Help for the new book about the 500e/e500/Limited/e60AMG

[Manuel]

Good afternoon w124 lovers,

This is Manuel from www.carbooksbymanuel.com.
After our first book about the w124 500e/e500 and e500 Limited we are now working on a sequel.
I am making this purely out of hobby and passion and there is no profit motive involved (in fact this whole project costs money and from the payments i can only pay my photographer ,the website and the printing, i don,t make any money myself).
Nevertheless i have decided to continue with this. The quality must be better, more information,more photo,s etc.
unfortunately this is a lot more difficult than expected because people often promise a lot but then are no longer reachable.
we work together with Mercedes but their photo,s and information are not always up to date.
We now want to expand the book with the e60AMG and e60AMG Limited. We are also looking for clear stories photo,s of the manufacture,well-known owners and every aspect of this rolling artwork ( colors interior, exterior etc etc).
as i am typing this i have just made an appointment with an owner of both colors of the e500 Limited.
I came across this via a car magazine in the Netherlands. I live i Spain myself but occasionally come to the Netherlands.
Next month i wll go with my photographer with me for the photoshoot of this great opportunity.
I would especially like to ask what you enthusiasts ask for more and how i can improve this book. I am always open to information and tips.
Without good information and knowledge i cannot make it more beautiful than i know myself. I look forward to your response and always take this very seriously.

Kind regards and have a nice weekend from a unfortunately now cloudy Spain.

Manuel Kraak

 

[gerryvz]

Hi Manuel:

Some suggestions, off the top of my head.

1. Have you reached out to the MB Archives in Stuttgart, located at the MB Museum? In the past they have been of very limited help to me, in terms of making information available, but they do have A TON of information (technical data, test data, etc.) if you are able to make contact and have a good relationship with someone in that organization. My old contact, Gerhard Heidebrink, moved on to another position within MB some years back, sadly.
2. Have you reached out to the Porsche Archives and Museum in Zuffenhausen? Again, they have a plethora of information available, if you are able to get with someone who really wants to help you.
3. Try reaching out to AMG in Affalterbach, too. They have a separate archive operation from MB in Sindelfingen/Stuttgart.
4. This 40-page magazine article is excellent, and is the best and most well-researched article I've ever seen on the development and history of the E500E. There may be some sources in this article who can help you.
5. I believe we have one or two members here on the forum in Germany, who have relationships with some of the project managers of the 500E within Mercedes-Benz. They may able to broker you an introduction. I think it may be @036 perhaps? If not I am sure he can point you to the correct person.

Anything else I can do to support you, I would be happy to do. Just reach out and let me know. Probably best to reach me directly via e-mail ... gerry@vanzandt.us

Best,
Gerry

 

[AdamCabrio]

I can also recommend to study the wiki pages on this forum. There you'll find (for example) the complete list of VIN's for all 148 (or 149?) true E60 AMG's (the ones with the 957 SA-code), as well as the VIN's for all Limited's (the ones with the 958 + 957 SA-codes), plus tons of other useful information for your new book.

 

[doolar]

Hi Manuel, I am very pleased with the book and I think it is a true love letter of the 036. Excited to see what you come up with next. I’ll have a look in the Swedish MB Clubs library next time I’m there, if I find anything on the Limited and E60 I’ll let you know.

 

[AdamCabrio]

i have just made an appointment with an owner of both colors of the e500 Limited.

Would that be Toni Bouman from Wijk en Aalburg by any chance? It's a small world out here. When visiting the country next month, may be you should also consider contacting Dutch forum member @weide1 who seems to be very knowledgeable about anything AMG (in case you need technical info, may be he can put you in the right direction in your search of more input for your book)

 

[R129 UK]

My only piece of advice is to maybe take a look at Brian Long's books which seem to be a firm favourite with car enthusiasts of many marques - at least from what i have read, his R129 book is considered a gem and it is out of print but still in incredible demand globally particularly in English so emulating that would be something worth consideration I think?

I will definitely be keeping an eye out for your R129 book.

 

[weide1]

@Manuel I suppose you already had contact with Marco Hof. If not, he can be reached here. Werk2.nl – Redefining automotive
Are you on AMG Private Lounge? You can ask Otfried Schneider there for AMG related issues. He owned / owns several 124 models.
Also 500 E 6.0 iirc.

And if i can be helpful, just let me know. I´m no technician. I just collect. It´s up to the real experts to draw conclusions.
Like this example. E60 Limited, but still with KE-Jetronic engine !!

