OK, now I see it. The angle on the small Vs of each leg of the Bold V is so narrow that both legs use the same block. Interesting design. Who'd have thought: VW coming up with a breakthrough powerful engine. This, the Veyron, and one of the Bentleys.

They're not called V . . . W for nothing.

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Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

It's a tough one. The very logo of VW is linked in my brain to smallish economy cars. The Chevy and Ford logos also do not inspire thoughts of high performance luxury. Toyota, Nissan, and Honda have Lexus, Infiniti, and Acura for good reason. It works. VW controls Audi and Porsche, why not focus their Phaeton-like cars there? If Porsche is appropriate for an SUV, why not a mid-sized high end performance sedan?

*EDIT* Whoops, joke's on me. Porsche already has a luxury sedan:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_Panamera#Panamera_Diesel

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Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

But those taxi cabs sell for around $90.000. Not many can affront a S-class or even an E class (named Limousine in Europe) , they go for double the price they go in the US. An Euro AMG is US Bentley territory. They have to sell cheaper models to stay relative.

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1979 Black on Black, 300CD (sold), 1990 Black 300SE, Silver 1989 Volvo 780, 1988 300CE (vanished by the hands of a girlfriend), 1992 300CE (Rescue).

Volkswagen ran into the same problem in the early 70's with the 411.

A 1971 Superbeetle, with no air or radio, went out the door at about $2220.

A 1971 411 went out the door, with the same no air or radio, at and even $3,000. The reality was: Not many 411's went out the door. No one could see a price difference for what seemed to be a VW squareback with four doors.

By the time air and a radio were added the price tag for a 411 was pushing $3,800. A 220D was going for about $6,000.

The price was a real shock to VW customers, and until VW came out with the Dasher no one could see paying over three grand for a VW product.

Nope it is quite different. Gear drive camshafts, different rods, etc. It has a lot in common with the 2.5 5 cylinder TDI we didn't get here...

-J

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1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

One of my favorite captions is long overdue on this thread

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1982 300GD Carmine Red (DB3535) Cabriolet Parting Out
1990 300SEL Smoke Silver (Parting out)
1991 350SDL Blackberry Metallic (481)

"The thing is Bob, its not that I'm lazy...its that I just don't care."

^^^^^ hahahahaha

P E R F E C T !!!

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

Same thing with lexus, I always had seen Toyota all over the world then I come to the US and see

Toyota Windom = Lexus ES300
Toyota Celsior = Lexus LS400
Toyota Harrier = Lexus RX330
Toyota Soarer = Lexus SC400
Toyota Chaser etc = Lexus GS300
Toyota Land Cruiser Cygnus = Lexus named cruiser equivalent - dont recall it.

why?

The American people are very brand oriented and give vanity top priority.

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2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)

That's the same reason all of our cars have the option code "USA Version" which includes all the toys. MBUSA didn't want stripper 280S and 200E cars running around letting "undesirable" people into the brand.

-J

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1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

Too late.

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Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

^^^ HAW !!!!

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

I was once walking through a wrecking yard and saw a guy working on a W123. He was trying to adjust the sidedraft carb on a 2.3. I didn't know you could still buy this carbed engine after 1976, but I guess that depended on the market you were in.

He said the car was purchased in Germany and bought home by a Serviceperson who had asked him to repair it. I think it was a 230 on the back. It had cloth interior with power windows in the front doors and crank windows for the rear doors. It also had the usual plastic hubcaps you see on some Euro cars, and Euro headlights.

So I guess in Germany you can order up most anything you want, either that or someone had replaced both rear doors with windows running on manual window regulators.

Yes, you could and can get only front power windows on many cars in Europe.

-J

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1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

a lot of W123 and also a lot of old BMW sedans were like that - power windows in the front only, I have also seen a W123 with power windows in the back only, I think that was a taxi convert but cannot prove it.

The 200 and 230 was a very common car for W123, the cloth interior and simplicity speaks of MB quality.

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2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)

This!

I've seen some euro W211 AMGs with cloth interiors, steel roofs, etc (basically strippo models) and would have loved one of those.

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-Justin

91 560 SEC AMG - other dogs dd
01 Honda S2000 - dogs dd
07 MB ML320 CDI - dd
16 Lexus IS250 - wifes dd

it's automatic.