low maintenance.
It’s important to
emphasize the
“relatively” when
mentioning the low
maintenance; these
systems do not
generally require a
lot of tuning or minor
repairs, and can be
counted on to
perform reliably and
consistently for long
periods. However,
when they need a
rebuild, they will
begin telling you
with increasingly
frequency and
Interview with Gus
Pfister, Pacific Fuel
Injection, South
San Francisco, CA
By LodeStar Editor,
Brian Glusovich
The mechanical Fuel Injection
pump used in the 6.3 M-100
engines is often thought of as
the “heart” or the “brain” of the
vehicles or, if not working right,
just heartburn or headache.
Even many knowledgeable
German car mechanics blanch
when they open the hood and
see those intake tubes! Going
through the MB Service
Manuals, you quickly realize
that this FI pump is not only an
engineering marvel, but it’s
almost an engine in itself. With
its own camshaft, 8 plungers,
direct cylinder injection, and a
Machiavellian 3-dimensional
camshaft for throttle control, it
certainly qualifies as a
“system”.
Mechanical FI has been
around at Mercedes since the
1930s, initially for diesel
applications only. While FI was
used on various aircraft during
WWII, and on some 2-stroke
gasoline engines after the war,
it wasn’t used on an MB
production car until the 300SL
Gullwing. Over the years, the
system began to be used on
more of MB’s gasoline cars,
since it allowed higher power
for a given displacement, while
attaining reasonable fuel
economy. Variations of the
direct port injection were used
– the 220SE pontons used a
twin-plunger injection pump
Autumn 2003
while the GM/Rochester
system for Corvettes of the late
50s and early 60s had only one
plunger for 8 cylinders [note in
the interview that Gus refers to
this as a “sprinkler” system].
The Corvette system was
notoriously difficult to maintain,
while MB systems, whether the
2 plunger variety or direct port
injection (as on the 6.3
engines) has been relatively
volume: “Send me in for
rehab!”
In my own case, I’ve had my
6.3 for about 4 years now, and
have pretty much zero
information on what had been
done to the car before I had it.
I’d been noticing more oil
collecting in the valley between
service intervals, to the point
where I was becoming worried
p. 18
about fire danger – additionally,
I was getting a bit tired of
cleaning out the valley every
couple of weeks. My local
mechanic determined that the
pump was leaking from 2
solenoid seals, and one other
seal. My local mechanic’s
shop also indicated that they
didn’t feel expert enough to
handle the remove/replace and
retuning of the FI unit. Thus, I
went back to one of the M-100
experts in the Bay Area – Rene
at Burlingame Motors. Rene
has done a fair bit of work on
my car, but he’s located about
an hour from my house, so I’d
been looking for someone a bit
closer -- I had one for about 2
years until he retired and
closed his shop. I know that’s a
common problem with many of
us. The guys who know M-100
vehicles are pretty scarce.
Anyway, I brought it up to
Burlingame Motors, and they
pulled the pump, found that it
was leaking both oil and gas,
that the injectors looked OK,
that it had never been in for a
major rebuild, and needed one.
So, off it went – I had a choice
between Gus at Pacific Fuel
Injection in South San
Francisco and Robert at
Fairchild Industries in Redding,
CA. I didn’t, at the time, know if
there more, but those two have
been very highly recommended
by a number of M-100 club
members. We ended up
sending to Gus because he’s
located 10 minutes away from
Rene’s shop.
Well, the overhaul and reinstall
was not a cheap event, but the
results have been sensational.
I thought the car was running
well before (even with the oil
leak), but now it’s amazingly
smoother, stronger and even
quieter! Plus, it looks like a little
Autumn 2003
gem sitting there in the middle
of the engine, all plated and
polished (see picture). I’m
getting about 3-4 miles per
gallon better now than before;
in fact, on a 200 mile trip from
San Jose to Cambria, I got 17
mpg – I’d been getting 11-12
before.
video, we had a fascinating
morning.
It should be noted that the
interview is not in any way a
recommendation for Gus over
his California competitor,
Fairchild Industries. In fact, in
speaking to both Robert and
Gus, they seem to view each
With this experience, I thought
it might be interesting to
interview Gus for the LodeStar.
He’s been in the business of
rebuilding these units for 35
years or so, and I figured he
might help answer some of the
questions which many
members have raised, ranging
from preventive maintenance
items, pump longevity, and the
prospect of getting parts and
rebuild service in the future.
other not as adversaries, but
almost as co-dependents. We
will likely do an interview with
Robert in a coming issue, so
we’d ask readers to send in
questions and additional FIrelated issues they’d like
examined.
