Author Topic: What's your profession?  (Read 143493 times)

kampala

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Re: What's your profession?
« Reply #150 on: November 02, 2012, 20:22:09 »
Peter,

There may be a way to work out a behind the scenes specifically on the attractions I am working on.  The current one (which shall remain nameless) would be most interesting in about a year.  Will talk to you more about it by PM or phone.

Best,

Oz
250sl - later - manual
280sl - 1971 - Auto - LSD

Aslam

Paul & Dolly

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Re: What's your profession?
« Reply #151 on: January 17, 2013, 16:25:59 »
Hi all

This really is a Fantastic site with great diverse global contributers ..wonderful..

I am a retired Mechanical / Marine Engineer, and spent most of my very enjoyable working life with Multinational Oil Compnies Mobil & then BP.

I got the Motor Racing bug, at  University, in the early 70s, and worked for Cosworth Engineering for a while. My claim to fame is that before I joined Mobil Shipping Co. I turned down a “Drive” with the Williams GP team - sadly it was to drive their van, and not their Grand Prix Car !

I have always been interested in all types of Transportation, and very “hands on “ with my cars. I had a Lotus Europa, and Lotus a Eclat  in my younger years  before going German with BMW and Mercedes in the 80s, finally an SLK and buying the a 1936 Alvis in 2002, (due to being pi##ed off with all the speed cameras around).

An Achillies Tendon problem forced me to go “Automatic” last year - It just had to be a Pagoda - I love the dash - and the 60s technology - I wish I had bought one years ago - I really love it, and after this winter’s worklist is completed even my partner Dolly, has promised to enjoy it !
 

Paul
Paul (located in Cardiff - Wales - UK)
1967 Early 250 SL (Auto) White
Mitsubishi i Car
Toyota RAV 4  Hybrid AWD
1936 Alvis Firebird (Gone............)

49er

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Re: What's your profession?
« Reply #152 on: January 17, 2013, 18:30:00 »
   Back in 1965 I was lucky enough to just walk in off the street to the North American Aviation employment office in Southern California, filled out an application for a job as a draftsman and was hired on the spot. My first jobs were on the XB-70, X-15, Apollo space craft and the 2nd stage of the Saturn moon rocket. The company was then bought out by Rockwell International and I went on to work on the companies F-14 and F-15 proposals (both of which we lost). The company was awarded the contract for the B-1 Bomber in 1970 (later to resurrected as the B-1B). I managed to hang on to my job when that contract was cancelled and was now an engineer in the fledgling CAD/CAM area. Through the years I worked on the Space Shuttle orbiter and engines, various other proposals and finally I ended my career as an IT manager working in the Boeing Phantom Works (Rockwell was acquired by Boeing in the late 1990s). Lots of interesting stuff there for sure ;). I retired in 2000 after 35 years of uninterrupted service and have enjoyed every minute of retirement. We sold our home in Southern California and moved up here to the foothills of the Sierras in Central California. Our Pagoda loves these uncrowded back country roads :)

John
1969 280SL 003820
Un Restored, All Original, including the paint
Original Owner, Purchased September 18, 1968
4 speed manual, PS. 77094 miles
7157 miles since awoken from her 20+ yr "nap" in 2010

kampala

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Re: What's your profession?
« Reply #153 on: January 17, 2013, 20:18:24 »
Paul & John,

Very nice to read your backgrounds ... very interesting.   I have noticed many engineering types on this forum ...  It could just be car guys tend to be engineering types but I am thinking this is particularly skewed to the Pagodas ...

Best,

Oz
250sl - later - manual
280sl - 1971 - Auto - LSD

Aslam

Cees Klumper

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Re: What's your profession?
« Reply #154 on: August 22, 2013, 19:45:54 »
 *** bump ***
Cees Klumper
1969 Mercedes 280 SL automatic
1968 Ford Mustang 302 V8
1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Coupe 1600
1962 FIAT 1500S OSCA convertible
1972 Lancia Fulvia Coupe 1.3
1983 Porsche 944 2.5
1990 Ford Bronco II

Rolf-Dieter ✝︎

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Re: What's your profession?
« Reply #155 on: August 23, 2013, 00:09:04 »
What a delightful cross section of talent and fine people we have in this forum. Bet most of us could write a book :)

Right now I am retired (finally decided to hang up my hardhead ~ did my last projects in 2011 at the time approaching the age of 74. I did this to help out a former firm I did a lot of work for), At the age of 55 I started my own small little business and for some 20 years, provided field service and engineering consulting in the field of large rotating equipment in the power generation, gas and oil business. I consider myself a self made mechanical engineer (my former superiors always discouraged me from taking time off to get that little ring on my finger so that I could call myself a professional engineer here in Canada ~ there logic was as a qualified Machine Designer my credentials were okay as is). Looks like they were right since I made out okay and was always paid very well. I traveled on business all over Canada, The United States, made it to Australia, Italy, Egypt and several times to the Philippines during my mechanical courier.   

