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From: broder@magic.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: An Empirical Observation
Message-ID: <153@magic.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 12-Apr-85 19:38:50 EST
Article-I.D.: magic.153
Posted: Fri Apr 12 19:38:50 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 15-Apr-85 04:15:44 EST
References: <173@ucbcad.UUCP> <954@vax1.fluke.UUCP> <929@ihuxk.UUCP>
Reply-To: broder@magic.UUCP (Andrei Broder)
Organization: DEC Systems Research, Palo Alto
Lines: 45
Summary: 

In article <929@ihuxk.UUCP> rs55611@ihuxk.UUCP (Robert E. Schleicher) writes:

>> This could begin an interesting discussion - do the various European
>> countries produce enthusiast's cars which can be typecast by country?
>> What are the typical features?  Good and bad, please.
>
>I've owned cars from several countries, and I've always ascribed
>definite personalities to them, that fit my (perhaps stereotypical)
>view of their country of origin:
>
.
.
.
> 4.  Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 3.5 - (Normally wife's car, but also our
> family car).  This car makes me want to blast down the Autobahn at
> 100+.   Typical German solidness, with everything engineered for
> about double a typical car's life.  Being older (1971, with 140k
> miles; it had to be this old for me to afford it), it's less sterile
> feeling than more recent German cars, with lots of wood, etc.  I know
> I'm succombing to the environment when I find myself going faster and
> faster on the Tollway, and humming Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyrie"
> (did I get that title right?  I meant the music that was used in
> Apocolypse Now.)  Especially if its thundering outside. (Thor?)

For the true Wagnerian feel try a 300SEL 6.3. 

This is a rather strange contraption, a sort of German executive
muscle car.  It is the fastest MBZ ever. It has the 6.3l engine from
the 600 limo but weights considerably less.  Even the sanitized
American version has 300 HP SAE, and gets to 60 mph in slightly less
than 7 secs.  Top speed is 140 mph.  The handling, for a car of this
weight and size, based on a self-levelling air suspension, is quite
amazing (there are  no springs). For instance there is no back
raising no matter how hard you brake, and almost no leaning in
curves.  All this is coupled with the wood trim, leather interior,
and sedate look.  What I like most about the car is that it feels and
handles the same whether you go 55 or 105 ... (It is useless to tell
this to the highway patrol ...)

Mercedes made them from about 69 till 71 and then they decided that
they are an overkill.  Later they made another one in this vein, the
450 6.9 but it was slower.  Of course, all their big cars today are
slow, fat, and well above my means.  O tempora, o mores.

- Andrei