The Steeple Times

Tag: Mercedes-Benz

  • An Ugly Brake

    An Ugly Brake

    Rare “ugly duckling” seven-seat 1967 Mercedes-Benz shooting brake to be offered at auction; it will generate the same reaction as Marmite

     

    An extremely rare yet somewhat ugly 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230S ‘Universal’ is to be sold at auction this month with an estimate of £35,000 to £40,000 ($45,000 to $52,000, €39,000 to €45,000 or درهم167,000 to درهم191,000).

     

    Just one of three examples ever produced for the UK market and converted to a shooting brake by IMA of Mechelen, Belgium, the special-order vehicle is said to have cost “three times the price of an equivalent estate from Ford of Vauxhall” when new. It features an original Ivory steering wheel, and seating for seven.

     

    Finished in Dunkelblau dark blue with a Sky Blue leather interior, the uprated 2.8-litre car will be offered at The Silverstone Classic Sale 2017 by Silverstone Auctions on 29th and 30th July.

     

    A representative of the firm comments: “This stylish estate is a true performer… It is a beautiful, timeless classic and has to be the ultimate seven-seater estate. Original and usable, get the picnic sets out let’s get off to Goodwood!”

     

    An Ugly Brake – 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230S ‘Universal’ shooting brake estate car to be auctioned by Silverstone Classics at their Silverstone Classic Sale on 29th and 30th July 2017 – Estimate of £35,000 to £40,000 ($45,000 to $52,000, €39,000 to €45,000 or درهم167,000 to درهم191,000) An Ugly Brake – 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230S ‘Universal’ shooting brake estate car to be auctioned by Silverstone Classics at their Silverstone Classic Sale on 29th and 30th July 2017 – Estimate of £35,000 to £40,000 ($45,000 to $52,000, €39,000 to €45,000 or درهم167,000 to درهم191,000) An Ugly Brake – 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230S ‘Universal’ shooting brake estate car to be auctioned by Silverstone Classics at their Silverstone Classic Sale on 29th and 30th July 2017 – Estimate of £35,000 to £40,000 ($45,000 to $52,000, €39,000 to €45,000 or درهم167,000 to درهم191,000)An Ugly Brake – 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230S ‘Universal’ shooting brake estate car to be auctioned by Silverstone Classics at their Silverstone Classic Sale on 29th and 30th July 2017 – Estimate of £35,000 to £40,000 ($45,000 to $52,000, €39,000 to €45,000 or درهم167,000 to درهم191,000)An Ugly Brake – 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230S ‘Universal’ shooting brake estate car to be auctioned by Silverstone Classics at their Silverstone Classic Sale on 29th and 30th July 2017 – Estimate of £35,000 to £40,000 ($45,000 to $52,000, €39,000 to €45,000 or درهم167,000 to درهم191,000)

  • Canvassing a Con

    Canvassing a Con

    After a Chelsea chef who came out of nowhere named Michael Riemenschneider is revealed to be a “conman” in the ‘Mail on Sunday’, readers tell of his past form

     

    As can only be expected of a paper that loves a bit of sensationalism this week’s Mail on Sunday’s ‘YOU’ got rather carried away in an interview with a “wealthy widow” named Flora Mascolo – a woman who claims to be a victim of, mind the magazine’s gushingly cringeworthy description, a “delicious romance soon turned sour” with a Michelin starred chef named Michael Riemenschneider.

     

    Bizarrely, that Riemenschneider – a man whose first London restaurant, we noted in February 2014, was literally covered with images of his face and captions referencing his name – is lauded as a “handsome celebrity chef” in the feature by Margarette Driscoll is somewhat ambitious given several locals we contacted remember him as “podgy” and a “little bit greasy.” A well-known Chelsea restaurateur – where the Swiss born chef opened a replacement restaurant that few ever even got to hear of just months after opening and nigh on immediately closing his original Marylebone premises in summer 2014 – recalls an individual whose “ability to talk about himself and his achievements made me immediately question the truth of his claims.”

