Out of curiosity, how was this 300SE you observed "struggling" to get itself off the line?

I find that interesting, since I drive (and will be driving again as of Friday when the head work gets done on the 3.8....only damage was two bent valves after all, but car needed valve guides and seals anyway, so yeah. Funny thing, after 197K miles, I would have thought there would have been some cam wear, but apparently, the cams are fine) an S-class with less power and torque than the 300SE (worse power-weight ratio) albeit it makes its peak torque lower in the RPM range. It never feels like it struggles off the line, even with 4 people and baggage.

-Sam