Otherwise, good things. I've got the fitted luggage set for the car, its hubcaps, and some other small bits.
I also took a small side trip this morning into Salina, Kansas, just off my route across I-70. I met up with another Ponton owner, a fellow named Rich, and went to see his car.
But, it wasn't what I was expecting. His Mercedes is tricked out for rally races - meaning, the interior is stripped down, with a roll bar and racing seats (with five-point harnesses). Extra gauges on the dash, and a setup in the middle of the dash where the fuses have been relocated - they're all wide open, so the co-driver can quickly rip a dead fuse out and pop a new one in while they're on the road!
The car was used for rally racing by its previous owner - Rich acquired it for the same purpose. He's run it in a big rally race in Mexico several times - La Carrera Panamericana. This race started sometime in the 50s, and currently no cars older than 1964 (I believe) are permitted to run in the race.
Here's a YouTube link to a slideshow from the 2008 event:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BhVusm9tZg&feature=player_embedded
Back in 2005, Rich rolled his Merc during this race - slid out, caught a front wheel in a rut and flipped it twice - only stopping because it ran into a convenient tree with the driver side door - IN THE AIR - and then slid down five feet to the ground. He had the car fixed back up and raced it again - and then this past spring, a shop that the car was in BURNED to the GROUND and cooked the car good. Right now it's in ANOTHER shop being restored to functional status. Crazy!
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