Beatrice is my second car and she had profound impact on me. For a long time after dealing with Octavius, I didn’t have the encouragment to own a second 140 because the Octavius refinement was always on the way. I’ve had sparks with many different models, from Niva to Murcielago, but none of them came to fruition.
Beatrice was actually the first 140 that came into my world, and it all started with a 1/43 model car. In 2011, I met the ” Mercedes-Benz S600 RUSSIAN Presidential Security 1993” produced by ixo models, and I was surprised that the S-class appeared in such an image. I took it home and it planted the seeds of 140 in my deep mind. Five years later, I finally met the real Beatrice in 2017 and decided to save it. Sooner I found her so different from ixo’s model car, what happened?
No right to stop
In August 2021, photographer Georgy Rozov died of illness in Italy, may he rest in peace. 19 years ago, in late 2002, Mercedes-Benz Russia contacted him, asking him to do some photography for the magazine “Mercedes”. The other major markets already had “Mercedes”, and MBRU has now decided to have thier own, a quarterly magazine for Russian market users with a print run of 27,500 copies every season.
The content of the first issue had better be very attractive. In Russia, the S-class symbolizes power, and the source of power comes from the Kremlin. Rozov was asked to photograph the knife used to cut the cake. So, he sat in Vladimir Putin’s convoy and pressed the shutter with his SONY F707. That day was December 5, 2002.
The convoy consists full of Mercedes. The President’s limousine is the S 600 Pullman Guard (A432120) produced in 2000, which is arguably the last 140 ever built. However, since it is not located at the forefront of the convoy, it is not the absolute protagonist from the images in the article. The upfront protagonist is the “shorter” wheelbase Sonderschutz with flashing lights on the roof and front bumper, which in the Kremlin Garage (GON) is called the “leader”. The role of the “leader” is a transition between the police car and the presidential limo, as police cars cannot enter all venues (such as the Kremlin), where the “leader” is the first car of the convoy. Since it also protects the president, it is also armored.
The three supporting characters in the background are the Spanish-produced Vitos, converted by EURACOM in Moscow with turbocharged VW engines. It is well known that the Russian President’s convoy was always escorted by G-wagens, but here they are absent because 2 vehicles had rollover accident, which Vito just happened to act as a stopgap while photograhping. Vehicles above make up the cover story of the first issue of “Mercedes” in 2003, “No Right to Stop”. Yes, almost no one has the right to stop this convoy. This mysterious story can attract many readers.
The “leader” that most often appears in the photos is Beatrice, 1996 S 600 Sonderschutz. Since the name “Guard” was only introduced in the second half of 1996, the Beatrice produced at the end of 1995 is still “Sonderschutz”. She served president Boris Yeltsin from 1996-2000 and continued in Vladimir Putin’s first presidential term. It’s worth noting that the Beatrice is in 009 Sapphire Black, the Pullman is in 197 Obsidian Black, and the Vitos are some sort of repainted solid black, so in reality the convoy is consist of three different colors, but in photos they look identical.
Why 140? Yes, these tough cars look out of place with Mercedes’ new design language, but MBRU still thinks these vehicles can represent their image in 2003. Currently due to the war, Mercedes-Benz has closed its operations in Russia. But back to 2002, MBRU got so close to the Kremlin that they were later certified as official Kremlin vehicles in 2005. Naturally, GON also got these photos and used them for their own purpose, include a history book published in 2007. There they released some extra photo wasn’t included n “Mercedes”.
I don’t know how this Russian book got noticed by ixo models based in Europe, who mainly manufact 1/43 die-cast models. In 2010, they added “MOC102 Mercedes-Benz S600 (W140) RUSSIAN Presidential Security 1993” to the catalog (it seems that due to current sanctions related to Russia, this product was removed from the ixo online archive), the preview image is exactly the photo of Beatrice in Kremlin that photographed by Rozov, this model uses the license plate “A053AA”.
There are actually several ways that Beatrice in this set of pictures could have been collected, the first is “Mercedes”, but the license plate is mosaiced, yes, in a sense it shouldn’t be shown. Then there is a Russian author’s book about the history of Mercedes-Benz in Russia that also uses this group of photos, which is also mosaiced. Only the book written by GON themselves did not process the license plate A053AA. Because of this, we can be sure that ixo’s model was inspired by GON’s 2007 book.
