Mercedes-Benz Museum: road trip to Stuttgart: 1,750miles in 42hours

[jjrodger]

I know this is a technical forum, but the whole point of these wonderful cars is to drive them on trips. My wife being away "with the girls" (so she says), this weekend provided the long-awaited opportunity for me to drive to Stuttgart to see the new Museum (and sample the autobahnen before they put speed limits on them). Perhaps I should have had a weekend with some girls myself!

I left my office in Newcastle upon Tyne on Friday afternoon at 12.30pm. The tank was full and the clock showed only the 30miles from my home. I was able to check in at the Channel Tunnel at 5.50pm. Roof down all the way: sunburnt head the only tangible result of that. Mileage: 367.

Off the tunnel in France at 8pm, I whizzed up to Bruges, very pretty town, much recommended if you visit Europe, where I stayed the night. It is an almost fully intact Renaissance town built on canals. I was there for 9pm (miles 447). Had mixed smoked fish followed by mussels and chips for dinner, washed down with wheat beer.

Saturday, after a sharp coffee in the Markt, I hit the road for Stuttgart at about 9am. The route was Brussels, Liege, Aachen, Koln, Koblenz, Mannheim, Heilbronn. The Beligians drive like immbeciles: extraordinarily aggressively. I was balked by a pack of motorcyclists who would neither exceed 85mph nor let me past. I got quite uneasy at one point as they were swarming like wasps and I had no idea whether they were just being stupid or were trying to intimidate.

The autobahn was a terrible disappointment. There are roadworks everywhere and where there are none, there is a dire want of repair. Traffic jams were terrible between Koln and Koblenz (A61). As you are probably aware, the autobahn is not entirely deristricted: less than half of my trip was on derestricted road. Even where there are no permanent restrictions, they can slap temporary limits up by means of electronic signs. There is neither rhyme nor reason as to which parts are derestricted and which are not. Sometimes the very best bits were limited to 130km/h.

Anyway, it doesn't much matter because Johnny German doesn't much go in for speed limits: I fell in with the crowd at 100-120mph. All the time, though, one prays for the derestrictor sign. Down at the bottom of the A61, beneath Mannheim, along the A6 to Heilbronn and then down the A81 to Stuttgart, the road opened up and I travelled in convoy with a 997 Carrera Cab. I was very pleased that he could not gain on me: indeed, if I paid careful attention and got on the hammer at the same time as him, I would make up ground, especially between 90 and 120.

I arrived at the Museum at 2.30pm (miles 850). I will not describe it here other than to say it is simply breathtaking, even for a non-car buff, and worth a trip from anywhere in the world for an enthusiast.

I left at about 6.15pm (the Museum shuts at 6 but I had a few preparations to make). I retraced my steps up to Mannheim and then took the A6 down to the French border at Saarbrucken. Now this was what I came for. Roof down, the car repeatedly went up to an indicated 150mph and more. Everyone on the road was motoring fast. In order to despatch a Mini Cooper S Works, I had to break 145. Several times he and I had drag races from 85 or so up to top speed. Then, breaking over a high ridge after Kaiserlautern, the road laid itself out on the valley below, about 10km draped in my view, 3 lanes wide, big shoulder, good construction and, most important of all, almost no traffic. Flat out: 160 on the clock (the needle would not go beyond 160 even though we were accelerating). Roof still down, I heard them coming before I saw them: two apparently highly modified BMWs, a M3 and M5 respectively, looked like racing cars, blew past if not like I was standing still then certainly at some difference. I'd say they were doing 180. I am rarely passed; I never thought I would be overtaken at 160!

Because I was travelling solo, I could not risk super high speeds in France: they will confiscate your licence if they catch you in excess of 170km/h (105mph). I sat on 95mph all the way to Calais, about 400kms. Needless to say, I saw not a single Gendarme. It was beautiful running up to Metz and over to Reims: green and rolling and lit with that wonderful evening sun (which did its best to shine in my eyes).

I arrived at the Eurotunnel at 11.55pm. Next train 1.25am. No hotel rooms: which was distressing. Rather than stay in Calais and catch an early train (which was my preferred option), I decided to find a hotel on the other side. Arriving at 1am (remember there is a time change), I found no available hotels in England, either, and wasted a good 15minutes each time I pulled off the motorway to enquire. There was only one thing for it: head for home. Fatigue got the better of me, though, and at 4am I pulled in for a nap at Elkesley. An hour later, the sun was up, the road even quieter. I was home for 7. I realise now I haven't eaten since Friday night.

