Mercedes-Benz 280SE 45 - Oh Lord, won't you buy me a cheap, old autobahn sled?

摘要

LISTEN UP, ALL YOU CHILDREN OF the modern era: Believe it or not, there was a time when Mercedes-Benz didn't build outwardly exciting cars. Forget the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren and its 207-mph top speed. With a few notable exceptions (here's to you, 300SL Gullwing), prior to 1980, street cars from the three-pointed star looked about as pulse-tingling as a bowl of cold grits. Nevertheless, in many ways, we miss the Mercedes-Benz of old. Unhindered by the demands of marketing mavens, horsepower wars, or any real competition, Stuttgart spent the 1960s and early 1970s in a gloriously focused bubble. Its cars were designed and constructed with engineering considerations - not price or market niche - first. Styling came almost as an afterthought, an indifferent nod to the foolish whims of the outside world. What resulted were some of the most understated, well-rounded, and capable cars the world had ever seen.