Drop top for the chop?
Opening the workshop doors as spring thawed the padlocks revealed the sight of my SLK sitting under a pile of dust and cobwebs.
A little dramatic, perhaps, but honest – I’ve driven it around the farm and maintained it with a battery conditioner, but its MoT ran out in August and I’ve had no reason to take it for a new one. In fact, a 320 SLK joined the fleet at the end of the year, only to be rapidly rejected for being utterly rotten underneath.
An expensive learning experience – my own car doesn’t really reflect the state of SLKs as they tip into the traditional classic age of over 21 years since introduction.
Storage hasn’t harmed it much, but it has been six years since it graced my driveway with a splash of colour, and the work done on it back then is beginning to deteriorate. The front wings have miraculously stayed solid (if a bit crispy), but the replacement metal finishers have started to rust and the little patch of bubbling on the roof looks to have progressed.
Other than that, it’s pretty promising. Once out into the sun, the roof operated cleanly and a reset cured a slightly misbehaving DAB radio. There are no signs of brake or suspension noise – at least at low speeds – and the interior still smells good. I parked it up with windows open to avoid musty air, but the huge amount of dust urgently needs dealing with.
I do fancy a change, though. Six years is a long time to spend with one car, particularly if, like me, you’ve owned over 170 cars in 26 years. The thing is, though, I just can’t think of anything I’d like more than the SLK – it’s a remarkably good roadster in an incredible range of circumstances.
We’ll see what the MoT reveals, as one good run in the sunshine with the roof down will probably ensure that it stays for another six years.