Mercedes Benz Heritage Division Established To Bring In New Era of Cars
A loosely organized collection of cars, data and knowhow is now under the umbrella of Mercedes Benz Heritage.
Automotive landscapes are changing for the entire industry, and Mercedes has taken note. Mercedes Benz Heritage is now an official resource for all things classic Mercedes. And that’s important, because a whole new era of cars are now officially classics.
We normally think of older classics as a 300 SL or even a Pagoda roof roadster. But cars like the 400E, 190 E Cosworth, and C36 AMG are now all over 30 years old. Those cars need preservation, documentaion and know-how. All of which is now under control of Marcus Breitschwerdt, CEO of the Heritage.
MotorTrend reports that some careful planning will help keep the Heritage alive. And unlike past museums and collections, M-B Heritage is specifically for-profit. And you make a profit when you can sell goods and services to classic Mercedes owners.
To best serve customers, M-B will be buying cars. A lot of them. They want two of each model. One that’s fully restored and in perfect condition, and an unrestored, pristine example of the same model. This is in order to establish a baseline and reference point for anyhting that may not be in a parts catalogue or service book.
This is incredibly good news for younger enthusiasts who had a 190 E Cosworth as a dream car. Not only from a support standpoint, but also a work opportunity, too. Mercedes plans to have Bruno Sacco era cars fully supported, to the point of having specific factory trained technicians that can work with this generation of cars. Specifically, cars with high electrical and mechanical complexity, but not to the point of being easily diagnosed or evaluated with a simple plug-in computer.
For those interested in the highest degree of authenticity, you can get a data card for $130.00 which shows exactly how your car was specified as-new. For those who have a real classic, a trained expert will even evaluate the car’s originality, and gather restoration options for your classic Mercedes. That route is almost $30,000. However, if it’s a Pebble Beach winner, then that price tag becomes a bit easier to handle.
Photos courtesy of MotorTrend
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