I bought the first ixo model in 2011, then I bought a second one a little later because the antenna broke on first one. At that time I had neither seen the photos taken by Rozov, nor did I know what the origin car of this model looked like, as these photos were not widely circulated. Other later photos of Beatrice can be found on the Internet in 2011, that is she was no longer the leader of presidential convoy and is about to leave the GON, I can’t connect the model with her newer photos. It was lying in the cabinet as my first 140 model car. At that time, I didn’t even think about owning a 140, let alone the origin of this model, and that was only 6 years later.
The unfaithful model
Now reviewing the model. First of all the merchandise name “MOC102 Mercedes-Benz S600 (W140) RUSSIAN Presidential Security 1993” itself is incorrect, as Beatrice’s model year is 1996 instead of 1993, and of course if we’re being more serious, the model is actually doesn’t make any sense. Because the model is not a replica made by ixo based on the photos of Beatrice, but a derivative modified with accessories based on the MOC101 Mercedes S500 (W140) 1994 2-Tones Green released in the same year.
This model, stated the “1994 S500,” was another mistake. The model itself can give a lot of information that contradicts “1994” and “S500”, and I want to prove what it is with some basic judgments.
- From the body, there is a shorter rear door, which indicates the standard wheelbase.
- The styling of the lower panels of the body is facelift version, that is, MY1995+.
- The left rear fender has a telescopic antenna, the previous radio antenna on rear fender has been integrated into the rear bumper since MY1995, the telescopic phone antenna is only available for US-version.
- The front armrest is a phone box for US-version since MY1998.
So far, it can be basically confirmed that the main elements of this model is the US-version of MY1998 or MY1999. The third brake light (global spec since MY1998) and the absence of fender turn signals (global spec since MY1998) also confirm that this is a US-version and not for rest of the world. Also, it has typical 6-loch rims as the only option on the US-version since MY1997. In MY1998 and MY1999, the US market can order the standard wheelbase S 320 with headlamp washing system, this is its origin.
But that doesn’t mean the rest of the details are correct. First the color of this model seems to be 249 Spruce Green + 6856 Kiwi Green which is only available in MY1991-MY1994, then it has MY1995-MY1996 taillights with orange turn signals. Importantly, it has the Euro-spec number plate frame, which pretty much ruins the consistency of whole model. In the end it used the license plate S-KV 9042. This number plate comes from the 1991 Cannes press event No. 42 press test vehicle A000253, which is a 600 SE in 441 Light Beige.
Actually, the tooling could dates back to the 2008 Altaya issue of the “Mercedes-Benz” Journal #48, where it was called “500 SE 1991”, just a bigger mistake. As you can see, model car manufacturers look for different sources to make up a model, and this is often exacerbated by the car’s history of being out of production. As of 1998, they still could drop by a Mercedes showroom, inspect a 140 and make a model with all the details right. But in 2010, finding an all-original 140 has become so difficult that even Mercedes doesn’t care, you just need a vague replica to get their approval.
Objectively speaking the model just uses some misleading parts (flasher and antenna) to disguise itself as Beatrice’s unfaithful merchandise, as the 1998 S 320 has very little in common with the 1996 S 600 Sonderschutz. They didn’t even use the correct color, the model is in solid blue with a darker lower part. They also even invented a “600 S” nameplate on the trunk lid, Lord will laugh over this.
The Authentic version
There is no question that the ixo model car started my 140 career. I look at it and thinking one day when Beatrice finishes her restoration I’ll make a same display stand to commemorate it all. However, the model itself is ugly, and at one point I thought words couldn’t describe its crime. In a word, I need an authentic version to show God what is true. The plan was proposed in October 2022, at that time I was arranging for Beatrice to replace the armored windshields and tyres. “It is time”, we can do it at the same time. The restoration for Beatrice has been slow since 2017, it requires massive knowledge and I wouldn’t act blindly until I’m completely sure of the target.
