Sleek and elegant, a dream in black with brilliant red leather seats. This is the look Belgian classic car aficionado Andries Meuzelaar's 300 SL Roadster will be sporting when it returns as king of the road in the near future. At the moment, the Mercedes Benz is still hidden away in Stuttgart, where the legendary model is getting a makeover. Even in its current state, however, with its paintwork sanded off, inner workings removed and body perched up on blocks, the supple curved body provides a glimpse of the vehicle's grace and elegance. "It's a real gem, a milestone in automotive history," says Meuzelaar. It's no wonder, then, that his standards for restoring the roadster are extremely high. "I trust Glasurit®. My experience with BASF Coatings' paints in the past has been excellent, and they are my obvious choice this time around, too."
Brimming with anticipation
The task of putting Meuzelaar's 1960 Roadster back on the road has been assigned to restorer Johannes Kleissl. "Restoring these cars isn't just my job, it's also my passion," says Kleissl, owner of the HK-Engineering restoration company, which deals exclusively with Mercedes Benz 300 SL models. The company has four locations in Germany and an international service network, making it one of the world's largest restoration companies. Meuzelaar's Mercedes will soon be wearing a new coat of Glasurit paints, and Kleissl thinks that's great. "We want only the top of the line for this legendary car." The fact that the 300 SL is more than a mere set of wheels for Meuzelaar goes without saying: "I can't wait to see and experience my car in all its glory - I'm as excited as a little kid!"
Paint competence "made in Münster"
The 300 SL is not the first Mercedes Benz "Sport Light" to be revitalized with a coat of Glasurit brand paint. This past April, the U.S. hit series "Dream Car Garage", which is currently restoring a 300 SL coupé, was on location at sites including BASF Coatings in Münster-Hiltrup. In order to match the original as closely as possible, the "Dream Car Garage" crew is using waterborne Glasurit 90 Line paints to refinish the car in its original color. BASF Coatings' COLOR-PROFI System is making a major contribution to the restoration. The world's largest color archive has 200,000 color chips with original paint, documenting the color history of an entire century. Meuzelaar himself is no stranger to BASF Coatings. Two years ago, experts at BASF Coatings supported him in the search for the original color of his Horch 853 classic sports convertible. After meticulous research and a number of test mixtures, the Glasurit paint experts finally came up with the original color, which they identified using pictures from the old Horch brochure.
From a racing car to a luxury vehicle
The 300 SL set the standards for delicate design like practically no other model. Today, it is one of the timeless classics of the automotive world - and not just since it was named "Sports Car of the Century" by the high-profile German classic car magazine Motor Klassik. When the then latest Mercedes-Benz rolled up to the starting line at the 24 Hours of Le Mans back in 1952, no one expected it to win the prestigious event the first time around. Nor did anyone foresee that the racing car would one day be mass-produced. Maximilian Hoffmann, Mercedes' official importer in the United States at the time, convinced the company to develop a street version of the sports car for its well-to-do clientele. Two years later, the Mercedes 300 SL prototype street version proved immensely popular with the visitors at the International Motor Show in New York, and line production of the vehicle as a coupé was launched. The car's distinctive form is derived from its "gullwing" doors, which when open resemble a bird's outstretched wings. The Roadster was first built in 1957, and marked the transition to a more elegant version of the 300 SL model. The new swing axle suspension improved the driving properties and comfort, and redesign of the characteristic tubular frame meant that the gullwing doors were replaced by an open roof with a convertible top or a hardtop. The Roadster was manufactured until 1963. It had six cylinders and a nearly 3,000-cubic centimeter, 215-horsepower motor and could reach maximum speeds of 250 kilometers per hour.
