After 22 years, Dazz Switalla has almost finished restoring his Mercedes 1957 220S.
He bought the Mercedes from a Papamoa mechanic, spending an estimated $35,000 semi-restoring it.
He only has the seats and a few other ‘bits and pieces' left to repair on the car.
'It's a solid, old school car. It doesn't rely on electronics and when you close the door, it makes a solid clunk sound. It's not a tinny sound,” says Dazz.
The round curving shape of the Mercedes was a big attraction for Dazz when he first laid eyes on the classic.
He says cars started being built in a squarer shape just after the Mercedes was
made.


Dazz Switalla with his Mercedes 1957 220S.

'It's got a lot of head room,” says Dazz.
'I wanted to get it back to its original green but when I was looking at the colours I decided I wanted something a bit different, something that would stand out,” says Dazz.
He settled on an olive green, which he says can appear to darken and lighten depending on how bright the day is.
The 2.2 litre engine in the Mercedes, which he found in a paddock, is the car's second engine.
Dazz says tracking down car parts like rubbers for the boot and correct spark plugs, was the hardest part of his 22 year quest to restore the Mercedes.
'It seems to be pretty reliable. So far, so good,” says Dazz.