Nick (aka Fatrat) and myself had long talked about making a grand tour of Europe in a motor of unusual distinction and of a certain age. Talk turned to action when Nick told me of a business contact who was potentially selling a venerable oldish Mercedes with impeccable provenance and a very low mileage for its age
So a wet early Spring day in 2008 found us in Crowborough to persuade Nick's contact that we would be worthy future owners of his Maroon 1981 Mercedes Benz 380SE with only two owners from new and a paltry 55,000 miles on the clock. Barely run in for a V8 that would power a small tank. First impressions were favourable... The garage doors were swung open to reveal a very clean and well looked after car, but a big big car in all respects. One with Germanic presence and a massive ability to pollute most of East Sussex each time it was started up. We soon named it affectionately 'The Beast'.
Our desire to become joint custodians of the Beast increased further as the owner used a feather duster wafting it over the top and bonnet of the car and then proceeding at some length to take us through the minutiae of his many years of ownership. He had originally bought the Beast whilst in Hong Kong and had brought it back to the UK, where in recent times it had only done a few hundred miles each year. It was even complete with the original first aid kit and Hong Kong AA stickers!
So some negotiation later, plus the small matter of a few hundred pounds, the Beast was ours.
