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Re: AutoExpress - Mercedes Ocean Drive First Drive! - 03-09-2007, 03:55 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Merc1 View Post
My only conern is structural rigidity. Mercedes is the best at building rigid convertibles and I don't want to see that compromised.

M
Here's your answer:

"The hotline to Germany notwithstanding, the only short-term solution proved to be fixed spacers to set the proper ride height, so the Ocean Drive effectively had no suspension travel at all. Riding on rubbery stand-ins rather than a cushion of air limited safe driving to just 25 mph, about the kind of speed you'd expect in a one-off art project instead of a production prototype.

Ironically, this happenstance only better demonstrated the incredible structural rigidity of the Ocean Drive's reinforced S600 chassis. In and out of driveways, over pavement dips and Bott's dots alike, the Ocean Drive didn't jiggle, rattle, moan or groan. Like a production car wearing too-tall wheels with too-short sidewalls, the four-door convertible gently idled through the sunbathed rolling hills near the Pacific Ocean in what we expect will one day be its future natural habitat."

BTW you posted the article.
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