2022 Open Day Review

Spring rolls out the sunshine for our first Open Day of the year.

We launched into 2022 with an ambitious plan to hold three open days across the year. Why might you ask? We just love to share our passion with the Mercedes-Benz community.

It had been over two years since we last opened our doors to owners and enthusiasts, as the Pandemic put a halt to all our plans bar our #SLSHOP50 event in July 2021. The energy throughout the team to welcome you all back was immense, enabling us to prepare and set up the day for over 200 people and cars that journeyed from all over the UK.

Our private driveway was arranged with the ‘SLs Through the Ages’, showcasing where it all started with the 300SLR – a beautiful example with one owner from new. Martin – a good friend of ours – inherited the car from his father who purchased the car new way back when the W198 captured hearts minds and sparked a new age of aspirational, guilt-free adventurous motoring. The line-up followed right through to the V8 R231 SL55 AMG – a vehicle that stands in complete contrast to the original, but nevertheless has become synonymous with the SL namesake. Both ends of the display catered for all age groups, but the 300SL scored 100 on the cool-meter.

Alongside this magnetic display was our race-car line-up, with Luke and Matt at the wheel of our 450SL SportLine and Ponton race cars. Guests were offered rides along our 1-mile driveway; with those brave enough encouraging our specialist drivers to take them to the red line. The Ponton would go on to give up due to a worn differential – a common issue when pushing race cars hard. The Ponton will be revived.

Visitors flocked to our Showroom to peruse the current collection of over forty classic and modern classic Mercedes models for sale. Bruce and his team did their very best to deal with the influx of enquiries, with several cars reserved on the day. Members of the Mercedes community enjoyed 1-2-1 sessions with our Tours team, finding out all the details of our upcoming UK tours, as well as the Pagoda anniversary drive to Stuttgart.

Our Parts Store had spent days preparing a very special selection of replacement components across all product ranges, offering demonstrations on how to fit specific accessories and interior components. The team utilised Greg James’ modified 420SL to showcase how our range of SportLine parts will improve the stance of the R107 SL.

In the workshops, guests were invited to speak to our Engine experts who revealed how we turn a tired and worn-out Pagoda engine, into a glistening new and upgraded power unit. Our Heritage Workshop uncovered several of our current restoration projects, including two Pagodas that will soon fly our ‘Epic Resto’ flag. In the Specialist workshop, our AMG experts were on hand to speak to modern classic owners, while six SportLine projects dominated discussion throughout the day.

The day closed with a Q&A from SLSHOP Directors, Bruce Greetham and Sam Bailey who answered questions for 30 minutes on the Mercedes-Benz market, revealing the bright future for collectors and owners alike. The crux of the conversation, use your car according to your own lifestyle, not what the market says you should do.

From the Car Park:

Often the car park can be an exciting place to explore during these sorts of events. We took a wonder around the guests car park to find an exciting array of cars. Particularly striking was the 190E (W124) 2.2 SportLine with a manual gearbox – a rare car these days. The star of the car park was the ‘Yellow’ R107 SL featuring the Cocker Spaniel that clearly enjoyed its time in the passenger seat.

We’d like to thank our partners, The HorseBox Diner and Awesome Coffee for providing refreshments and feeding guests. Special shout out to the talented Pop Bang Colour for his artistic mastery producing artwork upon request.

If you’d like to find out more about any of our future events, head to our dedicated events page or speak to [email protected]