German Car Zone

Mr. Mercedes · 05-23-2007, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merc1

Well I don't think it is all BS. Obviously there is something different about a car like an Arnage, but on the other hand it is an antique next to a S-Class or A8. Then again it has it all over those cars in sheer presense so the argument sways back and forth.

I do agree though that back during the Vickers era when Rolls and Bentley were together the use of the word "character" was to cover up sub-par everything. Now that the Germans are designing Bentleys and Rollers that isn't so, but they do have a certain charm German cars with their cold efficiency can't match. Ditto for Italian cars vs. German cars.

M

But that's what I find to be the beauty of german cars...their cold hard efficiency. It's another sort of charm to me.

And if you want to warm things up...they offer more then enough in terms of personalisation (indiviudal, disigno, AMG, M etc.). But in the end it's all about engineering excellence.

The Artist · 05-23-2007, 08:36 AM

meh the britts just praise their own brands..wich really arent their own brands anymore.. so go figure..

Merc1 · 05-23-2007, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Mercedes

But that's what I find to be the beauty of german cars...their cold hard efficiency. It's another sort of charm to me.

And if you want to warm things up...they offer more then enough in terms of personalisation (indiviudal, disigno, AMG, M etc.). But in the end it's all about engineering excellence.

Oh I agree wholeheartedly. When I've pushed my car to insane speeds (for U.S. highways, like 130 mph) I can fully appreciate the superior (if cold and effecient) engineering that went into it. Such things are indeed the "charm" or "character" of German cars for sure. I wouldn't have it any other way.

IMO, one that can appreciate or at least recognize all the different traits/characteristics cars from vastly different nations bring to the table is what makes one a true "car" enthusiast as opposed to a "brand" enthusiast.

M

PanterroR · 05-23-2007, 08:43 AM

Let me just say this: 63 or 65 model (AMG trim or not), 550 or 600, with designo or without, i'll agree with whoever wrote that article - no, it doesn't have the beauty of Aston Martin.

But compared to CL, the beauty is the only thing that AM has. Everything else: he gets owned!

In my opinion of course.

Merc1 · 05-23-2007, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Artist

meh the britts just praise their own brands..wich really arent their own brands anymore.. so go figure..

Everytime I read a comment like this I'm reminded of a special I saw on TV about the British car industry.

The comment went something like this "the Germans have accomplished with their checkbooks what they couldn't accomplish with their bombs". I found that to be such a thought provoking statement. It still is IMO.

M

The Artist · 05-23-2007, 08:53 AM

^wow thats kinda harsh..haha but kinda true maybe
its like all indian and pakistani folks say..
the britts occupied our land for a long time..
and now its payback time..

SDNR · 05-23-2007, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merc1

Everytime I read a comment like this I'm reminded of a special I saw on TV about the British car industry.

The comment went something like this "the Germans have accomplished with their checkbooks what they couldn't accomplish with their bombs". I found that to be such a thought provoking statement. It still is IMO.

M

That is a very "20th Century" attitude though. In this era of Globalization, we are dealing with Global brands. Rolls-Royce and Bentley are so often talked about with all kinds of stereotypical connotations of an old British aristocratic world which probably, for the most part, never really existed. Mercedes was once the great symbol of German industry, today it is a global brand -- and the emphasis is very much on Mercedes the brand ...rather than German industry -- as we know, some models are not even built in Germany -- the brand is what carries the weight in the 21st century.

Centurion · 05-23-2007, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Artist

meh the britts just praise their own brands..wich really arent their own brands anymore.. so go figure..

That's the funny thing about the Britts. They are so patriotic and passionate about their motoring history but when it comes to supporting them, no bloody bastard in the UK want to step forward with an opened wallet.

BMW_Dude · 05-23-2007, 09:45 AM

Well, some brits are indeed very brand bais, I'm not one of them, or I would be on britishcarzone.com!

An example is rover, ok the 75 was a pretty good car, engineered by BMW and all, but the rest of the range was awful, and people still bought them. The worst car of all was the city rover, a rebadge Tata, didn't sell well, but still sold and it was expensive. The Rover 25 and 45 were good cars when they were the 200 and 400, but nearly 10 years later, they needed updating and the pricing didn't reflect there age, and yet people still bought them. I agree some Brits are crazy in that respect!!!

Mr. M · 05-23-2007, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob

That is a very "20th Century" attitude though. In this era of Globalization, we are dealing with Global brands. Rolls-Royce and Bentley are so often talked about with all kinds of stereotypical connotations of an old British aristocratic world which probably, for the most part, never really existed. Mercedes was once the great symbol of German industry, today it is a global brand -- and the emphasis is very much on Mercedes the brand ...rather than German industry -- as we know, some models are not even built in Germany -- the brand is what carries the weight in the 21st century.

That is right. So what if British brands are owned by foreign companies? It's not like we haven't heard of Mercedes and BMWs being built in China. But we all know the quality stays, the British way of making interiors stays, and so does the German way of building cars stays, even though other factors may have changed.

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German Car Zone

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