Pagoda SL Group
W113 Pagoda SL Group => General Discussion => Topic started by: David Robinson on August 11, 2021, 15:59:10
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzNltrLUdBA&t=114s
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Apparently Mr Dominelli was a crook, Ponzi schemer in San Diego at one point. Not sure how I would feel driving in a car that sounds like it was financed with other people's money.
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Fun to watch. Thanks
jz
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What a story, thnks for sharing it here. I agree with Cees, I dont think I would ever get near nor drive a car that belonged to such a men!
Dieter
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Agree but what a find
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I'm sure that Brian at Motoring Investments will do just the right amount of work retaining patina with mechanical excellence.
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It seems Brian is not doing much to the car but putting it on BAT. Coming soon!
https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/mercedes-benz/280sl/2501488.html
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This car has done nothing wrong. Why would you demonize it because of a previous owner?
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This car has done nothing wrong. Why would you demonize it because of a previous owner?
My thinking exactly. Who gives a hoot? If the car is solid and a good deal, why should one care if a PO was a crook? Do you really think that everybody who could afford an expensive car in the 60s or 70s was a saint?
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Well consider all those cars that had 'celebrity owners' like, in the Pagoda's case, John Lennon, Stirling Moss. Or, in my very own case, the '73 El Camino that I bought only because it had featured in the tv-series 'My Name is Earl'. It's about that, just the feeling.
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https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2005/jun/02/captain-money-and-golden-girl/
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I purchased this in 1971 from a man who was down on his luck and about to be indicted on numerous counts of child pornography. Last time I checked he was 87 years old and doing his best to complete a life sentence in the State of Florida. The car's provenance (it was also the 1956 New York International Automobile Show Standwagen) doesn't bother me in the least, indeed, it's part of the car's rich history.
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Interesting. So celebrity ownership is positive and good for a car's attractiveness and value, but somehow the reverse is not true for many people. People are complicated!
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I purchased this in 1971 from a man who was down on his luck and about to be indicted on numerous counts of child pornography. Last time I checked he was 87 years old and doing his best to complete a life sentence in the State of Florida. The car's provenance (it was also the 1956 New York International Automobile Show Standwagen) doesn't bother me in the least, indeed, it's part of the car's rich history.
I try and avoid commenting on topics outside of the group's focus but -- I guess if your child was not a victim of this child pornographer, it might be rich history to some, however if your child was a victim of this pornographer it might be sick history. Does it only matter if it's your child? Probably but that's a topic for philosophers.
Not trying to convince anyone of anything -- just my personal feelings - as said, people are complicated.
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Agreed. Yech.
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Someone who buys a crappy car, just because it was owned once by a celebrity ( I remind you of George Costanza buying a Chrysler LeBaron because he thought it once belonged to John Voit!) is as stupid as someone who walks away from a great car that once belonged to a crook. It is the car and its condition that matters. Not the list of POs. For a TV "reality" show, like the "PawnStars" it may be. For the serious car buff, it should not.
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I am hoping to fit a new carpet set soon and put up a few photos, hopefully it will be less controversial ;D. The video was shared for the find and the Dominelli interest was secondary. It was about the find and not the morals. The car will have a new owner which will be twice removed from the controversy and will move on again. c'est la vie
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hopefully it will be less controversial
How many of us know all the details or prior owners? There are a lot of great people, unsung heroes, as well as very, very bad people that didn't make the evening news or were otherwise not caught. All of these people owned cars. Some of them may be yours...
My own car was in the family from 1969, so I know almost all its history (much of which was sitting in a garage). But, there was that first six months with a prior owner. How did it come to be sitting on the used car lot of a Simca dealer on the Main Line in Philadelphia, when it was delivered new in Manhasset, NY, just six months earlier? Was it part of a crime family? The Philly Mafia? Was it stolen? As these were the years of untitled vehicles, that kind of thing could have happened. We'll never know...
All that being said, this particular car is the proverbial barn find, sort of. Barns are not generally climate controlled. However, for all the tongue hanging out, drooling over an untouched car, be reminded that regardless of the storage conditions, nearly all of the organic matter in the car will need to be replaced in short order if the car is to be used. While the seats may feel fine, those old pads will quickly disintegrate in use. Any rubber part: hoses, seals, belts, etc. may work now but will break or leak in short order. Anything to do with the fuel system? Yeah, it's going to need a bit of work too. As they point out, the body is straight. But there's a lot more to a car than the body.
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But, there was that first six months with a prior owner. How did it come to be sitting on the used car lot of a Simca dealer on the Main Line in Philadelphia, when it was delivered new in Manhasset, NY, just six months earlier?
I'm unaware of any Mercedes Dealer in Manhasset during the 1960s/70s. Rallye Motors in Glen Cove, yes, but none in Manhasset.
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Previous owner of my car Diane in Arizona a real sweetheart. She owned it for ten years and before that her brother in Ohio owned it for possibly twenty years. No other ownership info.
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Interesting. So celebrity ownership is positive and good for a car's attractiveness and value, but somehow the reverse is not true for many people. People are complicated!
Unless it’s Jimmy Saville!!