I called Gus and he gladly
agreed to an interview; in fact,
he suggested we come in
Saturday morning; he would
open the shop for us, so we
wouldn’t be disturbed by
normal weekday activities. So,
with my friend Jack Rosa doing
photos, and my son Niko doing
LodeStar – I gather, from other
material I’ve read, that you
started about 35 years ago, in
Switzerland?
Gus -– Started with Lucas,
competitor to Robert Bosch.
LodeStar – What about these
various brands -- Kugelfischer,
Bosch, Lucas, etc? Didn’t this
type of FI begin back in the
30s, with diesel engines?
Gus -– Bosch systems started
back in the 1920s, as a
supplier to the other car
companies, beginning with
p. 19
magnetos, and other electrical
supplies. They’re still an
independent company. They
make many types of supplies
for the OEMs – brakes,
packing
machines, FI
systems,
electrical.
LodeStar –
Kugelfischer
was an
independent
company,
weren’t they?
What about
Italian
companies,
like SPICA?
Gus -– Yes,
but they were
bought out by
Bosch, when the demand for
mechanical FI units declined.
SPICA was affiliated with Alfa
Romeo.
LodeStar – What about the
injection systems used on
American cars in the 1950s,
like Corvette? Was that derived
from these systems?
Gus -– No, those are “sprinkler
systems”, not actually an
injection system – it sprinkles
the fuel into the manifold – isn’t
a timed injection as are these
units.
LodeStar – You moved to the
U.S. in 1977, into Burlingame?
Was a Bosch plant there, in
Burlingame?
Gus -– No, the Bosch plant
was in South San Francisco.
For repairing and training
center, and for rebuilding gas
injection systems. Bosch
always rebuilt the diesel
injection pumps themselves,
until they dropped the
business. We started out in
Burlingame originally. The
Bosch factory rebuild facility
closed in 1979, because Bosch
Autumn 2003
didn't want to be in the
business of repairing these
pumps any longer. We then
bought much of their
equipment.
injection. It’s called “rail
injection”. They had these
(show) up until 1999. The
principle is the same up
through today’s units, although
the newer systems are not
really interchangeable. Here’s
a unit from a large diesel
turbine [e.d. – about 5 times
the size of a 6.3 plunger].
From a locomotive, or ship
diesel. For the 6 (or 8 or
more) plungers, each pumps
out through a check valve,
pumps until the bottom end
opens, and the
fuel will then
run back into
the pump.
LodeStar – How is the
plunger mechanism
lubricated?
Gus -– The plunger
mechanism is machined so
precisely that there is no
liquid passing through.
LodeStar – How long a
lifetime can the plunger have,
for a car application?
Gus -– 500,000 miles for the
plunger unit. These will last
almost indefinitely.
LodeStar -- Is this unit from
a 6.3?
LodeStar – Did they all (diesel
and gas) all go to electronic
injection in the 1970s?
Gus -– No, the diesel is only
now going to electronic
p. 20
Gus – Yes, with the 8
plungers. Here is the controller,
sleeve, segments. [Ed. Note –
the video on the M-100 website
will show how the pump
elements are re-installed for a
6.3 pump].
LodeStar – (Looking at the
surprisingly large camshaft),
what usually breaks down first?
Gus – Surprisingly, the most
common problem is
contaminated fuels. People lay
their cars off, and the fuel
corrodes the parts.
LodeStar – That’s the term
“Garages Kill”
Gus – Yes, that’s certainly
true. You look in the back here;
we have many pumps from
Porsches, Mercedes, and
BMWs which we have gotten
from cars which are not
running any more
LodeStar – Are there still
Autumn 2003
enough of the cars which
people still want to keep
running, to keep you going for
twenty years or so?
Gus – Difficult to say. Question
of the future of gasoline and
automobiles.
LodeStar – Where do you get
most of your pumps from, for
service?
Gus – Mostly from U.S.,
perhaps 5-10 a year from
outside from U.S. Mostly
Porsches and Mercedes, not
so many BMWs any more. In
the late 70s and early 80s,
about 70-80% of Mercedes
sales in the U.S. were diesels.
