Topic: 116 article

[nathan]

hi all,
the current issue (in australia, 2 months behind UK it seems!) of mercedes enthusiast has an article on the 350sel and 450sel if anyone is interested!
regards
nathan
http://mercedesenthusiast.co.uk/cgi-bin/get_issue.cgi?i=0659Sep

[Mforcer]

Thanks Nathan. I'll be off to pick up a copy tomorrow

[michaeld]

Mforcer,
Are you planning to post the article on the forum?  I was excited to hear that the 450SEL was being featured on ANY magazine.  But Mercedes Enthusiast isn't exactly prime reading in the USA, and by the time I tracked down a vendor who carried it, they had pulled the Sep issue.

Or maybe someone could at least post a synopsis and quote the juciest details here?
Mike

[Mforcer]

I would normally post a copy in the library but I don't think that is appropriate when the magazine is still available to buy through their website, where I have just ordered a copy myself. I'll see what details I can post after I receive my copy

[michaeld]

Styria,
As an almost universal principle I don't subscribe to mags, and as a general rule I don't buy them (though I suppose I could make the rare exception in this instance).  Why?  Because invariably, There are only a few pages - out of about 100 or more - that I am actually interested in.  That's why I go for books that I can devour from cover to cover.

Your points on the glories of the new car "hotness" versus the old car "busted" are quite insightful.  I hadn't thought of that quite like that, but it is sooo true!

This follows the trend of postmodern marketing: namely, if you don't have the newest, coolest widget, you are lacking in style - and style is everything, baby!  Substance is out the window: style rules!

I bought a new notebook computer to replace my older one.  I was expecting ultrafast miracles with the thing.  But... it wasn't really any faster than my old one (except for playing computer games, which I don't bother doing).  The marvelous speed and performance was all for a silly/trivial feature which I don't even care about.  I have a feeling that the overwhelming majority of new products are much the same.

This is wildly off the post topic of noting a magazine article, but I often think of new cars.  One day, during a long drive, I paid attention to the cars going by me (I tend to drive the speed limit, so EVERYONE whizzes by me), noting the new, "hot" cars.  There were a TON of them.  Years back, having a new hot car was a big deal, because not many could afford them; but now w/ leasing, virtually everyone (who cares more about their image than saving money) can have one.  If I had the latest, hottest car, I probably couldn't recognize the thing in a parking lot because there are so many others.

Me?  I love my old w116.  Every time I look at it, I think, "What a beautiful car!"  And it is the most relaxing drive I've ever had in my life.  And - maybe best of all - there is nothing else like it even in the busiest Sprawl-Mart parking lot.

Is there a little "reverse contempt," as I consider the massive inferiority-complexes that prompted all these lemmings to waste their money on expensive leases just so they can appear "cool"?  You got it. 

[michaeld]

690 SEL,
Thanks for that affirmation.

I have a few very wealthy relatives - a bank president, several wealthy Iowa farmers, and a former senior partner for one of the "big three" accounting firms - and NONE of them is ostentatious.  They were children during aftermath of the depression, and they appreciate the value of money.  All of these relatives are generous people, but ostentatious they have never been.

That said, one of our w116s - the 6.9 - had as an option to have the badge and even the wheels appear as standard 450SEL, in order to keep a low profile.  Some seriously wealthy men do not want to have attention directed toward themselves.  Maybe some of these men were concerned for their familes (e.g a display of wealth could get them targeted for blackmail or kidnapping), and maybe they had some other issue.  In any event, I have often wondered if the creators of the 6.9 were wise in using the body of a car that cost half of the 6.9.

BTW, that last relative, the big three senior partner, has NEVER bought a truly expensive car.  He has always made it a point to buy a nice American luxury car (he's partial to Cadillacs), and then sell it when it has 70,000 miles.  He'll pay thousands of dollars (even buying people's air fare) for family events, and he's a major donor to the U of Iowa.  When his grandson was born with major health problems, he paid over a million dollars out of pocket for medical bills.  But he's a humble man in person, and he has never lived "high on the hog."  A lot of rich people get a horrible reputation - just for being successful - that they don't deserve.
Mike

[Mforcer]

I received my copy of the magazine and think it was well worth it. The article was written with more interesting details than most other magazine articles of our beloved cars.

Thanks again Nathan for pointing out the article!

[robertd]

There is a common thread to most of what I have read from fellow 116'ers, That is we
don't really want to be noticed for the "expensive" cars we drive, but rather for the beutiful example of the model. The condition and the way such 30+ year old cars still perform and handle. I like all W116's that are in excellent condition, but it dosen't hurt to have a bit of grunt as well. Happy Motoring
regards Robert

[michaeld]

Two thoughts from the above posts: one regarding "moneyed people" and one regarding our cars.

From my own experiences, most truly successful people (by which I mean self-made) got where they got by hard work and a lot of good character attributes.  Among other things, they had the character to put off immediate gratification and invest their money to create more wealth down the road.  It is not uncommon for such people to be personally generous and quite humble.  These kind of folks would never intentionally "rub peoples noses" with their wealth.

Oh, one of these types might, after years of relatively frugal living, purchase a "car of their dreams" thinking, "I've worked hard.  I deserve it."  And they do.

The kind of people who amaze me are the ones who really don't have a lot of money, but who are SO TOTALLY driven by the need to project a (phony) image that they are willing to commit themselves to three or four years of lease-money for cars beyond their means.  They are the inverse of the first class of people (who have class!), as they spend all their money on immediate gratification.  And, judging by the number of hi-$$$ new cars on the California highways, there are a LOT of these people.

Now, as to our cars...
I am constantly amazed at how overlooked they are by car enthusiasts.  The w116s were a truly outstanding bridge between "old cars" of the 60s and 70s and the "new cars" that were to come.  I think they radiate a quiet dignity - which means not enough "bling bling" for the image-obsessed.

I truly hope that most people don't see me driving my car and suppose me to be wealthy, because I'm not.  No, what I want people to see is that I am a unique individual who has good taste and who has his values in proper alignment.  I'd rather people thought that about me than that I have bucks any day!
Mike

[robertd]

There is a common thread to most of what I have read from fellow 116'ers, That is we
don't really want to be noticed for the "expensive" cars we drive, but rather for the beutiful example of the model. The condition and the way such 30+ year old cars still perform and handle. I like all W116's that are in excellent condition, but it dosen't hurt to have a bit of grunt as well. Happy Motoring
regards Robert

I don't seem to be able to post any photos any more? has it been disabled?