My total mileage is about 1,750. I have spent all but about 15 of the last 42 hours in the driving seat. Once again, the car was faultless. Most of the time I was doing in excess of 90mph; in Germany I was doing much more than that on bad roads for extended periods; indeed, on 4 occasions I saw 160mph on the clock and not for a fleeting instant (albeit not for much more than 30seconds, either). It gave about 400miles between fills. If I could ask for more it would be a little more suspension control at very high speed (on the broken and bumpy autobahn above 130 it got a little hairy) and a little less lift on the front axle (ditto). Surprisingly, more power is not at the top of my list (although more power would be no bad thing).

The car has now covered 148,700miles. It has an equivalent number of insects plastered to the front bumper.

As usual, a few pictures:

Bruges (or Brugge):




Some Museum shots:












And my car enjoying a short rest:

[bbeberness]

Neat story. Almost wish we were there.

[Roncallo]

Nice story. Nice pictures. I was at the old museum 2 years ago just before the new one opened. It looks very nice.

[moakesr]

Nice trip, and nice writeup.

I hope to take my 500SL there next year, providing fuel doesn't reach £10 a gallon

[iwrock]

This is an enthusiast forum, where people can share stories and feelings about their SLs.



Neat story man. When I am in Germany next summer, I want to visit the Mercedes-Benz Museum.

[jcyuhn]

Care to shock us Americans into reality by posting the fuel cost for your little weekend drive?

I haven't spent any time in London for 15 months, but as I recall diesel was roughly 92 pence/liter back then.

- JimY

[jjrodger]

Originally Posted by jcyuhn

Care to shock us Americans into reality by posting the fuel cost for your little weekend drive?

Horrendous.

I filled up (18gallons) before leaving home on Friday 9 May. GBP71.41 (call it $140).
On the evening of the same day, in Belgium, I added another 70litres (16gallons) at a cost of E107.12 (call it $160).
The next day, Saturday, just off the A61 in Germany, I added 55litres (13.5gallons) at E86.34 ($140).
Again on Saturday, this time off the A6 in Germany, I added 50litres (11.5gallons) at E75.37 ($120).
Yet again on Saturday, now in France, I filled up at a cost of E88.34 ($140).
Finally, in the early hours of Sunday morning, I took on 60litres (12gallons) at a cost of GBP65.15 ($130).

I still have a little less than half a tank.

The total expenditure on fuel was $830. I wonder how much CO2 I put out?

The rest was negligible in comparison: parking in Bruges was E12 ($20), dinner in Bruges was E38 ($60), my hotel room was E70 ($120) and my morning coffee and water was E7 ($11). I spent E140 in the Museum shop ($210). The Channel Tunnel fare was GBP98 ($195). I incurred road tolls of about E20 ($30). I must have spent $30 on Coca cola, coffee and mineral water. Entrance to the Museum was free with my Mercedes Owners' Club membership card, thus saving E6!!!

Fuel is getting ridiculous here in Europe: $10 a gallon is the norm now. Diesel is even more in Britain, about GBP1.25 a litre or $11 a gallon.

I hadn't worked it out but I now see it was an expensive trip. Won't be doing that again in a hurry.

[donbryce]

Super nice story. I was reminicing about my 14 country Europe tour on a motorcycle (BSA 250) in 1968. The autobahn was much nicer then, or my memory has made that way. I have no idea where my 560SL is going to get such a speed trial, but it will, someday.

[suginami]

What a wonderful story, and your picutres are fantastic.

Thanks for sharing.

[pj67coll]

That's a wonderful story and great pictures. It's a dream of mine to do something similar one day. Only problem is I don't know how I'd manage to find an older Mercedes to make the trip in. Do you not have any problems being in the wrong side of the car when you cross the channel?

- Peter.

[jjrodger]

Originally Posted by pj67coll

Do you not have any problems being in the wrong side of the car when you cross the channel?

The only real problem is at toll booths and at car park ticket gates: I either have to clamber across the passenger seat or get out of the car and walk around to the other side. Motorway driving is easy, being on the wrong side of the car is no problem. On single carriageway highways, I have to be a little more circumspect when overtaking, but not much more: 300bhp is 300bhp.

[nt-j]

Hi JJ,
Sounds if you had a fun weekend
How do you manage to get such good fuel economy at such high speed ? I was only able to average 270 miles per tank on the old 500 and once managed 300.
Although it is early days yet the SL60 seems to be a bit better + 400 bhp !!
N T-J