Prior to this I worked for three of North Americas leading manufacturing firms starting as junior draughtsman progressing to chief draughtsman, machine design and finally liaison and project engineer of large rotating equipment. 

I have to admit the very beginning was not easy as it never is for an immigrant arriving in Canada with only a few dollars and not speaking the language. I started at the very bottom washing dishes, making coffee then sandwiches and finally at the steam table in a fine Canadian restaurant. I had no choice in the matter I did this for 3 years so I could do my papers again in English since no one would give me a job in the field of drafting at that time, besides I had to learn English since in East Germany I had to learn Russian.

I’ve been fortunate, North America is a great place to be and this part of the world has been very good to me. I meet many interesting people and if I had to do it all over again I would without any hesitation. Right now I try to enjoy my retirement. As a 75th birthday present I purchased myself this fine 280 SL Pagoda I found in a car collectors garage. Next month I’ll be 76 and I’ll celebrate it by driving my new found friend the 280 Pagoda assembled in 1968/69 all the way down to Williamsburg, WV. to help celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the 230 SL that I test drove sometime in the mid 60s when a Mercedes Sales Manager I then knew let me take one for a test drive. Forgive my grammar and typos for it is well known engineers cannot write. :)
DD 2011 SL 63 AMG and my 69 Pagoda 280 SL

Peter van Es

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Re: What's your profession?
« Reply #156 on: August 23, 2013, 06:16:15 »
Thanks, Rolf-Dieter...

And it looks like you have settled into our community pretty quickly too...

Peter
1970 280SL. System Admin of the site. Please do not mail or PM me questions on Pagoda's... I'm not likely to know the answer.  Please post on the forum instead!

Louiehenry

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Re: What's your profession?
« Reply #157 on: January 08, 2014, 17:33:16 »
I work at a body shop, do auto work for cash, and during the summers, I work a ranch

Benzo

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Re: What's your profession?
« Reply #158 on: December 11, 2014, 19:46:23 »
Diverse group of people here.

I am the Assistant Fire Chief for a fire department in Northeast Ohio.

On the weekends i pretend to fix things.

Mike


ja17

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Re: What's your profession?
« Reply #159 on: December 12, 2014, 06:24:53 »
Hi Mike !

Your car is definitely the right color for the fire station!

Joe Alexander
Blacklick, Ohio
1969 Dark Olive 280SL
2002 ML55 AMG (tow vehicle)
2002 SLK32 AMG (350 hp)
1982 300TD Wagon turbo 4spd.
1963 404 Mercedes Unimog (Swedish Army)
1989 flu419 Mercedes Unimog (US Army)
1998 E430
1974 450SLC Rally
1965 220SE Finback

Benzo

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Re: What's your profession?
« Reply #160 on: December 12, 2014, 14:10:48 »
Thanks Joe, I can't wait till spring to bring it back down and visit!

mmizesko

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Re: What's your profession?
« Reply #161 on: December 12, 2014, 21:58:37 »
Mike,

You just need a Dalmation to ride shotgun!

Mike Mizesko
1970 280SL 291H Dark Olive

buspilot

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Re: What's your profession?
« Reply #162 on: March 12, 2015, 06:37:53 »
It is interesting to read about the different professions of the membership.  I am a polygraph examiner.  There is never a dull day, and I tend to have some of the best stories at cocktail parties.

JamesL

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Re: What's your profession?
« Reply #163 on: March 12, 2015, 09:04:40 »
It is interesting to read about the different professions of the membership.  I am a polygraph examiner.  There is never a dull day, and I tend to have some of the best stories at cocktail parties.


Liar. Your name suggests you're a pilot ;D ;D
James L
Oct69 RHD 280 in DB906 with cognac leather

Larry & Norma

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Re: What's your profession?
« Reply #164 on: March 12, 2015, 11:18:48 »
 :D :D
Larry Hall (Gnuface)
2023 Ioniq6
2005 C230
1970 280SL

buspilot

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Re: What's your profession?
« Reply #165 on: March 12, 2015, 23:33:48 »
Liar. Your name suggests you're a pilot ;D ;D

Haha.  That's funny.  My username, buspilot comes from my first car passion, which is restoring and driving vintage air-cooled Volkswagen buses.  I love them!



Rolf-Dieter ✝︎

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Re: What's your profession?
« Reply #166 on: July 12, 2018, 00:26:22 »
Hello out there !!! :)

Just giving this fine thread a bump so to speak. I find it's just not fair for a fine thread like this to go by the wayside .... it's been over 3 years so if you read this, why not tell us what you do or did ...

go on, nothing too it.