 

[chicky]

Good afternoon w124 lovers,

This is Manuel from www.carbooksbymanuel.com.
After our first book about the w124 500e/e500 and e500 Limited we are now working on a sequel.
I am making this purely out of hobby and passion and there is no profit motive involved (in fact this whole project costs money and from the payments i can only pay my photographer ,the website and the printing, i don,t make any money myself).
Nevertheless i have decided to continue with this. The quality must be better, more information,more photo,s etc.
unfortunately this is a lot more difficult than expected because people often promise a lot but then are no longer reachable.
we work together with Mercedes but their photo,s and information are not always up to date.
We now want to expand the book with the e60AMG and e60AMG Limited. We are also looking for clear stories photo,s of the manufacture,well-known owners and every aspect of this rolling artwork ( colors interior, exterior etc etc).
as i am typing this i have just made an appointment with an owner of both colors of the e500 Limited.
I came across this via a car magazine in the Netherlands. I live i Spain myself but occasionally come to the Netherlands.
Next month i wll go with my photographer with me for the photoshoot of this great opportunity.
I would especially like to ask what you enthusiasts ask for more and how i can improve this book. I am always open to information and tips.
Without good information and knowledge i cannot make it more beautiful than i know myself. I look forward to your response and always take this very seriously.

Kind regards and have a nice weekend from a unfortunately now cloudy Spain.

Manuel Kraak

Hi Manuel

If you have drawn up a list of buyers for your sequel ... please list me up for 1 more (gift as usual + wrapping)

Best regards

 

[Manuel]

@Manuel I suppose you already had contact with Marco Hof. If not, he can be reached here. Werk2.nl – Redefining automotive
Are you on AMG Private Lounge? You can ask Otfried Schneider there for AMG related issues. He owned / owns several 124 models.
Also 500 E 6.0 iirc.

And if i can be helpful, just let me know. I´m no technician. I just collect. It´s up to the real experts to draw conclusions.
Like this example. E60 Limited, but still with KE-Jetronic engine !!

Dear Weide1,

Thank you for the tips and I have been in contact with Marco Hof. So will check with him again. And regarding the AMG private lounge, how do I access it?

Kindest regards
Manuel

 

[Manuel]

My only piece of advice is to maybe take a look at Brian Long's books which seem to be a firm favourite with car enthusiasts of many marques - at least from what i have read, his R129 book is considered a gem and it is out of print but still in incredible demand globally particularly in English so emulating that would be something worth consideration I think?

I will definitely be keeping an eye out for your R129 book.

Dear R129,

Yes thank you for the advise! I have read the book and used a lot of information from it.

Kindest regards
Manuel

 

[Manuel]

Would that be Toni Bouman from Wijk en Aalburg by any chance? It's a small world out here. When visiting the country next month, may be you should also consider contacting Dutch forum member @weide1 who seems to be very knowledgeable about anything AMG (in case you need technical info, may be he can put you in the right direction in your search of more input for your book)

Yes it is Toni Bouman And I just got in contact with Weide1, Thank you!

 

[Manuel]

Hi Manuel, I am very pleased with the book and I think it is a true love letter of the 036. Excited to see what you come up with next. I’ll have a look in the Swedish MB Clubs library next time I’m there, if I find anything on the Limited and E60 I’ll let you know.

Thank you for the kind feedback! And yes all information you can find is welcome, thanks!

 

[Manuel]

Hi Manuel:

Some suggestions, off the top of my head.

1. Have you reached out to the MB Archives in Stuttgart, located at the MB Museum? In the past they have been of very limited help to me, in terms of making information available, but they do have A TON of information (technical data, test data, etc.) if you are able to make contact and have a good relationship with someone in that organization. My old contact, Gerhard Heidebrink, moved on to another position within MB some years back, sadly.
2. Have you reached out to the Porsche Archives and Museum in Zuffenhausen? Again, they have a plethora of information available, if you are able to get with someone who really wants to help you.
3. Try reaching out to AMG in Affalterbach, too. They have a separate archive operation from MB in Sindelfingen/Stuttgart.
4. This 40-page magazine article is excellent, and is the best and most well-researched article I've ever seen on the development and history of the E500E. There may be some sources in this article who can help you.
5. I believe we have one or two members here on the forum in Germany, who have relationships with some of the project managers of the 500E within Mercedes-Benz. They may able to broker you an introduction. I think it may be @036 perhaps? If not I am sure he can point you to the correct person.

Anything else I can do to support you, I would be happy to do. Just reach out and let me know. Probably best to reach me directly via e-mail ... gerry@vanzandt.us

Best,
Gerry

Good morning Gerry,

Thank you for your extended email! Very helpful
1. I am in contact with the MB archives. They are indeed very helpful!
2. I have reached out but have not heard anything, so maybe it is better to reach out to the museum. I have not done that. Good tip!
3. Yes, they are helping me.
4. I will go read it. Thanks
5. Ok I will contact them!

In case there are more questions or advise I need, I will definitely reach out. Have a great weekend!

Kind regards
Manuel

 

[AdamCabrio]

And regarding the AMG private lounge, how do I access it?

I suppose by registering here: https://www.mercedes-amg.com/en/home/community.html

In case you wish to put a Dutch touch to the new edition of your book: this is one of the very few (the only one?) originally Netherlands ordered Limited's (although with some Swiss SA-codes). I know it has always been and still is registered in the Netherlands.

Mercedes VIN Decoder | Decode Your Mercedes-Benz VIN

Datacard for 1994 Mercedes-Benz E500 (124.036) - WDB1240361C211263

www.lastvin.com

It is currently for sale here (I don't know the owner), just in case you need another quite special Limited for photographs (although Zeeland may be a bit out of your route when in the country):

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