica and hear Knut tell about the sound when it was started up, I think that the Germans have never made such replicas themselves. The Germans' biggest problem is probably the negative associations W29 can bring in relation to the Nazi regime.
A shame, because otherwise they could have used their own, classic 380 V8 engine, or one of their great inline sixes. The Germans would never take any shortcuts, as various American replica builders have done for decades. They would have perfected the model so that it would have ended up with absurdly great engineering, and an equally absurd price tag.
Das Beste oder Nichts... or something like that.
Summer tyres, but only had to drive a few meters (Photo: Knut Haugland).
The Audi TT Roadster in grass green is not a standard colour, but Audis can be ordered in individual colours.
The last time green was fashionable as a car color was in the seventies. Back then it was much more colorful in the car parks than today. My mate bought himself a signal green Mazda 323 MkI. I myself had a signal blue 818. Other popular colors at the time were bright red and yellow...
I am checking the number of 2015 and 2016 models for sale on Finn.no. Right now, only 38 out of 8201 are ticked off as green. When I look closer, I find only 6 that are proper green, – like chlorophyll, grass or Kermit the frog. In other words, few new car buyers choose green.
What makes me think that green may be on the way is the fact that Mercedes-Benz offers its clear "Elbait metallic" green color as a paint color for both the A-Class and B-Class. Regardless of what you think of Mercedes-Benz, you cannot escape the fact that they are a trendsetter in the automotive industry.
Why almost no one chooses green.
New cars will one day be traded in at a dealer. The appraiser will then assess whether the car has the right equipment and the right colour. In the car industry, green is considered the wrong color and gives a lower trade-in price than the same car in black or grey. The more pronounced the green color, the more draft. That's just how it is. Used car importers do not take in green cars unless they are pre-ordered. Car importers, who order cars from Asia before they are sold, do not choose green either. Customers who desperately want a green car can wait a few extra weeks.
I have put together a small photo montage of green cars that you can order today. They consist, in addition to Mercedes-Benz, of the new Opel Corsa, Skoda Fabia and Rapid, as well as Seat Ibiza, Leon and Fiat Quodo, - although you have to bring the latter into Norway yourself.
If you want to stand out on the road, choose green!
Source: Car manufacturers' computer images, press images and clippings from used car advertisements.
