Urban legends are just that, legend. But every once in awhile you come
across a story so unreal that it has to be true. One legend is about the GI
mailing a Jeep home from WWII one piece at time. Another has a Cadillac factory
worker stealing parts from the factory one piece at a time and then building the
car in his garage. But one story that is beyond reproach is of Bob Doehler and
his 300SL Mercedes Benz. Bob was a designer for Studebaker on the Avanti
project. Known as a perfectionist, he thought the Gull Wing Mercedes was the
most beautiful car he had ever seen. Using his connection, Studebaker used to
be the US importer for Mercedes Benz, he arranged to have a chassis and body
sent to him, with parts to be ordered later. When completed Mercedes Benz would
assign a chassis and serial number to it, it would essentially be a new
untitled 300SL.
And so for years, Bob ordered 300SL parts up until Mercedes Benz and
Studebaker parted ways in the sixties, having accumulated about 98% of the parts
needed to build a car. Studebaker had failed as an auto maker, so Bob found an
old factory and set up shop there, eventually completing his project. Now Bob
was also a procrastinator, and was known for talking about his project rather
than completing it. Sometime in 1988 he surfaced, looking for parts to finish
the Gull Wing, and the story gets interesting from here. A car restorer in
California heard about the legend of Bob, and contacted him, it seems Bob had
original blueprints of the body, Mercedes Benz didn’t even have any in their
archives. But Bob never complete his car, it was more interesting to him in
pieces, the legend taking shape in front of any audience, until his death in
1994. When the restorer offered to buy the car, sent a deposit of $200,000, and
both the car and money were lost. The Germans, as they were referred to, had
sold the car out from under this man, and his part of the legend seemed real.
Adding to the legend, until some he met some Germans at an auction, who claimed
they were the ones, and the story was true. With the broker takingoff with the
funds. But someday the car would be completed.
It was silver with a blue plaid interior, standard 300SL and Mercedes Benz
racing colors, and the most perfect, Gull Wing ever made. Original rather than
restored, everything fit, the colors were correct, and even the engine had been
stored properly, and fired off just fine. And after 1500 hours of building
rather than restoration, they were able to fire off a brand new 1955 300SL,
experiencing almost 40 years later what it must have been like in 1955 to drive
one off the dealer showroom floor. Truly a brand new car with a brand new zero
mile original engine, correct colors not restored or repainted, and it all
worked. It seems Bob set out to build the perfect car one piece at a time, just
never got around to completing it. But leaving it for someone else to finish,
and seeing an urban legend come true. Truly, as Bogie answered when asked “what
is that bird?” about the Maltese Falcon, “the thing dreams are made of.”
Maybe something to consider next time you consider a Lexus, who climes to
be “the relentless pursuit of perfection,” years ago Mercedes Benz had found
it. Such is German engineering. And assembly. If only its owners would
respect those in taking care of their cars. The second law of thermodynamics
states things are in a perpetual state of atrophy. In other words we start out
better than we end up. Old age will prove that, and it is a physical law. As
opposed to the theory of evolution, which cannot or has never been proven. We
start out better than we end up, no matter how many face lifts, augmentation, or
knee replacements we endure. We are all getting older, and our bodies are
wearing out. With a limited supply of factory parts available. I am amazed at
how God made the body, how an aspirin knows my head hurts and not my feet. How
I cannot hold my breath and die, breathing is involuntary. How sweat comes out,
but water cannot enter the skin. How food can taste so different, but all come
out the same in the end. And how God made the perfect body when he made man in
his image. Yet he is everlasting, and we aren’t. Or are we?
Today we celebrate birthdays on the day you were born, the day you entered
the world. The Jewish believe life begins at conception, while scripture tells
us we have always existed since the beginning. And even when our bodies no
longer function and death occurs, we will continue on forever. Given the choice
of where to spend eternity. Based on who we believe Jesus is. A simple one
question final exam, and yet many choose to go to hell. Believing the lies of
there is no God, to there is no hell, to it doesn’t matter, to God it does. He
misses us after Adam sinned, and wants us back, for eternal fellowship with
him. In heaven. On his terms, forgiven. In spirit, for he is a spirit and
must be worshipped as such. Yet so many deal with an outer restoration they
neglect the spiritual restoration only Jesus can provide, and enter eternity
healthy on the outside, but going to hell based on the inside, the soul. Their
relentless search for perfection never being found, always escaping them, when
Jesus is available any time to them. Believing lies, or even urban legends,
because the truth seems so unbelievable. Go figure...look at your body, if you
thought you would live so long would you have taken better care of it? But your
soul will live forever, are you just as concerned?
Today you can buy all the parts needed to build a brand new 1965-66
Mustang. New parts, to make an old car, that will be titled as new. Same with
the 57 Chevy, a brand new car for 2016, except it is a 1957. New parts for old
cars. But are they the same? Both are original, what is the difference? One
is built by the creator, the factory, the other hand built like Bob’s 300SL.
But unlike his, as his has the original dated parts, not even NOS parts with the
correct date. Somewhere there is a difference, and some care, some don’t. God
cares, since you are an original to him, and wants you to be restored
spiritually so you can live forever with him, he is the final judge. No matter
how you are judged on earth as being successful, his standard is perfection, and
only found through Jesus Christ. The original restoration shop. 1500 hours
built a new 1955 300SL in 1994, in one split second, one twinkling of an eye,
you can be saved. Let man, any man duplicate that.
So as Lexus seeks perfection, and CAD/CAM builds better cars, they still
will wear out. Just like us. And our restoration is just one prayer away.
God’s relentless pursuit of you to be saved. Bob left the story before it was
finished, don’t leave your testimony unfinished, come to Christ today. More
than a legend, he is the truth, the way, and the life. Jesus is an original, so
are you. And you can be added to God’s collection today, just as you are. He
has the parts and the know how for eternity. By no other name are we saved....I
hope Bob knew that. Don’t procrastinate like he did. Be around to see God’s
work in you completed. For he is faithful to do it. The original factory
connection.
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com