     

    That Driscoll lauds this individual as “talented and dynamic” is perhaps fair given his “experimental cuisine” most definitely had many merits, but that she describes a man Mascolo herself calls a “coward of a man” and “somebody who was a lie, from the beginning” as “destined for similar success” to Heston Blumenthal and Gordon Ramsay is nothing but far fetched. Here was someone who opened in bizarre off-piste locations, insisted diners fitted into limited time spots and ridiculously thought he could limit customers to a set menu priced at £275 per head or a ‘cheaper’ one at £95 per head.

     

    Riemenschneider, a man whose exploits are reported to have cost the widow of the co-founder of the Toni & Guy hairdressing empire some £2.27 million, is now supposedly bankrupt and living in Austria. Cars bought by him including a Mercedes-Benz GTS have reportedly been seized and of him Mascolo comments: “If you wrong me, you will remember my name. He didn’t know who he was messing with.”

     

    A wealthy female reader of The Steeple Times contacted us to share her thoughts on the interview. She did not wish to be named but stated: “This strange, anything but handsome individual, pestered me on social media. He messaged me one day out of the blue in 2013 and he told me that we had friends in common. I am glad I did not fall for his attempts to lure me. Plainly, Mrs Mascolo did and I am sorry for her.”

     

    She continued:

     

    “This man wasn’t a ‘celebrity chef’ but, in fact, a Facebook stalker of ladies he thought had a bit of cash. In his messages to me, I quickly realised he was an individual who’d come out of nowhere and brought with him an ego the size of Harrods.”

     

    “The journalist [Margarette Driscoll] gets rather carried away about his restaurant. It was in a sub-basement off Sloane Square and it didn’t even have a website. Nobody went there because nobody even knew about it. Where there’s money, there’s muck.”

     

    Michael Riemenschneider will no doubt reemerge someday. He was certainly a good cook, but sadly he turned out to be an even better conman.

     

    Canvassing a Con – Chef Michael Riemenschneider revealed to be a conman by the Mail on Sunday’s YOU magazine.Canvassing a Con – Chef Michael Riemenschneider revealed to be a conman by the Mail on Sunday’s YOU magazine.

  • Five of the Best – ‘Star Cars’ at Silverstone

    Five of the Best – ‘Star Cars’ at Silverstone

    A selection of five cars owned and previously owned by ‘personalities’ to be auctioned at the Silverstone Classic Sale in July

     

    On the 29th and 30th July, Silverstone Auctions will sell both classic and contemporary cars at their Silverstone Classic Sale in Northamptonshire. Amongst them are five cars owned or previously owned by the Sultan of Brunei, the actor Rowan Atkinson, the singer Lulu, the television chef Gary Rhodes and the musician Elton John.

     

    1996 Aston Martin DB7 i6 Volante – £28,000 to £32,000

    ($37,000 to $42,000, €32,000 to €37,000 or درهم‎‎135,000 to درهم‎‎154,000)

    Five of the Best – ‘Star Cars’ at Silverstone – A selection of five cars owned and previously owned by ‘personalities’ the Sultan of Brunei, the actor Rowan Atkinson, the singer Lulu, the television chef Gary Rhodes and the musician Elton John to be auctioned at the Silverstone Classic Sale on 29th and 30th July 2017. Includes Aston Martin, Ferrari, Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz.Supplied new to the Sultan of Brunei and kept by him until 2005, this British Racing Green and Chancellor red leather interior Volante is being marketed as a “future modern classic.” It comes with a “huge history file” as well as its royal pedigree.

     

    2015 Land Rover 90 Celebration Heritage Edition – £38,000 to £45,000

    ($50,000 to $59,000, €43,000 to €51,000 or درهم‎‎183,000 to درهم‎‎217,000)

    Five of the Best – ‘Star Cars’ at Silverstone – A selection of five cars owned and previously owned by ‘personalities’ the Sultan of Brunei, the actor Rowan Atkinson, the singer Lulu, the television chef Gary Rhodes and the musician Elton John to be auctioned at the Silverstone Classic Sale on 29th and 30th July 2017. Includes Aston Martin, Ferrari, Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz.One of the last 400 traditional Land Rovers made and offered on behalf of its current owner Rowan Atkinson CBE, this example has just 2,260 miles on the clock. The actor and comedian is selling as he has recently upgraded to the 110 four-door version.