The value of those cars today
is not enough to justify a major
overhaul of the fuel injection
system. Also, on the gas
injection cars, a lot of them are
SEs, they may not be worth
enough to make the overhaul
worthwhile.
LodeStar – It looks like, with
the labor involved, there is no
way to do it on the cheap.
Gus – Yes, that’s certainly true
LodeStar – Are you able to get
parts readily?
Gus – I’m able to, but it’s
generally much more
economical to make use of
used parts. We get a lot of
parts from other shops which
may have no use for them. I
now have enough parts supply
for the rest of my life.
p. 21
LodeStar – Now, you normally
do these overhauls on the
basis of a core exchange, don’t
you? Someone sends in a
pump, and you send it back?
Gus – Not always – in fact,
because of the poor shape
most pumps come, and
because of our large stock, we
usually have a number of
overhauled pumps
ready to send out.
LodeStar – Now, in the case
of my own pump, which was
recently sent in by Rene at
Burlingame Motors?
Gus – In that case, I rebuilt
your pump. However, we have
a number of 6.3 pumps here,
about 20 to 30.
LodeStar – Do you get a fair
number of 6.3 pumps in for
work?
Gus – Yes, there are still a fair
number of 6.3s around, but
there were never as many to
begin with, as the 6 cylinders.
We do a lot of 230, 280SLs,
911s, and then some
Kugelfischers, and some 6.3s.
Still some diesels, also.
LodeStar – You mentioned in
one of the other articles I read
about your shop, that you had
a lot of difficulty in getting
people to work on these old
systems.
Gus – Right now, there is just
me and another older German
fellow, a retired airline pilot.
He’s been through the full
training. To do this, you have to
love detail work, and be able to
live in the Bay Area. It’s just too
expensive for most people.
LodeStar – You’ve been here
(1/2 mile north of the San
Francisco airport, along the
bay), for quite a while now.
Gus – Yes, in this place since
1993, and before that in
Burlingame.
Autumn 2003
LodeStar – Seals – are they
the most common thing to go?
Gus – Yes, and they’re all
available still.
LodeStar – Directly from
Bosch?
Gus – Yes, and there are other
suppliers for some items. Many
of these items can be made
pretty readily.
LodeStar – What gets ruined
by bad gasoline, from not being
run? Is it the seals?
Gus – No, it’s the plungers.
The seals get ruined by the
heat. The seals will go out
eventually, even if you drive
your car every day.
On the 6.3 the problem we
have, is overfilling with oil.
There’s an oil pressure line
going to the injection pump,
which actually only lubricates
the plunger.
LodeStar – And then you have
a separate oil supply at the
lower end….
Gus – That you have to add oil
for. The lower end in the
housing is sealed off by an Oring. That O-ring gets hard.
Then the oil starts flowing
down into the pump, and it gets
overfilled.
LodeStar – So, when this Oring starts going out, is that
when you start mixing the oil
from the engine supply and the
pump supply?
Gus – No, the pump will
actually fill up with oil, and
overfill.
LodeStar – Until you look at all
these parts and how they fit in,
you don’t understand how
complicated this pump is. The
height is deceptive when you
look at the pump installed,
because so much of the pump,
with the cam, is hidden.
Gus – Yes, that’s definitely
true. Before, you were asking
about the 3-dimensional cam.
The throttle position, when you
operate the throttle, will rotate
the cam. With speed, you have
flyweights, which will open and
close the flyweights against the
spring tension. And that will
move the cam back and forth.
Then you have the sensing
roller – that senses the
contours on the cam, and then
moves up and down.
p. 22
LodeStar – And that’s
lubricated by the lower end oil?
Gus – Yes
LodeStar – On mine, I guess
the 3-dimensional cam had to
be replaced. Is that just normal
wear?
Gus – Yes, just wear. You can
only buy the cams from Bosch,
but you can still get them.
They’re $450.
LodeStar – Are the newer
diesel pumps similar to this?
Gus – Not really – on the
newer diesels with mechanical
and electronic controls, you
only control the idle speed and
part way between idle and full
throttle. Max RPM is
electronically regulated on the
diesel cars. On the gas cars, it
is very important that you
always have set the right
air/fuel mixture at all throttle
positions.
LodeStar – This is a 6.3 unit,
on the stand? [Ed. Note – Gus
shows the assembly of the 6.3
unit on the video, which will be
on the M-100 website] What is
that step in the cam for
Gus – Yes, this is a 6.3 unit.
