Ontario Trucking News, Issue 114, January 2013

101 Reasons to say “WOW!”
By WenDy MOrGan-MCBriDe
Have you ever been
walking in a parking
lot, driving
down the road, or just
passing by somewhere and
said, “Wow, that car is awesome?”
Since I started writing
this monthly article I
have found I am doing that
a lot. I just can’t let it go. I
have to meet the owner or
leave my business card, or
I have to sit there and wait
for the driver to come back.
This month’s featured car
was just like that. I was at
the Rossmore Cruise night
for the first time and could
barely wait for
the
lady who was driving it
to get parked. I needed to
know everything about this
car. It was more
t h a n
awesome because it reminded
me of a movie
about 101 puppies.
Meet Marlena.Yes sir,
that’s the name of this
beautiful 1928 Mercedes-
Benz SSK Replica. Laura
Struthers was looking for a
way to spend some inheritance
money she received
from her dad’s estate. He
had told her to buy herself
a nice little car. She wanted
something to help carry
his memories - and there
were a lot of them. Laura’s
husband, Burton, sent a
text which read, “stop by
Steven’s Auto Sales.”
Laura
w a s
curio
u s
enough
to check
out the
mystery
that earlysummer
day
in 2006.
She spotted
the car
immediately,
took
it for a test
drive, and
advised the
salesperson
to consider it sold
after her husband
checked it
out.
When Laura arrived home
Burton asked if she had
seen his new car. “Your
car? Well, I just bought it,”
she replied.
This little cream white
fibreglass bodied beauty
sits in their Bloomfield
garage lovingly covered
with a fitted blanket and
sporting Laura’s vanity
plate, “Cruella D,” signifying
her maiden name.
The car was built in Point
Anne, just east of Belleville,
Ontario, by Ken Swallow. It
was only driven to Toronto
once from the date it was
originally purchased.
The odemeter read 638
miles.
The frame is a tube
frame with a Ford Mustang
front clip with a
9” rear and sports a
2.6 V6 Ford Mustang 3
speed motor. The removable
“one piece”
burgundy top was
re-fitted at a cost of
$180/meter for the
material imported
from Germany. It
took six months to
complete. The interior
matches the top and
features a solid mahogany
steering wheel, dash board
and glove box with brass
hinges.
This car even comes with
puppies - some stuffed,
and two other live canines,
Bentley and Rollie. Bentley
believes the car is his and
will run alongside the moving
vehicle, hoping to get
his ride in the passenger
seat. The stuffed animals
ride in the back during special
shows or cruise nights.
Children love to cautiously
peer over the side for
a better view. The
only real work that
has been done to this
car since Laura purchased
it was to
in-
stall new 15” white
walls, new disc
brakes and a water
pump. It receives
“rave” reviews,
awards, and often
has been requested
to chauffeur
at weddings
and graduations.
Laura’s granddaughter
calls it
the “Princess Car”.
Laura says she absolutely
loves to drive
it and even has had
thumbs-up acknowledgements
from
motorcycle riders!
A company in North
Dakota was given the
rights to reproduce 500
replica kits, but only 20
were ever built to the
specifications of the original
car’s appearance. The
SSK was the last car designed
for Mercedes-Benz
by one engineer before he
left to found his own company.
The SSK was based
on the earlier S-series but
the chassis was shortened
by 19” to make the car
lighter and more agile for
racing, especially for short
runs and hill climbs. The
Mercedes-Benz SSK was
a 2 door roadster built
in Bermen, Germany between
1928 and 1932. The
SSK stands for Super Sport
Kurz, German for Super
Sport Short, indicating
the
shortened
wheelbase.
Fitted with a supercharged
single overhead
camshaft 7-litre straight
6 engine, and producing
200-300 HP and over 500
lb torque, the SSK had a
top speed of up to 120 mph,
making it the fastest car of
its day. The SSK was driven
to victory in numerous
races, including 500 miles
through Argentina in the
Cordoba Grand Prix, then
on to the Irish Grand Prix,
the German Grand Prix and
the Mille Miglia.
Fewer than 40 SSKs were
built during its production
span, of which about
half were sold as
Rennwagen racing
cars. Many were
crashed while racing
and cannibalized
for parts. As a
result there
are now
almost
1 0 0
replicas
using
do-
nated parts from original
vehicles. Only four or five
entirely original models
remain, and their scarcity
and rich heritage make
them among the most
sought after cars in the
world. A 1929 streamlined
model “Count Trossi” bodied
version, owned and
restored by Ralph Lauren,
has won best show at both
the Pebble Beach Concours
d’Elegance and Concorso
D’Elegance Villa d’Este. In
September of 2004 it was
auctioned off for $7.4 million
U.S.
The S/SSK line was one
of the contenders chosen
by a panel of journalists
for the Car of the Century
Award in 1999.
Be sure to check out a
future article on Burton
Struthers, Laura’s husband,
and his ’55 Chev BelAir,
coming in the March issue
of this magazine.
Look forward to a new
year of vintage cars and
trucks. If you ever see one,
or own one that you would
like to be featured, drop
me a line at cwmcbride@
cogeco.ca, or check out
our facebook fan page,
“A Drive Back in Time”,
where you can view additional
photos and previous
articles.
We would like to wish all
of our readers a very Merry
Christmas and a Safe &
Happy New Year! V
January 2013 29