     

    1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 3.5-litre coupé – £100,000 to £120,000

    ($131,000 to $157,000, €114,000 to €137,000 or درهم‎‎481,000 to درهم‎‎578,000)

    Five of the Best – ‘Star Cars’ at Silverstone – A selection of five cars owned and previously owned by ‘personalities’ the Sultan of Brunei, the actor Rowan Atkinson, the singer Lulu, the television chef Gary Rhodes and the musician Elton John to be auctioned at the Silverstone Classic Sale on 29th and 30th July 2017. Includes Aston Martin, Ferrari, Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz.Delivered new to then wife of Maurice Gibb, Marie McDonald McLaughlin Gibb (AKA ‘Lulu’ and now Lulu Kennedy-Cairns OBE), this “last of the line classic” was kept by the Boom Bang-a-Bang singer for three years. It has had two additional owners since and needs its air conditioning recommissioning.

     

    2006 Ferrari F430 F1 – £125,000 to £155,000

    ($164,000 to $203,000, €143,000 to €177,000 or درهم‎‎602,000 to درهم‎‎746,000)

    Five of the Best – ‘Star Cars’ at Silverstone – A selection of five cars owned and previously owned by ‘personalities’ the Sultan of Brunei, the actor Rowan Atkinson, the singer Lulu, the television chef Gary Rhodes and the musician Elton John to be auctioned at the Silverstone Classic Sale on 29th and 30th July 2017. Includes Aston Martin, Ferrari, Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz.Owned by television chef Gary Rhodes from new and having covered just 558 miles in its 11-year life, this Ferrari is capable of a top speed of 196 miles per hour and 0-62 miles per hour in just 3.7 seconds. It has been serviced four times and is described as “a unique opportunity to buy a real collector’s piece.”

     

    1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona – £525,000 to £575,000

    ($688,000 to $753,000, €600,000 to €657,000 or درهم‎‎2.5 million to درهم‎‎2.8 million)

    Five of the Best – ‘Star Cars’ at Silverstone – A selection of five cars owned and previously owned by ‘personalities’ the Sultan of Brunei, the actor Rowan Atkinson, the singer Lulu, the television chef Gary Rhodes and the musician Elton John to be auctioned at the Silverstone Classic Sale on 29th and 30th July 2017. Includes Aston Martin, Ferrari, Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz.Owned by Sir Elton John from 1973 to 1975 and supposedly bought off the back of the success of his Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album, this Daytona has covered 81,675 miles from new and is said to be “presented in excellent order.”

     

    For more details about the auction and viewing, click here.

     

    The Wing Building, Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire, NN12 8TN.

     

  • Annabel Mullin – What’s on your mantelpiece?

    Annabel Mullin – What’s on your mantelpiece?

    A 20-question interview with criminal justice expert, former police officer and Liberal Democrat candidate for Kensington Annabel Mullin

     

    The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?

    To live every moment to the fullest and make the biggest difference to people’s lives that I can.

     

    “Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?

    I love the motto ‘carpe diem’ (seize the day). When I was younger, Dead Poets Society was one of my favourite films.

     

    Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2017?

    Brexit.

     

    Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?

    Currently I’m missing not seeing my children much because I am campaigning so hard.

     

    What might you swap all your wealth for?

    Knowing that my children will have a great future.

     

    Donald Trump was once a case of: “If you owe the bank a thousand, they close you down; but if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank”. What’s your view on the state of the financial system?

    One of the things I would like to see in Kensington is more support for small businesses and local shop owners that help to create our community. We are currently facing threats to our local services from business rates and that is something that needs to be addressed.

     

    What phrase or word do you most loathe?

    I loathe it when people say things they don’t mean. ‘Strong and Stable’ is currently high up there.

     

    In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home”. What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?

    I agree. I support that concept. Having worked at Crisis, I continue to support homeless charities. I also love shopping in our fabulous Kensington charity shops.

     

    The judge in Law Abiding Citizen states: “I can pretty much do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?

    Mobiles are amazingly useful and I’m a bit of an addict to my device. However, there is a time and a place for them.

     

    If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?

    George Orwell, Harriet Harmen, Lawrence of Arabia, Margaret Thatcher, Winston Churchill, Sophie in’t Veld, Hercule Poirot, Hilary Clinton, Charlie Chaplin, Shirley Williams, Paula Radcliffe, Prince and Laura Kuenssberg.

