Skip to content
  • We Are SLSHOP
  • The world’s leading classic SL destination. Welcome to SLSHOP.
tel +44 (0) 1789 337 070
SLSHOP
  • HOME
  • Showroom
    • Classic Mercedes-Benz
      • Showroom
      • Current Inventory
    • New Builds
      • W113 Factory
      • R107 Factory
      • R107 Sportline
      • R107 Electric
    • Selling Your SL
      • Valuation
      • Consignment Sale
      • Sell Us Yours
      • Previously Sold
    • BN COL 1
      • The SL Market

      • Buying

    • BN COL 2
      • SLSHOP Warranty

      • We are SLSHOP

  • Owner Services
    • W113 SL Tailored Services
      • W113 Pagoda Servicing
      • W113 Pagoda Setup
      • W113 Pagoda Restoration
    • R107 SL Tailored Services
      • R107 Servicing
      • R107 Bulkhead Repair
      • R107 Correct Restoration
      • USA to Euro Cosmetic Conversion
      • Hard & Soft Top Adjustment
      • Bulkhead Check
      • Sportline
    • R129 SL Tailored Services
      • R129 Servicing
      • R129 Diagnostics
      • R129 Restoration
      • R129 Roof operation fix
    • BN COL 1
      • Epic Restorations

      • Improving

    • BN COL 2
      • SLSHOP TV

      • We are SLSHOP

    • Classic Mercedes-Benz Owner Services
      • Complete Health Check
      • Structural Check
      • Engine Check
      • Brake Check
      • Under Body Check
      • Classic Mercedes Restoration
      • Modern Classics Servicing
      • Pre Season Check
      • SLSHOP MOT
    • SLSHOP Supporting services
      • Detailing
      • Hardtop Storage
      • Vehicle Storage
      • Transportation Support
      • Valuation Certificate
      • Rust protection
      • SLSHOP Service Process
    • CARE
      • CARE
      • How it works
      • Pricing
      • Inspired Places to Visit
  • CARE
    • CARE
    • How it works
    • CARE Pricing
    • Inspired Places to Visit
  • Experience
    • Cotswolds Tour
    • Wales Tour
    • Open Day
    • Donnington Park
    • Rally Experience
  • Parts Store
    • W113 Pagoda Parts
    • R107 Parts
    • Sportline Parts
  • ClubHouse
  • We Are SLSHOP

The SLCenic Route – Episode 11

In this episode Graham shares his misfortune of being scammed on the way to Monaco

Graham Laing decided to retire 10 years earlier than planned to enjoy an epic driving tour with his SLC. The plan, inspired by conversations with his Father, was to drive the SLC from the southern most tip of mainland Europe in Spain to the northernmost tip of mainland Europe in Norway.

When he told his children, they said ‘you should write a blog about it’… So that’s exactly what Graham is doing. Graham approached the SLSHOP and asked whether we would be interested in hosting his work, and we were only too happy to share his story. The SLCenic Route was born!

In this episode Graham shares his misfortune of being scammed on the way to Monaco

The SLCenic Route

Episode 11 – Good days, Bad Days…

Day 13 Grasse to Lake Maggiore via Monaco

Before I tell you about today’s journey, I can now tell you about the real big disaster on my run from Andorra to Grasse yesterday.

I was scammed.

Anybody that worked will probably be surprised; as part of my role as an IT manager I wrote test scam emails, both testing and educating staff on how to spot dodgy emails. In one test I fooled the CEO of a large company to give out her password. Happy days. I should know better and to try and stop it happening to you, here is what happened.

On Sunday, I stopped at a busy service station on the A9 in south of France. A normal looking Irish man with a couple of decent kids came up to me and asked if I spoke English. He explained that he had been robbed somewhere between Barcelona and France and had no money to get back to Ireland. After chatting for a bit, he gave me his phone number and email address; I gave him more cash than I should.

I knew it didn’t feel quite right, but thought why would an Irishman be in south of France trying to scam people. The main thing now is the same as I taught staff at my work, use it as a learning experience, tell others so they don’t get scammed and understand why you got caught out and finally, don’t put yourself in that position again. For me, I was tired, hungry and thirsty; I had just had a few marvellous days meeting new friendly generous people, simple really and something we all experience on holiday. Many of you will say, “That wouldn’t happen to me”, but that is exactly what staff would say before I caught them out on test scam emails.

We all have weaknesses, understand them and don’t let yourself be put in a dangerous position. I now have closure on the incident; the one good thing I did was take his picture and a picture of his car number plate which have been sent to the Irish Police (Garda).

Hopefully they can stop him when he gets back into Ireland. He was of course using false plates, but I can do no more, just enjoy the rest of my trip and be more careful in future.

