Baarn, a small town in the Dutch province of Utrecht, is home to a unique collection of Mercedes-Benz automobiles. It was put together by entrepreneur Nico Ockhuisen, who is professionally involved with boats and marinas. For 48 years now, he has also devoted himself to the vehicles of the brand with the three-pointed star. It all began when he - then just 17 years old - bought a used Mercedes-Benz 170 S-V (W 136 VIII) from his brother for one thousand guilders. But he must have been infected with the star virus, because he didn't stop at just this one car.
His collecting activities began with a 250 SL Automatic, commonly known as a "Pagoda". His example is a "California version", a 2+2-seater with tasteful beige paintwork and a brown roof. The noble coupé was followed by dozens of other star carriers and so this Mercedes-Benz collection, which is probably the largest in Europe, comprised 123 examples at the time of the author's visit, although even this figure has a connection to the German manufacturer...
In the part of the museum that is open to visitors, fifty exquisite examples are on display on 1100 square meters, another fifty cars are housed nearby and the rest are at Mr. Ockhuisen's home. In the near future, he plans to house all the vehicles in a new building directly on the A1 highway. Vehicles from nine decades are currently on display, with the oldest - a Mercedes-Benz 290 C Cabrio - dating back to 1933 and the most recent car from 2019. Anyone entering the hall is immediately impressed by the variety of colors on display. When you consider that the W 123 model series alone was available in 31 exterior colors (!) in its first year of production in 1976, you could get nostalgic.
The host guides you through the well-assorted collection
But it doesn't come to that, because visitors are now guided through the collection by Nico Ockhuisen himself. With obvious sympathy for the Mercedes-Benz brand, he explains automotive developments, points out cross-connections and conveys the brand's history in a highly competent manner. This can sometimes take two hours or more. And so, at this point, only an overview of the collection will be given.
The exhibits are arranged chronologically according to model series and versions. For example, the Mercedes "mid-range" is lined up chronologically - from its predecessors to today's E-Class. Four examples of the legendary Mercedes-Benz 300 "Adenauer" (W 188 and W 189) alone are on display, with one closed and one convertible version per model series. Visitors learn that the "hardtop" version of the 300 d (W 189) was the first Mercedes that could be ordered with air conditioning - albeit at a hefty surcharge of DM 3,500. This was certainly no longer an issue with the dark brown representative model Mercedes-Benz 600 (W 100) parked next door.
Also on display are the classics of the Ponton series (four and six-cylinder), various versions of the "Heckflosse" and "Strichachter" as well as various versions of the Type 123. The Type 107 sports car is represented here with a coupé in the very rare, extravagant "Cayenne Orange" color, among other things. Next to a red 190 SL from 1960 is probably the star of the collection: an unrestored 300 SL "Gullwing" from 1955 in unique condition. The vehicle has a special steering wheel and stands on racing wheels with central locking ("Rudge rims"). You would probably get a small car for the value of its original luggage set today.
The nearby Mercedes-Benz 220 Coupé (type W 187) from the same period is even rarer. Only 85 of these were built, and a US version with the original metallic silver color is shown in the collection. In addition to the 290 C Cabriolet already mentioned, the 320 Cabriolet from 1938 deserves special attention among the pre-war models, as there are also many details to discover here. For example, the museum director demonstrates to visitors that the car's door, which is based on an ash frame and weighs 58 kilograms, is so heavy that it can only be moved with the help of small rollers before it falls firmly into the lock. It is also interesting to note that the factory did not use chassis numbers on the type plates at this time, but instead indicated a "commission number". The identification of a vehicle at that time was therefore based on the commission books.
From more recent times, there is an example of the W 140 with a V12 engine, as well as cars from the 124 and 126 series and a black SLK from the first series (R 170). Then a nice contrast: a white "Babybenz" from the W 201 model series - with sparse "accountant's equipment" except for the automatic transmission - next to a black 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution. Ockhuisen mentions in passing that he also owns examples of the Avantgarde special series in Rosso, Azzuro and Verde. And also an Evo II...
Let's close the overview with some outstanding vehicles of the 21st century. In addition to the S-Class of the W 221 series and the SL-Classes R 230 and R 231 as well as a G 550 V8, the SLS AMG and the SLR McLaren Roadster stand out in particular. The latter has an output of 460 kW (626 hp) and reaches a top speed of 334 km/h.
The best or nothing
Nowhere else, not even in a factory museum, will you find so many classic cars in one place that are practically in new car condition. "If I have a vehicle with 50,000 kilometers on the clock, that's a lot," notes Ockhuisen. And so there are cars to experience that have an even lower mileage. Here are three astonishing examples: The collection includes a 1957 220 S from the previous ownership of a Berlin professor, who only covered 5945 kilometers in this vehicle. There is also a Mercedes 200 D /8 in the collection that was only driven 300 kilometers in a year, namely from the owner's home in Freiburg to his vacation home in Überlingen and back. After 25 years, the car was taken over by Ockhuisen. And with a mileage of just 6,100 kilometers, a 280 SE "Flachkühler" coupé (W 111) from 1971 was added to the Ockhuisen collection. According to MB Classic, it is said to be the world's best example of this type. There is even a large, unused can of original paint in its trunk. It once cost DM 12.
Speaking of paintwork: "Ninety percent of the cars on display are unrestored and still have their original paintwork. And all the cars are sealed with original Mercedes wax," assures the museum director. Regardless of whether you carefully feel the wheel cut-outs with your finger (with permission), meticulously inspect the interior and, last but not least, take a closer look at the rubber seals - everything looks as if the cars have just left the factory. Unbelievable, you don't see anything like this anywhere else.
Palpable passion and exciting insights
Those who enjoy a personal guided tour by Nico Ockhuisen do not need any information boards about the exhibits. This is because he is a proven brand expert, knows each of his cars down to the smallest detail and has a lot of interesting facts to tell about the cars and their backgrounds. For example, that one of the cars has one of the oldest Philips car radios in it. He patiently opens the doors, hoods and trunk lids for visitors, revealing astonishing and curious facts: Never-used spare wheels, perfect and original luggage sets and on-board tools still in their original packaging. And also several documents, such as an instruction manual for the built-in Hirschmann antenna. And then he shows a booklet. It contains the fixed prices for repairs by the manufacturer's workshops. It's amazing what workshop services the customer received for DM 20 back then! And the authorized workshop charged a whole DM 9.50 for the removal and installation of the right or left steering knuckle.
The vehicles in the collection come from all over the world. Anyone with such a global network, built up over decades, is naturally in high demand. "Well-known classic car dealerships (who shall not be named here) source their cars from me," reports Ockhuisen with a grin. The factory also asks him for advice and his exquisite cars are also borrowed for artistic photo productions. You could listen to this gentleman of the stars for hours, but at some point even the most instructive tour comes to an end. Obviously, the family of the museum's founder is also fully behind his passion. His daughter was once given two first names: Saskia and Mercedes, with the option of choosing one of the two as an adult. She chose Mercedes.
Further information about the museum can be found on its website.
