Is Mercedes undermining the restoration business? (update: Morgan as well)

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The motor industry itself sometimes seems behind when it comes to the classic car scene, which they have of course created themselves in the first place. But not Mercedes-Benz. Where independent dealers and auctioneers usually make the most out of the classic car business, Mercedes has now decided to pull more of this still-booming market to itself. To do so they have just launched a new label: All Time Stars.

Under that new name they offer classics and semi-classics, parts plus a new dealer brand. And they actually operate from the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. All Time Stars categorizes their cars in three groups: Premium edition cars, Collectors edition cars and Drivers edition cars. The first of which are low-mileage cars that have been fully restored by their own museum staff; the second are part-restored cars; the third have ‘room for improvement’. Prices are whopping in every respect – the Pagoda above, for example, comes at 235,000 Euros. But then it is a Museum car… See the complete inventory here. What do we think? Is this a good development to lift things to a new level or are they undermining restoration businesses?

(Words Jeroen Booij, picture courtesy Mercedes-Benz)

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