(first posted 5/18/2018) Double-u one two three. It had to happen someday. It’s not like these are excessively rare or anything. They are hitting their 40s, so sightings are perhaps not as usual as they were. I had the privilege of coming in close contact with this rather lovely cream-coloured 1978 model recently, so here goes.
This generation of Mercedes-Benzes is not out of the banger area, but good ones are getting rare. These are nigh-indestructible cars, if looked after properly. Just like all the M-Bs up to that point, only more so. Daimler-Benz had hardly put a foot wrong since the war. Sales were growing steadily, the cars were usually beautifully styled and the marque’s reputation for excellence was universal. The Mercedes range usually consisted in a smaller saloon, a bigger one, a limo and the SL. Our focus today is the smaller saloon category.
Three decades of M-B 200s
The 1954 W180 “Ponton” generation kicked off the use of modern monocoque construction, but stylistically, the starting point was the Heckflosse W111, which was refined and smoothed out into the high-end W108/109 S-Class (not pictured) and the low-end Strich Acht W114/115 by the mid-‘60s. The W123 is a remarkable re-do of the W114/115 shape – with more rounded edges and a miniature S-Class look that was acceptably conservative. No hatchbacks please – though the W123’s smaller successor, the W201, was sketched as one in the late ‘70s, when Mercedes essentially split their low-to-mid-range saloons into the C- and E-Class (W201 and W124). A big separate trunk will do very well and will be acceptable in all markets. I see a strong continuum from the Fintail to the W123, as if the wind had eroded the W111 over the years.
W123 rear styling proposals, 1973.
The W123’s design is mostly post-Bracq (Bruno Sacco was head of styling at Mercedes when the W123 programme really got in gear), but it pays a very deep homage to Bracq’s W116 S-Class. The W116 and W107 SL of 1971-72 ushered in a small revolution with their horizontal lights and ridged safety taillamps, which would become part of the Mercedes design language for quite a while. Full-scale production started in December 1975 and the car was officially launched in January 1976 – only the saloon at first, but several variants beckoned.
The suspension, steering, brakes and most engines were identical to the previous W115. There were many flavours of W123: smoked (Diesel) or plain, carbs or EFI, 4-cyl. or 6-cyl., deluxe or taxi, coupé or limo. Never had Mercedes developed so many variants 29 versions of the W123 were developed in all, not counting the chassis-only versions. The classic hardtop C123 (above), which debuted in late 1976, was certainly the best-looking of the breed.
Continuing with a tradition that was pretty much abandoned by most automakers by the ‘70s, Mercedes proposed a Lang version from 1977, as they had done with the W115. The 63cm-stretched eight-seater was a favourite of airport taxis and high-end hotels; a few were also made for private buyers who thought the 600 (W100) was a bit steep. The W123 Lang cost as much as the cheapest S-Class, which was more palatable, but only came in three flavours: 240D, 300D and 250. Benz usually managed to shift a little over 1000 of these (plus a few hundred chassis for hearse or ambulance conversions) per annum, making it the rarest W123 body variant by far.
The real shocker was the 1978 introduction of the wagon. Until then, Mercedes wagons had always been made by third party coachbuilders. M-B finally caved into the combi – pretty much after everybody else had done so. Better late than never: just what the conservative yuppies and recycled hippies of the ‘80s needed to go on weekends in the Berkshires, the Riviera, the Lake District or visit their secret bank account in Switzerland. Finally, these stock ’80s stereotypes could have a Benz wagon cater to their need for aristocratic snobbery with a side of practicality and a dollop of reliability.
Our feature car’s 2.8 litre straight-6 with Pierburg carburetor, 4-speed manual and zero options.
Petrol engines went from a 2-litre 93 hp and a 2.3 litre 108 hp 4-cyl. to a 2.5 litre 127 hp or a 2.8 litre 154 hp 6-cyl. Fuel injection was available on the 230 and the 280, bringing the four and the six up to 134 and 175 hp, respectively. Three 4-cyl. Diesels were available (200D, 220D, 240D), as well as a 5-cyl. 3-litre (300D), initially rated at 79 hp. There were other engine options available in the ‘80s and the output of most engines depended on the anti-pollution legislation in individual countries, but let’s keep this readable. Additionally, not even Germany got every version of the W123, but the huge variety of durable engines on offer helped Daimler conquer market niches in many countries.
