Around the Benz
I was amused by Simon Taylor’s recollections of John Coombs and John Young (Full throttle, March).
In the ’70s I worked in offices above Rose & Young’s Mercedes showroom in Caterham. One day we all jumped out of our skins when a cacophony erupted beneath us. I knew it was something special and ran downstairs to investigate. A Formula One Ferrari from the Lauda/regazzoni/reutemann era had been started up, bizarrely surrounded by glossy new Mercs. It was magnificently deafening.
John Young was an interesting character who had a wonderful classic car collection including a 300SL Gullwing that he would sometimes also display.
Nowadays the Commemorative limited-edition final V12 E-type is highly prized, but when new in 1975 it was considered out of date and John took months to sell the last one at a substantial discount.
In the winter our offices would regularly become bitterly cold, to the extent that I would have to go downstairs and plead with John to turn on the heating, which he had turned off to save money. Sadly, the once stylish showrooms became an eyesore after being abandoned for 24 years, and have recently been demolished to become a Lidl. Simon Carter
Newbury, Berkshire