One of my aims on this trip was to drive round Monaco. Setting off from Grasse, I stopped first at Cannes to see what all the fuss is about the place. I’ll not be back. Next stop, purgatory. A drive along the coast, through Antibes and Nice. Other than the line of expensive private jets at Nice airport, it was similar to a long drive on a hot summer’s day through the grubby parts of London. At this point I’m thinking, I need something to cheer me up.

Once you get out of Nice, the road improves, the scenery improves and my mood improves. As you get close to Monaco you enter tunnel Albert II. What an amazing piece of work a full 360 bend (I was starting to get dizzy) dropping down and coming out into Monaco. Monaco as I’m sure you are aware is tax haven, but unlike Gibraltar and Andorra it plays the game differently. First thing you notice is unlike the other two, there is no border control and also unlike the other two, prices are through the roof. It is similar to Gibraltar in one way though, land is very limited, so like Gibraltar, tunnelling is used a lot. So much so, that one tunnel has a roundabout in it!

Above ground it is a fascinating and beautiful place but it’s not because of the prices (it was really) that I didn’t stop; parking is impossible, and don’t make a mistake with the satnav, you can’t do a U-turn and little Miss Google SatNav must think my car is only 40 inches wide. The streets I went along, round, up and down were scary and I’m glad my clutch has, or at least had, plenty of life in it. I also eventually get to drive round most of the F1 circuit, not all was open as they were still dismantling things, but still nice to see it first-hand. Will I go again? Only by boat, and only if it is a quiet time of year.

Now at last out into some good country roads, telling the SatNav to avoid toll roads (not doing that again), I set off for Italy and the fabulous Lake Maggiore.

Climbing out of Monaco, the D2566 took me up though and over the first mountain pass. What a road and lifted the spirits ever higher, empty apart from a few mad Italians in Fiats, it was a joy, there is a tunnel, which is more like a small medieval arch way, only just wide enough for one car. Only difference is that the arch way is about ½ mile long and has a mile of mountain above it.

Then onto the D2204 and D6204, winding, climbing and tunnelling there way though the beautiful southern part of the Alps and into Italy. I drove more hairpin bends today, real hairpin bends where you use both sides of the road, than I have in all the rest of my life. Google the route up from Menton to Panice Soprana and see the road tie itself in knots.

We stopped at the top of the D6204 for some traffic lights, nothing special, I thought. After a few minutes, I realised everyone else had switched off their engines and got out for a stretch of their legs. Do as the locals do, so I joined them, chatted to a couple from Italy and France who spoke no English but we had a lovely chat for 20 minutes and I found out this was normal, the roadworks are so long, the traffic lights take 20 to 30 minutes to change. Anyway, I learned some Italian words for normal, relax and take it easy. Normale, rilassare and calmati.

Click here to read Episode 12

Graham Laing decided to retire 10 years earlier than planned to enjoy an epic driving tour with his SLC. The plan, inspired by conversations with his Father, was to drive the SLC from the southern most tip of mainland Europe in Spain to the northernmost tip of mainland Europe in Norway.

When he told his children, they said ‘you should write a blog about it’… So that’s exactly what Graham is doing. Graham approached the SLSHOP and asked whether we would be interested in hosting his work, and we were only too happy to share his story. The SLCenic Route was born!

In this episode Graham shares his misfortune of being scammed on the way to Monaco

The SLCenic Route

Episode 11 – Good days, Bad Days…

Day 13 Grasse to Lake Maggiore via Monaco

Before I tell you about today’s journey, I can now tell you about the real big disaster on my run from Andorra to Grasse yesterday.

I was scammed.

Anybody that worked will probably be surprised; as part of my role as an IT manager I wrote test scam emails, both testing and educating staff on how to spot dodgy emails. In one test I fooled the CEO of a large company to give out her password. Happy days. I should know better and to try and stop it happening to you, here is what happened.

On Sunday, I stopped at a busy service station on the A9 in south of France. A normal looking Irish man with a couple of decent kids came up to me and asked if I spoke English. He explained that he had been robbed somewhere between Barcelona and France and had no money to get back to Ireland. After chatting for a bit, he gave me his phone number and email address; I gave him more cash than I should.

I knew it didn’t feel quite right, but thought why would an Irishman be in south of France trying to scam people. The main thing now is the same as I taught staff at my work, use it as a learning experience, tell others so they don’t get scammed and understand why you got caught out and finally, don’t put yourself in that position again. For me, I was tired, hungry and thirsty; I had just had a few marvellous days meeting new friendly generous people, simple really and something we all experience on holiday. Many of you will say, “That wouldn’t happen to me”, but that is exactly what staff would say before I caught them out on test scam emails.

