Cali to Hali in a W126 (Almost)

Yesterday, I saw a beat up W126 bodied 560SEC parked outside a laundromat. In its heyday, this chariot was the pinnacle of automotive design-- combining luxury, technology, safety, and brute torque into a neat and elegant package.

Two summers ago, I was offered the gig of transporting the car of the late Eugene Kleiner (of Silicon Valley V.C. fame) from San Francisco to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Herr Kleiner loved his 380SEC so much, when the engine got long in the tooth, he shoehorned the 5.6 liter V8 under the bonnet.


The car was a daily driver and took Mr. Kleiner everywhere. No doubt, while sitting in Peninsular traffic in this W126, he contemplated whether he should invest in little startups like Sun, AOL, Google, and Genentech. Of course, during my trip across the Canadian prairie, while hurtling through the wheat fields at 180 clicks per hour, I would contemplate the etymology of words like "hoser" and the correct pronunciation of "Regina".

But alas, the trip never happened. In an alignment of the stars, one party's flakiness ended up helping the other party witness an important, once-in-a-lifetime, moment. Halifax, and the rest of Canada east of the Rockies, will have to wait.

Oh, Canada....

CKY