Why Many Experts Consider This the Greatest Car Ever Made
Cars have become a part of our everyday lives. Most of us living on the face of the earth haven’t seen a life where there are no cars around. It may have, in fact, been the greatest invention of the century before the last. However, have you ever wondered what’s the greatest car ever made?
This blog post tells you about the most revolutionary wagon ever invented and its incredibly inspiring journey that touched our lives.
The Precursor to the Greatest Car Ever Made
The year 1886 was the year of a most revolutionary invention that changed our lives forever. Yes, January 29, 1886 was the day when German engineer Karl Benz filed the application for patenting his design. This design was for a horseless carriage which would draw the power in the rear wheels from a gasoline engine. This was Benz’s magnificent Motorwagen.
This not only marked the birth of Mercedes-Benz but also a revolution in transport. Benz’s Motorwagen is the first ever car as we know it. It’s been a century and 3 decades since (130 years) there have been groundbreaking innovations by Mercedes-Benz, resulting in some of the sturdiest and best performing cars of 19th and 20th centuries. But, the basic Motorwagen wasn’t quite the greatest car ever made. It was a successor of the Motorwagen that was.
The Successor of the Motorwagen – the Greatest Car Ever Made
90 years later, one car was born to share the birthday with the Motorwagen, the long serving W115 – the W123. This car was addressed by its internal designation, but was known for its midsize architecture and impressively sober looks that could enchant any car buyer. To top it, were the technical innovations that the car came with. Mercedes-Benz launched it in the south of France before a group of journalists. Beginning with saloon as the first model, and Coupé as the next, the brand also launched an Estate model for the very first time. The next decade saw the production of approximately 2.7 million vehicles. This chapter of success marks the golden era for the E-Class (as I was called 1993onwards) Mercedes-Benz. As of 2017, it’s still a thing whether or not you have any industry knowledge.
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Why It Has Been the Best Car Ever
W123 was what just what the automotive world had needed then, and what it needs now. The decade following the birth of W123 Mercedes grew in popularity more than ever, not only as a luxury car but in so many other roles. Ambulance, taxi, police car, green car, even rally car. Even Holly hasn’t failed to use it. It has done this over the last 40 years. Thousands of these still run on the roads. Even if you go to a used car sale, till date you are likely to find this car.
Why one may call it the greatest car ever made is easy to understand in the context of the German cars. Before W123, there had been no term as “German Reliability”, which, in fact, is a big phenomenon now. This is one of the lesser-known facts about Mercedes-Benz. It, as the fact of the matter stands, marketed W123 as a luxury car which cost as much as a Cadillac Seville. However, since the American automobile industry was going through its quality control crisis and that to at the peak of the Malaise era, Mercedes was a golden portion. The incredible quality interiors and machinery parts were the hallmarks of even the low-end models of the brand.
And, the gas crisis, that had recently passed, made the four as well as five cylinder diesel engines extremely favorable. In fact, there power plants are the reason for W123’s durability. These engines were absolutely top notch. These engines are still famous for covering even 1 million miles with nothing but routine maintenance. This is why the fame travelled far and wide to cover the Middle East and Africa as well.
The Present
One very big reason why W123 has been such a favorite is because over-engineering. When we talk of depreciation, this car belies it, and passes very well to second and third owners. With such advanced features as side-impact crash protection, ABS, air bag on the driver’s side, and crumple zones, W123 was too good to resist. W123 was passed down generations. Innovation, however, never stopped. It was the first ever car that engineers modified to sun on biodiesel. This trend still hasn’t worn out.
The Future
W123’s popularity as compared to the past may have come down in the past one decade, but the respect remains. It may not be what the present generation wants, but it certainly is the greatest car ever made, that has stood around for decades and probably will continue to. We can certainly hail it as the true classic which is least likely to fade ever.
This is the reason why the continent and the world will never have Mercedes-Benz W123 out of its sight.