There’s something about Michael Douglas and Westport cars.
Growing up here, he was a member of the Downshifters — the high school club that met at the Y to talk about, learn about, work on (and sometimes race) cars.
Last summer, he filmed “And So It Goes” in Bridgeport. Directed by Rob Reiner, and also starring Diane Keaton, it’s about a self-absorbed realtor suddenly left in charge of a granddaughter he never knew existed until his estranged son drops her off. It was released last week.
Besides the familiar Black Rock scenes (and familiar former Westport actor), there’s a familiar car.
Michael Douglas driving Bill Scheffler’s Mercedes.
Westporter Bill Scheffler’s 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300SE Cabriolet takes a star turn. With the star.
Douglas drives it — and it is featured prominently in the promos.
Scheffler bought the Benz in January 2013, at a Scottsdale auction. It’s a fairly limited production car — about 3100 hard tops and convertibles were made over the model’s 6-year life — and was built to rigorous standards.
The auction catalogue says the 300SE offered “a stirring combination of luxury and performance along with technical specifications better than anything else of its era.”
So how did Scheffler’s car make it onto Rob Reiner’s set?
It was spotted by a “talent scout/car wrangler” while being restored in Stratford.
And so it goes.
