MillenialManc said:
The A124 suspension and some cabrio-specific features were developed by Porsche. The whole project to bring out a luxury true 4 seater after a 20 year gap was top secret so they delivered it at Weissach (Porsche R&D) using 30 Porsche staff working alongside the Mercedes engineers. The project manager worked for MB and Porsche at the time so it all made sense. Unlike the 500E, Porsche had no role in manufacturing the A124 but it leveraged their expertise and it was partly this collaboration that led to Porsche’s work on the 500E. The A124 project kicked off in about 1986 to create a convertible version of the 190. Three prototypes were made and destroyed in crash tests. It became clear that the 190 chassis was too small to have the active rollover protection, true 4 seat legroom, and a usable boot. Plus by the time the cabrio was launched, the 190 chassis would be near the end of its life. So, Mercedes decided to jump in with both feet and make a more luxurious, bigger and impeccably built 4 seater grand tourer to eclipse any other cabrio. Mercedes asked for a cabrio as stiff as a saloon and while it didn’t get that far, it came close. The A pillars were reinforced with lead balancing weights and custom vibration dampeners were invented for the windscreen frame, under the engine, in the engine bay, and two more in the trunk. Extensive stiffening under the car and inside the dashboard, with over 1000 parts different to the coupe due to reinforcement, minimised scuttle shake. I will have other cars come and go but my A124 is my forever car and I hope this one gives you as much joy as mine has given to me.
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NO RESERVE: 1995 Mercedes-Benz E320 Cabriolet
MillenialManc said:
The A124 suspension and some cabrio-specific features were developed by Porsche. The whole project to bring out a luxury true 4 seater after a 20 year gap was top secret so they delivered it at Weissach (Porsche R&D) using 30 Porsche staff working alongside the Mercedes engineers. The project manager worked for MB and Porsche at the time so it all made sense. Unlike the 500E, Porsche had no role in manufacturing the A124 but it leveraged their expertise and it was partly this collaboration that led to Porsche’s work on the 500E. The A124 project kicked off in about 1986 to create a convertible version of the 190. Three prototypes were made and destroyed in crash tests. It became clear that the 190 chassis was too small to have the active rollover protection, true 4 seat legroom, and a usable boot. Plus by the time the cabrio was launched, the 190 chassis would be near the end of its life. So, Mercedes decided to jump in with both feet and make a more luxurious, bigger and impeccably built 4 seater grand tourer to eclipse any other cabrio. Mercedes asked for a cabrio as stiff as a saloon and while it didn’t get that far, it came close. The A pillars were reinforced with lead balancing weights and custom vibration dampeners were invented for the windscreen frame, under the engine, in the engine bay, and two more in the trunk. Extensive stiffening under the car and inside the dashboard, with over 1000 parts different to the coupe due to reinforcement, minimised scuttle shake. I will have other cars come and go but my A124 is my forever car and I hope this one gives you as much joy as mine has given to me.