In the US, the W123 is synonymous with Diesel – indeed, it came only as a Diesel for the North American market from 1981 to 1986. They were also popular in France and Italy, where Diesel benefitted from lower taxation, though petrol version remained on offer in those markets. In Germany, Diesel W123s were usually taxis (of which there were plenty), but the private customer preferred the 230E. British buyers, who paid a lot for their Benzes in the ‘70s, usually went for the top-of-the-line 6-cyl – a 250 or a 280E. The W123 was also exported to all corners of the globe – they are ubiquitous in many African and Asian countries even today.
Which brings us to the W123 du jour. This 1978 Mercedes 280 is a friend’s car. They live in on the island of Bali, having recently moved there from Jakarta (along with the Benz). It’s had a re-spray and a bit of bodywork, but is pretty near original. Except that “E” on the trunk – that came from a more-common fuel-injected donor car. It seems the 280 was the least popular of the line: only about 33,000 sold from 1975-1981, after which the model was dropped. Virtually all the other engine options made the 100,000 unit mark, except the ephemeral 220D (1976-79, which still managed over 55,000 units), along with the US-only 300D Turbo (1981-86; 75,000 sold).
As we’ve seen, this Benz is carbureted and the big inline six is still relatively at ease in the front bay. This is from a time when A/C was still a relative luxury. Most European W123s didn’t have it, either. But they did have window defrosters and heating, which this Southeast Asian model never needed: the heater hoses were clamped, I assume from the factory, as can be seen below (the obviously broken hose in that shot is just a stump).
I’ve ridden in these before, but never with the black MB-tex in tropical heat. And there is a lot of traffic on parts of Bali these days. Eat, Pray, Honk! It’s a comfortable car to be in, though A/C would be high on my list of optional extras. Nice and low, with adequate legroom, the seats were springy and felt pretty dated. A contemporary Citroën CX or a Detroit full-sizer were even more comfortable than the W123, but what the Benz had was a well-earned reputation for quality and durability.
The W123 became the most widespread Mercedes around the globe – up to that point, anyway. In the US, the price of the new “baby Mercedes” was pretty high in the late ‘70s. It did not seem to harm the model’s penetration of the US market though, thanks to the dead reliable Diesels and the car’s overall sophistication compared to most of its competitors, be they European, American or Japanese. In Europe, the W123 was available with smaller engines and therefore capable of attracting a solid following. A lot of the European cars migrated to Africa by the ‘90s, just like many RWD Peugeots, to a second life of labour under the sun that continues to this day, or to Eastern Europe, whose appetite for anything with a three-pointed star was huge, especially in the ’90s. Cars in the Middle-East and Asia do not tend to change countries so much, with some exceptions of course (e.g. the recent influx of second-hand Japanese cars), but I believe our feature car has been Indonesian since birth.
Rust is the inevitable enemy of the 40-year-old car. In places like Indonesia, one also needs to contend with fungi, wildlife, humidity, volcanic ashes and the difficulty of sourcing spare parts. On top of that, one cannot insure a private car that is over ten years of age. It takes a lot of chutzpah to drive a 1978 Benz in some places. Few cars made in the ‘70s can survive like a Mercedes, though W123s benefitted from much better rust protection from 1979 onward.
The steering wheel in these is massive. And certain quirks, such as the dash-mounted handbrake or the big red “hazard” button on the console, really add to the car’s character. It’s funny, because I’ve seen these all my life, but never paid so much attention to the base saloon version. A coupé or a limo was always worth a look, but the saloon was just part of the everyday décor of life from the ‘80s to the present day.
A few design features help the rest of the car, such as the little curved strip on the C-pillar. A very Mercedes shape, that small detail is the W123’s Hoffmeister kink, if you will.
This cunningly upswept trim piece was seemingly added quite late in the game, replacing a more traditional W115-like chrome strip arrangement previously seen on the 1973 prototype picture. A late addition it may be, but it was an inspired one.
Our feature car had the US-type sealed beams / fog lamps setup originally, i.e. probably not the Euro-spec version as pictured above on the right. This was usually preferred in far-away countries such as Indonesia, as it was far easier to repair the sealed beams than the flush-mounted, glass-covered Euro-spec ones. In 1979, Mercedes introduced a new Euro-spec headlamp with a squarish look (above left), though it seems either arrangement (sealed beams, old Euro-spec and new Euro-spec) could be provided, depending on the model, the model year and country-specific variables. For whatever reason, our CC had the big Euro-lights fitted some time ago. I must say I don’t mind the sealed beam version of this Benz – provided the bumpers aren’t US-style also.
