TV, Placed Product, and Rise of the Mercedes-Benz Brand and Popularity of the R 107 Model: Part I -- "Hart to Hart"

 

Hart to Hart (1979-1984)

I was too busy completing a doctorate between 1979 and 1983 to waste time on such frivolity as "Hart to Hart." Just watching a few episodes now is enough exposure to the program for a lifetime. But it is media that had considerable power to shape American thought and popular culture during the trying years after Oil Shock II and the economic downturn that followed. How wouldn't like to be handsome or beautiful, self-made rich, active and on the go, and dressed to kill? No kids to worry about, and only murders and misdeeds to solve.

And the series begins with glimpses at how the privileged travel -- in big jets, a silver Rolls, or a 1979 Mercedes 450 SL.

One question immediately comes to mind -- is Stephanie Powers more beautiful that the Merecedes she is driving?  

And, is the Mercedes 300 TD a fitting estate wagon sitting in front of their estate?

Clearly, with the top up and Robert Wagner driving the charisma is not there. The R 107 remains a beautiful car, but not at the angle shown. And the driver is so serious.

Nice but not that nice. MS Powers looks no better than plenty of other women one runs across on hte  streets of a big city.

But that start, with a heart and Ms. Powers, may be the reason older women swoon at my 1982 Mercedes 380 SL when I pull into the Kroger parking lot.

Italian F1 Grand Prix Preview 2026

 

Toto Talks Monza

Monza and Madrid begin an important period for us. The field has compressed to the point where several teams can win on merit, and the price of a mistake is much higher. We have put ourselves in a strong position in both championships, but nobody in our team is under any illusion about how difficult the next races will be.

For us, Monza begins with a challenge. Kimi will take a power unit penalty and start from the back of the grid. It's disappointing for him and for the fans who want to see him fighting from the front in his home race, but our sport doesn't reward sentiment. When you make decisions that benefit the championship campaign, sometimes you pay a short-term price. The objective now is straightforward: recover as many places as possible and maximize the points. On the other side of the garage, George arrives with good momentum after Zandvoort and will be looking to put himself firmly in the fight from the start of the weekend.

Monza is an energy-poor track; you spend much of the lap asking everything from the power unit and don't have many opportunities to charge the battery. With the current regulations, that creates compromises that will need to be managed carefully. It is an interesting challenge and one that will likely lead to an exciting weekend.

Third Driver Insight

With its long straights and unique demands, Monza is very different to circuits like Zandvoort and Budapest, which are much more energy-rich. At Monza, energy management will be a key factor, so both the engineers and the drivers will need to be extremely efficient with the energy available. That could create some fascinating racing and open the door to different strategic approaches throughout the weekend.

As always at Monza, teams will be working hard to achieve the lowest possible drag levels to maximise top speed on the straights. It will be a challenging weekend for the team, particularly with Kimi taking an engine penalty, but Monza is one of the best places on the calendar to make progress through the field. The slipstream effect creates overtaking opportunities, so there will be chances for him to fight his way forward.

Monza is a truly special venue. The circuit is steeped in motorsport history and has a unique atmosphere that you don't find anywhere else. Racing there almost feels like stepping back in time, connecting today's F1 with generations of drivers and teams that have competed at this legendary track over the years.

Did you know?

• The high-speed nature of Monza means the Italian Grand Prix is often one of the shortest races of the year. If run uninterrupted, it usually takes around one hour and 15 minutes from lights out to the chequered flag.
• Monza can also prove to be one of the hottest races of the season for air temperature, with averages highs of 28.2C, and 31.3C max.
• The Italian Grand Prix is the only Grand Prix to have appeared on every single F1 calendar since 1950.
• No circuit in F1 history has held more Grands Prix than Monza.
• Mercedes has recorded seven wins at the Italian Grand Prix. Two with Juan Manuel Fangio in 1954 and 1955, four with Lewis Hamilton and one with Nico Rosberg.
• In 2021, Monza hosted the F1 Sprint format, which was won by Valtteri Bottas.
• George won races at Monza at both GP3 (2017) and Formula 2 (2018) levels.
• Kimi won races at Monza in Italian F4 in 2022 and FRECA in 2023.
• 
  

Tracing (Or chasing) the provenance or history of my Mercedes 380 SL

 When I purchased my Mercedes 380 SL in 2014, I received a few service documents. Using them along with Carfax. I have traced the history of the car that I purchased in 2014 with 99k miles. Assumptions can be made with this evidence.  First, more than likely the car had one owner who lived in Yorba Linda CA until 1999. Then its fate changed dramatically. Auctioned off. moved to Arizona where we have a record of  repairs to brakes, suspension and air conditioning. Back to the San Diego area and Chula Vista in 2004, then in 2007 purchased by Susan Platt of San Diego who suffered with numerous repairs until selling it to me in 2014. 