When we talking about restoring the 140, I trust myself, but when I talking about restoring a model car, I have to find someone else. When you want to seriously carry out your will, you have to find someone you can trust, and I think of a friend in Moscow. Andrew, he’s a model car enthusiast, we met in 2016. Converting models is not his profession, but he is more professional than anyone I know, thank goodness he still remembers me. Although we have a language barrier, we communicated very well, we knpw each other and we know what we are doing.
Due to the huge difference between the ixo model and Beatrice, the original body had to be discarded, and we couldn’t make a body out of thin air. I once invested in 1/43 car model business, and it cost at least $20,000 to get the first product using die-cast tooling. My plan is to use Vitesse’s 1/43 S 600 Pullman as the base, which itself is a Sonderschutz, to shorten the body and modify the necessary details. This plan is a decision I made after carefully studying Vitesse’s model.
Since only 26 of the S 600 Pullman Sonderschutz were built, it wasn’t too difficult to figure out which one inspired Vitesse. There are several versions of the model, the first one was introduced in 1997, the last one was in 1999. The one as a Mercedes-Benz genuine part has the S-VV 600 number plate, which was pretty much a free answer. That number plate was used by A311585, the second Pullman built, Mercedes-Benz provided to Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) for foreign leaders visiting Germany.
A311585 is model year 1996, the same as Beatrice. The interior is 268 Leather Gray, the same as Beatrice, even the curtains of Sonderschutz are included. The paint of this model is 009 Sapphire Black, the same as Beatrice, and the above is a huge plus. Only this model makes this plan possible. Nothing would starts without it.
Of course, the VITESSE model isn’t perfect, and it is worse than ixo in terms of shape accuracy, but this is already the best choice. I used Photoshop to preview what the shorten body would look like, and the side lines seemed to match, therefore the plan was deemed viable. Because this is an extended vehicle, the front and rear doors may not connect properly if the model builder is not careful enough. They had to be very careful to replicate the door profile of the real car for us to succeed, even though they didn’t have to.
At the same time, I have to make several mental preparations. First of all, restoring a model is like a real car, it’s a subjective art. I will try my best to express my request, but the mastero has his own way of fulfilling it, and I respect it. Secondly, I would review every step during the process, some flaws I will point out and modify, and some will not. Because the photo actually magnifies the model so much, imperfections that are obvious in the photo are sometimes difficult to detect with the naked eye. Working on such a small surface was very difficult and I had to accept some handmade flaws. In the end, the cost of the project is hard to estimate, no one has tried to do similar, and I should be prepared to pay any bills.
I made a detailed proposal, tranlated to Russian and sent it to Andrew, introducing the importance of the project, the historical background of Beatrice and the differences between Beatrice and the Vitesse Pullman. Now that we’re redoing almost everything, we have to do it right. I acquired a silver Pullman as a donor, since it’s going to be shortened and repainted, the color doesn’t matter. Speaking of color, Andrew asked me for a color sample, I went to the PPG store and asked for 100g of 009 Sapphire Black paint and sprayed it on an metal sheet. Due to repeated COVID-19 lockdowns by the Chinese authorities, I finally sent the models and color cards in Feburary 2023.
After Andrew received the model, the model was proved that got minor damage during shipment. He first disassembled and stripped the paint. The model was produced in 1999, it is 24 years old, the zinc alloy body also showed partial oxidation from soaking in paint stripper, had to do body work to fix it up. By the way, there really was a silver Pullman produced in 1999 and delivered to Yemen, Vitesse produced a model before the car was delivered, they were well informed.
Then there’s the nerve-costing cut. Well I’m just praying and waiting because Andrew is doing everything. A few days later i was informed that “the operation went well”. He’s thrilled, the front and rear doors fit seamlessly, so I really appreciate Vitesse, they actually checked and dulpicated the real Pullman, even the underneath 100cm extra armor plate placement is accurate. You know, these Pullmans are often delivered to most powerful authrorities in the world, and there are only a few hundred people at most who have access to the interior and underneath of these 26.