Daimler-Benz built about 2.7 million W123s from 1976 to 1986. When times were good, Mercedes sold more 6-cyl. cars; when times were bad, they sold more Diesels. The sturdiness of the car, and its safety and comfort, were still strong selling points in the ‘80s. They were mainly built in Germany (Sindelfingen and Bremen factories), but CKD assembly took place in Venezuela, Thailand (which is perhaps where this car originated) and South Africa. The W123 was also the first Mercedes assembled in China, by FAW, from CKD kits in 1984. They made something like 900 units. The Long March started with a first step…
W123 with Bolognese sauce: 1983 Lancia Trevi (Source: Wikicommons)
A sign of the W123’s influence was the 1980 Lancia Trevi. The Lancia tried to look as alike the Benz as it dared. Quality-wise, Lancia were not in the same league, so it looks like the Italians borrowed the W123’s image to signal their recent taking up of rust-proofing. Lancia were in a bad place in 1980, their image tarnished by the Gamma debacle and their European market share in free fall. Many have copied Mercedes designs over the years, but nobody thought Lancia would have gone there. They did.
The W123 is perhaps the definitive incarnation of the old Mercedes-Benz spirit. I have read many accounts of Daimler’s de-contenting of Mercedes since the ‘90s, though I’m not sure whether that’s had much of an impact on the general public’s perception of the above – still a symbol of quality, for almost anyone you’d ask. It remains to be seen how the Benzes of the late ‘90s will fare at 40-plus years of age. It’s unlikely that many will reach that point. They really don’t make ‘em like this anymore.
A big terima kasih to Nungki & Melly, the car’s proud owners, and Luwi, who helped restore it years ago. And special thanks to Paul for his corrections!
Related posts:
Curbside Classic: 1985 Mercedes 300D Turbodiesel – More Than A Fashion Statement, by Perry Shoar
Mercedes Purgatory: Where W123s Awaited Their Bio-Diesel Reincarnation, by PN
CC Capsule: 1980 Mercedes-Benz 300D – The Ultimate Professor’s Car, by Jim Grey
CC Outtake: A Mercedes-Benz W123 Taxi in 2016, by Robert Kim
Vintage Review: 1977 Mercedes-Benz 280E – Teutonic Triumph, by GN
COAL: 1980 Mercedes Benz 300D – Slow and Steady Wins the Race, by Importamation
COAL: 1984 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel – One More Time, With Feeling, by Importamation
In-Motion Classic: Mercedes-Benz W123 in Heavy Traffic, by Yohai71
Mercedes parts are cheap in my neck of the woods. Original pattern parts or quality copies. Service items are much cheaper than Japanese factory items, but decorative rubber and trim bits are eye watering expensive. Hit me up if your friend needs bits bought.
That C123 is really a 230CE coupe no? Friend had a beauty many years ago. Rolled the poor car and wrote it off. He hasn’t owned another car since!
The W123 series is an excellent car, ridden in and driven them for 1000s of miles , definitely a usable everyday classic.
Rock solid mechanics and very resistant to rust, much more so than the 1995 – 2005 Mercedes junk
The coupes are lovely and feel a bit more special than the saloon
These are what made Mercedes unfortunately they have strayed so far away from these cars that i would’nt consider buying a new one today.
This. When I was contemplating my first new car, I spent considerable mental energy on one of these. A 6 cylinder gas engine, a manual transmission, MB Tex interior and probably no option except for perhaps air conditioning. Yes, it would be expensive, but it could last for years, if not decades. An investment.
Then came reality. As you note, no such car was on the menu in the US in 1985. No gas engines and no old fashioned strippos. And certainly nothing that I could even remotely afford.
I still carry a torch for one of these in taxi spec.
Yes, but taxi spec = no A/C, usually. It was really boiling in that car. But I do see the appeal of the bog-standard, big six and nothing else W123, which is what this one is.
These are usually cheap in Oz, lots of miles but not much rust. A testament to their solidity, because they could not possibly have sold in big numbers when new. Not only were there quotas on imports, there were oversized tariffs which meant almost absurd prices for already pricey cars. And pricey in a way that doesn’t translate in ’83 v ’18 adjusted dollars, because there were just nowhere near the number of folks with the folding to buy such luxury then as in the vastly-richer Oz of now.
