dbtk

I have a brochure about MB design written by Bruno Sacco published in 1988. He commented on the importance not to design for the "spirit of the age". In other words, MB added tail fins to their cars pressured by the prevailing design sensibilities of American luxury cars of the day. By the time MB had released their version it was too late--the tastes had moved away from the tail fins. He reminds us that the MBs should be designed to look relevant for at least 20-25 years after their initial conception. And it is because of this design misstep that the 1961 220SE coupe emerged as one of the most well-proportioned and elegant designs. Here is what Sacco says about the 1959 tail fins:

"When I came to Daimler-Benz at the beginning of 1958, I noticed that everyone responsible was unhappy about the fins, which could no longer be kept at bay. But preparations for production were in full swing, and no one wanted to risk a delay in the launch of the vehicle, planned for the late summer of 1959. The situation finally came to be accepted; someone even said the fins had a function when in reverse gear. The expression 'direction fenders' was coined on the fins, which could no longer be eradicated.

We learned from this experience: the coupe version of this series, which appeared two years later, shows what this design concept actually involved. The treatment of the rear fender, the C-pillar and the rear windscreen were sufficient to elevate this design to immortality."