Does anybody out there have a similar pic of an 116 in a 40 mph crash? Goodness gracious, one of the reasons I like old cars is because they DON'T crumple up. Granted, it is more important to keep the passenger compartment pristine than the engine or rear compartments, but to design a car to be totallydestroyed in a relatively minor wreck? Keep your aluminum cans and give me METAL!!!
Now, I had a thought (I know: thank you, thank you... it does happen every now and again even for me) that relates to why I started this post in the first place. I noticed John Hubertz posted a pic of a 77 Lincoln on another post, and what a ... friggin' metal box the thing was. 60's and 70's cars appear to have been influenced by Pablo Picasso and the whole impressionist school of art thingy, don't they? And Japanese cars similarly have severe angular, almost harsh lines to them. BMW's likewise had a boxy structure that seemed to be one of their distinctives even into the early 90's.
Now contrast the "smooth as a baby's butt" lines of the w116s. They have such smooth, graceful, aerodynamic lines that (correct me if I'm wrong) were unique in the auto industry of the 70's. Now, if modern cars did not copy the 116 contoured lines, then it at least seems clearly obvious that 70's Mercedes cars were years ahead of their time. Almost every car from every manufacturer in the world today builds cars that feature the contoured, aerodynamic lines that seem very much to have been pioneered by Mercedes cars.
Mike