Note that the 3-d cam only
turns about 80 degrees, so the
step in the cam you were
asking about is only for
assembling, so it doesn’t cover
the step.
LodeStar – Where is this
pump from?
Gus – This is from an early
600.
LodeStar – Looking at the MB
shop manuals, they list about 5
different pump versions for the
6.3 engine. It seems that most
of the changes relate to the 3dimensional cam.
Gus – Yes, most of the pump
stayed the same over the years
– the 3-d cam was what
changed the most.
Autumn 2003
p. 23
LodeStar – Most of that was to
do with emission controls?
Gus -- Yes
LodeStar – So, there aren’t
really any significant changes
in the pump over the years.
Gus – The pump is always the
same; it’s only the fuel map
which is changed.
LodeStar – When you mention
the fuel map; for a person who
wanted to set up a 6.3 engine
for racing, or some other
purpose? Is that what
you’d change, the cam
profile?
Gus – It’s difficult to
change the cam profile,
although I do it pretty
regularly for racing
Porsches, and it’s mainly
a full throttle adjustment.
LodeStar – But it’s not
like with Electronic FI,
where you can modify the
fuel/air mixture pretty
readily.
Gus – No; someone has
to tell me pretty
specifically what rpm
range and what mixture
he wants.
LodeStar – Do you do it
fairly often?
Gus – Mostly for Porsche
guys – Mercedes guys
mostly stick to the way it
is. Especially the 6.3, since it
has so much power already.
LodeStar – I know a fellow up
in Washington State who uses
his for drag racing. Would it
make sense to modify the cam
profile for that sort of use?
Gus – If he gives me the
numbers he wants for various
rpm ranges, I can. All of this is
approximation of what was
done originally on an engine
dyno.
LodeStar – What is this table
we’re at now?
Autumn 2003
Gus – This is a flow bench. We
measure the fuel flow at
various throttle positions and
rpm settings.
LodeStar – There’s only one
other person in the U.S. that I
know of who does these full
scale overhauls. Fairchild up in
Redding?
Gus – Well, there is an outfit
on the East Coast, called H&R,
and there are some others who
LodeStar – So this oil won’t
damage the seals.
Gus – No, the seals get ruined
from old age. If it overfills with
oil, then the seals are already
ruined. The oil will just come
out where you add the oil.
LodeStar – Before I sent mine
I for overhaul, I was using a
turkey baster to remove some
of the excess oil from the
dipstick hole.
do partial overhauls.
LodeStar – This equipment
from Bosch. I imagine it’s not
available any more?
Gus – No, since it’s used still
for diesel pumps, so it’s still
available from Bosch. Pretty
expensive.
LodeStar – This flow table is
usable with any of the Bosch
pumps?
Gus – Yes, with slight
adjustments. This is set up now
for this 6.3 pump – I have to
provide the oil myself, since the
engine is not here.
Gus – Some filling up with oil is
normal – the manual talks
about that, and the need to
drain it.
LodeStar – On mine, I found
that the valley was filling up
with a combination of oil and
gas.
Gus – It should be cleaned at
each oil change. When you
have to clean it out between
regular oil changes, than that’s
a good time to consider an
overhaul.
p. 24
push the screw in, it engages
with the center.
LodeStar – And it tears up
the center screw
Gus – Yes; if you’re lucky
enough, it will engage with
the slot while the engine is
turning, it’ll turn out the
adjusting screw immediately.
Then the mechanic realizes
something’s wrong. Then he
tries to turn these screws
back in, but it’s out of the
thread. If he then tries to turn
it in, he cross-threads the
screw – then it’s locked
completely, and they call us,
saying “I haven’t touched
anything”.
LodeStar – That dipstick is
certainly not easy to get to.
Gus – No, it sure isn’t.
LodeStar -Gus – Notice you have 3
springs in here, to work against
the flyweights. The one in the
center is the softest, regulates
the speed up to about 1,000
rpm. Then the 2nd spring
regulates up to about 1,500
rpm, and the 3rd, strong spring,
regulates from about 1,500 on
up. The spring tension can be
adjusted by screws. The trick is
Autumn 2003
to bring the cam in for smooth
transitions, at the right places.
LodeStar -Gus – This is the famous
screw, you’re never supposed
to adjust when the engine is
on. Frequently the pumps
come to us, where the
mechanics have tried to adjust
the fuel mixture when the
engine is running. When you
LodeStar – Wasn’t me!
