The Mercedes-Benz Classic Center is the only one of its kind in the USA, and it serves its purpose well. This 26,000 square-foot complex would make any classic Mercedes-Benz car jump in joy. The center houses a museum decked with historic classics, miniature models that you can be buy, get a classic car serviced or even buy a piece of history in the form of a classic car, if you have that kind of money that is. All cars for sale have their prices written in clean six figures.
Though the idea is not new, and high-end automakers like BMW, Ferrari, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz have parts and restoration facilities in Europe, only Mercedes has one in the USA. To complete a commendable job in restoring cars, the center makes sure the parts installed in the car are original.
Parts come from a stockpile of factory-built originals or fabricated using the design and engineering specs the automaker has preserved. Most of these parts, like the 300SL tires or the Becker Electronics radios of that time are no longer in production, but Mercedes works closely with the manufacturers to ensure that the new parts are exact replicas of the originals and maintain the technology of today. Such endeavors ofcourse cost a lot of money, expect full restoration to go upwards of $100,000.
A cool service at the center is the sale of ‘birth certificates’. Costing $115, these certificates declare that the car in question is actually a classic with no ‘non standard’ parts. This involves thorough checking of the car, with every part passing under the scanner.
[Source: DetroitNews]
