At Least I Can Still Hop

At Least I Can Still Hop

A couple of weeks ago I tried a Mercedes. It was no ordinary new or nearly new Mercedes Benz but one that was as old as I was. At 37 years of age I am at the phase of life where running up a flight of stairs isn鈥檛 normal to do, or running for the sake of just running isn鈥檛 something we thirty-somethings would usually do. Although I do occasionally do try taking a flight of stairs in leaps and bound of two or three stairs at a time, most of the time it鈥檚 a step at a time. The body may decide to pull a hamstring or two if it felt it wasn鈥檛 warmed up enough to do the measly job of running up a flight of stairs. That鈥檚 being a 37 year old dignified bum and not Michael Schumacher. Now the Mercedes W114 230.6 I tried is worse than I am right now in my mid to late thirties.

At least I can still hop, skip and occasionally jump. But a 1974 230.6 is a very sedate ride to drive around in. Entering the car, starting it up and driving the darn thing for the first time is an experience from another lifetime, era, dimension, timezone or whatever word that reflects the difference it is from the motoring norm of today. I started up the car, released the handbrake, which was a grab-handle to the right of you and slotted into first. It was super vague and light. No notchiness and not much mechanical feel to it. Could be due to its age and slightly worn bushings. But coupled to its light clutch (yes, a 4 speed manual) it鈥檚 pretty easy to move off. The steering wheel is almost the same thing. A total lack of feel. You would have almost no confidence if you came out from a modern day classic, which although most new cars lack feel isn鈥檛 like any experience you鈥檇 find. This is probably due to the recirculating ball set up instead of a usual rack and pinion job which you鈥檒l find everywhere.

Mercedes only started using the rack and pinion recently (post 2000 onwards) and this being a 1974 model, felt as if you鈥檙e steering an arcade game. There is no feel whatsoever of the road below you. It isn鈥檛 even like some cars where you鈥檇 say that its like you鈥檙e running and your soles are jelly, where your body reacts slightly slower than the road surface due to the vague surface. In this case, its like playing a 1980s race car game, you turn the steering, the car turns but there鈥檚 no feedback whatsoever from the road. It鈥檚 unnerving at speeds above 80km/h. But you eventually get slightly used to it. Now if you complain that the Subaru Impreza has a slightly vague steering compared to the Lancer Evolution, wait till you try this sucker on. The Impreza after a W114鈥檚 power steering is full of feel, like a Porsche 911鈥檚, epic, superb, incredible, a paragon of modern engineering. So, everything鈥檚 relevant and subjective. Now handling is totally affected by the vague steering.. Due to it being a recirculating ball wheel, its also slow in its responses.

Somehow, you鈥檇 adapt to the vagueness of the steering and turn like what you鈥檇 turn in a super tanker. You turn the wheel 3 to 4 days in advance of the corner you鈥檙e about to take. But all in all, you somehow manage to adapt to the slow and ridiculously steady pace of driving this car. This is what wafting is all about. Things are done slow, steady and winning does not matter. Arriving in style (or a few centuries too late) is what matters. You cruise around the roads of Kuala Lumpur is a style that鈥檚 long gone for this cosmopolitan city of about a million or two worth of residents. It reminds you of an age where you don鈥檛 rush anywhere. Everything is about quality and not quantity. The 2.3liter 6 cylinder engine is a nice old school in line or straight 6 engine. It has ample pulling power and while slightly smokey due to its age, still had ample torque to pull it out of corners. Being a six, it is smooth for its age the car would easily cruise at 90km/h all day long without feeling stressed.

The 4 speed manual could do with an overdrive, but in the early 1970s, this was the norm. Auto was a pricey option that not many took. You tend to treat a car as old as this with a certain amount of respect. The same amount of respect you treat an 80 year old guy in a wheelchair. But the great thing about this old Merc is that it still is a sensible drive in the jam packed roads of Kuala Lumpur. It鈥檚 a Mercedes, it doesn鈥檛 overheat at the first semblance of a traffic jam. Yes it doesn鈥檛 drive like that old MGB GT I once drove. The MGB was a sports car of its time, its steering responses are still fast to this day. This was because Mercedes was building a competent sedan, and not a sports car. Its slow steering meant that passengers won鈥檛 feel as if they鈥檙e riding in a dodgem car. The slowed responses, smooth ride cossets them, makes them feel good after hours in the car. Everything is sensible. So sensible that after 36 years of age, it still is a good nearly modern classic car to own. A W123 Mercedes would be an even more sensible buy with its more modern driving style but if you really want a big grille with vintage style lights, and lots of chrome bumpers, this is the one to get. I liked driving it. Slow, and dull witted it may be, but an experience nonetheless. Note:W114s and W115 are essentially the same late 60s early 70s mid-sized sedans. The 114s are those equipped with 6 cylinder engines and the 115s with the smaller 4 cylinders ones.