MBCA fall `10 - The Minuteman Section - Mercedes

Tri-Angles
Minuteman Section
Official News-Letter
Fall, 2010
Volume X, Issue 3
Falmouth cruise presented by AlphaCars
The early arrivals gather at the parking lot
by Ronald Beaton
Sunday, August 8, Falmouth, Mass. found 45
members and guests sailing on the Liberte.
Parking was done carefully as the 22 cars arrived
in the parking lot next to
the wharf where the Liberte was moored.
Everyone waited patiently before boarding the
76’ three masted vessel at
3 o’clock.
The 2 hour cruise around
the harbor and islands was
wonderfully relaxing and
refreshing. Mother nature
cooperated with warm
sunshine on gently rolling
seas.
Al Cooper won the trivia
prize from the Captain by
answering
“prevailing
winds” to the question of
why Maine is ‘down east’.
He won an ice-cold can of
Heineken's Beer which he
found, “most refreshing”.
The gently rolling seas
took their toll on one
sailor who spent most of
the cruise below decks.
This condition was not
relieved by the light refreshments offered by the
crew.
We tied up back at the
wharf a little after 5
o’clock and we left the
ship reluctantly… already
making plans to sail again
next year—wherever Ken
finds the next boat.
President John Piekarczyk
(Continued on page 3)
Waiting on the wharf before boarding
Ken Bourque with web mistress Nancy Piekarczyk
Tri-Angles
Page 2
Administrivia
FOR SALE!
President – John Piekarczyk
508.943.5747 560sec@charter.net
1986 Mercedes Benz 560 SL
Convertible Roadster
ALL ORIGINAL!! No paint work / no body work.
Immaculate condition and clean carfax. Two
tops - ice cold A.C. Champagne with chocolate
brown interior. 63K miles. This classic beauty
speaks for itself!
$17,000.
Email-benz560sl4sale@aol.com
VID#: WDBBA48D7GA037473
Contact Rachel @ 617-548-2222
Vice-President – Mark Fancy
508.347.1814 – fancymb@Charter.net
Treasurer – Ernie Fancy
508.835.4018 – fancyer@charter.net
Secretary – Ed Owen
781-642-0667 – ed@virtualeas.com
Tri-Angles Editor/Publisher
For SALE or TRADE. 2001 E320 4Matic
wagon. Navy on beige. All options. 3rd
seat, heated seats, Bose radio, leather. 104K miles. Nice shape. Front end recently done. Sell or trade for ‘90s S-class
sedan, 140 series, of comparable value.
Call Paul Yarmoluk at 978-874-0053 or
email (better) at
pyarmoluk@AOL.com
Ronald Beaton 781-337-1717 – weyjournal@aol.com
Technical Editor – Peter Vanderveer
781.255.0797 pvanderveer@comcast.net
Website Editor/Publisher
Nancy Piekarczyk
Membership Chairman-Jim O'Sullivan
617-879-0017 jimo55@comcast.net
W211 FOUR WINTER WHEELS & TIRES
Nine spoke factory MB 17"x8" wheels for 2007 E350 4matic with sport
package. These should fit many other W211 models because the wheels
provide clearance for larger brake calipers.
Wheels part number 211 401 3502, 8J17H2 ET38
Tires are 245-45-17 Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D, used for three seasons.
Approximately 7/32" tread should be enough for at least one more winter
IMO. These have been properly stored between uses.
$400 Contact: davide.kane@verizon.net
Ronald Beaton 781-337-1717 email: Weyjournal@aol.com
Members may run classified ads free.
Send address changes to: MBCA, National Business Office
Tel. 800-637-2360
Copy Deadlines: 15 . Jan. April. July and October.
Ronald Beaton
Editor & Publisher
Stephen Coulter
Richard Doucette
is published quarterly for the Minuteman Section,
Mercedes-Benz Club of America. Neither editorial content nor advertising implies endorsement of any product or service by the Mercedes-Benz Club
of America, its sections, or MBUSA. The publisher assumes no liability for errors
in advertisements.
