If there was ever an era when Mercedes sports cars were cool, not just flashy and over-stated like they are now, it was the 1970s. Why? German engineering dictated that both style requirements and the practical desires of the driver were fused seamlessly, with cool, low-slung, straight lines with the fitting curves and tons of character thrown into the mix.

A talk with Susan and Bill Linden, a married couple who live in St. Albans, West Virginia: “Our car is a 1974 Mercedes Benz 450SL. It’s yellow with brown pin-striping and it also has a dark brown soft-top and a removable yellow hardtop .I named it Woodstock after Snoopy’s little bird friend. Luckily it drives better than the bird flies” she joked.

Although many cars from this era haven’t seen a dealer’s lot since new, and tend to be passed down through generations or sold privately to fellow enthusiasts, Susan’s and Bill’s car was bought very recently from a friend who runs a nearby dealership.

“We purchased it in May of 2008 from our friend Ron Humble in Bristol, Tennessee. He’s the owner of Rumble Car Sales there. He mainly deals in antique cars with a few street rods as well”.

Upon taking a test drive in the car before buying it, the engine died three times, Where others would have been put off, they bought the car and Susan holds the explanation to the engine that kept knocking out: “It turned out the gas tank was full of crud and that had blocked the interior filter in the gas tank”. A quick clean and a refill and the engine was purring like a sleeping kitten.

Everything looks pretty original on the car. The body work and interior are in excellent condition but as with most 40 year old cars, there is always work to be done.

“My husband Bill is working on it himself” Susan informed me “with some advice from a local guy who works on cars like these. It is going to be our driver for now. He is currently working on getting the A/C working and converting it over to the new refrigerant. The A/C was not working at all when we bought it. Also, a previous owner has put in a modern radio/tape deck”.

For me, my favorite aspect of the SL is how she looks from the side with that sleek appeal but still looking tough. Susan however, perhaps has a more light-hearted view of Woodstock. When I asked her what her favourite aspect of the car was, she replied: “How fun it is to drive on our winding roads in West Virginia. It’s a blast on the highway or on those back country roads”.

But they don’t use it every day; “Just for a fun day out on a drive. We hope to someday put it in the DPC class at an AACA show”.

For those of you who may not know, the AACA is the Antique Automobile Club of America which is the largest Auto Club in North America.

Now, for me, a classic car, especially one with German origins that have notoriously pricey parts, spells ‘EXPENSIVE’. I wondered if it was indeed expensive to maintain for Susan and Bill. My suspicious were confirmed. “Yes. But we knew that when we bought it. Hopefully once the things that need fixing are done it will be less expensive in the long run”.

It seems that Bill and Susan are serious about their cars and know them pretty well. Their repair work along with their future aspirations for their car ‘Woodstock’ intrigued me, especially since they only have it for one year. I asked them whether classic cars were a hobby for them or whether they make a living from the popular pastime. ‘They are a hobby to us. Currently we are both Senior Master level judge for the AACA. We also have a 1963 ½ Ford Falcon Sprint Convertible that Bill is working on restoring as our AACA show car for the future”.

So while it might be all for the love of the cars, Susan and Bill are more than just your average club member. They take an active part in the AACA as well as compete and take pleasure from their hobby.

This kind of devotion surely can’t come from owning a classic car for a little over a year? I inquired as to whether the Benz was their first dip in the classic car pool; it wasn’t.

‘My first car as a 1967 VW Bug. I loved that car. Well, except for the steel cables that would rust over the summer and then the heaters wouldn’t work!’

‘Our first classic car came about two years after we got married. We purchased a one owner 1958 Chevy Biscayne two-door as our first antique car.’

And Susan’s dream car? ‘The 1965 Dodge Dart GT that my Dad bought for him, my mom and me. We took our first camping trip in it for two weeks to Canada’.

My final question to Susan was whether or not she had any stories about Woodstock in the short time she has owned her Benz. Her response underlines the depth of the tight-knit community in car collecting and clubbing. ‘Having only had it for a year we don’t have many stories yet. Sadly, its first big outing was to the funeral of a long-time friend. When one of our club members dies, as many of the other members that can follow the hearse in their old cars. It is sort of our own version of the jazz musician funeral parades in New Orleans’.

By Dean Sherwin

Dean is based in Ireland and has extensive writing experience, especially in the area of the auto industry writing car features, reviews and blogs, as well as other cultural and sporting events, and the gaming industry.

http://www.artofstinginess.com- Owner and Editor

www.deansherwin.com Freelance Technology, Culture and Opinion Writer