The California

1969 E3 2800

ELEGANCE: THE CALIFORNIA

ENGINE 2788CC M30B28 INLINE SIX-CYLINDER

TRANSMISSION 3-SPEED AUTOMATIC

ORIGINAL COST UNKNOWN

#244 5111

ORIGINAL PRODUCTION DATE JUNE 24, 1970

COLOR RIVIERA BLUE

OWNER CHRISTIAN ZSCHOCKE, FRANKFURT, GERMANY

The California has no roof. It is open to the sky, exposed to the elements, no matter the weather. That’s the message of this car. But things aren’t all what they seem. Because freedom, laissez-faire, endless drives into the sunset take a back seat in the California. It’s more about being aware and allowing things to happen with us and inside of us. The beautiful things, but also the more unpleasant ones.

Making of: The unmistakable elegance of the California is the result of a meticulous process characterized above all by the following philosophy: “Elegance. No compromises,” as Christian Zschocke says.

And so it came to be: A well-maintained 1969 E3 2800 was fully disassembled, measured using CAD and completely rebuilt. Since the roof was omitted, all hollow spaces were filled with high-strength steel profiles. “The torsion resistance of the California is better than that of the standard E3,” says Zschoche. And he’s got the certification to prove it. He adds, “Another challenge was the conversion from four doors to just two. This made it necessary to lengthen the front doors by sixteen centimeters.”

The California was then rebuilt from the ground up, which means: DCP priming and painting, applying several coats of paint (Riviera Blue), and redesigning the interior himself, including a new cognac leather rear bench.