     

    If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?

    My meal would be steak, chips and red wine followed by tiramisu. I’d rather like to eat it high up in Petra overlooking the wondrous landscape.

     

    What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?

    That depends entirely on which time zone you are going by.

     

    A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?

    A martini, preferably an espresso martini.

     

    Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?

    Now, dinner parties with close friends but when I was younger, more partying.

     

    Who is the most positive person you know?

    My husband.

     

    What’s your most guilty pleasure?

    The ‘Archers Appreciation’ group on Facebook… With wine.

     

    If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?

    A dragon.

     

    If you were a car, what marque would you be?

    A Mercedes-Benz Gullwing.

     

    Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.

    That I was an ultra-marathon runner and completed the Marathon Des Sables in 2008.

     

    What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?

    An elephant – the house is littered with them, candlesticks and birthday cards for my eldest’ fifth birthday.

     

    Annabel Mullin was born and brought up in Kensington and Chelsea. She is mother of three young children, a keen environmentalist and a cyclist. She is a criminal justice expert and has spent most of her life working in London as an analyst, a Metropolitan Police officer in Soho and Mayfair and as an assistant psychologist with prisoners with mental illness. Recently she has worked as a PhD researcher at UCL.

     

    Follow her on Twitter at @annabelmullin and @KCLibDems.

     

  • Tito’s Toy

    Tito’s Toy

    Ex-President Josip Broz Tito 1964 Fiat 500 Jolly by Ghia to be sold at auction in London

     

    Josip Broz Tito liked cars. It appears he didn’t care if they were little or large and someone without the means to purchase his £2.5 million ($3.1 million, €2.9 million or درهم11.4 million) 1971 Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Landaulet – featured on these pages in April – could acquire a 1964 Fiat 500 Jolly by Ghia owned by him for the lower, yet still somewhat punchy, sum of £70,000 to £100,000 ($90,500 to $129,300, €83,200 to €118,900 or درهم332,400 to درهم474,800) at an auction in London in May.

     

    Tito’s Toy – Ex-President Tito 1964 Fiat 500 Jolly Economical by Ghia to be auctioned on 18th May 2017 by Coys of Kensington at their Royal Horticultural Halls sale in Westminster, London, SW1 – Estimate £70,000 to £100,000 ($90,500 to $129,300, €83,200 to €118,900 or درهم332,400 to درهم474,800)
    Josip Broz Tito, born Josip Broz (1892 – 1980), President of Yugoslavia (1953 – 1980)

     

    To be offered by Coys of Kensington at their forthcoming Royal Horticultural Halls sale in Westminster on 18th May, the ‘Economical’ converted Fiat 500 was owned from new by the 1st President of Yugoslavia. He was pictured using it on numerous occasions.

     

    Subsequently part of the Classic Automobile Museum collection in Belgrade for a number of years, the white runaround – chassis number 1100271507 – has covered just 12,500 miles and is described as “driving like new”. It comes with a certificate of authenticity and would make the perfect accessory for the owner of a super yacht, seaside estate or golf course.

     

