Newsletter History - August-December, 2009

A short history of Mercedes-Benz Diesels

Photo:  For the launch of the BlueTEC, Mercedes rolled out its collection of groundbreaking Diesel cars.

No automobile company has a longer history with diesel engines than Mercedes-Benz, starting with the first diesel-engine truck in 1923, and still going strong today with its current lineup of BLUETEC powered cars and SUVs.  Along the way, the refinements in power, smoothness, and emission control have been the standard of the industry.

The first series production diesel automobile was introduced at the 1936 Berlin Auto Show by Daimler-Benz. The Mercedes-Benz Type 260D was intended to be used primarily as a taxi. It was a 4 door sedan which had a 2.6 liter, 4 cylinder engine giving a top speed of about 60 mph. About 2,000 were built before World War II began.

The first Diesel-powered car to be released in the US was the 180 D "Ponton," which produced only 43 horsepower, but provided far better economy than comparable gas models.  The Diesel was already well established in other parts of the world, and was even outselling the gasoline models in Continental Europe based on efficiency and reliability. 

By 1980, the popularity of the Mercedes Diesel engines were enormous in the US, with four our of five Mercedes-Benz products sold here in 1981 being Diesels.  The S Class had received a potent turbo-Diesel model in 1978, and this was added to the E class lineup a few years later.  Mercedes continued to build and refine Diesels for the next 25 years, and this has now culminated with the BlueTEC.

The arrival of ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel to the U.S. market in October 2006 set the stage for the introduction of the cleaner-burning engine, the first modern Diesel Benz to be legal in all 50 states. It returns not just excellent efficiency, but also a remarkable reduction in carbon emissions.  In addition to those points, the car is quiet, refined, responsive, and extremely powerful - something not always present in big Diesel sedans.  If you haven't tried one of these cars, it's worth a new look - the Diesel engine has come an extremely long way.

- Car is like new

- Only 11K miles!

- One-owner

- Great colors

- All Florida car

- Serviced to current

- Priced to sell

Service Special!

Photo:  An Auto Haus technician diagnoses the vehicle of one of our valued customers.

As the summer draws to a close, we'd like to offer a service special to our year-round customers.  If you make an appointment via this email address:

cars@autohausfl.com

You will receive 10% off any servicing, for both parts and labor.  Bearing in mind that our $85 per hour rate is already the lowest for professional German car service anywhere in Southwest Florida, this represents a significant bargain, and a chance to do minor or major servicing that you may have been putting off for a while at an extremely good price.  Appointments must be requested prior to Friday, August 10 at 5p.m.  Contact us today!

1998 BMW M3 Cabrio	- Beautiful condition - Very well maintained - Only 53K Miles - Leather inside - Cold AC - Serviced to current - Priced to sell

History of The Porsche 911

By the late 1950s it was obvious to Porsche that the 356, which had started as basically a heavily modified Volkswagen Beetle in 1948, was small and not particularly powerful in comparison to other sports cars at its lofty price level. But it was also the car upon which the company was built and was essentially Porsche's sole product. Replacing it was necessary, yet perilous. Who knew that the eventual replacement for the 356, the 911, would surpass its predecessor in sales, longevity and glory? Or that it would be so fanatically cherished by its owners that Porsche hasn't been allowed to replace it — despite trying a couple of times?

Almost immediately after it went on sale in September 1964 (as a 1965 model) the 911 established itself as an icon of '60s cool. Then it segued gracefully into being an icon of '70s performance, then an icon of sophistication and affluence in the '80s, then an icon of athleticism and power in the '90s and is now simply an icon of all that's right with Germany and automobiles.

It has also been an incredibly successful racecar. Almost as soon as it went into production, buyers were using it in hill climbs and autocrosses and Porsche itself has come up with dozens of racing variations, including the legendary RSRs, 935s and Paris-to-Dakar winning 959s. To keep this story down to a somewhat manageable length, untangling the tale of 911 racing will have to be left for other venues.

The 911's evolution through the decades has often been incremental but occasionally radical. While other cars have been around as long as the 911, none have so unwaveringly sustained such a singular personality. Or had more racing success. And if you ask most engineers, the 911's engine has always been in the wrong place. 

Read the full article at Edmunds.com

- Drives beautifully

- Amazing power

- One-owner

- Great colors

- Nav, Sat, Voice

- Serviced to current

- Priced to sell

Evolution of the Modern Jaguar Convertible

On September 4, 1922, in Blackpool, England, two young motorcycle enthusiasts, William Lyons and William Walmsley, set up the Swallow Sidecar Company to produce sidecars for motorcycles.  They continued to make sidecars until the advent of WWII.  In 1926 the company built the small Austin Seven, a "people's car" of spartan design.  At this point the company changed its name to the Swallow Sidecar and Coachbuilding Co. and moved to a larger manufacturing space.  There it made bodies for cars built by Morris, Fiat, Wolseley, Swift and Standard.

The company's first car, the SS1, was introduced in 1931, and was a long, low vehicle with a short passenger compartment, wire wheels, and a luggage boot with a spare tire at the rear.  Though still without the name, the first Jaguar had been born.

The XK Drophead Coupe pictured above was the precursor of modern Jaguar convertibles.  The XK140 and XK150 were extremely successful and glamorous, and helped establish Jaguar as a cut above the competition in English luxury.  It paved the way for what was arguably the most successful car in Jaguar history, the E-Type:

Over 70,000 E-Types were produced between 1961 and 1974, a staggering number for the English maker.  It became an absolute icon of 1960s motoring both in the US and abroad, and remains as a cherished collectible amongst enthusiasts today. 