This made these exotic new. For me, a wonder then, and desirable ever since.
But, but. I went in a 280E new, and have a driven a few since. Steering? A bit vague. Seats? Springy, collapsy, not nice. Engine noise? High. Road roar? Immense. Ride? Good, but very thumpy. Performance? Not strong even as a 280E. Fuel use? Very poor as a petrol. Longevity? Reality is that plenty of contemporary Japanese engines (and US V8’s) would also do 350,000k’s given the careful maintainance an expensive buy like the W123 mostly received.
Though there’s one difference; the body solidity of the 350k Merc will be hard to tell from when it was new.
And perhaps that, along with the timeless look, is the attraction still.
I have to agree on the engine noise. It surprised me, actually. Much louder than I imagined. And it didn’t have a very refined note, either, especially in the higher revs in 2nd or 3rd gear. It sounded almost exactly like a 6cyl Citroen Traction Avant, actually. Same “whoosh” sound, topped by the gear whine.
But the suspension I thought was really good. Miles better than our Crown or the taxi I’m currently riding in, which is an ’80s lei van. IRS is really something else…
Fine article. Lancia might have copied Mercedes for the outside of the Trevi, but they went their own peculiarly-Italianate way for the interior!
Here it is…
Yes, that’s the Trevi’s real claim to fame. Pity I didn’t include that pic in my Lancia Deadly Sins post.
a bit of trivia re headlights: in EU spec, there was a distinction between low level and high level cars for the first years of production. The lower 4 cyl cars wore the round lights seen on the right in the picture above, while all 6 cyl cars had the squared off main beams to be seen on the left of the picture. The squared off lights became standard across the range with the mid-cycle refresh. US cars all had the sealed beam round lights, though.
So, this CC should originally have worn square lights, being a 280.
Yes, I was going to say the same thing about the headlamps. The 1982 refresh eliminated round headlamps except for the US market.
Mercedes-Benz wasn’t only one. BMW did the same with its E21 3-Series: larger single round headlamps for its four-cylinder versions and smaller twin round ones for six-cylinder versions. Volkswagen reversed that for its first generation Scirocco: rectangular for lower model trims and twin round for sporty or higher trims. Many people jettisoned rectangular ones for round ones. Audi differentiated its 100 and 200 (C1) by using different headlamps.
I don’t know for sure. Maybe the Euro cars only. This one originally had the quad look (in-board lights were yellow), that much is clear from what they told me. I understand that the big composite headlamps only arrived on the scene in 1979 – but it seems you’re saying otherwise…
If you would peruse mobile.de and autoscout24.de, you will see lot of 280E with rectangular headlamps as early as 1976.
Click here for mobile.de classified ads.
In addition, you would find lot of brochures printed in 1975 for 1976 280E. They show 280E with rectangular headlamps.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MERCEDES-BENZ-280E-orig-1975-1976-UK-Mkt-Sales-Brochure-Specs-Folder-280-E-/222589720953
http://oudemercedesbrochures.nl/W123_280_1275engels.html
Most South East Asian distributers (sans Singapore, which the car sold were CBU) at that time would order Seal Beams and also US bumpers for customers as an alternative, (buyers could swapped it at distributer). my uncle had a 200 with US sealed beam and US bumper in Malaysia back in the days. The car was CKD there.
You mentioned that private car insurance is not available for cars ten years and older. So how do you drive an older car such as your friends MB?
This caught me as funny, as well. I think it means that either *collision* insurance is not available, or that in Bali, automobile insurance is not required to own and operate a car.
In Aus, for example, a car must be registered (natch!) and a huge chunk of that yearly “registration” charge is actually compulsory insurance premium for injury (govt-run but consisted in a panel of private insurance companies). But there is no other requirement to have insurance for property damage in order to drive about. I took Tatra87 to mean therefore that it takes some balls to drive a rare car in fairly crazy conditions without being able to get any protection for damage to it. Or indeed, with ’70’s brake bits, for damage to someone elses’ car.
Perhaps the unavailability of such insurance is mandated to discourage an old fleet in the country (or perhaps just in the province of Bali)?
That’s what I meant by “no insurance”. The driver is insured but the car is not. If it gets into a fender-bender, even if you’re the victim, you get zilch for repairing your car.
Big difference from my old digs in Myanmar, where there was just no insurance system at all for vehicles.
It may just be me but from my observation it seemed like better than 75% of the W123s sent to the US were that creme color.
