The stand-up Star: Still around?

[1975300D]

Just wondering when Mercedes stopped producing cars with the stand up hood emblem. To me, that is the most beautiful part of any Mercedes, so it's a shame that you really don't see that anymore. It's actually my favorite part of my 75 300D. As long as that works, I got a good Mercedes.

Has it disappeared from all the models, and if so, when did it die out?

( Needless to say, I'm not a fan of modern Mercedes styling. The distinctiveness is gone. From a 20 yards away, it could be a Hyundai. )

[Aquaticedge]

I dont think they make any anymore, it's been a target for thieves for years

[1975300D]

Yes, I know thieves take them. When I had mine parked outside at a mechanic's shop, I removed both the hood ornament and the badge.

This is why we can't have nice things.

This guy has one that screws on.

[charmalu]

I agree with you, the new Mercedes look like all the other cars, or are the other car Co`s copying Mercedes? any way, all the cars are sort of BLAH now days, nothing very exciting.

I think you are right, the hood star has been eliminated. moved down to the grill.

I like the W114/115 small radiator cap star, I have that on all three of our cars.

This should be the death penality, no jail time, no remorse.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhTPRwDs1Ss

Charlie

[sixto]

W212 and W221 still have hood stars. The W204 started with a hood star but lost it along the way.

Sixto
87 300D

[1975300D]

Originally Posted by sixto

W212 and W221 still have hood stars. The W204 started with a hood star but lost it along the way.

Sixto
87 300D

you're right, so I wonder why they decided to keep it on those models and not on the other ones.

I suspect in time even those models will no longer have it. But it's nice to know you can still buy a new mercedes with a hood star.

[netboy]

My son drives a W126 with a weak spring under the emblem. I noticed when I was tuning it that if I kept it below 80mph it stayed upright, speed over 80 mph and it bends back at a 45 degree angle. To this day he still doesn't know how I can tell if he has been speeding. But I know!

[sixto]

Might be a pedestrian survivability thing. Funny how they make minute tweaks to Civics so a pedestrian gently rolls across the hood yet they continue to allow SUVs with brush guards and winches.

Sixto
87 300D

[MBeige]

What I've observed is the hood star went with the shape or angle of the front fascia.

Those with the decorative ring at the base with the upright star went with the vertically stacked lights (except the W113 of course); the MB's of the 50's up to the W108/W109, and W114/W115 had these. The W116 was the in-between so it had somewhat of a transition between the upright star and the integrated type.

The W123 and W126 still had an "upright" star but the base has changed and became more integrated with the grille shell. The '86-'93 W124 and W201 had a more slanted type and in 1994 and 1995 the star went on to the hood on the W124 together with the W202 (in 1993/1994) and W140 (in 1992).

I think it's great to see the star be modernized with the modern MB's, but at the same time still retain its original collapsible design for pedestrian safety. MB's today might look like other cars on the road but that's because everybody else wants to copy MB's. The quality is still there but certainly not as good as the current old MB's we have.

[w123fanman]

Originally Posted by 1975300D

Needless to say, I'm not a fan of modern Mercedes styling. The distinctiveness is gone. From a 20 yards away, it could be a Hyundai.

I personally like some of the current models but other companies have copied Mercedes styling for years (Older Volvos share certain styling aspects with some Mercedes, 90's Lexus were obviously influence by Mercedes (many new Lexus still look similar), the Hyundai's and countless other have share design). I still believe Mercedes make the best looking cars because they are simply elegant and classy, something I can't see in many other car companies' cars.

Also I have a story of my own entailing a Mercedes emblem coming off a car. This happened to be my dad's 240D and there was an ice storm and I leaned over onto the car and it snapped off. Needless to say my dad wasn't happy about it. This was when my dad lent the car to an employee who then took it to a shop and the shop owner installed a new emblem for free because he thought it was disgraceful to see a Mercedes missing it's emblem. I wish that car still ran (that employee trashed it).

[Orv]

I sort of feel like hood ornaments look out of place on cars with modern styling. With aerodynamic styling and the general lack of brightwork on modern cars they just seem tacky, like gold teeth.