Behind the White Wheel

Behind the White Wheel

Saturday, February 28, 2015

The Most Exciting Ride

Today, I was amazed by a picture of an old man getting out of his Mercedes-Benz 180 ponton.

In the middle of nowhere - Beautiful picture of a man getting in or out of his Mercedes-Benz 180
I automatically felt a sort of complicity, a certain relationship between the man and his car. 
As a classic cars enthusiast and owner since the age of 15 (I am now 35) my teenage years, my 20s and now my 30s revolved around engines, gearboxes, paint waxing, chrome cleaning...etc. and most importantly around so many memorable rides with friends and loved ones.
The most remarkable ride was on my wedding's day; I surely never wanted to use my car, but as a good "to be" husband I couldn't say no to my future wife's request...

Driving the famous 100 meters and entering the wedding venue
So here comes the deal after long negotiations; we agreed that I only use my car for the bride and groom's entrance. It was a 100 meters drive into the venue and the 180 would be parked afterwards under my sight during the whole wedding.

Posing next to the Mercedes-Benz 180
When I got into the car along with my bride (she had to suffer to squeeze her long dress), I had strange feelings; stress mixed with joy and excitement...
How will the car "behave"? How will the people react when they see it? Will I be clumsy, as usual, and do some mistakes?

Getting ready for the entrance

I turned on the ignition key, pulled the choke and pressed the starter's button...the engine roared instantly with high idle...Will I have enough time to let the car reach its normal operating temperature so I could push down the choke before entering? I didn't want to drive with a high idle...maybe some cars' freaks guests would notice that and ask me about it...
I can't say a word about the conversation that took place between us; I can't trace it back easily...All I remember was Valerie (our friend and wedding planner) waving and giving us the signal to move forward...

Driving towards the venue; people started staring at us
The entrance was a kind of a complete black out; I remember so many faces looking at us and I remember hearing someone asking me to honk.

Getting in and out of the car wasn't easy for Dona
I turned off the engine and went out of the car...within a fraction of a second, the OCD side in me woke up; I went back in the car and took the key out of the ignition lock...

When I saw the picture, I automatically associated it with that of the old man above
The party started, was awesome and I felt continuously that on this special day, my teenage and early adulthood companion was there adding a special touch to the wedding.


Looking back at the pictures, the complicity I felt between the old man and his 180 was in fact not so different than the one that exists between my 180 and me...It is so far a life long relationship that I hope would continue "till the shadows retire"...


Thank you Nadim BouHabib for the beautiful pictures