Advertising inquiries should be directed to:
th
Hamilton Alan Cooper
781-659-2043 - windsfree@verizon.net
781-956-4770-stephencoulter@comcast.net
TRI–ANGLES
1907 LeLaray St. Colorado Springs, CO 80909
Board of Directors
Ken Bourque
781.326.5158 – kenbourque@juno.com
781-598-2009-rdoucette@thebostoncup.com
Ric Fair
978-335-7737-spottedbenz@verizon.net
Rich Garick
603-898-3980 – rgarick@comcast.net
Director (emeritus) – Steve Wiener
239-225-2898 - Steves190@aol.com
Northeast Regional Director:
Doug Dees 416.233.6599
Dees.frolich@simpatico.ca
www.mbca.org/minuteman
Fall, 2010
Page 3
Falmouth cruise
(Continued from page 1)
was under the weather and unable to join us this year. This was the
first event he has ever missed during my five year membership.
Ken Bourque made all the arrangements again this year. This was
the 12th year Ken has done this and, as usual, it was enjoyed by everyone. Even the sick sailor wore a smile at the end of the evening.
Kudos and thanks to Ken.
Bill Maini and his wife, who live in Falmouth, led a small contingent
along the shore route to “Oysters Too” where we enjoyed a splendid
dinner with hors d’oeuvres, entrée, coffee and dessert along with
spirits and spirited conversation about our cars, families, current events and future planned events.
The food and camaraderie were excellent. Everyone I spoke with agreed this was one of the best events ever.
A lot of new faces were seen as new members came out and joined in the fun. We hope to see more of you at the
Farberallye and Germanfest events. Come and join your fellow Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts who are waiting to meet
and welcome you to the club.
Tri-Angles
Page 4
President’s Message
As you read this Farberaylle has been run and
our events for the year
have come to an end. (See
article in winter issue -ed)
2010 was a busy one for
the Section with 11 events,
ranging from Tech Sessions, and day sailing to a
play and dinner in Boston.
I would like to thank all
the Event Chairmen for all
their hard work. We can
always use new events and
members to run them. If
you an idea for an event,
please let me know.
I want to thank all our
Sponsors. Without them
we could not run all these
events.
Germanfest, presented by
Intercity Lines, was a great
success again this year.
John Slamin did an outstanding job as Event
Chairman. I want to thank
all the Judges and Registration Staff for their hard
work throughout the day.
Thank you to Dave and
Linda Wilson of Intercity
Lines for again being the
Title Sponsor and to all the
Trophy and Class Sponsors. They are listed on a
separate page in this issue
as well as on the Website,
please support them.
I would like to thank Ron
and Mark Wagner for letting the Minuteman Section be a part of the Grand
Opening of Mercedes-Benz
of Shrewsbury. This is a
fantastic new facility based
on Mercedes-Benz Autohaus design. It was a fantastic affair fitting of the
brand and the Wagner
families tradition of excellence. The Wagner's have
been huge supporters of the
Minuteman Section, please
stop by and show your support.
Minuteman Member Jim
Cosgrove owner of Oldtimer Restorations brought
a 1961 300 D 4r Cabriolet
that was the focal point in
the showroom.
Thank you to Ed Owen
and Tim Allen, of European Auto Solutions for
displaying a 280 SE Cabriolet, and to Nancy
Piekarczyk, for displaying
her 1989 560 SL.
I would like
to
welcome
our
newest
Website Sponsor, MercedesBenz of Westwood. Parts Director Jim
Parker extends a discount
on parts for Minuteman
Members. Thank you, Jim.
In my last message I
stated that I would not run
for President in 2011, my
situation has changed and I
will, with your support, run
for the office again. Sorry
for the confusion.
John S Piekarczyk
President, Minuteman Section, MBCA
The Best Question
By Peter Vanderveer
The Best Question –
Let’s say you blow out a
tire or an uneven front end
alignment wipes out two
front tires while the other
pair on the back are still
quite serviceable. If your
car only needs (2) two tires
should they be installed on
the front or rear of the car?
