German car lover has his 76 Mercedes restored in Turkey

A German car enthusiast had his car restored in Turkey after witnessing the quality of the work done on his Turkish friend's automobile.

Owner of a 1976 Mercedes, Berthold Wisseling drove to Turkey from the German city of Leverkusen four weeks ago, after seeing his Turkish friend İsmail Kaluk's car, which had been painted in the Black Sea province of Zonguldak's Devrek district.

Wisseling decided to have his car restored in the same garage in Turkey when he was amazed by the workmanship he saw on Kaluk's car and loved the color finish.

He drove for almost 3,000 kilometers during the several-day journey that took him from Leverkusen to Devrek, where he entrusted his good old Mercedes to auto body painter Kenan Karadeli.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Wisseling, 63, said that he did not leave his car alone during the four-week work, and he was happy to have made new friends while his car was being fully restored.

"I got different reactions from my environment when I told them about the situation," he said, noting that he always followed through with projects once he had set his mind to them.

He emphasized that he felt welcome in Turkey and received better service and care than he would have found in Germany.

Wisseling also said that his automobile was very special to him as he had driven a similar one during his years as a student.

"This car takes me back to my youth," he said.

Auto painter Kenan Karadeli told of how he received a surprise phone call from Germany after he had finished work on Kaluk's car.

"We were proud and took on the job. We invited him not as a customer, but as a guest," he said.