With the cones on the end of the snorkels,
I've seen it done.. The effect, couldn't tell ya. However, I disagree that the air is warmed "by passing through the radiator." Those scoops go around the side of the radiator, not through it. On older cars like the 450s, those scoops weren't even there, with the intake opening being inside the hood. Let's say those scoops weren't there and all the air on 116 and 117 motors was being brought in from inside the engine compartment, wouldn't you say that that air would be a heck of a lot warmer than the air that is being brought in from behind the grille? I guess you could position the scoops lower away from the radiator, but then you would run into the problems BMW has had with water being sucked into the engine and then ruining it. So I think MB has about the most efficient setup as far as where the air is being initially sucked in. The airbox, I think the only thing that could have been improved is the shape and volume. But since no aftermarket items like that are made, we're pretty much stuck.
Cutting an opening in the hood like a 70s muscle car...hmm. I guess if you made some system like a pressurized airbox, kind of like a ram-air you might see some results. But with a stock motor, the results probably won't be drastic enough to warrant cutting apart a perfectly good MB!
