History in Great Britain

It will be recalled from the introductory page that 61ELN was originally owned by my Uncle who acquired her in 1969 from a colleague in the motor trade at that time. She was then run for 3 years before being put into storage in 1971. But what of her life before this time? Well certain discoveries suggest that she has had an adventurous life.

Unfortunately, the GB logbook VE60 was a 'continuation book' issued to the previous trade owner and thus gave no details of its ownership in its earlier life. However the log book did record:

'Imported from Kenya ex-KAE234. London CC(203) 2 July 1962.'

In 1998, I visited the Nottinghamshire County Archive in the hope of securing a copy of the previous log book surrendered in 1969 but, unsurprisingly, such records had long since been destroyed.

A search of the door pockets revealed the tax disc shown below:

Clearly, 61 ELN had had a previous life as KAE234, a fact that my Uncle confirmed as when he fitted the reflective number plates seen in the photograph above, he remembered finding 'black-on-white' Kenyan plates beneath the 'white-on-black' 61 ELN plates fitted at that time. The car also originally carried a badge of the Royal East Africa Automobile Association but this was lost or stolen whilst the vehicle was in storage.

History in Kenya

In October 1996 I wrote to the Kenya High Commission in London for advice in tracing the vehicle's origin. They advised me to contact the Registrar of Motor Vehicles, PO Box 30440, Nairobi, warning me that they may take a while to respond. Well how right they were as three years later I still have had no response from them! Meanwhile, the original build record card had identified that the car was originally delivered to:

'Purchaser: Dobie & Co., Nairobi, British East Africa'

On the Mercedes-Benz web pages, I found that Dobie & Co. remain an appointed Mercedes-Benz dealer in Kenya so in October 1997 I wrote to them requesting their help in tracing the history of the vehicle. A few days later I received an enthusiastic reply from their General Manager advising me that he was new in this position but that, when time allowed, he would attempt to seek out the information I required. I was particularly encouraged by the fact that he too was a classic cars enthusiast however, since then, I have received no further response and therefore my investigations have run into a blind alley.....unless you can help me!!

PLEASE, PLEASE....if you live in Kenya and have an interest in classic cars, would it be at all possible to pursue these investigations on my behalf? I would be dearly greatful if you could provide any assistance.

Build History

During 1997, I corresponded a number of times with the MB Classic Centre in Stuttgart. Once they were finally convinced that I was the bona fide owner of the car, they sent me copy of the original vehicle record card shown below.

Though in a poor condition, this record card shows the following information:

Notes:

[1] Standard upholstery for the 300 was a combination of 'Tex-leder' and cotton. This vehicle had 'Tex-leder' throughout, presumably to cope with the potentially more demanding environment in East Africa. This material has survived almost untouched by time whereas other natural fibres elsewhere in the vehicle have degraded substantially through the years,

[2] Overriders became standard items on the 300b model which was launched shortly after this car was manufactured.

[3] Adaptation for altitudes above 2000m involved the use of alternative jets in the Solex carburetors. The jets found on restoration are of the normal specification suggesting that the modifications were reversed at some stage in the vehicle's history. It is presumed from this requirement that the car was intended to operate in the high parts of Kenya to the north of Nairobi rather than on the plains or by the coast in Mombasa.

It is testament to the record keeping of Mercedes-Benz that after 43 years they could find such information.

So all that I know about 61ELN/KAE234 is presented here. Again, if you can help with any further snippets of information then this would be much appreciated.

For details of the engine restoration, then follow this link

Comments and queries to: Stuart Lamb