Looking forward to read your story too. :)

Cheers,

Dieter

PS. I gave this thread a Bump just to let folks that joined us in the past 3 years know it exists. 
DD 2011 SL 63 AMG and my 69 Pagoda 280 SL

Pawel66

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Re: What's your profession?
« Reply #167 on: July 12, 2018, 08:35:52 »
No sexy story on my part. I am just a CEO in FMCG company. So as a CEO I know something about everything and nothing about something really.
Pawel

280SL 1970 automatic 180G Silver
W128 220SE
W121 190SL
G-class

ah53

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Re: What's your profession?
« Reply #168 on: July 12, 2018, 23:08:22 »
Grunt retail stockbroker managing about $300mm of client money.  I've been at it for 45yrs now so I've seen the market as low as mid 500 in 1974 to now.  To quote The Dead "what a long strange trip it's been."

Joe
280sl

mdsalemi

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Re: What's your profession?
« Reply #169 on: July 13, 2018, 11:40:34 »
Advertising Sales and Management for Car Clubs. I manage and sell all the advertising in the award winning Star Magazine, the award winning Prancing Horse Magazine, the monthly News Bulletin, and the Quattro Quarterly.

The Star Magazine is the member publication of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America, published 6x per year. I’m also a contributing editor there, having had some articles published including some award winners since 2007. (Pssst....next up is an article on the winning car of the inaugural 1927 Nurburgring German Gran Prix).

Prancing Horse and News Bulletin are the member publications of the Ferrari Club of America. The former is a glossy quarterly, arguably the most costly periodical I’ve ever seen, and the latter both a digital and printed monthly.

Quattro Quarterly is the member publication of the Audi Club North America.

If my garage were large enough and I had the budget for such things, the Pagoda would probably be joined by an F355 Spyder, and an S5 Cabriolet with Stage II tuning and suspension mods...

I’ve been doing this since 2014. Prior, I was in several facets of the printing and publishing business for decades...and also owned a car wash for a short time.
Michael Salemi
Davidson, North Carolina (Charlotte Area) USA
1969 280SL (USA-Spec)
Signal Red 568G w/Black Leather (Restored)
2023 Ford Maverick Lariat Hybrid "Area 51"
2022 Ford Escape Hybrid
2023 Ford Escape Hybrid

BaronYoungman

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Re: What's your profession?
« Reply #170 on: July 13, 2018, 22:06:03 »
Banker... yes, boring banker.   BUT ASK ME WHAT I DID FOR 12 years.  I opened 52 different nightclubs in 38 states and overseas.
Dallas Alley, Denim & Diamonds, West LA, Cactus Moon, Graham Central Station, Banana Joe's, Mix Factory, Outer Limit, and others.  Chances are if your city had one of these venues, I opened it or managed it at some point.  I partied with Nickelback , drank with James Brown, almost got in fist fight with Joan Jett, had a discussion about life with Ron Jeremy , hung out with Garth Brooks and his 1st wife, employed as a barback Joe Nichols and the Kinleys before they got famous and so many more.  Interesting lifestyle, great stories, but totally non conducive to having a family.  My job may be boring now , but my family fulfills me in a way nightclub life never could.
Bob "Baron" Youngman
1971 280 SL silver  1 car 0 boxes
1983 500sec Wheeler Dealer AMG Widebody
1985 500sec Paris Autoshow AMG coupe
1994 320sl wifes car
1988 560sec  Japan "Yakuza Car"

Dash808

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Re: What's your profession?
« Reply #171 on: July 14, 2018, 04:15:01 »
Banker... yes, boring banker.   BUT ASK ME WHAT I DID FOR 12 years.  I opened 52 different nightclubs in 38 states and overseas.
Dallas Alley, Denim & Diamonds, West LA, Cactus Moon, Graham Central Station, Banana Joe's, Mix Factory, Outer Limit, and others.  Chances are if your city had one of these venues, I opened it or managed it at some point.  I partied with Nickelback , drank with James Brown, almost got in fist fight with Joan Jett, had a discussion about life with Ron Jeremy , hung out with Garth Brooks and his 1st wife, employed as a barback Joe Nichols and the Kinleys before they got famous and so many more.  Interesting lifestyle, great stories, but totally non conducive to having a family.  My job may be boring now , but my family fulfills me in a way nightclub life never could.


