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How Quick Are $64 Million Worth of Mercedes-Benz Classics? Glad You Asked

Mat Watson, the guy running the carwow YouTube channel, is silly. And we love him for that. He doesn't just love cars, he loves having fun with them, and we're just lucky enough to live in a time when filming and sharing everything is a simple as a few clicks of the mouse.
Mercedes-Benz classics launched to 60 mph 8 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
Mercedes-Benz classics launched to 60 mphMercedes-Benz classics launched to 60 mphMercedes-Benz classics launched to 60 mphMercedes-Benz classics launched to 60 mphMercedes-Benz classics launched to 60 mphMercedes-Benz classics launched to 60 mphMercedes-Benz classics launched to 60 mph
Obviously, managing a successful YouTube channel is nowhere near that straightforward, but the ease with which information can be passed around these days can't be denied. But how did Mat manage to reach 4.5 million subscribers and have millions of views for each of his videos? Well, by capitalizing on the demise of TV shows such as Top Gear that definitely left a gap in the public's entertainment needs.

The majority of the videos you'll find on the carwow channel feature drag races between various vehicles - some more evenly matched than others. That practice must have engrained itself so well into Mat's brain, that whenever he sees a car, he instantly thinks about launching it to 60 mph. Not that it's a bad thing.

In this case, though, he found himself with the keys to ten classic Mercedes-Benz models, a group that included rare cars such as the C111 - the prototype that was never actually sold by the German manufacturer. If you were hired to take care of these cars, would you allow anyone to test their acceleration for no apparent reason other than a few YouTube views? Probably not, but luckily enough, it seems like the Germans are less uptight than people think they are. Or maybe they're just very confident in the mechanical parts of the cars they used to make - that's always a possibility.

The combined value of the ten vehicles, at least according to Mat, is at around $64 million. Even if he's off by a few million, that's still a lot of money to hoon around with. Still, you can't deny the people their right to know how quickly a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL can reach 60 miles per hour, can you?

We're not going to go into the numbers but suffice to say there are a few surprising results - the C111 being one of them. There's also a Pullman limousine involved, so we already know which is going to be the slowest. But how about the quickest? You're just going to have to watch the clip for that, which is all for the better since it's quite entertaining.

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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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