form follows function...

[graphics_monkey]

After I bought my 240, my boss told me that he used to work for MB in the 70's, and asked me if I knew why the tail lights were designed the way they were. When I told him I always just thought it was because it looked cool, he told me that if you're driving a MB in a driving snowstorm, the wind blows through the channels in the tail light, therefore clearing out snow and increasing visibility to cars behind you. He also said the door handles were designed to be pulled open when most cars had a push-button operation. The reason for that is in a side-impact crash, there's no chance of your door being knocked open by the other car.

Well, I found all that fascinating. Is there any website that has more content as to why MB did things on these cars the way they did? When I google this, I just find parts for sale or whatever, but not what I'm looking for.

any ideas?

[dmorrison]

http://www.germancarfans.com/classics.cfm/classicid/5040727.001/mercedes/1.html

http://www.driveandstayalive.com/info%20section/news/individual%20news%20articles/x_040727_65yrs_safety-at-merc.htm

http://www.lapcr.com/mercedes_history_and_models.htm

A few books are available explainging the historywhich includes the safety aspects.

Do a search on Béla Barényi he was the Mercedes engineer that started the auto safety concept.

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2005-02,GGLD:en&q=B%C3%A9la+Bar%C3%A9nyi

Dave

[stayalert]

Cool, and to think the sound of the door closing lured me to MB....

[rg2098]

You didn't know about the tail lights? The wind may keep them clean, but man they are tough when washing the car.

[graphics_monkey]

I suppose I could've put it together eventually, but I hadn't thought about it too much. It's not just the safety aspects of these cars. It seems as though every single thing has been extensively researched and engineered to the fullest aesthetic and utilitarian beauty. Everything's so intuitive, and my 240's 26 years old.

I guess all Mac users can appreciate a classic MB for those reasons.

Well, I have to go warm my car up. I get off in an hour and a half, you know!

-jf

[lietuviai]

Originally Posted by rg2098

You didn't know about the tail lights? The wind may keep them clean, but man they are tough when washing the car.

Mine seem to collect dirt and crap on them. These cars won't go fast enough for the wind to keep them clean.

[Austin85]

I'll have to remember that about the taillights next time we get a blizzard in south Florida....(-:
and even if we did someone from Century Village would still rear end me for sure!!!

(but that is cool........

[mbzkid]

Theres alot of things that are often over looked, but are actually very well designed. I guess that's the idea.

Example: On my BMW 2002, yeah the old kind (29 yrs old) the seal for the trunk rests on the ledge of the trunk, not on the lid. If you try putting something in the trunk, and dont lift it enough, its easy to rip the seal. The 240D has the seal on the trunk lid (I think), and on the trunk ledge there is a piece of strong plastic.

Even the dipstick is better on the benz. The engineering is pretty amazing. Its pretty cool to see how differently BMW and MB did everything back in the day. The MB engineering is simply beautiful. The engine compartment is fascinating. Everything comes off and on so easily, as though the car was made to be rebuilt everyday.

[wolf_walker]

Originally Posted by mbzkid

as though the car was made to be rebuilt everyday.

Bad choice of words..

[mbzkid]

Originally Posted by wolf_walker

Bad choice of words..

No amount of engineering can compensate for uneducated drivers. Like when someone takes their car to the mountains, and doesn't understand the concept of engine braking.

[CannonBall]

Originally Posted by graphics_monkey

I suppose I could've put it together eventually, but I hadn't thought about it too much. It's not just the safety aspects of these cars. It seems as though every single thing has been extensively researched and engineered to the fullest aesthetic and utilitarian beauty. Everything's so intuitive, and my 240's 26 years old.

I guess all Mac users can appreciate a classic MB for those reasons.

Well, I have to go warm my car up. I get off in an hour and a half, you know!

-jf

WOAAAAAAAAAAAA gear down big shifter, did you just compare a mercedes to a mac? I thought the point of this post was that mercedes are well thought out, intuitive, reliable and built with top notch engineering?
-Nate

[TonyFromWestOz]

Originally Posted by CannonBall

WOAAAAAAAAAAAA gear down big shifter, did you just compare a mercedes to a mac? I thought the point of this post was that mercedes are well thought out, intuitive, reliable and built with top notch engineering?
-Nate

Well, at least he didn't compare it to an IBM Compatible PC!

[Jim Anderson]

Design a part to last forever, and be easy to replace.

[graphics_monkey]

Yes I did compare MB to Apple. What of it? Apple has been the trailblazer for computer technology for years. They turn out sleek, beautiful products that are solid, well-designed and durable, while every pee cee company out there just cranks out gray boxes, black boxes and beige boxes that are a year or two behind the times. They do have their faults, but so does any company.

[t walgamuth]

i think the grooves prevent buildup by sheltering the inner parts like a roof overhang... had to work a little architecture in there.

seriously my 61 fintail had many of the same safety features as most all new cars. mb pioneered most of them.

there is no substtute for doing it right in the first place!

also another of my favorite sayings is " it usually costs a little more to go first class".

seriuosly after driving these mbs off and on for over 30 years i still notice little nicely engineered things that make me say "oh, i never noticed that before.".. and ... "but it is a great detail!"