Answer is the rear --always
-- provided, of course, you
don’t have staggered tires
(rear wheels bigger than
the front). This makes
sense even on front drive
cars! A slide or skid which
brings the rear of the car
around becomes much
more unpredictable than
the front of the car sliding.
Most drivers are unfamiliar
with a car coming around
from the rear which invariably results in the
dr i v er b ec o mi n g a
“passenger” with zero control. This is the best reason
to consider keeping the
back of the car planted
with the newest stickiest
tires. In the rain, tires run
into problems as tread
depth wears down, water
with no place to go will
cause a car to hydroplane
or skid out of control.
Again, when stopping
hard, the rear of the car
lifts up becoming lighter as
the front of the noses in
and gets heavier so logically the rear of the car
needs more help keeping
traction and stability. This
logic also applies to front
drive cars. One of the major tire companies is facing
a multi-million dollar lawsuit for advising otherwise!
The next technical question is about a fairly recent
offering from MercedesBenz A.G. Have you ever
looked up Mercedes-Benz
T.V. on the web? With
Comcast cable we get a
surprising number of buffering delays. Some say it
will work much better presented thru U-Tube. M-B
T.V. from Germany, currently showcases the Mercedes Cab Company of
Provincetown Cape Cod as
well as motorsports and
automotive current events.
The story of “The Crash
Baby” really puts the philosophy of Mercedes-Benz
into a real world perspective, try not to miss it.
Peter is our technical editor
and is owner operator of
Vanderveer Motors, Norwood
Fall, 2010
Page 5
GERMANFEST XXIV Presented by InterCity Lines
On Sunday, October 3rd, the Minuteman Section of the Mercedes Benz Club of America held the 24th Germanfest
presented by InterCity Lines at the Larz Anderson Auto Museum, 15 Newton St. Brookline, Mass. In spite of the cold,
raw weather over 50 cars showed up for Germanfest 24 at the Larz Anderson Museum in Brookline. There was something for everybody to see in the wide variety of Mercedes that showed up. Probably the most photographed car was the
Unimog. John Piekarczyk started off the presentation of awards with two special awards. John Slamin was presented
with an award of appreciation for chairing this event for the last 15 years, and past president Dick Lloyd received an
appreciation award for his dedication to the club.
After the class awards were given out the Best of the Best were presented with their trophies. Mark Fancy outdid himself on the trophies this year. Along with the club logo and a plaque with the name of the award on it each trophy featured a clock and a thermometer. Best Modern Street car went to John Harrington, Best Classic Street went to Pete
Newman, Best Vintage Street went to Wayne Curtis, Judges Choice went to Rufus Ward and the George Grasseler Best
of Show Trophy went to John Rondeau. -Bonnie Fancy
Best Modern Street - John Harrington SL500
Best Classic Street - Pete Newman 380SL
Best Vintage - Ginny & Wayne Curtis 280SL
Best of Show - John Rando shown by Old Timer Restorations 600 Limo
Judges Trophy - Rufus Ward 240D 3.0
Class 10
1st Henry Coelho 280 SE Cab
Class 1
3rd - John Nye E430
2nd Mark Fancy E320
1st Bill Telford CLK 500
Class 11
3rd Robert Berman 300D (Send Trophy)
2nd Erik de Rocheanbeau Unimog
1st/ Robert Andrews 250
Class 2
3rd Jonnie Smith - E320 Cab
2nd Bill Branchard E320 Cab
1st Phil Morgan 560 SEC
Class 3
2nd Bayhas Kana SL500
1st Marlin Weerantne SL320
Class 4
1st Jack & Marylou Champney G3200
Class 5
3rd Albert Cangiano 450 SEL 6.9 (send Trophy)
2nd Tom Zarella 280 SE Cabriolet
1st Keith Morgan 300SEL 4.5
Class 6
2nd Scott Polivy 250SL
1st Jerry Robinson 230SL
Classs 7
3rd Arthur Bookstein 380 SL
2nd Andy Gallonio 560SL
1st Guy Boudreau 560SL
Class 8
1st Steve Kent 220S
Class 9
2nd R. Black E63
1st Aaron Driben E63
Fall, 2010
Page 6
Germanfest XXIV
Thank You To Our Sponsors
SHOW SPONSORS
Intercity Lines, Inc.
552 Old West Brookfield Rd.
Warren, MA.
1-800-221-3936
www.intercitylines.com
TROPHIES
Best of Show
Viti Mercedes-Benz
975 Fish Road
Tiverton, RI 02878
800-544-5580
www.viti.com
Best Classic Street Car
European Auto Solutions
838 Moody Street
Waltham, MA
781-642-0667
www.virtualeas.com
Best Modern Street Car
Mercedes–Benz of Westwood
425 Providence Highway
Westwood, MA
800-519-0226
www.mbwestwood.com
Best Vintage Street
Munchkin Motors
20 Westwood Road
Eastford, CT
860-974-2545
www.munchkinmotors.com
CLASS SPONSORS
European Auto Solutions
838 Moody St
Waltham, MA
781-642-0667
www.virtualeas.com
Village European
50 Concord Turnpike
Concord, MA
978-369-4700
www.villageeuropean.com
The Benz Den
358 Pleasant Street
Belmont, MA
617-489-6548
www.benzden.com
Factory Finish Paintless Dent
Removal
Framingham, MA.
508-735-8229
Copley Motor Cars
37 Chestnut St.
Needham, MA.
781-444-4646
www.copleymotorcars.com
Werke Classic Coach
6 Depot Rd.
Charlton City, MA.
508-248-9224
www.werkeclassic.com
Dewire Bros. Autobody
2240 Commonwealth Av.
Newton, MA.
617-527-3366
www.dewirebros.com
Dave Cusano's
Boyles Body Works
29 Sunnyside Av.
Arlington, MA.
781-641-3441
www.boylesbodyworks.com
Oldtimer Restoration Center
240 Littleton County Rd.
Harvard, MA.
978-456-7740
www.mbrestoration.com
Judges Award
Mercedes-Benz of Shrewsbury
Intercity Lines
760
Boston Tpk Shrewsbury, MA
559 Old West Brookfield Road
508-581-5600
Warren, MA 01083
www.wagnermotors.com
800-221-3936
www.intercitylines.com
240 Littleton County Rd. Harvard MA.
Tel. 978-456-7740
Fall, 2010
Page 7
COMING EVENTS
DATE
EVENT
3/27/11
Early notice: The 2011 Annual Meeting, Theatre & Dinner event is scheduled for
March 27. Hair will be presented at the Colonial Theatre in Boston. Dinner details will be given when received from event chairman, Rich Garick. Registration
will be printed in the winter news-letter and on our website: mbca.org/minuteman
A Visit to Mercedes-Benz of Shrewsbury
The Minute Man Section
recently visited the new
home of Mercedes-Benz of
Shrewsbury. The former
Wagner Motors, one of the
few remaining family dealerships on the East Coast, has
opened their new home under a new name. MercedesBenz of Shrewsbury is the
first dealership on the east
coast to use the new corporate design autohaus, based
on the Kunden Center in
Zindelfingen.
The section met at the
new location on a Saturday
morning and enjoyed coffee
and donuts before being
joined by General Sales
Manager Tom Silva, Sales
Manager Randy Wheeler,
and Pre-owned manager
Dan Giguere. Silva gave
background information on
the design of the new building. This was followed by a
tour of the facility led by
Wheeler.
Members were in awe of
the well laid-out sales area
and the small but comprehensive gift shop. The piece
de resistance was the shop
area with its rows of immaculate and well laid out
workstations.
As Wagner Motors, the
dealership was one of the
first to come on board as a
sponsor of a class at Germanfest and has long supported club activities.
– Bonnie Fancy
Mercedes-Benz Club of America
Minuteman Section News–Letter
C/O Ronald Beaton
Editor & Publisher
1287 Washington Street
Weymouth, MA 02189
Tel. 781-337-1717
Weyjournal@aol.com
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