2019-06-01 Classic Cars

(Jacob Rumans) #1

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urconvoyturnsoffthemainroadtoheaddown
into Farndale on some narrow, twisty valley-
sideroads.I’vebeeneyeingtheeleganceofline
the 1993 Mercedes-Benz E320 convertible has
withitsrooffoldeddown,andnowit’stime to
getbehindthewheel– anairbag-equippedfour-
spokerthat’sonthelargesidebutnowherenear
asvastasthehelmsonearlierMercs.Asalways
with an Untertürkheim product the interior is
beautifully constructed, if clearly still mass-
produced ratherthan the resultof skilledwork
by aseasoned craftsman. Supple cream leather
swathestheinteriorofthiscar,a mixture ofplain
and perforated hide covering the wide, flat seats and ruched
panelstrimmingthedoors.Rearseat passengerswouldneedto be
friendlybecausethecabinnarrowsto make spaceforthehoodto
retract alltheway downto thewindowline,butat leastthere’sa
reasonableamount oflegroom.Highly-polishedwalnutpanelson
thedoorsanddashprovidea tastefulcontrastoftoneandtexture.
I slideinto thedriver’sseat anda robotarmsoonextendsfrom
thebackofthecabinovermy right shoulderto handmemy seat
belt.Theignitionkeyslotsintothedashtotheleftofthewheel
andontherightthere’sthesinglecolumnstalk,controllingthe
indicators.Theparking brake isthecuriousarrangementMercedes
wasweddedto at thetime,setusing a smallpedalontheleftof
thefootwellandreleasedwitha pullhandleontheright ofthe

dashboard. There are Mercedes’ usualultra-clear instruments,
witha 160mphspeedointhecentreflankedontheleftby a cluster
containingwatertemperature,oilpressureandfuelgauges,and
ontherightby a revcounterwithaninsetanalogueclock.
The danger zone starts at 6400rpm and the straight-six
enginewillhappilyspinsmoothlyright uptotheendofthered
paintat 7000rpm.It takesona purposefulsnarlifyoukeepthe
accelerator plantedbeyond3000rpm.Butperformanceisbrisk
rather thanblistering, andthe characterof theW12 4 cabriolet
doesn’t encourage youto driveit like that.It’llrushif youwant to,
andthemeatyweightingofthepowersteeringandwell-damped
suspension hintat hiddendepths of ability. Buttackle twisty,
bumpyroadsandyou’llfindthebodysquirming andvibratingin
a mostun-Mercedes-likeway,thewindscreenframeshimmying
insympathy asthesuspensiondealswiththeworstofthelumps
andrutsintheroadsurface.Reallyit’sa carforwafting effortlessly
alonghighwayorbywaywiththeroofstowedsothat agentle
breeze eddiesaroundthecabin,transmissioninDandthestraight
sixmurmuringsoftlyupfront,witha fewsummery tunesinthe
aircourtesyoftheBlaupunktCDheadunit.
ThecabrioletW12 4 arrivedin 1990 , sixyearsafterthesaloon.
Itwasthefirstfour-seatdropheadMercedessincethedemiseof
the W111in 1971.Early cabrios,badged300CE-24,wereamong
thefirstMercedesmodelstousethenewM10424-valvesix.In
1993 afour-cylinder220CEwasintroducedandthesix-cylinder
modelwasupgradedtoa 3.2-litreM104engineandbadged320CE.

The large wheel hints at the
driver to adopt a loper’s mindset

The 3.2-litre six-pot will
happily rev out to 7000rpm

[The Big Test] Top Cabrios
Free download pdf