Gus -LodeStar – Now, this is the
idle mixture control, not the
speed control
Gus -- Right
LodeStar – And it should
never be adjusted while the
engine is running, even though
It’s sitting right out there, so it
looks like a natural to go for
Gus – That’s correct.
p. 25
LodeStar – Is there anything
unique about this specific
pump?
Gus – All the Bosch gas
pumps are very similar. Only
Porsche, Mercedes and some
Aston Martins use the 8
plunger pumps. A very few
Aston Martins and the racing
Porsches. Aston Martin pumps
were in the engine valley, but
the Porsches were flat eights.
LodeStar – (watching)
Gus – Now we’re pretty much
ready to run the pump on the
flow table. It’s set up pretty
much like it is in the car. We
have the fuel supply going
through the pump, from the
tank, through the injectors, and
then we can measure the fuel
flow in these graduated tubes.
The machine will automatically
Autumn 2003
count the number of injection
strokes I’ve set it for. Usually
we use 500 or 1,000 injection
strokes. We can use this at
different throttle positions and
engine rpm, measuring fuel
flow at each point.
LodeStar – [ed. Note – at this
point, Gus started up the test
bench, and it became hard to
hear the tape recording –
however, we could clearly see
the results of the
measurements in the
graduated cylinders, for the
various throttle positions and
rpm readings.]
Gus -LodeStar – The pump is
running at engine speed?
Gus – No, it runs at one half
engine speed. We take an idle
reading, at 300 rpm pump
speed
LodeStar – How much
adjusting do you normally have
to do at this point?
Gus – In almost every case,
we have to do a lot of fine
tuning, to get the flow levels
within tolerance (less than 2%).
LodeStar – On a pump from a
6.3, or a 600 in this case,
assuming it’s been maintained
reasonably well, and driven
regularly, how long should the
pump last?
Gus – 200,000 miles generally.
LodeStar – So, it’s not a
70,000 mile or so thing
generally
Gus -- No
LodeStar – Besides watching
the oil, what other preventive
maintenance items should we
do? Other than driving it.
p. 26
Gus – The pump is pretty
much maintenance free.
LodeStar – When you get
done with this, and send it
back, with the flow setting
correct, what about the other
normal tuning things, like idle
mixture and so on? Do you
leave that back to the
mechanic who re-installs the
unit?
Gus – I make sure the pump is
delivering the right amount of
fuel, at the right rpm, and the
right throttle position. But on a
gas engine, it’s really important
you have the right air/fuel
mixture, and the linkage has to
be set right.
LodeStar – So, it’s not a do-ityourself job for most people, to
take it out, send it in, and reinstall….
Gus – It’s a pretty big job, and
depends on the mechanical
skill you have. You have to
time it carefully when you put it
back in – The pump only turns
at ½ the engine speed, so you
can actually install the pump
180 degrees off, and you still
shows the right timing, but the
pump is actually in the wrong
stroke. You don’t want to inject
fuel when the valves are
closed, of course. The car still
will run, but will hesitate quite a
bit. Frequently, then the
mechanic will richen the
mixture to cover up the
problem. That’s a problem with
this system – you can actually
cover up some problems by
just running too rich.
LodeStar – I’ve noticed that
many mechanics, even
mechanics trained on newer
Mercedes, don’t want to touch
these units.
Gus – Definitely – you’ve got to
be familiar with the manual.
And even with that, it’s not
really easy. Even some dealers
Autumn 2003
decline to work on these. They
may have some guys who go
back to the old days, but there
are fewer and fewer. You need
someone who has a personal
interest in the older cars.
LodeStar – So, if you’re in the
middle of Nevada, or
somewhere like that….
Gus – Recommendations –
these people know each other.
Or go to the Mercedes Benz
club
LodeStar – How long a job to
overhaul and calibrate a
normal unit?
Gus – It’s normally about an 8
hour job.
LodeStar – Now, you also
plate various pieces. Is that for
longevity or looks or…
Gus – It’s for both – it looks
nice and prevents the parts
from corroding. Cadmium or
zinc chrome. We have a
number of plating shops
locally.
LodeStar – So, most of the
parts, the consumable parts
that you have to replace in a
given rebuild – do you keep
those in stock?
Gus – We have most parts
here (showing a 2,000 square
foot, or so, storage area, with
shelves floor to ceiling).
LodeStar – How many of
these do you do in a normal
month?