I have not been able to locate MS. Platt or previous owners. Their stories would make interesting reading, as their lives are intertwined with this car. It is a rather common car with rather  common former owners, but their stories matter.

ANY Help with leads on AZ or CA title searches would be much appreciated.

Date mileage location Comments

8/8/1990 "42,068" "Yorba Linda, CA"

8/13/1992 "49,786"

8/5/1994 "57,006"

10/11/1996 "66,123"

11/3/1999 "76,901" "Newport Beach, CA"

11/3/1999 Auto Auction PAC SW

11/3/1999

2/7/2000 "76,950" AZ inspection

22/8/2000 "Apache Junction, AZ"

1/23/2001 "78,985" "Mesa, AZ"

12/14/2001 "79,000"

12/31/2001 "Mesa, AZ"

10/30/2002 "Prescott, AZ" "$2,271 work done, Brakes, AC, IGN, Suspension, mis."

2/5/2004 83344 "Prescott, AZ" "$1.252.01 work done, AC"

2/20/2004 CA Smog Check Chula Vista miles reached the high 70k by 2001, when it reuted

2/4/2006 89120 CA Smog Check Chula Vista

1/22/2007 89833 CA Smog Check San Diego

1/22/2007 89825 Nick's SD Auto repair "Brakes, Monovalve, owned by Susan Platt"

2/2/2007 "89,897" San Diego Nick's routine

1/14/2008 "93,936" San Diego Nicks Replace Coolant tank and door vacuum element

7/162007 91932 "San Diego, nicks" Left Sway Bar Replaced

10/9/2009 "96,970" San Diego Transmission fluid change

10/2/2009 "96,270" San Diego Replace Calipers left and Right Front

6/17/2010 "97,270" San Diego Questionable mileage???? "Odometer, $240 Speedo Shop"

1/14/2011 "98,745" Odometer not working again

GT World Challenge Europe: Mercedes-AMG Motorsport celebrates podium and early drivers’ championship victory at the Nürburgring

 #6 GetSpeed Team Bartone Bros

• Jules Gounon (AND), Daniel Juncadella (ESP), and Christopher Lulham (GBR) secured third place for Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing in the three-hour race of the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup. The team had started from fifth on the grid. Having started the race from seventh, Lucas Auer (AUT), Maro Engel, and Luca Stolz (both GER) of Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER secured fourth place, thereby clinching the drivers’ championship in the Endurance Cup ahead of the season finale.
• Lucas Auer initially crossed the line in sixth place. As penalties were imposed on two rivals at the end of the race, the #48 Mercedes-AMG GT3 moved up to fourth place. With a 27-point lead, the three Mercedes-AMG Performance Drivers have therefore been confirmed as champions even before the last race. They are the first drivers in the series’ history to secure the Endurance Cup title ahead of schedule.
• For Maro Engel and Luca Stolz, this is their second drivers’ title in the endurance standings of the European continental series, following their victory in 2018. Lucas Auer is celebrating his first title in the Endurance Cup, having already won the overall and sprint class championships alongside Maro Engel in 2024.
• The Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed had a run of bad luck. In qualifying on Sunday morning, the #17 secured the best starting position of all eight Mercedes-AMG GT3 cars. Maximilian Götz (GER), Maxime Martin (BEL), and Fabian Schiller (GER) started the race from second on the grid. During the second pit stop, the team lost second place when the engine failed to start straight away. The #17 Mercedes-AMG GT3 finished in fifth place. “I feel sorry for the team. They put in a very strong performance, secured a good starting position in qualifying and were unlucky during the second pit stop when the engine didn’t start straight away. That set the team back and robbed them of the chance of a possible victory,” said Stefan Wendl, Head of Customer Racing at Mercedes-AMG Motorsport.
• A number of incidents led to repeated neutralisations throughout the race, meaning that the outcome was ultimately decided by strategy. The three Mercedes-AMG Performance cars initially crossed the finish line in fifth (#3), sixth (#48), and seventh (#17) places. In the final standings, they finished third, fourth, and fifth.
• In the Bronze Cup, the Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing Teams secured a one-two finish. Reece Barr (IRL), Charles Dawson, and Kiern Jewiss (both GBR) from 2 Seas Motorsport had already secured pole position in their class and went on to take the race win. Marvin Dienst (GER), Gabriele Piana (ITA), and Rinat Salikhov (FIA) claimed second place for Winward Racing. The #177 from Grupo Prom Racing Team finished the race in eleventh place in the Bronze category.
• The GetSpeed Team Bartone Bros celebrated another podium finish in the Silver Cup. Anthony Bartone (USA), César Gazeau, and Aurélien Panis (both FRA) took third place in their category in the #6 Mercedes-AMG GT3. 
• In the Bronze Cup, the Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing Teams secured a one-two finish. Reece Barr (IRL), Charles Dawson, and Kiern Jewiss (both GBR) from 2 Seas Motorsport had already secured pole position in their class and went on to take the race win. Marvin Dienst (GER), Gabriele Piana (ITA), and Rinat Salikhov (FIA) claimed second place for Winward Racing. The #177 from Grupo Prom Racing Team finished the race in eleventh place in the Bronze category.
• A number of incidents led to repeated neutralization's throughout the race, meaning that the outcome was ultimately decided by strategy. The three Mercedes-AMG Performance cars initially crossed the finish line in fifth (#3), sixth (#48), and seventh (#17) places. In the final standings, they finished third, fourth, and fifth.
• “We put in a fantastic performance as Mercedes-AMG Motorsport. Every single result contributed to this great team effort. And it was anything but easy: already in qualifying, we saw just how close the field was and that strategy and tyre management would be crucial. To have all three Pro cars in the top-five is fantastic. Each of them would have deserved a place on the podium. Congratulations to Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing on their first Endurance Cup podium, to 2 Seas Motorsport and Winward Racing on their one-two in the Bronze Cup, and to GetSpeed Team Bartone Bros on their class podium in the Silver Cup. I would also like to congratulate Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER on securing the championship early. The team has done an incredible job in the three races so far.”
  Stefan Wendl, Head of Customer Racing, Mercedes-AMG Motorsport

