I might be the only one here who actually discussed this with the powertrain Engineers when the car was designed, and the only one here who actually did engineering on the 124 chassis, ... it was kind of a clever little twist at the time that worked. Kind of like the same-era Porsche 944S4 spoiler under the tail of the car, funny things happen when you manage airflow under the car where the pressure and flow is highest.

It can be done without, I doubt it has a measurable difference at any legal speed here in the US. I just prefer to keep it for originality and to keep the engines clean, no big deal. Part of the engineering overkill that makes this era unique.

As far as sump protection, maybe from leaves. Anything that could damage the cast sump wouldn't likely be deflected by a thin plastic panel.

Dean: If you have a take-off set from your '94 E320, I'd be happy to buy it from you, PM me with details please.

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff