Скачать или смотреть We Drove a 52-Year-Old Mercedes Across America — Here's What Happened!

A Classic American Roadtrip

“The most rewarding things in life are often the ones that look like they cannot be done!”
In a world obsessed with comfort and convenience; owning, and driving a vehicle that’s past its
prime is generally considered absurd, especially over long distances. It takes a special kind of obtuse mindset, raw passion,and deep pockets to go against the grain and claim stake to rewarding experiences!

Earlier this year, my wife Sushma and I relocated from India to the United States, the land of
opportunity. In my head this translated to “opportunity to drive a classic car across America!” And so we did. We decided to embark on this journey in our newly acquired 1972 Mercedes-Benz W108 280SE 4.5. A classic sedan, with luxurious interiors, modern comforts (A/C), a dreamy suspension and a powerful fuel injected V8; capable of hauling us across the wild west.

Day 1: Houston, TX to Amarillo, TX  Distance: 600 miles / 965 km 
We left Houston after a 2 day delay, the roads were quite empty owing to Memorial Day. We quickly
got onto the expressway and were cruising comfortably at highway speeds. As the day progressed
and as the Texas sun started coming down on us, and with the newly fixed air conditioner on full, we noticed engine temp climbing. We alternated stretches of driving with the ac on at lower speeds and with the ac off at higher speeds. This seemed to be the trend through the drive! After making a mandatory pitstop at the famous “Collin Street Bakery” in Waco TX, we reached our hotel at midnight.

Day 2: Amarillo, TX to Flagstaff, AZ  Distance: 608 miles / 979 kms Amarillo is a photographer’s
paradise; with exquisite murals across the city walls. Amarillo is particularly famous for ‘Cadillac
Ranch’. An art installation built in the ‘70 using 10 Cadillacs half buried, nose down in the middle of
the dirt as a tribute to the ‘evolution of the Cadillac fins’. As tradition dictates, we too spray painted
on them and I crossed off an item from my bucket list! 

We continued to drive west as the landscape started becoming sparse. We then drove to Flagstaff AZ after stopping for a quick meal at a quintessential diner. We reached Flagstaff late, after making a detour through “the corner in Winslow Arizona '' a place made famous by the Eagles song “Take it Easy”. 

Day 3: Flagstaff, AZ  to Kingman, AZ via Grand Canyon Distance: 253 miles / 407 kms
Flagstaff is about an hour away from the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon was as beautiful as you expect, the view points were crowded and we got great shots of the car and of ourselves against the magnificent backdrop! We left the grand canyon early evening for Kingman AZ after crossing off yet another item on our bucket list.

Day 4: Kingman, AZ to Bakersfield, CA Distance: 335 miles / 540 kms 
Kingman is a small town on Historic Route66. Day 4 would prove to be the toughest driving day.
Enroute, the Mojave National preserve is unlike any place I've ever seen! It was my first time in a
‘high desert’  hundreds of square miles of nothingness punctuated by mountains and dotted with
strange plants that may have well been from another planet. We kept a keen eye on the temp guage as the outside temperature soared. I was scared at times;  signs of civilization vanished beyond the limits of the tarmac. This would have been a terrible place to have your car breakdown, let alone a classic car! The cornerstone of my confidence was derived from my faith in German Engineering from a bygone era! We pushed on with our thoughts oscillating between bewilderment of nature' beauty and the fear of a possible breakdown in the middle of nowhere! Driving into Bakersfield brought relief and much needed rest.

Day 5: Bakersfield, CA to Mountainview, CA Distance: 253 miles / 407 kms 
The worst was behind us. We were now in California, the highways soon got crowded. Except for the time a tumbleweed rolled onto the road and smashed into the radiator,  the drive was uneventful. The California landscape though was a sight for sore eyes! As we made our way into the Bay Area traffic, we got a chance to reflect on the eventful last few days.

00:00 - Intro
00:16 - Day 1 Houston to Amarillo
03:58 - Day 2 Amarillo to Flagstaff
04:11 - Cadillac Ranch
06:42 - Classic Car Museum
09:01 - Winslow Arizona
09:49 - Day 3 Flagstaff to Kingsman
10:06 - Grand Canyon
12:12 - Day 4 & 5 Kingman to Sanfrancisco
12:28 - Mojave Desert
14:44 - Credits


My dream of driving across America in a Classic car had come true! We had driven 2,200 mile
(3500km) across the wild west into the sunset!
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