A task Soon after my 2014 purchase of my 1982 380 SL -- Changing all belts

 In 2014 I didn't have the wealth of material available now on Youtube and the Internet. Just a Haynes Manual to 1980 and a Chilton to 1984. If you are newer to this task, you should also consult  this link: https://tonk.ca. The latter ill prove to be invaluable, as you will find all the nuts and bolts you will need to turn to move the accessories so that the belts will come off the right way.

There are plenty of parts suppliers on the web, and always Ebay for hard to find parts (stay away form Chinese parts of at all possible and buy German if you can -- also your M-B dealer can be helpful). For things like belts I look to Rockauto, as many of these belts can be quite inexpensive there.  Just be careful about shipping.

Personally I had some struggles with a number of the accessories, and with each passing year my challenges increase due to a drop in vision.

If a project says two hours, plan on four!

Mercedes-Benz F1 Racing -- A look Back at the Season So Far, August 26, 2026

 

Kimi Antonelli, Hywel Thomas, George Russell, Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team

The new era of regulations has begun, marked by Kimi Antonelli (ITA) and George Russell (GBR) celebrating by popping champagne corks on the podium in Melbourne on 8 March. Six months later, the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team is leading both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships.

“If someone had offered us this position at the start of the season, I would have accepted it immediately. However, given how competitive our car was this year, I think we should have scored more points. Nevertheless, we’re looking forward to the second half of the season and the chance to make up for some of those missed opportunities.”
James Allison, Technical Director, Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team

Following George’s victory at the season opener in Australia, him and his team-mate secured another seven Grand Prix wins across the first eleven races of the season. After the summer break, the team achieved their second-best points total of the season so far at Zandvoort, marking the start of the second half of the season. However, previous years have shown that even the largest lead can disappear quickly. 

“If we can keep improving the car while ensuring clean execution and reliability, we will put ourselves in the strongest possible position for the final push for the championship.”
James Allison, Technical Director, Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team

Appearance of the week: Debut for the new Official FIA F1 Safety Car at Zandvoort
Five weeks after its unveiling as the new Official FIA F1 Safety Car in Hungary, the Mercedes-AMG GT63 PRO 4MATIC+ made its debut at the Dutch Grand Prix. In Hungary, the Safety Car had not yet been deployed onto the track. In Zandvoort, the moment finally arrived: Bernd Mayländer (GER) led the field through the formation lap due to the track still being slippery at the start. Following the early race interruption, the car completed a further lap at Circuit Zandvoort to safely return the 21 remaining cars to their starting positions.