    Tito’s Toy – Ex-President Tito 1964 Fiat 500 Jolly Economical by Ghia to be auctioned on 18th May 2017 by Coys of Kensington at their Royal Horticultural Halls sale in Westminster, London, SW1 – Estimate £70,000 to £100,000 ($90,500 to $129,300, €83,200 to €118,900 or درهم332,400 to درهم474,800) Tito’s Toy – Ex-President Tito 1964 Fiat 500 Jolly Economical by Ghia to be auctioned on 18th May 2017 by Coys of Kensington at their Royal Horticultural Halls sale in Westminster, London, SW1 – Estimate £70,000 to £100,000 ($90,500 to $129,300, €83,200 to €118,900 or درهم332,400 to درهم474,800)Tito’s Toy – Ex-President Tito 1964 Fiat 500 Jolly Economical by Ghia to be auctioned on 18th May 2017 by Coys of Kensington at their Royal Horticultural Halls sale in Westminster, London, SW1 – Estimate £70,000 to £100,000 ($90,500 to $129,300, €83,200 to €118,900 or درهم332,400 to درهم474,800) Tito’s Toy – Ex-President Tito 1964 Fiat 500 Jolly Economical by Ghia to be auctioned on 18th May 2017 by Coys of Kensington at their Royal Horticultural Halls sale in Westminster, London, SW1 – Estimate £70,000 to £100,000 ($90,500 to $129,300, €83,200 to €118,900 or درهم332,400 to درهم474,800)Tito’s Toy – Ex-President Tito 1964 Fiat 500 Jolly Economical by Ghia to be auctioned on 18th May 2017 by Coys of Kensington at their Royal Horticultural Halls sale in Westminster, London, SW1 – Estimate £70,000 to £100,000 ($90,500 to $129,300, €83,200 to €118,900 or درهم332,400 to درهم474,800) Tito’s Toy – Ex-President Tito 1964 Fiat 500 Jolly Economical by Ghia to be auctioned on 18th May 2017 by Coys of Kensington at their Royal Horticultural Halls sale in Westminster, London, SW1 – Estimate £70,000 to £100,000 ($90,500 to $129,300, €83,200 to €118,900 or درهم332,400 to درهم474,800)

  • Alfie Best – What’s on your mantelpiece?

    Alfie Best – What’s on your mantelpiece?

    A 20-question interview with self-made businessman and star of ‘My Fat Gypsy Fortune’ Alfie Best

     

    The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?

    For a man to know where he is going, he must remember where he is from.

     

    “Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?

    Life is a light, it is your job to make it shine brighter.

     

    Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2017?

    Internet trolls who are brave behind keyboards.

     

    Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?

    Time.

     

    What might you swap all your wealth for?

    More time.

     

    Donald Trump was once a case of: “If you owe the bank a thousand, they close you down; but if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank”. What’s your view on the state of the financial system?

    If you treat the bank as a bank, they will treat you as a customer but if you treat the banks as a partner within your business and build your relationship with the management of the bank, they will consider you as a partner and offer much more insight and help which it is own way, is free to you as a business.

     

    What phrase or word do you most loathe?

    “We have a problem”; one man’s problem is another man’s opportunity.

     

    In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home”. What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?

    I do believe charity begins at home but I also believe giving is not as good as teaching. If you give a man a fish, he will feed his family for a night, show the man how to fish and he will feed his family for a lifetime.

     

    We’re actually setting up own charity – Wyldecrest Parks Charity – which hopefully we’ll be able to help vulnerable people in need.

     

    The judge in Law Abiding Citizen states: “I can pretty much do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?

    Connection is unbelievable and the forward bounds it has given us a society is unprecedented but we have to remember not to become disconnected from society.

     

    If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?

    I would fill the carriage with my family and friends and invite Tracy Chapman and the musical artist Rodriguez; I would look for them to enjoy the ride and party whilst it lasted.

     

    If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?

    Pie, mash and liquor at the White House with the President to try and get a reprieve whilst eating my last meal.

     

    What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?

    6:30am with a nice cup of lemon tea.

     

    A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?

    A cup of tea.

     

    Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?

    I enjoy my son’s parties because the charisma he brings to the room is like a ray of sunshine on the beach.

     

    Who is the most positive person you know?

    Me.

     

    What’s your most guilty pleasure?

    Chocolate.

     

    If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?

    If I were to have a tattoo, it would state ‘BEST’ across my back because it would mean the best is behind me and there is even better to come.

     

    If you were a car, what marque would you be?

    A black Lamborghini.

     

    Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.

    After becoming a millionaire at 20, I nearly went bust and slept in my car for 3 months.

     

    What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?

    A backward clock – it confuses everyone!

     

    Alfie Best is a successful entrepreneur driven by tenacity. With humble origins, born and raised in a Romany Gypsy family, this self-made man started his professional path totally from scratch. Alongside Wyldecrest Parks, Alfie Best also owns other very successful businesses within the hospitality and leisure, events, trading and finance industries including Vinyl Bar, Kyoto Furniture, Axiom Uno and Wylde Event Management.

     

    Follow him on Twitter at @alfiebest33.

