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something new

Godfrey

Well-known member
I decided it was time to get beyond buying camera gear for a while. I mean, really, I have other obsessions to deal with.


2000 Mercedes-Benz SLK 230 Kompressor

So I don't buy a Summilux 75 and a second M9 body for a while. Will it really hurt me?

(Photo on left with GXR, center and right with the iPhone 4S.)
 

Knorp

Well-known member
Well, for this one you need quite a lot of gaffer tape ... :p

Fine car, though :thumbup:
 

D&A

Well-known member
Hi Godfrey,

You're really not going beyond cars. It still will have to be cleaned like the sensor in your camera and no doubt there will be spots on the car, which will have to be "cloned" out. Although I hope you don't have to ever use touch up paint on your car, if you do, you're still going to have to deal with color accuracy. As for contrasty lighting, it's still going to be the same old issue as it was with your cameras...hard to deal with and having to find ways to tone it down. In the case of driving the car in contrasty lighting, a good pair of sunglasses might help, whereas other means will be required when photographing in such lighting. So you see, not all that different. Now go out and take some great shots...of you good looking car of course! :)

Dave (D&A)
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
Thanks Dave! Gave me a chuckle.


Driving a car is like shooting with film: no matter what the car cost you to begin with, you're going to spend more on fuel and maintenance (film and processing) than that if you use it ... ;-)
 

jonoslack

Active member
I prefer ragtops when the top is down. Rather have the quiet of a coupe when the top is up.

On this, the top slides into the trunk with the press of a button ...
Yes - I've run the gamut, but the modern ragtops (BMW 1 and 6, Audi A5, Merc wotsit etc.) are pretty quiet - and you have the advantage of good boot space even when the top is open. Nothing worse than touring the South of France and not being able to open the top because the trunk is full of suitcases!

Interestingly; Mercedes made the big convertible into a hard-top for a year or so and changed back. VW have now stopped making the hard top EOS and gone back to a ragtop as well.

Mind you - no criticism of your lovely yellow car - I'm jealous!
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
Yes - I've run the gamut, but the modern ragtops (BMW 1 and 6, Audi A5, Merc wotsit etc.) are pretty quiet - and you have the advantage of good boot space even when the top is open. Nothing worse than touring the South of France and not being able to open the top because the trunk is full of suitcases!

Interestingly; Mercedes made the big convertible into a hard-top for a year or so and changed back. VW have now stopped making the hard top EOS and gone back to a ragtop as well.

Mind you - no criticism of your lovely yellow car - I'm jealous!
Thanks, and yes, I understand the appeal.

I don't mind the impact on trunk space. With my emphasis on minimalism when traveling, all the stuff I needed to spend three weeks in the UK traveling fill less than half the space in the trunk with the top retracted, so there's room for me and any passenger I might carry. It's snug but enough for me.

With the top up, the trunk becomes very roomy.

Screaming Yellow Zonker II will go to the shop Monday for a full service and a few overhaul details noted in the pre-purchase inspection. Seems to be in very good nick for its age and mileage.

I'm gonna enjoy this beastie. :)
 

jonoslack

Active member
Thanks, and yes, I understand the appeal.

I don't mind the impact on trunk space. With my emphasis on minimalism when traveling, all the stuff I needed to spend three weeks in the UK traveling fill less than half the space in the trunk with the top retracted, so there's room for me and any passenger I might carry. It's snug but enough for me.
Oh - I'm quite compact as well . . . but Emma likes to take the kitchen sink with her!
With the top up, the trunk becomes very roomy.

Screaming Yellow Zonker II will go to the shop Monday for a full service and a few overhaul details noted in the pre-purchase inspection. Seems to be in very good nick for its age and mileage.

I'm gonna enjoy this beastie. :)
Looks great - what's the age and mileage?
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
Oh - I'm quite compact as well . . . but Emma likes to take the kitchen sink with her!
Looks great - what's the age and mileage?
That's a problem. My partner is even more minimalistic than I so there won't be any problems for us.

It's a 2000 model year car, so 12 years old, with 123K miles on the clock. The pre-purchase inspection at the local indie Mercedes specialist gave it a good bill of health with just a few minor things to take care of. The body has a couple of minor dings too ... nothing that bothers me at all. Driving, it feels tight and planted, and that little Kompressor really does pick up its skirts and run when you push on the throttle.

It's so nice to drive a real sports car again: front engine, rear drive, manual transmission. I've missed my Alfa Romeo Spider, Toyota MR2, etc for a while.
 

monza

Active member
It's so nice to drive a real sports car again: front engine, rear drive, manual transmission.
Nice MB, Godfrey!

Kinda like the 'x100 isn't a real rangefinder' discussions, there are the purists who consider only mid- or rear engine, rear drive to be real sports cars. :)

I'm still missing my Boxster s
Jono, I see your S grew up. I previously had an original Boxster ('99) and a S ('01) among a few other P cars.
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
Nice MB, Godfrey!

Kinda like the 'x100 isn't a real rangefinder' discussions, there are the purists who consider only mid- or rear engine, rear drive to be real sports cars. :)
...
I've had all of them.

- Never liked the Porsches as much as I was expecting to, the dynamics of the mid-1970s 911 just didn't appeal to me.

- The MG-B, Triumph TR3 (a little crude), Jaguar XK-E were all lovely, nicely balanced designs that handled very well (until ruined by old age and emissions crap); the TVR Vixen and Lotus Elan were a cut above if a hair to tight for a 6 footer to be comfortable driving for long. The Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce and Guilietta Spider were truly delightful. I had my last Spider Veloce until 2008. The Lamborghini 350GT was amazing if way more than I ever needed (or could justify on costs of operation). The FIAT 124 Spider was great fun but too cheaply built.

- The FIAT X 1/9 and Porsche 914 were disappointing. The Toyota MR2 was superb. A Maserati Bora I was loaned for half a year was stunning.

- The SAAB Sonnett was basically a pretty body on the 96V4 chassis. Fun but crude. The only other FWD sports car I drove for a little bit was the abortive Lotus which handled well if oddly.

But overall, the sports cars I find I like the most are the traditional, front engine-rear drive layouts with modest displacement, good power, and good responsiveness. I like their nimbleness, relative simplicity, and easy balance.

However, what I really meant was that the last nine years, aside from a few miles with the Spider before I sold it in 2008, what I've been driving most are Land Rovers and the Toyota Prius. Both excellent cars for their intended purpose. But not sporty, not "fun", and rather more complex than I really like. The SLK does have some sophisticated bits in it, like the traction control and the supercharged, EFI engine, but its overall design and feel is not that far removed from the simple, elegant basics presented by the Guilietta or MG B.

And, darn it, it's very Yellow. ;-)
 

Bob

Administrator
Staff member
This time around it was my turn to have the 'big' car, so Emma has a mini cooper convertible . . .

But I shouldn't be too grumpy!

I am glad to see that you are not suffering too much.
Sadly the M Roadster was replaced by an X3 with all wheel drive.
The Roadster never saw much action in Massachusetts snow in the winter.
-bob
 
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