If only there was a Santa Claus for car enthusiasts. Car nuts could make the annual pilgrimage to visit the jolly old fellow in the red and white Nomex suit, sitting on his Recaro throne surrounded by a pit crew of elves, and make our automotive wishes for the year. Driving Fans has been very good this year, and so it’s time to send my holiday wishes to Sant’Agata Claus:
First, I’d like a Mercedes Classic Center makeover for my 1976 Mercedes 300D. Mercedes’ Classic Center, the North American arm of which is located in Irvine, California, could be the most valuable resource in the world for any Mercedes enthusiast or restorer. With access to every bit of vehicle information and the ability to provide any part, big or small, for any Mercedes car ever produced, the Classic Center is a unique place that highlights Mercedes’ commitment to keeping its products on the road for as long as possible. The Classic Center also does nut-and-bolt restorations of worthy Mercedes cars. Dropping my old 300D off with them for a few months, I could essentially have a brand-new car by the time Mercedes’ experts were done. I wouldn’t repaint it, though.
Second, I wish that the Ford Ranger would come back. Ford’s compact pickup truck left us a few years ago, as the compact-truck market in the U.S. was largely abandoned by the domestic manufacturers. The Ranger has continued to evolve overseas, and it’s a pretty good-looking truck now. Even though Chevrolet’s Colorado is returning for 2014, Ford says there are no plans to bring the Ranger back to us; the EcoBoost F-150 will serve the fuel-economy needs, and Ford doesn’t see the need for a smaller truck in the lineup. Too bad.
Last on my holiday wish list is a MINI Clubman. Based on spy photos, the Clubman is about to get a pretty big makeover, becoming a full-on station wagon, but I like the current car, which is a slightly stretched MINI Cooper with cute barn doors at the rear. It adds a small amount of cargo-carrying ability while retaining the MINI’s go-kart handling and compact size. A longer MINI Clubman will be a useful thing too, but it won’t be quite the same.