     

  • Morons of the Moment – Piccadilly Boy Racers

    Morons of the Moment – Piccadilly Boy Racers

    Insensitive showoffs wreak havoc in Parliament Square with their gaudy supercars; they claimed to be honouring the dead and injured of the Westminster attack but simply caused annoyance

     

    Though five people died and around fifty others were injured as a result of Khalid Masood smashing his rented 4×4 into them on Westminster Bridge on 22nd March, a group of insensitive showoffs decided it would be appropriate to cause gridlock with their gaudy supercars in Parliament Square on Sunday.

     

    Shabs Ahmad, a spokesman for the group, which is known as the Piccadilly Boy Racers, told the MailOnline:

     

    “Following recent attacks in Westminster which cost the lives of innocent civilians as well as PC Keith Palmer, we felt it was only right to pay our condolences and show our love by standing united to oppose the atrocious acts of violence”.

     

    “We felt that being British Muslims with a platform, we wanted to speak up against such acts and bring people of all race and religion together as a symbol of peace, love and unity”.

     

    The police felt quite differently about their presence and told these ridiculous vulgarians to swiftly to move on.

     

    Morons of the Moment – Piccadilly Boy Racers – Insensitive showoffs cause havoc in Parliament Square with their gaudy supercars. The Piccadilly Boy Racers should be ashamed of themselves.

  • Alfie Best II

    Alfie Best II

    A tenacious Romany Gypsy turned multi-millionaire businessman, Mayfair and Hertfordshire based Alfie Best overcame “many obstacles and prejudices” to make his fortune in cars, mobile phone stores and mobile home parks. The owner of Wyldecrest Parks also produces his own gin and claims his life philosophy is “90% perspiration and 10% inspiration”. His equally entrepreneurial son, Alfie Best III, appeared with him on Channel 4’s My Big Fat Gypsy Fortune.

  • 81 Miles From New

    81 Miles From New

    1996 Mercedes-Benz SL500 that has been driven just 81 miles and stored in a Knightsbridge garage since new to be auctioned for 1,000% more than a normal example of its age

     

    A Mercedes-Benz with a difference is to be auctioned on its twenty-first birthday on 12th April. The car to be offered is an SL500 that effectively has covered an average of just 3.9 miles per year during its lifetime and it is presented in “virtually new condition”.

     

    Offered by Coys of Kensington, the Imperial Red with Mushroom leather two-seat roadster was bought from Normand of Mayfair and was only recently recommissioned after spending the vast majority of its life locked in a Knightsbridge garage.

     

    Of the time warp car, Chris Routledge, CEO of Coys of Kensington, remarked:

     

    “This is a car with a fantastic story. Purchased as a birthday present and driven only 81 miles before the [female] owner lost the keys and never drove it again. It even comes with a letter written by the owner’s butler verifying its mileage and its provenance”.

     

    “Had she not lost the keys and used it regularly, we estimate it would now be worth between £5,000 to £7,000 ($6,200 to $8,700, €5,900 to €8,200 or درهم22,800 to درهم31,900), but the fact that it has kept such a low mileage and has not been driven in more than twenty years makes it worth between £45,000 and £55,000 ($56,000 to $68,000, €53,000 to €64,000 or درهم205,000 to درهم251,000)”.

     

    “What happened with the keys remains a mystery but the car comes with new keys for the new owner”.

     

    81 Miles From New – 1996 Mercedes-Benz SL500 that has covered just 81 miles since new to be auctioned by Coys of Kensington at their Spring Classics 2017 sale on 12th April with an estimate of £45,000 to £55,000 ($56,000 to $68,000, €53,000 to €64,000 or درهم205,000 to درهم251,000) 81 Miles From New – 1996 Mercedes-Benz SL500 that has covered just 81 miles since new to be auctioned by Coys of Kensington at their Spring Classics 2017 sale on 12th April with an estimate of £45,000 to £55,000 ($56,000 to $68,000, €53,000 to €64,000 or درهم205,000 to درهم251,000)

  • Taking the Tito

    Taking the Tito

    Ex-Marshal Tito Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Landaulet for sale for staggering sum 1,598% higher than similar examples owned by other dictators

     

    “Benevolent communist dictator” Marshal Josip Tito, 1st President of Yugoslavia (1892 – 1980) had use of a Boeing 727 plane, a private train and a 55-foot yacht but now the 1971 Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman ‘Presidential Landaulet’ he travelled around in from 1971 to 1980 is for sale for the staggering sum of £2.5 million ($3.1 million, €2.9 million or درهم11.4 million) through Tom Hartley Jnr. in Derbyshire, England.

