Custom plates and test fitting rims

September, 2007

As the car was a Sydney car, I needed to re-register it locally. After some research on the VicRoads website, I discovered I was in luck and could get a set of custom plates that read 'SEC560'. Perfect.

One of the cars that was at Doe Prestige had some very cool 18 x 10" and 18 x 8.5" R129 SL style rims which my mechanic Pete thought would fit. We did a quick swap and they looked sensational. Right offset, and as Lyndsey loves to remind me: "Now THAT'S a dish!"

Finding a matching set turned out to be a massive pain, including overseas enquiries. Eventually, we sourced the right wheels locally at a great price. Despite the fact that the car is only 20 years old, certain parts can be scarcer than rocking horse shit.

While the car was in the shop, we did some basic mechanical stuff like fluid changes, new plugs and all new fuses . Then we got a bit more serious and looked at some brake issues, the power steering pump and changed the tensioner, cam sprocket and rails on the timing chain. We even managed to get the original Piranha alarm module working again.

The arrival

September, 2007

The new machine arrived a couple of days later and we wheeled it into my friend's shop at Doe Prestige. There, we could see what I'd actually bought. It was in need of a basic clean up but was generally very good. The stock wheels had to go and it needed a stance, but we were off and running.

Of course, there was the small matter of my older 380 SEC to get rid of. For a brief time, I was able to claim that I was 'running a fleet of high end Mercedes'. I eventually sold the white 380 SEC to a fruiterer for cash. A fitting end to my previous Mafia staff car.

A word of thanks to the team at Doe Prestige Automotive would be appropriate. Peter was previously the head wrench at a large MB dealership but took the jump into the world of the self-employed and is now enjoying the daily challenges of running his own shop. Just to make sure he's busy enough, he has a supercharged W116. His partner Lyndsey is the parts chaser, office manager, kid wrangler and therapist. Mia is a kid and is really good at it. I mainly go there to hang about while Pete makes working on complex pieces of machinery look easy. Thanks, team.

The raw material

August, 2007

The starting point was an Australian-delivered 1989 560 SEC. After a series of initial false starts, I sourced a genuine one-owner car in Sydney and flew up for a pre-purchase inspection at the local MB dealership and a test drive.

The car had around 100,000 kms on the clock and was blue-black in colour with a grey interior. Seemed like a good, clean and honest car. It had all the service records from the dealership and drove well. Only real issue seemed to be the typical delaminated rear screen.

The seller was reluctant to part with it as it had been his trusty steed since new. However, with failing eyesight, he made the tough choice to let it go. The fact that I was an enthusiast made him feel like it would go to a good home. We did the deal and I flew home. The original plan was to drive it back, but I ran out of time and the car made its way to Melbourne later by transporter.