For those asking for pictures of my half million mile 240D, I am offering these pictures in spite of the fact that she is sitting out next to the barn awaiting attention.

She has served me like a faithful old horse. I drove this car personally from 17,000 miles after it was new and brought to the US as a Grey Market car in 1985 until I handed her over to my son when he turned 16. His goal was to see 500,000 miles on the odometer before he went away to the University of Texas. He accomplished that goal. He is not a car person and could care less whether or not there is oil in the crankcase as long as there is fuel in the tank, so I don't really understand how he did it. I think Ol' Silver had more of a hand in this than did my son. Just before going away to the university, he ran it scarily low on oil.

When he left the car sat up. I was too buisy to do anything with it and newer more fun cars to drive.

My job situation changed in late 1999 and I brought her out of mothballs, did a little work and began driving her 180 miles a day. That lasted a few months 'til, for the first time, she laid down away from home, lost oil pressure. Every other lay down or incident she had ever had was within a mile or two of the house. She had an amazing homing instinct.

She came back home that time on a rollback wrecker. I bought another Euro, four speed car and got the engine as an interim engine. That engine didn't last as long as I thought and she ended up back out to pasture.

I now have the original engine on an engine stand and I'm trying to decide whether to put my woodworking equipment back in place for some winter projects, or start on the 240D. The deciding factor will probably relate to the funds I need for the engine work. I have a plan that may solve that.

I would like to do a functional restoration and put her back on the road by spring to make a few treks such as the MB Autowerks Grand Opening.

It remains to be seen just how long she will stay out to pasture.