I had the recent good fortune of attending a Mercedes-Benz event as part of the Luxury & Supercar Weekend at Vancouver’s VanDusen Botanical Gardens, located in the heart of Vancouver, BC. The invite I received from Mercedes-Benz read in part: semi-formal dress.
Not having any dresses – let alone a semi-formal one – I decided to risk wearing a summer suit sans tie. A good choice, which placed me somewhere in the middle of the pack between jeans and black-tie finery. Mercedes-Benz used the classy evening to unveil four of its 2012 models to the loyal customers in attendance without the pressure of sales people working the crowd – nice touch.
The four products unwrapped before expectant eyes included the SLK 350, CLS 63 AMG, C 350 Coupe and ML 350 BlueEfficiency. Plenty of pomp and ceremony preceded the unveilings, but what really made the evening delightful for me was the collection of classic Mercedes-Benz products on display.
Among the field of antique German eye candy were several gullwing SL roadsters that looked as pristine as the day they rolled off the production line in the early ‘60s. An assortment of older and younger Mercs were on display along with several new offerings, such as a Maybach 57S.
Along with the finest in automotive machinery, a jazz trio followed-up by a DJ spinning techno entertained guests. Food and refreshments circulated while the cars took centre stage. The delight of immersing myself in the plethora of stunning vehicles wasn’t eroded by a poly-wearing salesman asking for a down payment – how refreshing.
This particular evening wasn’t about the sell but about the “dress to impress,” semi-formal or not.
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| Photo: Rob Rothwell/Auto123.com |
Not having any dresses – let alone a semi-formal one – I decided to risk wearing a summer suit sans tie. A good choice, which placed me somewhere in the middle of the pack between jeans and black-tie finery. Mercedes-Benz used the classy evening to unveil four of its 2012 models to the loyal customers in attendance without the pressure of sales people working the crowd – nice touch.
The four products unwrapped before expectant eyes included the SLK 350, CLS 63 AMG, C 350 Coupe and ML 350 BlueEfficiency. Plenty of pomp and ceremony preceded the unveilings, but what really made the evening delightful for me was the collection of classic Mercedes-Benz products on display.
Among the field of antique German eye candy were several gullwing SL roadsters that looked as pristine as the day they rolled off the production line in the early ‘60s. An assortment of older and younger Mercs were on display along with several new offerings, such as a Maybach 57S.
Along with the finest in automotive machinery, a jazz trio followed-up by a DJ spinning techno entertained guests. Food and refreshments circulated while the cars took centre stage. The delight of immersing myself in the plethora of stunning vehicles wasn’t eroded by a poly-wearing salesman asking for a down payment – how refreshing.
This particular evening wasn’t about the sell but about the “dress to impress,” semi-formal or not.
 |
| Photo: Rob Rothwell/Auto123.com |
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