We all have weaknesses, understand them and don’t let yourself be put in a dangerous position. I now have closure on the incident; the one good thing I did was take his picture and a picture of his car number plate which have been sent to the Irish Police (Garda).

Hopefully they can stop him when he gets back into Ireland. He was of course using false plates, but I can do no more, just enjoy the rest of my trip and be more careful in future.

One of my aims on this trip was to drive round Monaco. Setting off from Grasse, I stopped first at Cannes to see what all the fuss is about the place. I’ll not be back. Next stop, purgatory. A drive along the coast, through Antibes and Nice. Other than the line of expensive private jets at Nice airport, it was similar to a long drive on a hot summer’s day through the grubby parts of London. At this point I’m thinking, I need something to cheer me up.

Once you get out of Nice, the road improves, the scenery improves and my mood improves. As you get close to Monaco you enter tunnel Albert II. What an amazing piece of work a full 360 bend (I was starting to get dizzy) dropping down and coming out into Monaco. Monaco as I’m sure you are aware is tax haven, but unlike Gibraltar and Andorra it plays the game differently. First thing you notice is unlike the other two, there is no border control and also unlike the other two, prices are through the roof. It is similar to Gibraltar in one way though, land is very limited, so like Gibraltar, tunnelling is used a lot. So much so, that one tunnel has a roundabout in it!

Above ground it is a fascinating and beautiful place but it’s not because of the prices (it was really) that I didn’t stop; parking is impossible, and don’t make a mistake with the satnav, you can’t do a U-turn and little Miss Google SatNav must think my car is only 40 inches wide. The streets I went along, round, up and down were scary and I’m glad my clutch has, or at least had, plenty of life in it. I also eventually get to drive round most of the F1 circuit, not all was open as they were still dismantling things, but still nice to see it first-hand. Will I go again? Only by boat, and only if it is a quiet time of year.

Now at last out into some good country roads, telling the SatNav to avoid toll roads (not doing that again), I set off for Italy and the fabulous Lake Maggiore.

Climbing out of Monaco, the D2566 took me up though and over the first mountain pass. What a road and lifted the spirits ever higher, empty apart from a few mad Italians in Fiats, it was a joy, there is a tunnel, which is more like a small medieval arch way, only just wide enough for one car. Only difference is that the arch way is about ½ mile long and has a mile of mountain above it.

Then onto the D2204 and D6204, winding, climbing and tunnelling there way though the beautiful southern part of the Alps and into Italy. I drove more hairpin bends today, real hairpin bends where you use both sides of the road, than I have in all the rest of my life. Google the route up from Menton to Panice Soprana and see the road tie itself in knots.

We stopped at the top of the D6204 for some traffic lights, nothing special, I thought. After a few minutes, I realised everyone else had switched off their engines and got out for a stretch of their legs. Do as the locals do, so I joined them, chatted to a couple from Italy and France who spoke no English but we had a lovely chat for 20 minutes and I found out this was normal, the roadworks are so long, the traffic lights take 20 to 30 minutes to change. Anyway, I learned some Italian words for normal, relax and take it easy. Normale, rilassare and calmati.

Click here to read Episode 12

More from ClubHouse

  • Generation Game – Three Decades of Automotive Icons, 1968 to 1989

    Generation Game – Three Decades of Automotive Icons, 1968 to 1989

    December 11th, 2020
  • Midnight Club – True Blue

    Midnight Club – True Blue

    October 28th, 2020
  • What does inspirational reliability mean to you and your car?

    What does inspirational reliability mean to you and your car?

    January 29th, 2020|1 Comment
  • What does financial reliability mean to you and your car?

    What does financial reliability mean to you and your car?

    January 29th, 2020|5 National Insurance Number
  • What does emotional reliability mean to you and your car?

    What does emotional reliability mean to you and your car?

    January 29th, 2020|4 National Insurance Number
  • The SLCenic Route – Episode 32