In 1974, Jaguar produced another very successful model, the XJS.  It took all the way until 1986 for it to appear as a convertible, however, and even then it wasn't fabricated by Jaguar, but by Hess and Eisenhardt, a company contracted to cut the roofs off of the standard coupe and make a conversion.  The factory convertible was offered from 1989 until 1996, making the XJS one of the longest-running production cars in automotive history.

1997 Saw the release of the restyled Jaguar XK, a new and sleek design that retained much of the elegance of earlier Jaguars while offering cutting edge technology underneath.  Updated in 2007, this coupe/convertible is still in production today, and retains much of the spirit built in to the very first models.

- Florida winter car

- Power top

- Great colors

- Only 70K Miles

- Serviced to current

- Priced at $14,900

 The W114, 40 Years Later

In 1968, Mercedes-Benz unleashed an all new mid-sized sedan that represented a breakthrough for the German maker, the W114.  Called a "New Generation" model upon its release, it was indeed the first chassis sold by Daimler-Benz that in no way relied on a previous model for its underpinnings.  It replaced the aging "Fintail" models, and essentially launched the modern E Class series - a midsize, ultra-high quality sedan based on top-quality engineering, passenger comfort, and epic reliability.  Mercedes-Benz still uses those design parameters in the E Class cars produced today.

The car was penned by the famous French car designer, Paul Bracq, who was chief designer at Mercedes-Benz from 1957 to 1967, a period that included models such as the Grosser 600 and beautiful Pagode SL.  Bracq went on to design 1970-1974 BMWs and 1974-1996 Peugeots, but one can handily argue that he peaked with Mercedes-Benz during this classic era.

Smaller than the larger S-Class models, this executive-class midsize saloon had a distinctive appeal owing to its beautiful, classic (modern for the time) design and the superb level of integrity and refinement offered.  It was an immediate success, and almost 2,000,000 sedans and coupes were produced and sold between 1968 and 1976, though coupes produced numbered only about 60,000.

Beyond being well made, these cars were also innovative.  1969 saw the introduction of the Bosch D-Jetronic fully electronic fuel injection system into the 250CE. This was the first ever production Mercedes-Benz to use this system.

Other innovations in the W114 models include a center console (a first in a Mercedes sedan), and ribbed taillights in 1974.

An interesting fact that should be added is that a Mercedes-Benz 220 D "pick-up truck" on the W115 chassis was built briefly in Argentina in 1970s.  To be sure, very few of these are around today.

The most common remaining W114 cars in America are the bulletproof diesels, equipped with either the OM616 4-Cylinder, or more powerful OM617 5-Cylinder.  Many will get to 300,000+ miles on the original motor and beyond, all while delivering excellent fuel economy and ample power for city/highway traffic.

Without question, the very successful W114 series was the promising modern beginning of the now legendary E Class.

- All California car

- One family owned

- Great colors

- Only 97K Miles

- Serviced to date

- Priced to sell at $6,900

The Van Slyke Collection

It is with great sadness that Auto Haus, Inc. notes the passing of one of our most valued customers, and one of the finest gentlemen we've done business with, Mr. Glen Van Slyke. A life-long car enthusiast, Mr. Van Slyke chose to share his good humor and company with our business, and we will miss him very much. He shared a passion for Mercedes-Benz, as well as other vintage brands from overseas. We have very gratefully accepted the task of finding new, enthusiastic owners for his beloved car collection.

 Over the next few weeks, we will be adding this collection to our inventory, and offering these amazing collector cars for sale. Each has been lovingly maintained, lightly driven, and kept in climate controlled storage between limited usage. Please phone Bill at (239) 273-1150 for pre-sale information.

- Drives beautifully

- Very well maintained

- Only 23K Miles

- Perfect condo car

- One Florida owner

- Great colors

- Priced to sell at $25,900

Land, Sea, and Air

It is widely known on this page that the points on the Mercedes star are aimed at the land, sea, and air - the vision Karl Benz had for producing the best engines for all.  While we know all about the land at this stage, what can be said of the sea and the air?  I've tracked down a few examples: 

The airplane above was a German WWI "R-Plane," powered by four 260HP Mercedes Diesel engines.  This enormous plane struck fear in the hearts of Londoners, delivering bombs on an occasional basis from Germany.  In sheer bulk, these aircraft were actually larger than any of the German bombers from WWII.

Perhaps more famously, we have this: 

Not that it needs any introduction, but here we have the LZ-129 Hindenburg Airship, one of the fleet of Zeppelins that were the pride of Germany in the 1930s.  It was powered by four 1200HP Mercedes-Benz engines, at least until that little hiccup in New Jersey in 1936.  Oh, the humanity.

But what about the sea?    Behold the Schnellboot: 

The Schnellboot series is considered to be the finest "fast attack" torpedo boat of WWII, having been built to the rigid standards required for use in the North Atlantic.  And a fine craft deserves a really fine motor, which was found in the 20-Cylinder, 2000HP MB501 Diesel engine.  This was not a motor to be trifled with, for sure. 

- Drives beautifully

- One-owner since new

- Low 80K miles
- Great Colors
-Non-Smoker Car
- Never kids or pets
- Serviced and ready to go
Priced to sell at $11,900

- Drives beautifully

- Great colors

- Low 71K miles
- Power top
- Non-smoker car
- Runs extremely well
- Serviced and ready to go
- Priced to sell at $14,900