Evil machinations and critical customers
10/26/2024
The story of the Kienle case has just been covered in depth on SWR . We have already reported on it in previous articles . Nobody has been convicted yet, but the evidence hardly promises an unexpected twist in the case. On the contrary, the accusations are even more serious than initially suspected. Not only are cars alleged to have been forged, but further accusations have been added to the case of the fantasy yellow roadster, which used the chassis number of the 1961 Geneva Salon 300SL, but was in fact based on a white vehicle stolen in 1983. One of them is that expensive original parts were removed from customer vehicles by unsuspecting people at the Kienle company in order to use them elsewhere or to be able to sell them on.
This is the nightmare scenario for anyone who entrusts their collector's car to a company that is supposed to service, repair or restore it. Who is going to look under the dashboard or hood at the end of the work to see whether the original windscreen wiper motor is still in place or just a - possibly quite acceptable - replica? Certainly hardly anyone does this. Nevertheless, the certainty that you will drive away with your complete car has a lot to do with confidence, but also a very small amount with knowledge. In general, it's helpful to know a little about what you want to spend your good money on. This starts with checking vehicle specifications, corresponding chassis and engine numbers and sometimes ends with studying long lists, catalogs and the like.
In the case of the 300 SL in question, it would probably have helped if the current Southeast Asian owner of the counterfeit car had known exactly where to look for which numbers on the car. However, we don't know how important he thought this was in the first place. Perhaps not at all; a 300 SL is a 300 SL and that's that. Forging cars is certainly an act of high criminal energy, but if we are honest with ourselves, we might not be angry with our garage if the car makes it to the next official inspection despite a slightly leaky gearbox. Or if the veteran status, the code 180 in Switzerland, is emblazoned on the ID card thanks to a little persuasion from our trusted mechanic, or if the H license plate hangs on the car in Germany. This is perhaps despite the dual carburetor, which was not intended for this type of car and is now installed.
I think this is far from criminal, it is a service provided to the customer by a hard-working specialist workshop. Perhaps even the experienced expert knows this and lets the matter go, because after all, such conversions were not uncommon back then either.
And in most cases, it's not about big money. On the other hand, if this is involved, you might well expect a buyer to take a deeper interest in the item they are buying. It is precisely in this respect that I am sometimes more than amazed when I act as a judge at beauty contests. I remember the case of a car declared as a Porsche 911 Turbolook, which was nothing more than a 1980s G-model as an SC - with a rear spoiler. Who knows where the owner got the idea of driving a Turbolook? The feature, which was definitely on the Porsche surcharge list at the time, included both the chassis and the wide body of the inflated 911, not just an engine compartment flap.
At another event, a participant proudly showed me his "all-original" DeSoto Convertible from the late 1930s. On opening the hood, the "all original" conclusion was quickly refuted: Two carburetors of unknown origin were sitting on the intake manifold of the L-head six-cylinder engine, which in principle could have been a great, era-appropriate "speed part". Unfortunately, the intake manifolds were crudely welded onto the original part and the original, central hole for the single Carter BB carburetor was sealed with a thick aluminum plate. I advised the owner to look around for an original twin carburetor intake manifold, as they were definitely available back then and would be a nice addition today.
So who is to blame for the fact that cars are being counterfeited? First and foremost, certainly and clearly the person who does this or, as the SWR documentary shows, demands this of their employees. However, there is a corresponding environment that encourages such behavior. The worst thing is "not asking". Because those who inform themselves, who demand detailed documentation or seek an independent expert and thus a third-party opinion, run less risk of experiencing a blue miracle - or in the case of the car that brought Kienle down - a "fantasy miracle".
P.S. For those who have not yet been able to watch the SWR documentary, we are showing the video here. It can also be found in the TV station's media library:
P.S.2 The gullwing above is for illustration purposes only and of course has nothing to do with this story.
