Conservatism in pressed steel
The sixties and seventies in Germany: Gaudy fashions, political unrest and change in the air. While BMW began to be seen as the lively four-wheeled revolutionary, Mercedes chose the opposite end of the spectrum. The construction series 114 and 115 were purest conservatism in pressed steel, bread-and-butter Benz models for the driver seeking above all reassurance. At the same time, celebrities and politicians yearned for a very different kind of automobile. Even the Porsche fan Janis Joplin pleaded with her smoky voice “Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes-Benz” and meant the far from conservative Mercedes 600 Pullman. With pneumatic suspension, a V8 engine and hydraulic systems this was the forerunner of the S-Class. The first models in this category, the 280 S and the 350 SE appeared in 1972. Over time the S-Class became the absolute reference for what a luxury limousine had to be but quickly faced competition from the 7-Series BMWs and the Audi A8.
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- A real milestone was the construction series W 123 (1975 to 1985), and milestone is the right word: These robust sedans chalked up truly phenomenal mileages and many are still on the road today. In Germany even in the nineties the W 123, most often diesel powered, was ubiquitous on the streets and highways of the nation.
Milestones for the marque with the star
But the three-pointed star was not only seen on the hoods of top-of-the-range autos. A real milestone was the construction series W 123 (1975 to 1985), and milestone is the right word: These robust sedans chalked up truly phenomenal mileages and many are still on the road today. In Germany even in the nineties the W 123, most often diesel powered, was ubiquitous on the streets and highways of the nation. The advantages of the pre-combustion chamber diesel engine Type OM 617 became clear in 1976 when Mercedes built the C 111. This model with its gull-wing doors came out first with Wankel motor in 1969. But then came the oil crisis in 1973, the price at the pump rose and the car industry had to react. The notoriously thirsty Wankel motor had, in spite of its excellent performance, no future. And suddenly diesel was the answer. In 1976 the engineers hauled a C 111 out of the garage – the super sports car had never made it to series production – and replaced the Wankel with a turbo charged 3 litre fuel injection engine. With this power plant the car then set not less than sixteen records at the high-speed Nardo test track. The diesel even found friends in the United States. By 1981 more than eighty percent of Mercedes cars sold in America were diesel powered. But the trend had a rapid downturn when diesels became synonymous with smelly emissions. A few years ago, and only after developing the exhaust treatment technology they called BlueTec, did Mercedes risk another try with diesel power in the United States, but without any real success.
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- With the 190 models which rolled off the Stuttgart lines in 1982 Mercedes sought to compete directly with the popular BMW 3-Series and with the Audi 80. Head designer Bruno Sacco called this model the ‘baby Benz’ and it broke with several Daimler traditions, lacking – for the first time in Mercedes history- and trace of chrome trim.
The Benz baby
Another consequence of the oil crisis was the policy of developing new models according to the principles of aerodynamics. With the 190 models which rolled off the Stuttgart lines in 1982 Mercedes sought to compete directly with the popular BMW 3-Series and with the Audi 80. Head designer Bruno Sacco called this model the ‘baby Benz’ and it broke with several Daimler traditions, lacking – for the first time in Mercedes history- and trace of chrome trim. It was rudimentarily equipped and fitted out but was nevertheless expensive priced (from 25,600 German Marks, and six thousand more than an Audi 80), a fact which discouraged buyers. After a sluggish sales start, however, the 190 became a success after Mercedes had boosted its performance. With a six-cylinder engine the baby Benz became a peppy street racer.Thanks to the efforts of the in-house tuning division, AMG, the 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution was at the start of the nineties the regular winner in the widely followed DTM race series. Two years after the 190 the construction series 124 saw the light of day. And from 1993 the soberly elegant models were badged as the E-Class, setting standards of comfort and technology and polishing the image of the marque once more. But the series W 211 still had quality problems to contend with.
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- A turning point in thehistory of the concern was the year 1997, with the launch of the A-Class. With its mini-van type body, innovative sandwich constructions and compact size, the car was a revolutionary step ahead for the car maker.
The A-Class: From the ‘Elk test‘ to ESP
A turning point in thehistory of the concern was the year 1997, with the launch of the A-Class. With its mini-van type body, innovative sandwich constructions and compact size, the car was a revolutionary step ahead for the car maker. The A-Class was meant to be electrically powered, for in the nineties General Motors, Ford and Toyota were already pressing ahead with alternatives to fossil fuels. But when an ecology bill failed to pass in the state of California the electro-hype ebbed once more. The A-Class would be equipped with a conventional internal combustion motor. This meant that the vehicle would no longer be stabilized by heavy batteries under the floorboards and that the centre of gravity would now be much higher – a problem which came close to defeating the engineers. When extreme avoidance maneuvers were attempted the car tended to flip over – the so-called ‘Elk test’ turned out to be hugely embarrassing. But Mercedes proved resourceful, turning the PR disaster into a triumph by installing as standard the skid protection technology ESP. A trend Mercedes recognized in the success of the Range Rover was the interest in luxuriously appointed off-road models. In 1975 it was decided that the G-Class should enter production and the first big customer had already been identified. The Shah of Persia, a major Mercedes shareholder, is supposed to have pre-ordered 20 thousand vehicles. The Iranian revolution, however, stood in the way of this delivery. Nevertheless Mercedes soon had orders from the military and civil authorities of many nations. Until today the G-Class remains a popular off-roader in particular in the Middle East.
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- The SLS is the first Mercedes model to be developed autonomously by the AMG tuning division and the super sports car is predicted to become a cult classic.
The first of the AMG original versions
The SLS is the first Mercedes model to be developed autonomously by the AMG tuning division and the super sports car is predicted to become a cult classic. It boasts 571 horsepower and the gull-wing doors are more than just a homage to the past, they are also a glimpse of the future. For in 2013 the SLS is due to make its debut as an electrically powered sportster, to be made in a very limited and very expensive edition.
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- The Daimler look for the future can be deduced from the high-tech concept vehicle F 800.
Emotional styling
The Daimler look for the future can be deduced from the high-tech concept vehicle F 800. It makes an almost silent entrance and points the way ahead: Organically rounded form, smooth lines but at the same time dynamic – this is what they call emotional styling. As far as the motorization of future models is concerned Daimler is exploring different directions. Hybrids, battery-fed electric motors, and electric powered with Range Extender, all of these are being further developed. The first model to be powered by a fuel cell is announced for 2015. “The best or nothing” is the motto of the marque going forward, although with series production of an electric model Mercedes are playing catch-up with Renault and Nissan. But still, fourteen years after its debut the A-Class will finally be electrically driven. Better late than never.
