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| The 300SL years ago. What does it look like now? Photo: Michael E. Ware |
Already, he has conquered America, and now, at the helm of a 30-year-old Mercedes-Benz 300 TD station wagon bearing Kansas licence plates – Miguel apparently being the first Spanish explorer to settle in Wichita – he`s pressing south to Mexico, Cuba, Guatemala and beyond. His ultimate destination: Tierra del Fuega, at the tip of South America.
But unlike his forebears, Miguel Llorente`s quest is not gold, or a passage to the Pacific, or even the Fountain of Youth (unlikely to be a priority for a man who appears to be younger than his car). Instead, this explorer seeks scenes he can photograph and experiences he can write about. And because of his keen curiosity, he`s never short of subjects.
Miguel has, however, at least one additional goal. He wants to see for himself the famous Mercedes 300SL Gullwing that hides somewhere in Cuba. CARISTAS readers will know this car (or cars – some people suspect there could be as many as three Gullwings secreted on the island) from the photographs that have appeared here since 2009.
Miguel spent two weeks on his Cuban quest and now has started to describe his adventure in This European Life, his witty and entertaining blog. And yes, he confides, he did locate a Gullwing, and soon will provide the particulars on where and how. (If you can`t wait for the entry, he has already posted a photo of his discovery on Facebook.)
Given his success finding a car that many have written off as more myth than metal, perhaps Miguel now should consider seeking out that Fountain of Youth. He might have more success than Ponce de León.
See also:
Discovered in Cuba, a rare Mercedes-Benz
Gullwing bits and pieces
Elvis in a Gullwing in Havana