    The SLCenic Route – Episode 32

    June 26th, 2019|1 Comment
  • The SLCenic Route – Episode 31

    The SLCenic Route – Episode 31

    June 25th, 2019|1 Comment
  • The SLCenic Route – Episode 30

    The SLCenic Route – Episode 30

    June 24th, 2019|1 Comment
  • The SLCenic Route – Episode 29

    The SLCenic Route – Episode 29

    June 24th, 2019|1 Comment
  • The SLCenic Route – Episode 28

    The SLCenic Route – Episode 28

    June 24th, 2019|1 Comment
  • The SLCenic Route – Episode 27

    The SLCenic Route – Episode 27

    June 24th, 2019|1 Comment
  • The SLCenic Route – Episode 26

    The SLCenic Route – Episode 26

    June 24th, 2019|1 Comment
  • The SLCenic Route – Episode 25

    The SLCenic Route – Episode 25

    June 24th, 2019|1 Comment
  • The SLCenic Route – Episode 24

    The SLCenic Route – Episode 24

    June 24th, 2019|1 Comment
  • The SLCenic Route – Episode 23

    The SLCenic Route – Episode 23

    June 20th, 2019|1 Comment
  • The SLCenic Route – Episode 22

    The SLCenic Route – Episode 22

    June 20th, 2019|1 Comment
  • The SLCenic Route – Episode 21

    The SLCenic Route – Episode 21

    June 20th, 2019|1 Comment
  • The SLCenic Route – Episode 20

    The SLCenic Route – Episode 20

    June 20th, 2019|1 Comment
  • The SLCenic Route – Episode 19

    The SLCenic Route – Episode 19

    June 13th, 2019|1 Comment
  • The SLCenic Route – Episode 18

    The SLCenic Route – Episode 18

    June 13th, 2019|1 Comment
  • The SLCenic Route – Episode 17

    The SLCenic Route – Episode 17

    June 13th, 2019|1 Comment
  • The SLCenic Route – Episode 16

    The SLCenic Route – Episode 16

    June 11th, 2019|1 Comment
  • The SLCenic Route – Episode 15

    The SLCenic Route – Episode 15

    June 10th, 2019|1 Comment
  • Classic Mercedes-Benz Storage with SLSHOP – Your Perfect Partner

    Classic Mercedes-Benz Storage with SLSHOP – Your Perfect Partner

    June 8th, 2019|0 National Insurance Number
  • Aston Martin Storage with SLSHOP – Your Perfect Partner

    Aston Martin Storage with SLSHOP – Your Perfect Partner

    June 8th, 2019|0 National Insurance Number
  • Porsche Storage with SLSHOP – Your Perfect Partner

    Porsche Storage with SLSHOP – Your Perfect Partner

    June 8th, 2019|0 National Insurance Number
  • Classic Jaguar Storage with SLSHOP – Your Perfect Partner

    Classic Jaguar Storage with SLSHOP – Your Perfect Partner

    June 8th, 2019|0 National Insurance Number

CARE membership plans

 Join Our Family

Improve your SL

Increase the value it brings you

For every SL owner we have met, the key aspect in ownership and running these amazing motorcars is ensuring that this prized possession remains a joy to use whenever, wherever and however; protecting and increasing its value over time.

As the World’s largest specialist in classic SL’s we have drawn upon our experience with our customers, with hundreds of cars and thousands of hours behind the wheel and under the ramp to develop CARE; a way of engaging a community of owners and protecting the value of their investments as well as enhancing their cars condition, reliability and desirability.

Discover More

CLASSIC

Would you like to be a little more involved with your car and the marketplace? It’s easy to be a member and join our community. CLASSIC gives you access to an extensive range of benefits without the commitment of a service plan.

COMPLETE

The importance of a correctly maintained classic cannot be understated when it comes to the eventual sale of your asset. COMPLETE membership adds a Service & Maintenance programme specifically designed around your usage.

CONCIERGE

Time poor? You’ll like the idea of CONCIERGE. We will collect and deliver your SL, or provide a premium experience at point of service that includes an overnight stay on us as well as access to our market expertise.

Be the First to Know

We don’t mind whether you are in the market for one of our awesome cars or just interested in seeing whats new and whats going on in the market. Pop your details in here to receive updates on all thats “hot” in the showroom.

Contact

What are you waiting for? Drop us a line and let us know which car you would like to hire and when you would like it. We’ll guide you through everything from there on in.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

More From SLSHOP

Experience
Owner Services
Parts Store
CARE

Contact SLSHOP Showroom

Whatever your Mercedes-Benz, Whatever your needs are, Let the SLSHOP help you. It all starts with getting to know you and your needs. We have designed this contact form to be quick and easy and we never share your data.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Contact

Location

T:01789 337 070

[email protected]

SLSHOP

Unit 1a, 2, 3, & 4b Drayton Manor Drive
Stratford Upon Avon, Warwickshire
CV37 9RQ

Hours:
Mon-Fri 9:00am – 5:00pm
Saturday by appointment only
Closed Sunday

 

Services

  • Showroom
  • Owner Services
  • Experience
  • Parts Store
  • Additional Services

SLSHOP

  • We Are SLSHOP
  • COVID-19 Information
  • Visit or Contact
  • Terms
    • Part Sales Terms
    • Car Sales Terms
    • CARE TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • UK Event & Experiences TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • Hire Terms
    • Gift Voucher Terms
  • Privacy & Cookie Policy

Connect

Join the SLSHOP family. We know you won’t want to miss out.