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[quote=NicFromLA;890657]A lovely car with a lovely and clean conversion, but tell me: During the course of deconstructing this car, didn't anything think to repaint the bumpers and rocker panels to match the rest of the car?[/quote]
Is it even metal? It looks a bit like plastic to me.
The first version of W126 all came with a grey finish on the lower-body side cladding and bumpers, but these were painted in body colour from the 1986 update. Those ribbed side panels also became smooth from that date and the bumper contours were slightly altered.
These days its significant to recall that this, a most minor of visual change confined to plastic trim, was the only 'facelift' incurred by W126 and C126 for 12 years. As testament to the original design goodness from master M-B stylist Bruno Sacco, the 126 Chassis received no alteration to any of the original metal bodywork, throughout its entire 1979~1992 production run!
Few manufacturers would contemplate this lack of change, either back then or today, especially for their premium-sector flagship.
[URL=http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z125/nota_photo/Mercedes_380SE.jpg][IMG]http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z125/nota_photo/th_Mercedes_380SE.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
[URL=http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z125/nota_photo/Mercedes-Benz1981380SEC.jpg][IMG]http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z125/nota_photo/th_Mercedes-Benz1981380SEC.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
In fact I've heard they were still assembling W126 in South Africa as late as 1994.
And like Leon, I too prefer the non-monotone variants, of both Alfa and the Benz.
I like the way the Benz pulls it off without using b-pillars and a roll bar like the BMW has. A much cleaner look.