     

    Taking the Tito – 1971 Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Presidential Landaulet – For sale for £2.5 million ($3.1 million, €2.9 million or درهم11.4 million) through Tom Hartley Jnr. – Originally owned by Marshal Josip Tito, 1st President of Yugoslavia (1892 – 1980)
    Tito with the car in the background
    Taking the Tito – 1971 Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Presidential Landaulet – For sale for £2.5 million ($3.1 million, €2.9 million or درهم11.4 million) through Tom Hartley Jnr. – Originally owned by Marshal Josip Tito, 1st President of Yugoslavia (1892 – 1980)
    Tito used to take his dog for rides in the vehicle
    Taking the Tito – 1971 Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Presidential Landaulet – For sale for £2.5 million ($3.1 million, €2.9 million or درهم11.4 million) through Tom Hartley Jnr. – Originally owned by Marshal Josip Tito, 1st President of Yugoslavia (1892 – 1980)
    And apparently he used to shave in it too

     

    Capable of achieving 0 mph to 100 mph in 10 seconds, this 2.5-tonne, 6.3-litre limousine was built to Tito’s personal specification. The ‘dictator-mobile’s’ bespoke features numbered not only a drinks cabinet but also a shaving kit in its rear centre console and despite having covered 17,012 miles and having passed through various owners, is in remarkably good condition.

     

    Justifying the punchy price sought, in November 2016, Tom Hartley Jnr. told Car Dealer magazine:

     

    “I’ve always been in love with the car. It’s a very significant and very important car – all of the Landaulets are, and only nine of them were built in the long roof, six-door configuration. Of those nine, this is probably regarded as the most original, the most unmolested car and it also has great provenance”.

     

    A 1965 Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman owned by China’s Foreign Minister, Chen Yi, sold for just £147,200 ($182,800, €172,500 or درهم671,400) in 2014 whilst just £225,000 ($279,400, €263,700 or درهم1.03 million) was sought for a 1977 example originally owned by Bokassa I of Central Africa in 2015.

     

    Taking the Tito – 1971 Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Presidential Landaulet – For sale for £2.5 million ($3.1 million, €2.9 million or درهم11.4 million) through Tom Hartley Jnr. – Originally owned by Marshal Josip Tito, 1st President of Yugoslavia (1892 – 1980)
    Naturally, the needs of drinkers was a prime consideration when it came to bespoke fittings
    Taking the Tito – 1971 Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Presidential Landaulet – For sale for £2.5 million ($3.1 million, €2.9 million or درهم11.4 million) through Tom Hartley Jnr. – Originally owned by Marshal Josip Tito, 1st President of Yugoslavia (1892 – 1980)
    Luxurious rear seating
    Taking the Tito – 1971 Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Presidential Landaulet – For sale for £2.5 million ($3.1 million, €2.9 million or درهم11.4 million) through Tom Hartley Jnr. – Originally owned by Marshal Josip Tito, 1st President of Yugoslavia (1892 – 1980)
    The glass partition between the passengers and the driver
    Taking the Tito – 1971 Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Presidential Landaulet – For sale for £2.5 million ($3.1 million, €2.9 million or درهم11.4 million) through Tom Hartley Jnr. – Originally owned by Marshal Josip Tito, 1st President of Yugoslavia (1892 – 1980)
    The driver’s seating
    Taking the Tito – 1971 Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Presidential Landaulet – For sale for £2.5 million ($3.1 million, €2.9 million or درهم11.4 million) through Tom Hartley Jnr. – Originally owned by Marshal Josip Tito, 1st President of Yugoslavia (1892 – 1980)
    And hood down
    Taking the Tito – 1971 Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Presidential Landaulet – For sale for £2.5 million ($3.1 million, €2.9 million or درهم11.4 million) through Tom Hartley Jnr. – Originally owned by Marshal Josip Tito, 1st President of Yugoslavia (1892 – 1980)
    Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II with Tito in 1972