Alastair laughs as he talks about the Mercedes 280SL, or the 'tart's car' as it is called by "proper so-called car fans". Originally purchased for his wife, he used it for the first time in the Highland Fling, 1991.
I took it up to the Highland Fling and lots of the cars had come on trailers and everybody was terribly serious and I turned up with this car, which didn't even look like a rally car to them. But we had a right laugh and it was how I managed to get hooked on rallying. We finished third overall in the rally.
Alastair describes the car as very well made and nicely designed. He talks about how Mercedes used all the existing components from Saloon cars which made it incredibly reliable and strong on this small car. For Alastair, it's almost ideal for a long-distance rally.
Car
Mercedes Sports Car, 280SL 1968
[More of Alastair's cars]
Nickname
Hairdressers Car or Tart's car
Plates
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