I agree. Although my uncle had a white one and a high school classmate had a maroon one.
There was an olive green too.
Cream was not a very popular choice in Europe, as I recall. Too associated with taxis in Germany. W123s were usually dark green, maroon or orange, especially the earlier ones.
I seem to be good at finding old cream- or yellow-coloured Benzes, for some reason. There’s a black Fintail taunting me in the area. I need to catch it to stop this cream Benz series. Black suits the Fintail much better anyway.
Just last month, I came across this Euro-spec 230E here in Virginia — in a color I don’t remember seeing before. It’s hard to tell in the picture, but it’s a light green — sort of like a creamy pea soup, but that description doesn’t do the car justice. I think it was a very complementary color for the car.
Of course, it may have been a repaint, so not entirely original, but the color does seem period-correct to me.
Excellent article, by the way. It’s hard to believe that we haven’t had a full CC on a W123 until this point, but it is somewhat daunting to write a short history of a legendary car. I’m glad you undertook the task, and this 280 was a great example.
I’ve never seen a handbrake like that in a W123! Interesting, I wonder if this is just on RHD versions? The three USA, LHD versions I have had in my life (1979 240D, 1980 300D, 1982 300D) had a foot pedal parking brake. There was just a round release knob where that big handle is.
Mercedes-Benz wasn’t only one to have that dashboard parking brake handles. Many vehicles that have foot-operated parking brakes in LHD versions have hand-operated parking brakes in their RHD versions.
But surely those LHD versions were automatics? Pedal-operated parking brakes are not usually found in manual cars (though there may be exceptions). Where is the handbrake in LHD manual W123s?
None.
All LHD W123 regardless of gearbox type have foot-operated parking brake. The small pedal is adjacent to the clutch pedal. I know for fact because my family often rode the W123 taxicabs when holidaying in Germany in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
One driver had a trick for hill start, which was easier done than said. Here’s the trick:
1. Right foot on brake
2. Press clutch and shift into neutral
3. Release clutch
4. Press the parking brake
5. Release the brake
6. Press clutch and shift into first
7. Left hand on the parking brake release
8. Release clutch and parking brake at the same time
Look at number five, Feststellbremse, in the drawing.
If this isn’t convincing…
here’s the photo of LHD W123 with manual gearbox and foot-operated parking brake. The large pull knob next to the headlamp control is the release.
As an automobile enthusiast, people often ask me, “What’s the best car?”
This is.
ah… a new tatra87 article. as always, i must stop what i am doing and read it immediately.
i had the privilege of owning an ’83 240d manual for about 5 years. a few notes on the w123 from that experience…
the ergonomics aren’t good. they are perfect. visibility, driving position, dashboard, the chassis dimensions: all perfect.
the diesel has a cult reputation but honestly it’s a pain in the a**. it’s genuinely, frightening to pull out into highway traffic. mine was not the turbo so i imagine those models would be better. still, i wish they were available with a straight six in the u.s.
the manual transmission was sadly only available in the u.s. on the 240 series. it’s a four speed and the car definitely would benefit from a five speed gearbox.
i replaced the rubber shift knob with an after-market wooden one. nothing short of a gated shifter is this nice.
i’m a bit of a radio geek. the becker am/fm cassette is wonderful. when i bought the car, i went into my closet and found a forgotten travel case of college era homemade cassettes. it fit perfectly into the console. there is something magical about listening to an old cassette or your favorite station gliding along at night, glancing down to see the faint glow of the becker in the console.
the mb-tex seats are great but the fill after 20+ years, not so much. after two hours of driving, my back would ache. if i had kept the car, i would have looked into having them re-stuffed.
despite the reputation, mine was less than perfectly reliable. half a dozen or so $500 repairs per year. understandable considering it’s age. also, i think my mechanic was taking advantage of me. if i lived somewhere that allowed me to learn how to repair the car myself, it would have been manageable but that was not an option.
the yellow fog lights are useless in fog but they look so cool.
of all the cars i’ve owned, this is the one i miss the most.
The yellow fog lamps started to appear on the US version in 1980. Prior to 1980, they were white. No reason given anywhere in the 1980 brochure for the switch to yellow.
Their effectiveness is questionable since yellow tint reduces the light output greatly and didn’t improve the visibility in the fog. The most effective location is under the bumpers or as close to the ground as possible.
