Newsletter No.068 CLS coupe, Merry Christmas
Newsletter Number 68
22nd December 2003
Merry Christmas and a Happy new Year.
From all the staff at M.B Spares and service.
Welcome to the last newsletter for 2003, this Newsletter we have news of the CSL coupe. Not sure why they call it a coupe as it has four doors?? We also have our Christmas opening hours and a new feature for the Newsletter.
Thanks John Green.
Christmas opening hours.
As usual we will be open over the Christmas/New Year holiday but with a reduced staff. here are our opening hours:
Monday 22nd 8am - 5pm Monday 29th 8am-5pm
Tuesday 23rd 8am - 5pm Tuesday 30th 8am-5pm
Wednesday 24th 8am -3pm Wednesday 31st 8am-3pm
Thursday 25th Closed Thursday 1st Closed
Friday 26th Closed Friday 2nd 8am-5pm
Saturday 27th Closed Saturday 3rd Closed
Sunday 28th Closed Sunday 4th Closed
We will resume normal trading with all staff on Monday the 5th of January.
CLS Coupé going into series production.
Yet another Mecedes-Benz model is about to take the step from a dream to reality. Here is a press release from Daimler Chrysler:
The much-admired four-door Vision CLS Coupé study that Mercedes-Benz presented at the Frankfurt International Motor Show (IAA) is going into series production. The decision was taken by the Stuttgart-based automobile manufacturer on the strength of the extremely positive results of a survey carried out during the IAA. "The overwhelming majority of drivers surveyed by us are enthusiastic about the four-door coupé. We are thus confirmed in our idea for this innovative vehicle concept and have given the go-ahead for the new Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class to go into production", said Professor Jürgen Hubbert today, Member of the Board of Management of DaimlerChrysler AG and head of the Mercedes Car Group in Stuttgart. Preparations for the production of the four-door coupé can thus get underway at the tradition-steeped DaimlerChrysler factory in Sindelfingen.
With the CLS-Class, Mercedes-Benz is creating a hitherto unique synthesis of two different vehicle concepts: the exciting design and the highly emotive character of a coupé in perfect harmony with the comfort and functionality of a saloon. Thus, the four-door vehicle clearly offers a great deal more added value than other coupés, at the same time as arousing the interest of those people who have a passion for motor cars and motoring. In the words of Professor Hubbert: "The dialogue with the public at the IAA confirmed that, with the CLS, we are a coupé generation ahead of the rest."
The Vision CLS is the latest in a long line of crowd-pulling Mercedes show cars. In recent years, the Stuttgart-based manufacturer has unveiled a whole host of new and inspiring vehicle concepts, most of which have gone on to enter series production. Successful examples of this include the A-Class, the M-Class, the SLK Roadster, the SLR-McLaren and the future Grand Sports Tourer. They underscore the role of Mercedes-Benz as a trendsetter in the automotive world and the importance of vehicle studies as forerunners for new vehicle classes. With the CLS-Class, Mercedes-Benz will also be defining a new, interesting market segment.
Top Mercedes technology to meet the highest requirements
Equipped with leading-edge safety technology, such as adaptive front airbags, window and side bags, as well as belt tensioners and belt force limiters for all seats, the new CLS-Class fulfils the high standards associated with Mercedes luxury-class cars. Furthermore, the four-door coupé offers a whole host of other innovations that make driving both safer and more comfortable. These include the AIRMATIC DC pneumatic suspension, the 7G-TRONIC seven-gear automatic transmission, the Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC) brake system, a bi-xenon Active Light System, cornering light and the sensor-controlled THERMOTRONIC automatic climate control.
Fact's of the week.
1. The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were
Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
2. Every day more money is printed for the Parker than printed by the
U.S. Treasury.
3. Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better than
men.
4. Coca-Cola was originally green.
5. It is impossible to lick your elbow.
6. The state with the highest percentage of people who walk to work:
Alaska!
7. The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28%
8. (Now get this ) The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%
9. The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of 11: $6,400
10. The average number of people airborne over the U.S. any given hour:
61,000.
11. Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair than the
rest of us.
12. The world's youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived in China in 1910.
13. The youngest pope was 11 years old.
14. The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.
15. Those San Francisco Cable Cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
16. Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from
history: Spades = King David, Hearts = Charlemagne, Clubs = Alexander,
the Great, Diamonds = Julius Caesar
17. 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
18. If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs
in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in
the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the
horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
19. Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th;
John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2,
but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.
20. "I am." is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.
21. Hershey's Kisses are called that, because the machine that makes
them looks like it's kissing the conveyor belt.
22. What occurs more often in December than any other month? Conception.
23. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what? Their birthplace.
24. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat
name requested? Obsession
25. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until
you find the name of a number that contains the letter A? One thousand.
26. What do bullet proof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and
laser printers all have in common? All were invented by women.
27. What is the only food that doesn't spoil? Honey.
28. There are more collect calls on this day than any other day of the
year? Father's Day
29. What trivia fact about Mel Blanc (voice of Bugs Bunny) is the most
ironic? He was allergic to carrots.
30. What is an activity performed by 40% of all people at a party? Snoop
in your medicine cabinet.
AND FINALLY At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their
elbow.
Cars for dismantling
The following cars have arrived to be dismantled:
230TE W124 1986, like many of these station wagons it has been well used. However it is now a great source of parts. IT has some very unusual options such as: Grey Leather interior, Sunroof, Cruise control (that works) and Electric seats!
450SLC W107 1974, we mentioned a few newsletters back that we had a 450SLC coming in for sale. However all was not quite as expected with this car. It arrived running on 7 cylinders and when the fault was traced to a fouled spark plug and the plug replaced it started to smoke like mad!!! So it has been consigned to the dismantling shed. One notable point is that it has a perfect reskined dashboard. All the front panels are great.
Why do? Why does?
I seam to answer a lot of these sorts of questions each day so I thought that I might put some of them in the Newsletter. So here is the first few.
Q: Why does my engine run at 80 degrees when it only has a 71degree thermostat?
A: The thermostat is like a tap. It can be open or closed. The temperature rating of a thermostat is the temperature at which it is fully open. So in the case of the engine running at 80degrees the thermostat opened fully and then the engine got a bit hotter! Some times fitting a cooler thermostat can make an engine run a bit cooler how ever in almost all cases this does not work for the reason set out above.
Q: Why do I still get hot in my W116 sedan with the heater turned off. (and yes the heater tap works)
A: See newsletters 55 and 56. The issue is with the flaps at the bottom of the heater core.
Links of the week.
If you haven't quite finished your Christmas shopping yet you might want to consider some of the wonderful gifts available from this site. Click on the British flag for the English version. Check out the Car of the month and there wonderful collection of Classic cars. You might also like to check out the difference between a 1938 Maybach and the more current version.
And if you are looking for something to do after Christmas you might want to look at this site for some inspiration.
Thanks to Hendrik Riessen from the OZVETS mailing list for bring these to my attention.
The 560SEC and the E220 have been sold. Replacing the E220 we have a very nice E280 also in Silver but with an unmarked Navy soft leather interior. It is a 1995 model with Twin air bags, CD stacker and all the other usual options.
Click here to see all the cars for sale.
The following cars have been sold:
The following cars have recently arrived for sale:
Also in stock we have:
C220 Sport 1994 model 146000kms
Collection of three factory Stretch Mercedes-Benz's
So that's it for another newsletter. Hope you liked what you saw. If you have any ideas or want to contribute any articles, pictures or other material please e-mail me here. Also, don't forget that you can check out the old newsletters here
Thanks, John Green.
