November 26, 2024 marks 40 years for the reason that W124 was formally revealed.
Insiders say the W124 is a automobile that was made when Merc’s accountants had been on go away. Expertise this tough-as-nails, money-no-object automobile even right now and also you form of imagine the parable – it feels prefer it’s been chiselled out of a single block of metallic. However one factor’s for positive, no trendy automobile can evaluate with it – all these years on – in terms of its robust construct, sturdy engineering and single-minded give attention to consolation and refinement. What additionally makes this anniversary much more particular is that the W124 has a direct connection to Merc’s India story – it was the primary automobile Mercedes formally offered right here and is our hottest trendy basic right now.
The enchantment of the W124 begins with the design, particularly that near-perfect wedge profile. A clear break from the extra rounded W123, the W124 was clean-cut, had massive flat surfaces and massive chamfered edges, and this gave the automobile its block-like and chiselled seems.
The primary lower got here from the pen of designer Peter Pfeiffer (later additionally head of design). Then the idea was additional refined and ‘sanded down’ to its essence by design head Bruno Sacco, an Italian car designer who had frolicked with the masters of proportion, Pininfarina. The wedge form has, the truth is, displayed such purity with its built-in bumpers, flush-mounted home windows, snow-proof tail-lights and chiselled bootlid; it seems up to date even right now.
The W124 is the spine mannequin for the trendy basic automobile motion in India and globally.
Take a experience in one in every of these automobiles even right now, and you’ll expertise the stable really feel and immediately relate with the monolithic and stable nature of the design. And whereas the W124 seems boxy, it was truly very aerodynamically environment friendly. The wedge form and excessive trunk lid labored nicely when it got here to effectivity, and its 0.29 co-efficient of drag went as little as 0.26 on some variations. This made the W124 essentially the most aerodynamically environment friendly sedans on the planet on the time.
The W124 additionally had modern options like an articulated single wiper that lined a record-breaking 86 % of the windshield and rear headrests that dropped down on the press of a button for higher reversing visibility.
The W124’s India innings started as a part of a 50-50 three way partnership between Mercedes-Benz and Telco (as Tata Motors was then identified). However the automobile wasn’t a giant success in India as the brand new mannequin was already out in different markets and Indian prospects did not like that. Solely round 2,465 automobiles had been produced in India.
The E-Class wagon is without doubt one of the most wanted physique types, was by no means formally offered in India
In all, the Mercedes-Benz 124 collection consisted of quite a few physique types. We solely obtained the W124 sedan variations, however the fashions abroad included the property (S124); coupe (C124); cabriolet (A124); limousine (V124); rolling chassis (F124); and long-wheelbase rolling chassis (VF124). Give it some thought, the monocoque chassis was so inflexible it could possibly be stretched and used as a load provider with out main modifications.
As we speak, the W124 is a quintessential trendy basic globally, and the automobile has grow to be the spine of the trendy basic motion in India, with values quick appreciating. As we speak, it prices between Rs 4 and Rs 15 lakh for Indian-made automobiles, and that is anticipated to rise additional.
In celebration of the legendary 124 E-Class’ fortieth anniversary, we’re showcasing nearly each physique fashion of the 124 collection at #MBCCR2024.
Whereas the occasion is by invitation solely, write to us at mbccr@haymarketsac.com if you would like to get an invitation.
Try the MBCCR 2024 web site right here
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Kanishk Singh has always had a keen interest in fast-paced cars. For the past three years, he has been writing about automobiles, but his fascination with cars dates back even further. He thoroughly enjoys learning about their features and expressing his thoughts through his writing. Kanishk also has a profound interest in the stock market, shares, and business strategies. He possesses a wealth of knowledge on these subjects and consistently writes articles on them. Currently, he is working as a writer for Lattestnews24, specifically focusing on the Automobile, Finance, and Business categories. His well-crafted words are highly appreciated by the readers, as they find them both informative and creative.