Gus – 30 or so a month, and
we have a backlog.
LodeStar – The housing –
does it get plated or treated?
Gus – If it is pretty bad, it gets
sandblasted. Otherwise, just
cleaned.
LodeStar – Can you clean the
injectors?
Gus – Yeah, we can
ultrasonically clean them, with
the unit we have here. We
measure the opening pressure
of the injectors. Then check the
spray pattern. Then check to
make sure the injector can hold
pressure.
LodeStar – Do you normally
get the injectors, with the
pumps?
Gus – Not always, but often. If
there is a definite miss or you
suspect a problem, the
injectors are something to look
at.
p. 27
LodeStar – What if there was
a fuel pressure regulator
problem? At higher fuel
pressure, what sort of things
would happen?
Gus – You need a certain
amount of pressure feeding
into the pump, and on the 6.3,
you have a little pressure valve
which is actually on the fuel
dampener outlet – it’s not on
the pump itself, people don’t
usually send it. Those are
pretty much maintenance free,
however. The pump definitely
needs a certain level of fuel
pressure.
LodeStar – What about too
much fuel pressure?
Gus – Too much really doesn’t
hurt the pump. It’s possible too
much might break a fuel line,
but I’ve never seen that
happen.
LodeStar – For keeping the
injectors clean, are any of
these additives, like Techron,
any good?
Gus – That was a problem with
carbureted engines, but with
fuel injection today, they’ve
reformulated the gasoline, so
shouldn’t need those additives.
LodeStar – The injectors are
also pretty expensive, aren’t
they?
Gus – Yes, new ones are
$800-900, but we can rebuild
them here. The solenoid is
readily available, and the check
valve I usually rework.
LodeStar – Is this what they
talk about modifying, for hot
starting or vapor lock
problems?
Gus – If you have hot starting
problems, yes. The 6.3 also
has different type of starting
circuit.
LodeStar – They have
recommended changing the
cold start valve, so you can get
Autumn 2003
a cold start squirt even when
the engine is warm.
Gus – If you have hot starting
problems you can add a relay
which also injects fuel through
the cold start valves.
LodeStar – What about
mixture settings as the pump
ages?
Gus – As the units get older, it
tends to run richer. With wear,
the pump will compensate
toward richer. You can adjust
the fuel flow, but if you stop
getting results, it’s probably
time to have the unit rebuilt,
meaning there’s too much
wear.
LodeStar – And for adjusting?
Gus – There are different
mechanisms for adjusting the
fuel – first you can adjust the
idle mixture screw (with engine
OFF), then the lower partial
load screw (the black screws).
These are adjusted in pairs. Do
not touch the white screws.
LodeStar – Turning it in makes
it richer?
Gus – Yes, and the next thing
you can do is adjust the control
rack, which adjusts the fuel
map over the whole range.
LodeStar – I think we’ve
covered all the questions we
had. It’s been great visiting
your shop, here in South San
Francisco.
Gus – Thank you
LodeStar – You moved here
from Burlingame, right near the
San Francisco airport. You’re
definitely in the high rent
district now.
Gus – Well, I bought this place
when we moved here in 1993,
so we don’t have to worry
about that.
LodeStar – So, someday you’ll
sell this for a hotel and….
Gus – (Laughs).
TECHNO-CLASSICA
AND TECHNORAMA
M-100 GROUP 2004
European Tour
All M-100 Members are
eligible to join a 2004
European Driving Tour that
will include the two most
popular vintage car events in
Europe , TechnoRama,
Kassel, March 27 -29 and
TechnoClassica at Essen,
April 1 - 4, 2004.
John Olson, who has hosted
a half dozen similar tours in
the past, is preparing an
itinerary that also includes
few days with rented SLs on
the famous Romantic Road
through German’s oldest
walled villages, a night in a
500 year old castle on the
Rhine, and of course, several
days of red carpet treatment
visiting AMG, Mercedes
factories and museum and
the Classic Center. There will
even be time for the Sinsheim
Auto/Plane/Military Museum
and a quick drive to France to
see the former Schlumpf
Museum if there is interest.
Pencil off March 26 through
April 8, 2004 and phone John
Olson (612-377-0155) for
more details.
Exact pricing is still being
researched, but count on a
memorable trip with likeminded travelers that still
allows a personalized
itinerary. By renting cars our
daily routes can vary with
rendezvous for some evening
dinners, lodging and optional
destinations.
p. 28