Couple take classic Mercedes on two-and-a-half-year road trip. But one Kiwi couple is braving the elements and the risk of their classic car - a 1957 Mercedes-Benz - breaking down, all in the name of adventure. They have worn out 16 tyres, changed the suspension 27 times, changed the oil 13 times, used up 83 litres of Castrol engine oil, replaced six fuel filters and 19 spark plugs, broken one GPS and killed a hedgehog. The Smits are originally from the Netherlands and immigrated to New Zealand with their three young children in the 1980s. As well as being an old classic, their Mercedes-Benz, which they call Abel, is decked out with Kiwiana - New Zealand flags and stickers bearing "NZ" and "Nueva Zelanda'.'

Source: New Zealand Herald March 04, 2017 16:07 UTC