Family affair. The 300sc was owned by luminaries like King Hussein of Jordan and Hollywood stars Clark Gable, Gary Cooper and Bing Crosby

Transcription

1 Family affair his rare 1950s coupe was bought as a basket case in 1972, reports Richard ruesdell, after which it was restored over a six-year period and to this day remains with the same Mercedes loving family in California Images Richard ruesdell/daimler AG 60 he 300sc was owned by luminaries like King Hussein of Jordan and Hollywood stars Clark Gable, Gary Cooper and Bing Crosby

2 he year was 1978, the car a 1956 Mercedes-Benz, and the story is of the relationship between a father, his son, and his preservation of his father s legacy in steel, aluminum, wood and leather. he father, the late Donald Minkoff of Newport Beach, California, was preparing his prized Mercedes for that year s Pebble Beach Concours d Elegance, and his son Mark, then 20 years old, was doing what he could, helping to get the car ready for the event. I was destined to be a car guy from the day I was born, says Mark, sitting in his office in Costa Mesa, California with his wife of 34 years, Sherry. My dad brought me to my first NASCAR race at Riverside Raceway when I was just five years old. I remember that Roger Penske won the race from that point on, I was a big fan of any kind of racing. oday Mark races a short-wheelbase 911 Porsche he acquired 15 years ago, and a Ford hunderbird in the Historic Stock Car Racing Series for vintage NASCAR race cars. I would crawl around the car as an infant trying to help my dad with restoration projects, Mark continues, recalling that the most memorable was the. He was involved in its restoration, along with many skilled craftsmen, and still remembers trying to get it show ready the evening before loading the car on the trailer for its trip to Monterey. My dad was the type of guy who was always doing things at the last minute, Mark remembers. he did make it to Pebble Beach, and miraculously won first in class and was also selected as one of the 10 most elegant cars in the show. Sherry was there, but at the time we were not married. My father being the frugal guy he and below Phil Hill congratulates Don (open shirt) on 78 Concours win; Mark is to Don s right. 61

3 Specifications Mark with the 300S as it is today, 35 years after the restoration was completed. Same place, in 1972, with Jim Albin, who carried out some paintwork on the car. Mercedes-Benz Coupe (W188) Engine M199 2,996cc 6-cyl Power orque 188lb Weight 1,780kg ransmission 4-speed manual, RWD 0-62mph 14.0sec op speed 112mph Fuel consumption 22.6mpg Years produced All figures from Mercedes-Benz was, made Sherry and me sleep on the balcony on a mattress instead of reserving an extra room. I think that tells you a lot of what you need to know about my father. H e comments that times have changed greatly at Pebble Beach in the intervening 35 years, that what he and his dad accomplished in 1978 would be impossible today. We don t attend the Pebble Beach Concours d Elegance any longer, he tells us. It has become so crowded. In the early days you could spread out a blanket and picnic with family and friends. hat year I was proudly standing next to my dad as he received congratulations from Phil Hill, the 1961 Formula 1 champion. he 300 series was a special car, with over 1,000 highly skilled man hours applied to each one during its build Donald Minkoff wasn t your typical Mercedes-Benz owner. Born in Los Angeles in 1929, at the height of the Great Depression, he spent his early years in Alhambra, graduated from Alhambra High School, and there, met and married his wife of 57 years, Erna. Happily, Erna shared his love of cars, especially those with the three-pointed star. his afforded the couple the opportunity to travel often to Europe while raising Mark and his sisters. Don spent much of his professional life as a salesman for General Mills products and called on grocery stores and supermarkets in southern California. In the early sixties his route passed by a car dealership where he would see W S Coupe on display, falling in love with it. But even for a successful salesman, it

