I was originally going to take my Citroen DS, but I had left the ignition on, so the battery was flat.  I took my 250SE Cabriolet instead.   While a little overcast, it was a pleasant day and good to go for a drive in the W111.  Due to the weather the last time I wrote in the log book was February.

The two marques that stood out to me at the event were Alfa Romeo and Saab.  Both had some really nice examples on display.   There was also a very nice Bentley S series as well as a few other Italian exotics.

There were a few people I know from the MB club in attendance, so it was good to catch up.   It can be a little hard to get a park at this event.  However, I arrived somewhat late so was able to grab a park when somebody else was leaving.

I realized how dirty the 250SE was having it on display, so I gave it a good wash, along with the 560SEL when I returned.

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When I got there, I found the location had moved again.   It was still in the park, but it is now near the Spruce Goose Diner, not the Shakespeare statue.  A quick call to a friend who is a regular clued me into the new location.   I think the old location was better, but I suspect the organizers didn’t have a choice in this matter.    The new location is quite small and fills up very fast, with cars then overflowing onto the ring road and parking with the regular SUVs.

The mix of this event is quite different to the other ones I attend,  There are more exotics, especially 911s, and more modern performance cars.    However, despite a new McLaren, the car getting the most attention was the Ferrari Testarossa.   It looked great in dark blue, showing that Ferrari’s don’t have to be bright red.   There was also a nice Lamborghini Uracco and a Maserati Khamsin.

I took my 1981 240D, not for any particular reason than it was in the garage at home.   Its a good car for driving into the crowded eastern suburbs.    The only other Mercedes was a 380SL.   I ended up [parking next to a Volvo 240, probably fitting given it has similar attribute to the W123.

The new location is a far more busy thoroughfare than the old one.   Generally most people were pretty easy going, but it was interesting to contrast the behaviour of the runners, pedestrians and the drivers with that of the cyclists.   I was only there for twenty minutes and I witnessed two cyclists getting quite hot under the collar for for being slightly delayed by people walking around looking at the cars.

While this isn’t my favourite of the Sydney cars and coffee events, it was a lovely morning to get out for a drive and look at a new nice cars.

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This month’s event was the smallest I’ve been to.   While the weather was certainly a factor, the other was the normal location was closed for a special event.  The organizers left a message on Instagram saying the event was still on – at the previous spot in the park.   I drove over to the spot I thought was the usual spot, having been to a few events there.   Not a car in sight.   I almost went home, but I figured it might be nice to drive around the park for a bit anyway, so eventually I did come across the much smaller than normal group.

The Centennial Park location is certainly more picturesque than Driver avenue.  Its a lot busier there and there is a constant stream of cyclists and other park users.   Some of the cyclists are quite aggressive.  You really have to watch where you walk in case you get bowled over.

In driving the E-Type over in the damp conditions, it struck me how much I dislike the tyres I have on the car right now.   They are only from 2019, so I’m stuck with them for a bit longer but their grip in the wet is pathetic.

Some of my favorite cars on the day was the Black E-Type 3.8, The Golf GTi MK1, the Aston Martin DB6, the BMW M635csi and the Bentley S series.

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Today was supposed to be the day of the annual Sydney German Car show.   I’m not sure if that event being cancelled had anything to do with it, but there were a lot of German cars on display.     I was one, as I took my 250SE Cabriolet.   Its pretty dirty from a drive in the rain earlier this week, but at least the silver paint hides the dirt somewhat!

Part of the reason I brought the 250SE is that it has been running so poorly since lockdown.  I think it just needs more time behind the wheel as it drove much better after a new tank of 98.    Today’s performance was a bit odd.   On the way over it was running as badly as before I refilled the petrol tank.   On the way back though, it ran almost perfectly.    I am hoping this is a sign of things to come.

Its hard to pick out a few favorites from the display, as there were so many lovely cars.   One that did stand out was the Alpina B7 Turbo.     Based on my favorite BMW, the E24, its a very rare car and I’ve never seen one in Australia.   There was also a black Jensen Interceptor, a very impressive pre-war Rolls Royce, a nice Volvo P1800 and many more.

The strangest part of the whole thing was the behavior of the Centennial Park rangers.   As you would expect, they were there checking on proceedings.   The odd part was all the passive-aggressive muttering about the way the cars were parked.   On two different occasions I witnessed them coming past muttering loudly about various cars.   One of the cars was illegally parked, so I instead of all that muttering why not just issue a ticket and be done with it?

The park isn’t only for the cyclists, so I’m not sure what is to be gained by behavior like this – I didn’t see anyone paying any attention.

Overall it was a great way to spend a Sunday morning and I plan to come again when I can.

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