Fifty years of evolving luxury, encapsulated in an unusually nuanced day of passion. As a first step we make contact with the latest evolution of the Star brand flagship, the new S-Class, recently presented with an extraordinary content upgrade: more than 6,500 new parts and improvements that, apart from the driver assistance devices, revolve around the interior and the Energizing Comfort programme.
For those accessing the cockpit the impact is like being admitted to an exclusive club. From the double controls for the windows (apart from the window, you can electrically activate the sunshade too) to the screens on the seat backs, from the lounge-type design of the headrests to the cabinet between the two rear passengers, the number of solutions that go beyond automotive custom is significant. And if you appreciate commitment to simplifying the stylistic layout and the amount of information involving drivers and occupants, the outstanding element remains the quality of the finish and the materials.
When Mercedes reveals that, for the occasion, it is also possible to try out a 280 CE coupé of 1968 (owned by the manufacturer and awarded the Targa Oro Asi) there’s no escaping the temptation to look further into such an intriguing historical parallel. The two-doors of the time constituted, in many respects, a more elegantly elitist variant of the saloon, without any particular sporting aspirations: for this reason the interior has been upholstered with the rigorous opulence of a prestige touring car, starting from the wide, well-padded seats. The use of briarwood, far from being reduced to inserts as would be the case in following decades, strikingly outlines the graphic structure of the dashboard and defines the contours of some of the parts.
Photos by Silvio jr. Suppa
At the time, the Stuttgart designers stood out for their unrivalled combination of generosity and sobriety, with qualitative research that was perhaps more focused on durability than on scenic effects. Today, the visual load is more important in relation to the increase in on-board equipment, but the prestige is unaltered and, if possible, growing. It is not easy to dim a Star. #Mercedes-Benz #ClasseS