Annnnnd what's the story behind the "1988 560sec  Japan "Yakuza Car"?"  Spent some time with them too didja?   :o :-X
Chan Johnson
'67 250sl
Napoli Italian Euro

Bang Bang Booogie!

neelyrc

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Re: What's your profession?
« Reply #172 on: July 14, 2018, 05:06:58 »
When I first joined the Forum I ran across this thread and was impressed with the background of the members.  Having met many of you personally since then I am even more impressed!  The thread was more or less dormant when I first saw it so I didn’t bother to add my own information.  Now that Dieter has given it a bump, here are some highlights:

Civil Engineering graduate University of Alabama, 1961 (Roll Tide!)
Naval officer, U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps, Vietnam era veteran: Company Commander, Mobile Construction Battalion Nine (Seabees); Staff Administrative Officer, Commander Construction Battalions, U. S. Atlantic Fleet.

For forty plus years I worked for Chicago Bridge and Iron Company, Metal Plate Structures fabrication and construction, primarily oil patch: Engineer training program, Field Engineer, Pusher, Field Foreman, Superintendent, Project Manager, Construction Supervisor, Construction Manager, Plant Manager, Operations Manager.  Last assignment, Vice President and Area Director of Operations, South East Asia.  Most of my adult life was spent outside the USA living and working in over twenty countries.

Presently I spend about half of each year in my native Alabama where my Pagoda is garaged (and driven) and the other half in Lavagna and Compiano, Italy.  Many of you have met my lovely wife Flora at events on both sides of the Atlantic.  I lost my first wife Elena, the mother of my two children to mesothelioma in 2003. I myself am a cancer survivor now cancer free since 2004.

I bought my Pagoda new at the tender age of 30.  Almost 50 years on we are mellowing together.  See my article in Pagoda World Issue 19 for some details.  My current vehicles in Birmingham consist of the 1969 280SL a 2007 BMW 328xi (E90) and a 1995 Jaguar XJS convertible. In Italy I drive a BMW 330xd Futura Coupe (E92) and a Toyota HiLux, 4WD, 2.4 liter Turbo diesel Pickup.  My favorite departed souls include a 1965 Volvo 122S Amazon, a 1956 190SL Roadster (W121) and a 1974 450 SE (W116).  The latter I consider to have been the best car I ever owned.

Each year I try to participate in or visit a couple of major motoring activities.  Last year it was Amelia Island and one of the overnight stops of the Mille Miglia plus PUB Virginia.  This year it was Amelia Island and MB StarFest2018 where I was a member of the organizing committee.  Our Euro Event in Provence is on the schedule. I am an avid Formula One fan having been a Ferrari tifoso since the early 1970s.  I have been fortunate to be able to attend many races over the years including several at venues no longer on the schedule such as Zandfoort, Kyalami, Brands Hatch, Dijon and Kuala Lumpur.

Present profession: Confirmed car nut!
Ralph

1969 280SL, 4 Speed Manual, Dark Olive (291H), Parchment Leather (256), Dark Green Soft Top (747)
1972 Mercedes-Benz 280SEL 4.5
1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SL
2007 BMW 328xi (E90)
Italy
2004 Toyota HiLux D4D Pickup
2008 BMW 330xd Futura Coupe' (E92)

Rolf-Dieter ✝︎

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Re: What's your profession?
« Reply #173 on: July 14, 2018, 17:43:33 »
Thank you Pawel, Joe, Mike, Bob, Chan and Ralph for adding to this interesting thread. I hope many more will follow, I think it’s great knowing what we have in common with fellow Members. As someone said during dinner at our last PUB gathering in Virginia

 “it’s not only about cars, it’s mostly about people”  everyone around the table agreed, it’s just that wählt makes our Group such a great comunety.

Ralph just a small update to my post in this thread (when I found it originally in 2015; Reply 155 above), I retired in 2013 Ralph, I finally learned to say NO to my former partner and Customers at age 75 when I found my Pagoda and put my hard hat and safety stuff into recycle. Last May I found a Big Brother for my Pagoda a low mileage SL6.3 AMG that has been lingering on my Bucket List since I saw the car in Berlin in 2012. What can I say I’m a Car Nut like yourself Ralph and many others here I’m sure. I count myself very fortunate to own two fine cars at this juncture in my life that I could never afford when I was a young fellow. Looking forward to Euro 2018 in September, see you then. Meanwhile enjoy your Summer in the USA or Italy :)

Dieter
DD 2011 SL 63 AMG and my 69 Pagoda 280 SL

neelyrc

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Re: What's your profession?
« Reply #174 on: July 15, 2018, 20:41:02 »
Thanks Dieter, we are in Italy now and will be here until mid-November.  Looking forward to seeing you in France at the end of summer.  You have yourself a very fine pair of motor cars! Enjoy!  8)
Ralph

1969 280SL, 4 Speed Manual, Dark Olive (291H), Parchment Leather (256), Dark Green Soft Top (747)
1972 Mercedes-Benz 280SEL 4.5
1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SL
2007 BMW 328xi (E90)
Italy
2004 Toyota HiLux D4D Pickup
2008 BMW 330xd Futura Coupe' (E92)