Motoring Con Brio

Before the Internet, this is what people had to do to find one another:

FIFTY-ONE years ago, Ernie Spitzer, a San Francisco printer and the owner of a Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, had an idea. He went to the Department of Motor Vehicles, and for 39 cents each obtained the names and addresses of all 35 registered Gullwing owners in California.

By letter, he invited each of them to show up at Ricky’s Motel in Palo Alto on a Saturday morning in August 1961. Eighteen owners did, and that was the beginning of the Gull Wing Group.

Great article— we recommend checking out the rest of it here.

And since we’re on the topic, we also recommend checking out Depth of Speed’s Gullwing video/owner feature (although you may have already seen it):

Inspiring stuff.

(Image credit: Autopia — also worth a click)

~ by velofinds on November 16, 2012.

Posted in Moment of zen, Moving images, Still images
Tags: 300 sl, 300sl, gullwing, mercedes-benz