The Heckflosse Diaries: Chapter One

When those who have made an impact on our lives are no longer with us, we often find solace in the items they leave behind: For some, it can be their favorite mug. For others, a favorite shirt, or blouse. Sometimes, it could be something you gave them before they passed – a special gift that they appreciated very much, especially because it was given to them with love and affection. These treasured items stay with them until they depart from this world, and the items they leave behind will be treasured by those who remain.

It’s a story like this that brought a family friend to the point where he decided to restore his grand-aunt’s 1960 Mercedes Benz 220SE “Heckflosse.” Before we get to the car, though, let’s talk a little about his grand-aunt who, just like the car she owned, was quite extraordinary.

Doctor Maria Paz Mendoza Guazon was a trailblazer in many ways. Not only was she the first Filipino woman to receive a diploma from a public high school, she was also the first med school graduate from the first medical school in the country, graduating from the U.P. College of Medicine in 1912. But I can only assume that wasn’t enough for her, because she then went on to become the first female professor in the University of the Philippines, and eventually became the first female member of the University’s Board of Regents, being re-elected many times since as early as 1924.

But of all her achievements, her most notable was her work for women’s suffrage in the Philippines. She was highly vocal (and rightly so) about urging the feminist vote, being quoted saying “My chauffeur, my cook, and my man servants who are all under me can vote: why can’t the government allow me and the Filipino women in general the privilege of going to the polls?”

Truly, Dr. Maria Paz Mendoza Guazon was a visionary and a leading light in the world of Philippine medicine, and in her later years, she was accompanied by an equally class-leading car.

In 1960, Dr. Guazon was gifted a brand new, imported Mercedes Benz 220SE W111, a model that would later on come to be known as the “Heckflosse” – a German word meaning “Fin tail,” used to describe the design treatment of the model’s rear end. Launched in 1959, the W111 was a Full size luxury car built by Mercedes Benz to appeal to a new generation of car buyers, who were looking for new and exciting ways to ring in the 60’s. Dr. Guazon owned the vehicle until her death in 1967, where the car found use with her family until 1977, before the car was mothballed due to a brake issue. Now, her grandson Robby Consunji has decided to restore the vehicle in her memory.

Like most projects, years of neglect have degraded the exterior and interior of the car to the point that repairing many items is simply out of the question. For Robby, restoring his grand-aunt’s Heckflosse meant purchasing a donor car to provide what would have otherwise been unavailable, and even then, he thinks there are still some parts missing. Cars from the 1960’s use parts that have long been discontinued. What parts are left might be unusable, or require extensive repair, but he says that wasn’t the biggest problem on his mind. Getting the parts all in order is just one piece of this puzzle, and for Robby, what often plagues restorations like this is not having all the pieces together at the right time.

Much like assembling a picture puzzle, your first step is knowing what your goal will look like. For Robby, that is a well put-together vehicle that can be driven, even if only for short journeys around town. Then, you take note of the pieces you have, and start putting together all the corners and edges. In this case, that would be getting all the parts in order. After the edges are done, distinct buildings and features are next – this represents finding the right people for the build: woodworkers for trim; skilled mechanics for the engine work; upholsterers for the tatty interior; and a shop with the space and skill to put everything together right.

That’s why Robby is taking the time to really prepare for this restoration, to make sure everything happens on schedule. With project and parts car in hand, as well as a catalog of all the parts he has between them, his search for a restoration shop to take care of his “Lola Nena’s” Mercedes Benz brought him to a shop that just recently finished a nearly identical blue 220S W111.

Robby knows what parts he has, and what parts he needs to repair or replace. He also found a shop that can get the car to where he wants it to be.

All that’s left now is the finer details: Where to find those rarefied parts, and get the money together to pay for the restoration. It will not be cheap, and nor will it be easy, but much like any car enthusiast, Robby knows you can’t put a price on a car with this much history and sentiment behind the wheel.