When elegance mattered

Posted on February 6, 2016 by KG

1937_ Mercedes-Benz _540K_ Special_ Roadster 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster

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24 Responses to When elegance mattered

  1. john says:
    February 6, 2016 at 19:58

    Exquisite timing, KG. I’m presently reading a new Bernie Gunther novel and our eponymoushttp://falfn.com/CrusaderRabbit/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_mail.gif hero has just had one of these, same colour even, lent to him by none other than Josef Goebbels.

  2. Gregoryno6 says:
    February 6, 2016 at 22:28

    Beautiful.
    I was walking through inner Perth this afternoon and stopped to admire the facade of an old building that’s been a pub, a backpackers hostel and is now a Malaysian school. Early 1900s judging by the decorations along the top. Can we see a little of this old-school flair return to our urban environment, please?

    • KG says:
      February 7, 2016 at 02:52

      Yes, there is. I drive an ancient W124 Benz and there’s not a superfluous line or ornamentation to be found anywhere. It’ll never look old because it’s not a product of fashion. As for simplicity, mechanical simplicity matters far more to me, reluctant as I am to be the target of extortion by dealers and their exorbitant servicing charges.
      I’d rate the 540K as far more than merely “pretty” though. But hey, eye of the beholder and all that.
      I’d never buy a Mercedes saloon made after 1985, because they lack a distinctive “character” to my eye. My beloved says that if you need to get close enough to see the badge in order to know what it is, then the stylist has failed. She’s right.

  5. Ronbo says:
    February 8, 2016 at 15:20

    KG: You have a real collector’s item in the garage.

    The indestructible W124!http://falfn.com/CrusaderRabbit/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_good.gif

    I guess this model Mercedes is to automobiles what the DC-3 was to airplanes.

    http://www.carscoops.com/2014/10/mercedes-indestructible-w124-turns-30.html

    So you have the 1984 model?

    • KG says:
      February 8, 2016 at 18:53

      A bit later, Ronbo. But still the W124 platform. Which is why spares are so cheap, I guess.
      We’ve had quite a few 124’s and they’ve been stone-reliable, comfortable and built like a tank. When people ask about the fuel economy, my reply is usually “no depreciation, cheaper insurance. How much fuel could you buy for the depreciation on your new car?”
      MUCH cheaper spares than a Jap car, almost no computers too.
      And it’ll never be mistaken for an effing Hyundai. :mrgreen:
      (Thanks for that link)