When automobile rarities fall victim to the fire
07/12/2015
(Pictures: © Kapo Zurich)
It was a shock for Balz Oertli, a well-known collector and connoisseur of the Mercedes W 126, W 116, W 140 etc. series, when he heard about the blaze and inspected the damage on site.
The report from the cantonal police reads soberly: "A major fire in a former brickworks in Winterthur-Töss caused damage amounting to several million francs on Wednesday night (8.7.2015). Two people were slightly injured. Shortly before 3.30 a.m., the Zurich Protection & Rescue Operations Center received a report that the building complex of the former brickworks on Dättnauerstrasse was on fire. Members of the Winterthur professional fire department deployed immediately. They were supported by the Wiesendangen fire department and the Wallisellen fire department. Despite the immediate extinguishing operation, a large part of the commercially used property was destroyed. The exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined and is being investigated by the fire investigation service of the Zurich cantonal police. The damage caused is estimated at several million francs."
Balz Oertli's Mercedes-Benz collection was housed in this historic property, which fell victim to the blaze. It was completely destroyed in the fire, which also destroyed rare and unique contemporary witnesses of past decades.
"It's not so much the financial damage that hurts me as the moral damage," said Oertli in conversation. There weren't necessarily very expensive cars in the brickworks, but they were very rare and special.
Peter Monteverdi built three Tiara saloons in 1981, all of which were based on the Mercedes-Benz W 126, but with a modified body. A larger production run was planned, and even an agreement with Mercedes and distribution via their dealer network seemed possible when Monteverdi presented the Tiara at the 1982 Geneva Motor Show. But nothing came of it and the three examples remained in the company's possession until Balz Oertli was able to buy one of the three saloons. It was one of his favorite vehicles, but now it has been burned down to the bare metal and can no longer be salvaged or rebuilt.
A similar fate befell a Duchatelet limousine, of which only 25 were built. Number 14 was a victim of the flames. A total of 24 vehicles from Oertli's collection were charred, including several saloons from the W 140 S-Class series, coupés and saloons from the W 126 series and a coupé from the W 107 series. Almost every one of these cars was special, either because there were exciting owners behind them or because the configuration was very rare. And they were all kept in top condition with a great deal of love and effort, regardless of the cost. Now they are all irrevocably lost. Only a good handful of cars have remained with Oertli, as they were not stored in the brickworks in Winterthur.
In addition to the cars, a large parts warehouse also burned down, which contained, among other things, rare seat cover fabrics on tracks, many wheel rims, spare parts and accessories. A lot could be stored on around 1000 square meters.
When asked whether he would now start again to rebuild the collection, Balz Oertli answers in the negative. You can feel how the loss pains him and you can understand it, because when someone has invested decades in a car collection, buying cars again and again to find the gems that crowned the collection, it is infinitely frustrating when all this is destroyed at once.
