Mercedes-Benz 220 as an Ahr valley flood victim
09/05/2021
The flood of the century devastated the Ahr valley in Germany in mid-July 2021. Over 100 people died and many were injured, people lost their homes and companies lost their infrastructure. Many classic cars were also victims of the flood, and the Ahr-Automobil-Club presented one example at the Classic Gala Schwetzingen (September 3 to 5, 2021). Here, the observer can immediately see what the flood has done.
The Mercedes-Benz shown was at least spared external damage, but if it is to be put back on the road, it will still require extensive restoration. The cost of such work will often be higher than the value of the vehicle. Nevertheless, many of these old cars will probably be rebuilt; after all, they are equipped with thick sheet metal and robust technology, and the complexity of the electrics is manageable.
Plumbers, painters, upholsterers and mechanics will be in demand to help these mobile cultural assets back to life.
The Ahr-Automobil-Club, which has been in existence since 1924, is of course aware that the old cars are certainly not the highest priority in dealing with the consequences of the flood disaster. And it has called on its members, as well as all other classic car enthusiasts, to make donations:
Volksbank RheinAhrEifel eG, IBAN DE58 5776 1591 0011 8025 00, BIC GENODED1BNA, Ahr-Automobil-Club Bad Neuenahr 1924 e.V., "Spende Ahrtal Flut".
The club will ensure that the money gets to the right places and helps those in need.
But the people from the club had another idea. The annual meeting is usually organized in the spa gardens of Bad Neuenahr. But this has been completely destroyed. So the big classic car meeting will now take place on Sunday, September 26, 2021 (10:00 to approx. 17:00) in Stöffel Park. Vintage cars built up to 1990 and motorcycles built up to 1975 are to attend. Every visitor is asked to make a donation (at least EUR 10 per person, families with a car approx. EUR 20). All the money will go to the victims of the flood disaster. And a visit is worthwhile, because the Stöffel Park is an incredibly interesting setting for a classic car meeting. It is a former basalt mining area whose industrial buildings have been almost completely preserved.
Information on the appeal for donations and the meeting on September 26, 2021 can be found on the website of the Ahr-Automobil-Club.
P.S. The Mercedes-Benz can still be viewed today at the Classic Gala Schwetzingen ....
