What is the obsession so many had putting onto the fenders of W116's??
The 1970s were a rough time in terms of style.
Their right up there with loud fart can exhausts, chrome wheels and stickers.
Don't (or do) forget gold plating
I for one like it, but I realize I am probably in the minority. It definitely works better on the Astral Silver as it gives a bit of a pop to the silver paint in my opinion. They can hide a lot of rust for sure so if you plan on keeping it you need to take it off and check underneath, clean the rubber seal etc.
I like them, too. I think they give the car a more finished, "600" type appearance and make the body lines flow a bit better. Mine are actually plated brass, and were new old dealer stock from 1980, the same year the car was made.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/OFxfkxmTUXAZ_FDBpG-nnvz6wXIdEuIVgEh8CdrntGLTxdnVF-nxwKuyqzvNoRwyGSFPoz59FJisSEJfBXzhiru6i-g0vFzKaWSVF_l8zirpTP_rcK1gLSnZpWxNLzfXpihQlDDRNMek2_BQlIwzCclmyY6GIj5E9rs5IDt5RQ3K5i6KoBUprMjuD3gln1BztkAxzzv4P6iwgXRNgHu3T1nrKBcm6leUFw7Y9buQBpqrNamRGpploRd2pyaca0XbG-7x9covqXTBxKmcCgxTjzaKZIfYYX2V7QWcbwuD7Fe9nG7YNm2d8cNRa4o0V7f8LsUA7i2J74lttNpqtFFnESW1TYBdh-oRSvqbwXbr5r4ZjXJn0TPcYY0Yfhj3OwLkgU0hqXf6FPrAvI_nhn-xnkc6NEaAkSvB3NuBIae1jpZMXZSjg1OA_D6UJIqd3ozXHPyof6AUQEtsFW4mP-TgZWhvw75WtZcZp2rPATJlXlt1S18P2681E4VkhSm7DDjTp5btBiMEUkEQgUd-whPAogcvfg53YBpUycvIasOgyRPQdJkta25B7ZLwNBI_PC4KCc9NV1gRn_SbCGutLVVHbdXcsm-NhwXKBYXWht30XmeFbSFeMwPyUNc0rT28NJsy0ZW0bcgORD2fts4KeiUz8D_Fx14BQSjchnwl48k0oY8UaZuZPlyIS_H5IoB28hmQPXwIJiOMEIZ2_nTjWQ=w800-h453-no)
Indeed the ones you want is the "ROS Fendertrim" ones. Heavy and thick, good quality. The aftermarket ones on ebay are trash.
Quote from: Squiggle Dog on 09 January 2019, 03:14 PM
I like them, too. I think they give the car a more finished, "600" type appearance and make the body lines flow a bit better. Mine are actually plated brass, and were new old dealer stock from 1980, the same year the car was made.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/OFxfkxmTUXAZ_FDBpG-nnvz6wXIdEuIVgEh8CdrntGLTxdnVF-nxwKuyqzvNoRwyGSFPoz59FJisSEJfBXzhiru6i-g0vFzKaWSVF_l8zirpTP_rcK1gLSnZpWxNLzfXpihQlDDRNMek2_BQlIwzCclmyY6GIj5E9rs5IDt5RQ3K5i6KoBUprMjuD3gln1BztkAxzzv4P6iwgXRNgHu3T1nrKBcm6leUFw7Y9buQBpqrNamRGpploRd2pyaca0XbG-7x9covqXTBxKmcCgxTjzaKZIfYYX2V7QWcbwuD7Fe9nG7YNm2d8cNRa4o0V7f8LsUA7i2J74lttNpqtFFnESW1TYBdh-oRSvqbwXbr5r4ZjXJn0TPcYY0Yfhj3OwLkgU0hqXf6FPrAvI_nhn-xnkc6NEaAkSvB3NuBIae1jpZMXZSjg1OA_D6UJIqd3ozXHPyof6AUQEtsFW4mP-TgZWhvw75WtZcZp2rPATJlXlt1S18P2681E4VkhSm7DDjTp5btBiMEUkEQgUd-whPAogcvfg53YBpUycvIasOgyRPQdJkta25B7ZLwNBI_PC4KCc9NV1gRn_SbCGutLVVHbdXcsm-NhwXKBYXWht30XmeFbSFeMwPyUNc0rT28NJsy0ZW0bcgORD2fts4KeiUz8D_Fx14BQSjchnwl48k0oY8UaZuZPlyIS_H5IoB28hmQPXwIJiOMEIZ2_nTjWQ=w800-h453-no)
Your car doesn't look bad with them but generally, I think they detract from the car's Teutonic elegance. When looking for a W116, there were a number of cars that I might have purchased had they been sans the bling on the fenders...
This discussion has no doubt been going on since 1973, and for other models..probably years earlier. By this time, these arches have been sold so much worldwide for decades, that they are almost an integral, original W116 option. Not by catalog, maybe, but surely in real life. Maybe it's a bit late now, and redundant as a topic in 2019. What's left to discuss is whether some w116 car owners in the 70's had good taste-issues, choosing to add more chrome than MB already did.
I remember as a kid in the 70's, seeing cars fitted with chrome arches. I thought they were the coolest thing ever. My taste has changed a bit over the years, but isn't the perception of reality in the 70's more essential then what we think of 70's taste today?
I like them as well and think that they do add something. As for them being added in the 70s a previous owner also put a vinyl roof on mine definitely a 70s thing, I wasn't sure at first but I now think the car is better for them. Always got a look when parked outside.