But, it’s still a patient for next surgery, you can see the outstanding damage to the roof. Anyway I have no complaints to either Andrew or Vitesse, dealing with old metal on such a small surface, anything could happen, it could be worse. Thank God the cutting of the perfect door cutting.
Then comes bodywork. Like restoring a car, Andrew spliced the front and rear parts very well, and he is also very confident in the material that it will never break again. Regarding the Vitesse’s outline, I don’t think it’s too much to complain properly, the front and rear are almost hopeless, but this mistake is not the same crime as the ixo.
Vitesse is limited by the production technology of the 90s, and although there are some problems with the shape, the details are absolutely true. Ixo has better technology to make an almost perfect 1998 S 320 body, but they don’t take it seriously. I didn’t ask for it, but Andrew even decided to reshape the tail, the Vitesse’s tail was too rounded and the taillights needed to be remade accordingly. See, this is the pursuit of the mastero.
After the bodywork was completed, it was transported to another master for painting. That’s easy to understand, I can paint cars, and I painted Persian Kitty, but for better results next time, I’m leaving this up to the pros who do it every day for a living. Meanwhile, time continues to take advantage and Andrew is working on the interior. The A311585 has the “same” interior as the Beatrice because the Beatrice’s interior was ordered with the first Pullman A243327, all 3 cars have similar interiors. But we’re talking about the most exclusive Mercedes-Benz at the time, and no car is exactly same.
The A311585 also has ashtrays on the both front doors, a common configuration for Sonderschutz, they often serve as power sources for flashlights. But Beatrice doesn’t, because the circuitry is more expertly integrated into the B-pillar, so we need to modify the door panels. Moreover, the interior color scheme of Pullman is exclusive, thus the color layout also needs to be adjusted with paint. The interior of Vitesse is the “bathtub style”, the door panel is integrated with the whole interior. But we couldn’t relocate it after shorten the extra interior, so the door panels has to stick to the inner body shell.
Since both Sonderschutz and Pullman are used by the secret services of various countries, their electrical construction can be very different due to different installation equipment. From the 1970s to the present, GON uses the “Kavkaz” special communication system. On the 140, GON designed an armrest phone box with the control panel and handset inside, and the complete assembly was shipped to the Sindelfinger factory for installation. And BKA’s A311585 installed AEG radio and D-NET phone in this armrest location, so we had to replace that armrest. Due to limited photos (my phone box is not yet mounted) Andrew revised it several times until we got a good one.
I don’t know what the Beatrice phone box really looks like, but I think it’s the same as A323595, which was ordered with GON’s second Pullman, but it’s not the leader, it’s similar to the Beatrice and around the same time. Oddly, according to the production order, the A323595 was emphasized that the phone box must open towards the passenger side, but I personally inspected it open towards the driver’s side, maybe they changed it, because the car was later dirven by the president himself. I later acquired the phone box from another GON car, and it opens towards the passenger side. It can be seen that this model is not only a pleasure, but also a pilot restoration of Beatrice. We need to explore potenetial issues before the official restoration starts.
On the center console, Beatrice canceled the ashtray, and added 3 buttons and a blank connection area in the corresponding position. The design is inspired by BKA’s vehicles, like the A311585 who fullfill this blank area with control module for the AEG Teledux 9 radio. However, I believe that Beatrice and A323595 ended up installing nothing in this location because the Ericsson Orion radio control module used by GON could not fit into this small instalation, the production order made no mention of this. The other parts are pretty much the same, so I decided not to change this small difference.
At the rear, Pullman gave us matching gray leather separate seats but also a different storage box in the middle which is exclusively for the Pullman. A311585 has a standard Pullman storage box, but Beatrice has the regular storage box along with the rear individual seats (SA code 224), so Andrew had to cut out the original storage box from the seat branch and made a new one to insert.
During the conversion, Andrew surprised me by making an extra interior mirror. He had the original print of “Mercedes” 2003/1, for no better reference, he found that Beatrice also had a side mirror on the co-pilot side, apparently installed by GON, which I hadn’t noticed before . See, this is the value of pilot restoration, it can detect neglected problems in advance. Regarding the purpose of this rearview mirror, I think it is for the co-pilot guard to observe the rear. Mercedes could offer tandem mirrors, but GON didn’t order them.