4 seemed that such a car was beyond reach, although that never stopped Don from dreaming that some day he would own the car the stars drove. he was owned by 1950s luminaries like King Hussein of Jordan and Hollywood stars Clark Gable, Gary Cooper and Bing Crosby. O ver time, as Don become more successful, he moved from the middle class neighbourhood of Encino, north of downtown Los Angeles, to the upscale community of Newport Beach in Orange County, south of LA. hrough it all, he never gave up on his aspirations of one day owning a. hat chance presented itself in 1972, 10 years after his first encounter with the 300S Coupe in that Los Angeles showroom. Purchased for the princely sum of $3,100 (the equivalent today of $17,000, or about 11,400), the car had just reached 100,000 miles. It was something of a barn find, having been purchased from the previous owner who stored it in hut a mile from Mark s current office. he low price reflected its need for extensive restoration, which would become a father-son project over the following six years. While the bodywork was to specialists, much of the mechanical work was performed by Don and Mark. he 300 series was a special car, with over 1,000 highly skilled man hours applied to each one during its build. All components were hand fitted, each item bearing an individually stamped identification number. In seven years of production from 1951, Mercedes made only 760. Of these, 200 were the he 300-series was offered as the Coupe, Roadster and Cabriolet. his is the cover of the 1951 brochure for the early model, the 300S. below he polished wood and chromed trimmed dials make for a stylish fascia., introduced in 1955 to replace the 300S, and using a new three-litre engine with Bosch fuel injection rather than triple carburettors, which raised power by 25bhp to 173bhp, and torque 18lb ft to 188lb ft. Of these, only 98 were coupes, with very few being equipped with the factory installed sunroof. It is believed that around 60 per cent of all 300 series coupes, cabriolets and roadsters have survived. Down the years, Don and Erna travelled often to Europe, and established a successful business importing Mercedes cars directly from Germany. heir Mercedes collection progressively grew, at one time Don owning 10. One of them, a SE Cabriolet was a 10th wedding anniversary gift from Don to Erna, in On the day he gave it to her, he covered her eyes, getting her sat behind the wheel, and saying he bought her a station wagon. But as Rear seat is best described as cosy, with limited space. he has 173bhp, a healthy output for the time. below Few 1950s cars looked as chic.

5 Einspritzmotor tells us that this car, unlike early models, has fuel injection. Every year Mark takes the to varoius classic car events in California. right he fitted luggage set was acquired later from a Clark Gable owned she smelled the leather, she knew very well that this was no crude, US built truck with a vinyl interior and imitation wood side panels. he is displayed regularly, at regional events, most recently, this year s Rodeo Drive Concours d Elegance (see page 10). here, it was parked next to Bruce Meyer s 1957 Cabriolet, a car once owned by Hollywood screen icon Clark Gable and there is a direct link between the two cars, dating back to the days when Don and his family lived on Encino. It seems that Mark detailed the Clark Gable car when it was owned by the late actor s estate. It was during this time that Don was able to purchase the fitted luggage that now resides in the Minkoff s (we re thinking that Bruce would love to reunite the right One of the publicity photos Mercedes issued of the coupe in the mid 1950s. luggage with his car but it is likely that Mark will want to keep it with his). Don Minkoff passed away on September , after a short illness. He was 81, and as Mark will attest, his was a life well lived, especially where his relationship with the three-pointed star was concerned. Since his passing, Mark has faithfully tended to his father s collection, striving to maintain the cars in perfect running condition, which is something his dad struggled with. My dad was the type that was happy with how his cars presented but some of the hidden details untended, says Mark. he best example is the under dash wiring harness on the. When I refreshed the car after his death, I removed the harness, with all the splices, butt connectors and electrical tape intact. I keep the harness in a cabinet in my office in my man cave in Costa Mesa, where I have kept his collection intact. his includes a SL Gullwing, it being the ninth from last of the 1,400 coupes built over the three year period. It is probably the most valuable car in the collection, but Mark knows that the Coupe was always his favourite. I am sure my dad is looking down and smiling, says Mark, looking wistfully at the cabinet with the wiring harness. he is displayed regularly, at regional events like the legendary Cars and Coffee show held each Saturday morning in Irvine