On Saturday, members of the Mercedes club gathered at the picturesque Westhaven Golf Club in Franklin for its annual luncheon.
Westhaven Golf Club offers a the perfect venue for community events and a variety of memberships for golfers of all ages, from Executive Memberships to Social Clubhouse Memberships. Click here to read about their membership options. For more information about Westhaven Golf Club, call 615.224.2994 or click here.
The Mercedes club which started back in 1978 has grown from a small group to about 200 members from Mercedes Benz car owners in the Middle Tennessee area.
Today, the club meets monthly with different activities and events. On Saturday, they met for their annual luncheon as they celebrated the club’s 40th year in existence. One founding member and former President of the club spoke with us just before the luncheon began. Joel Morris is the original owner of a 1955 Gullwing 300 SL which he purchased back in 1957 on Park Avenue in New York City.
Only 1400 of the Gullwing SL models were produced making it one of the most valuable along with most collected cars today. Sports Car International magazine ranked the 300 SL as number 5 sports car of all time.
Morris purchased his car for everyday use telling us he used to go duck hunting in the car with his labrador for at least the first ten years he owned the car.
In 2015, the Gull Wing International Club which Morris is also a member made its way to Nashville along with 21 other Gullwing SL vehicles.
On the Gull Wing Convention website, there’s a photo of Morris sitting in his car. Next, to the photo it shares more about his prized possession, “it was a demonstration car with 6000 miles on the clock. I had to scrape together all the money I had. In the end, my grandmother lent me another 400 dollars, that’s the only way I managed it.”
Morris told us he doesn’t drive the car anymore but he carries of photos of the car in his wallet which he proudly shows you. One of the photos is one that was featured on the cover of the Gull Wing Club magazine, his Gullwing 300 SL in front of the iconic Tootsies on Broadway. See that photo below and watch our full interview with Joel Morris and current President of the Nashville Mercedes Benz Club, Randy Bibb below.
About Westhaven
The Westhaven community is located on New Hwy 96 in West Franklin. It incorporates a Traditional Neighborhood Design, following nine principles to create a neighborhood where everyone can work, play and live in one, cohesive, family-friendly space. Features you’ll find in Westhaven include a community with great walkability, meaning residents can walk to shops and the local elementary school within minutes; a variety of dwellings, from apartments to condominiums to homes, as well as, shops and offices with a variety of price points; streets that form blocks, which create a connected network for residents, as well, as provides a variety of routes to disperse traffic and eases walking.
“Those who inhabit a neighborhood are a community. They share a physical environment and a common interest in its future condition, as well as their own well-being. When neighbors communicate effectively about these interests, they may be referred to as a ‘community of place.’ Community is more about relationships that bind people together than it is about the environment.”
To learn more about Westhaven, visit westhaventn.com.