The external antenna is a GON signature. GON has 8 Sonderschutz and sometimes they look the same because they have the same antenna on top. The antenna on the front is Russian made, it is part of the special communication system “Kavkaz”, all government cars have this signature antenna. There is also a black softer antenna in the center of the roof, which is used for the Ericsson Orion radio, frequency range 790-960 Mhz. Andrew reproduce these two antennas precisly.
But Beatrice’s antenna is also very characteristic. All cars associated with the President have the extra antenna on the right rear fender, which is a taxi part, but apparently shortened on the Beatrice. Except for the Pullmans only the Beatrice has such an antenna. The left rear fender is a phone antenna, which needs to be cut to 753mm to achieve a frequency of 205 MHz according to the production order. Luckily, even though the 140 doesn’t have any visible antennas at the rear since MY1995, the model of A311585 has 2 antennas for AEG radio and phone at the rear, so we don’t need to drill extra holes.
And finally the flashers. Actually ixo’s flashers are good, but they are difficult to reuse without damage. Historically, Beatrice has used different flashers, and shortly before Rozov took the photo, Beatrice received these new Federal Signal Vama LE106. The Hänsch Kranefeld Typ 40 on the front bumper was also installed by GON after getting the car. It became optional factory equipment for Sonderschutz in 1996, but GON’s installation position is closer to the center. The above flashers are not the most original spec, but we decided to duplicate according to Rozov’s photo.
That’s pretty much all the work. On May 30th, we finished pre-assembly and started evaluating the final details. Then we made the right license plate with correct font and improved the length of all antennas. On June 14, it was finally finished and reviewed, carefully packed by Andrew and seated in its business class. In the end, the project cost 16 times the original model’s value, making that acquisition a good deal in some ways. It took us more than 2 months, the value is well deserved.
The Ending
However, I know that the project isn’t over as the final challenge is yet to come. If you asked me if a handcrafted model would be safe to ship through, I’d say no, regardless of the insurance value. My biggest concern is if the re-welded bodywork breaks, that would be a disaster. Soon, I was notified by customs, they got what they wanted and released the model. Do you know? To detect your doom, just shake the package the moment you get it, if there is a rattling sound inside, then something has been broken. Instead of praying, I shook the package and heard the crunch of porcelain. Wow, as if it wasn’t that unexpected. Knowing the worst could have happened, instead of unpacking it at home right away, I took it to my studio at night after the kids were asleep, where there was plenty of lighting and tools for repair. When I unpacked it, the first thing I saw was the wheels flying out.
It was not only the sound of broken porcelain, but also the sound of broken hearts. I first observed what happened through the crystal coffin. I didn’t want to open the package rashly and cause secondary damage. Fortunately, the main body of the model seems still intact, just lost almost all the small parts. I didn’t reach Andrew right away, I need absolute silence at this moment, it’s already 10 PM, I took out the glue and tool box, ready to reassemble the model. Inside, a seat fell off and both rear view mirrors fell off, I glued them discreetly. Then the external antennas, only 1 antenna is still there, I repeatedly used tweezers to test the position, it was a huge challenge. Because the model is even shorter than the tweezers, and Andrew even made a base for these antennas to match the shape, I had to get the base right before inserting the antenna. If the glue is spilled or installed in the wrong place, the entire project will come to naught.
Thank God I did almost everything right and this may never happen again! Only the star on the hood is missing, I took out my first ixo which as mentioned was a donor due to partial damage. I unplugged its star and cut the excess struts, glued it to the existing base. We succeeded, this is very symbolically, after 13 years, the model became what it should have been, inherits the original star. . . I put it in the ixo box, what a long night.
Putting it together with the original ixo model, which was my second ixo, there’s a lot going on here and the difference is huge. I can’t believe we’ve come this far…it’s like seeing the day when Beatrice’s restoration is complete. Coincidentally, just two days earlier, Beatrice returned to her residence after completing a seven-month windshield and tire replacement. Someday they will come back together and I would build an ixo-style base for Beatrice and replicate that absolutely incorrect description to commemorate this interesting history.
Long may it continue…