I think the switch to yellow fog lamps in USA versions, was that US drivers + police officers assumed four lights on = you are driving with your high beams on. People would honk, flash their lights, flash the middle finger, or you might get pulled by a cop. I witnessed all this in our 1979 240D as a 10 year old. As soon as the 1980’s came out with the yellow lenses, my parents had them installed at the dealer. The fog lights were Euro style lights with replaceable bulbs.
The fog lights were slightly smaller than the outboard headlamps, but no one could tell.
I bought a 1985 300D a year ago off eBay to replace my diesel Golf, which I returned to VW in the Dieselgate buyback. Disappointed in the “”Cleandiesel” experience, and averse to the compexity of the TDI, I decided to embrace the agricultural qualities of a diesel W123.
I have owned the car just over a year, and I have added 20,000 miles, mostly shuttling up the Pa turnpike for work. Yes, there is a bit of play in the steering, and the ride is not Lexus smooth. But the car is comfortable, confidence inspiring, even fun. I think the turbo makes a big difference – on ramps aren’t stressful, the car keeps up with traffic without effort, torque is ample at freeway speeds.
At 260,000 miles, the engine feels new. That said, these cars require careful maintenance and other systems are not invulnerable to age. The previous owner replaced the transmission, the ac compressor, more. I completed the mechanical refurbishment with new drive axles, oil cooler pipes, and brake and climate control work.
Car spent most of its life in California, so I see the repairs as a lasting investment. And the car makes me happy. Isn’t that what it’s all about?
“A few design features help the rest of the car, such as the little curved strip on the C-pillar.”
This little piece of trim was used to hide the gap between the roof’s and the rear fender’s sheet metal.
Another good post I managed to miss the first time around .
Those 280’s with the M110 DOHC i6 engines were pretty sprightly in spite of the massive heavy body ~ they passed almost anything but filling stations .
The European Spec cars all came with beautiful delicate tin foil bumpers, the gassers like this had slightly longer ends that looked *much* better, afforded _zero_ impact resistance, I added a set to my ’84 300CD, for some reason Mercedes never made a European Diesel Coupe, I had to convert mine, a labor intensive job but the results were marvelous in looks and performance .
Oddly, the ’77 ~ ‘ Mid ’81 W123’s four speed automatics all started off in _second_ gear, this hindered the performance quite a bit .
I hope your friends are still enjoying their old Mercedes Diesel .
-Nate
Well, it took a lot of years but Tatra, you answered my question. When my wife and I were in Athens in the 1990’w, a Mercedes limousines of this W series drive past laden with passengers. I thought that it was a stretch by a body builder because I had never seen on in the States. Now I know. Unfortunately, we do have stretch S-classes here which do not look any better than any other non-factory build limousine.
Exemplary example here! Great durable and utilitarian family cars, without a doubt, but I always preferred SAAB 99/900s and Volvo 240s for that household role for a number of practical reasons, having had 5 of each, with no regrets.
There seems to be a perception nowadays that in the ’70s and ’80s Mercedes and BMW were considered classier and more “old money” than Brougham type cars, but what I’ve read from the time seems to indicate the opposite. Paul Fussell’s book Class from 1982 goes into great detail on the tastes and prejudices of the then-waning (and now basically dead) WASP aristocracy of 20th century America, and he makes it clear that while cars in general were always kind of vulgar (older things were better, and cars were by definition newfangled), the classiest car was a black long-wheelbase Cadillac or Lincoln driven by a servant (the car was called a car, not a limousine, and the driver called a driver, not a chauffeur), and the second classiest is an anonymous mid-premium car like an Olds or a Mercury, a few years old (the modern equivalent would be an L-Finesse era ES350, maybe?). Fussell then absolutely lights up European luxury cars, especially Mercedes, which he describes as cars for “African cabinet ministers” (keeping in mind that the ’80s were a much worse decade than today for both African governments and American racism). Mercedes was even more crass than Rolls-Royce, which considering the sort of abominations against taste that come out of RR today is kind of hard to wrap one’s head around.
I think the association of German luxury cars with yuppies is quite instructive here as yuppies are, by definition, new money. The truly highest class people, back then, didn’t work at all, and often didn’t participate much in public life, instead hiding in estates that couldn’t be seen from the street, or on their yachts (wooden, with sails). They didn’t want to be visible to the public, and were often quite afraid of the public and lingering anti-wealth sentiment among them. Guess they also don’t make the rich like they used to.