Glasurit Automotive Refinish
Under the Glasurit brand, BASF markets a comprehensive range of automotive refinishing paint systems, focusing on eco-efficient waterborne basecoats and high-solids paints. By using these systems all legal solvent-reduction requirements can be complied with anywhere in the world, and with regard to appearance and resistance, the products meet the same quality standards as solvent-borne paints. In this area too, the company offers a wide variety of services to support its customers. Glasurit® Automotive Refinish is approved by most of the leading car manufacturers for after-market repairs and is preferred by the world's most prestigious car companies for its color expertise. Web: www.glasurit.com
Brimming with anticipation
The task of putting Meuzelaar's 1960 Roadster back on the road has been assigned to restorer Johannes Kleissl. "Restoring these cars isn't just my job, it's also my passion," says Kleissl, owner of the HK-Engineering restoration company, which deals exclusively with Mercedes Benz 300 SL models. The company has four locations in Germany and an international service network, making it one of the world's largest restoration companies. Meuzelaar's Mercedes will soon be wearing a new coat of Glasurit paints, and Kleissl thinks that's great. "We want only the top of the line for this legendary car." The fact that the 300 SL is more than a mere set of wheels for Meuzelaar goes without saying: "I can't wait to see and experience my car in all its glory - I'm as excited as a little kid!"
Paint competence "made in Münster"
The 300 SL is not the first Mercedes Benz "Sport Light" to be revitalized with a coat of Glasurit brand paint. This past April, the U.S. hit series "Dream Car Garage", which is currently restoring a 300 SL coupé, was on location at sites including BASF Coatings in Münster-Hiltrup. In order to match the original as closely as possible, the "Dream Car Garage" crew is using waterborne Glasurit 90 Line paints to refinish the car in its original color. BASF Coatings' COLOR-PROFI System is making a major contribution to the restoration. The world's largest color archive has 200,000 color chips with original paint, documenting the color history of an entire century. Meuzelaar himself is no stranger to BASF Coatings. Two years ago, experts at BASF Coatings supported him in the search for the original color of his Horch 853 classic sports convertible. After meticulous research and a number of test mixtures, the Glasurit paint experts finally came up with the original color, which they identified using pictures from the old Horch brochure.
From a racing car to a luxury vehicle
The 300 SL set the standards for delicate design like practically no other model. Today, it is one of the timeless classics of the automotive world - and not just since it was named "Sports Car of the Century" by the high-profile German classic car magazine Motor Klassik. When the then latest Mercedes-Benz rolled up to the starting line at the 24 Hours of Le Mans back in 1952, no one expected it to win the prestigious event the first time around. Nor did anyone foresee that the racing car would one day be mass-produced. Maximilian Hoffmann, Mercedes' official importer in the United States at the time, convinced the company to develop a street version of the sports car for its well-to-do clientele. Two years later, the Mercedes 300 SL prototype street version proved immensely popular with the visitors at the International Motor Show in New York, and line production of the vehicle as a coupé was launched. The car's distinctive form is derived from its "gullwing" doors, which when open resemble a bird's outstretched wings. The Roadster was first built in 1957, and marked the transition to a more elegant version of the 300 SL model. The new swing axle suspension improved the driving properties and comfort, and redesign of the characteristic tubular frame meant that the gullwing doors were replaced by an open roof with a convertible top or a hardtop. The Roadster was manufactured until 1963. It had six cylinders and a nearly 3,000-cubic centimeter, 215-horsepower motor and could reach maximum speeds of 250 kilometers per hour.
Glasurit Automotive Refinish
Under the Glasurit brand, BASF markets a comprehensive range of automotive refinishing paint systems, focusing on eco-efficient waterborne basecoats and high-solids paints. By using these systems all legal solvent-reduction requirements can be complied with anywhere in the world, and with regard to appearance and resistance, the products meet the same quality standards as solvent-borne paints. In this area too, the company offers a wide variety of services to support its customers. Glasurit® Automotive Refinish is approved by most of the leading car manufacturers for after-market repairs and is preferred by the world's most prestigious car companies for its color expertise. Web: www.glasurit.com
