Most well made car ever

"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch) 10/24/2019 at 13:23 • Filed to: dumb questions

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Just thinking the other day, about different boom and bust cycles in the car world and thinking back to quality control. Did fewer vehicles and more attention to each vehicle mean better built cars? or did the advent of modern techniques and technologies promise a better built car? when was the breakpoint for efficient assembly vs value engineering? or was there one? in short...what was the most well built car ever?

rules:

serialized production run of 1500 units or greater only. no hand built one offs or super low volume exotics built by hand in NASA grade cleanrooms.

well built =/= screwed together with care. it means a vehicle that was built with quality, well engineered components to be long lasting and is uniform in assembly. another way to look at it would be which vehicle could you take 2 different examples of and compare them at high mileage and say that they are experiencing the same levels of wear and fitment and low rates of common failure.

A good example would be My land cruiser. its at the peak of the Japanese bubble economy and built strong and over- engineered to an insane degree...but...its built like crap next to my gx which has tighter tolerances, better techniques and a far more robust and advanced electrical system.

The gx may not be built as tough, but the UZ engine is a better made engine than the fz and the body is built to a way higher standard.

So which is the better built? hard to say.

I would give the nod to the GX on account of it being made better with little given up for toughness...they are still plenty durable after all.  Best made?  probably not.  its not its little problems including high tech problems other simpler cars wouldn’t have.

So whats your vote...whats the most well made car ever?

ranwhenparked > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 13:37

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1990 Lexus LS?

HammerheadFistpunch > ranwhenparked 10/24/2019 at 13:39

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not a bad choice for contender.  in the bubble, flagship program, high stakes.  could be in the top 10 for sure.

Chariotoflove > ranwhenparked 10/24/2019 at 13:39

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I don’t know if it is or not, but it’s a darned good guess.

Ash78, voting early and often > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 13:43

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W123 Mercedes?

The nod has to go to something from the pre-CAD era because it had to be over-engineered back then. Almost everything had to be actually built and tested in the flesh.

The more I talk to knowledgeable people, the more I started to realize that efficient manufacturing is more often used in order to make something with the fewest/thinnest/cheapest materials possible.

There might be a breakover point, like a best of both worlds. Early 90s Lexus was already mentioned, that’s a good one.

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 13:45

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90s Camrys obviously. Even early 90s models are still quite common IN CHICAGO, and mostly without extensive rust. 

benjrblant > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 13:45

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1993 Ford Tempo

no pic because kinja

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 13:45

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Has to be an older gen Hilux right?

fintail > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 13:48

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MB W123/W126

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 13:48

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The most well-made car relative to prevailing technology was probably the Silver Ghost. Outside that, with the “value” of different pieces of technology or broad features of design being a highly variable metric, I don’t know if I could say. If one were to make a mindblowingly *simple* car with modern door seal engineering, modern drivetrain skills applied to a setup with more minimal emission/etc. sacrifices and minimal plastic/sensitive components, modern aero, and the highest quality materials, I could recognize it as a contender...

but a modern car *must* have a maximum of internal electrics. It *must* have plastic trim and a padded dash - no possibility of an aluminum dash with extremely hard-wearing lacquer and craftsmanly woodwork. Not in volume production.

In a sense, I don’t think “well made” as I’d define it or the men building the Silver Ghost would have defined it is a meaningful phrase in the current landscape, past thresholds of “low quality, mid quality, high quality”. Too many variables, and nobody really pushing the limits of robustness and simple elegance for the hyucks, to the maximum permitted by technology.

If anybody’s still close, it’s probably still Rolls Royce, though.

HammerheadFistpunch > Ash78, voting early and often 10/24/2019 at 13:52

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yeah, value engineering is 100% a thing. I remember talking to an engineer at Toyota about that 1,000,000 mile Tundra they bought back. I asked what they expect to learn from tearing it apart for future production knowledge

“what things are stronger than they need to be, what fabrics and materials can be made cheaper...basically anywhere they can pull costs out of something.”

HammerheadFistpunch > Ash78, voting early and often 10/24/2019 at 13:52

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w123 is a good choice. what engine?

Spanfeller is a twat > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 13:53

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I’m tempted to say that a base model car from a fancy manufacturer might win... say an A class.

Tight QC tolerances because lux

Easier to make because base model

Probably built by overskilled workers (people who might have to be able to put together a C300) 

Mass produced because cheap

DucST3-Red-1Liter-Standing-By > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 13:53

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When new, VW Ph ae ton. So over engineered

Aero > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 13:54

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I think the Continental Mark II would be up there.

HammerheadFistpunch > MiniGTI - now with XJ6 10/24/2019 at 13:54

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i can see that. though I can’t say the bodies were particularly rust resistant.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 13:54

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Just taking a stab... 2007 Lexus LS (before the great recession)?

(made comment before I read ranwhenparked’s, fwiw)

HammerheadFistpunch > benjrblant 10/24/2019 at 13:55

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i can’t say i remember the last time I saw a roadworthy example. but I sure see a lot of pontiacs from that era

HammerheadFistpunch > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 10/24/2019 at 13:55

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could be, they certainly had their problems too though.

HammerheadFistpunch > fintail 10/24/2019 at 13:55

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another vote for a worthy contender 

HammerheadFistpunch > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 10/24/2019 at 13:56

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rolls is up there for sure.  though to be fair, no one is beating on them so we don’t really know.

HammerheadFistpunch > DucST3-Red-1Liter-Standing-By 10/24/2019 at 13:58

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see I was going to use a phaeton in my example, but the thing is...the components were too fragile and under tested. lots of silly and stupid failure modes on this and its stablemates (cayenne, touareg, A8, etc)

HammerheadFistpunch > Aero 10/24/2019 at 13:59

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thats lovely. 

Textured Soy Protein > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 13:59

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I don’t know about ever, but for the current moment, I might go with the Century or the NSX. 

HammerheadFistpunch > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 10/24/2019 at 14:00

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too much fancy stuff.  but very well made.

HammerheadFistpunch > Textured Soy Protein 10/24/2019 at 14:01

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nsx...interesting.  I haven’t been up close to one so its hard for me to judge.  They certainly have the ability to do it. The original NSX could be a contender too though, simpler but still built to a very high standard.

jimz > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 14:03

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depends what you mean by “better built.” more reliable? Longer durability? more “solid” feeling?

I think the big thing with newer cars is they’re built more consistently. My dad worked at Dodge Main in the late ‘70s building Aspens and Volares. the way shit was designed back then was shit. Just to give you an example, body panels had no real locators in them where any two panels met. they had alignment holes that the welding jig was supposed to push a pin through to hold the panels in place. but the jigs weren’t so precise, so those holes had to be a bit loose. so you could have several mm of variation in how panels lined up from car to car. Today, locator/alignment features are designed into the panels themselves which are much more consistent thanks to the consistency of the stamping process. now, robots can pick and place body panels onto the carrier with much greater accuracy and send it down to the welding robots.

another example would be installing dashboards. Back in the ‘60s and ‘70s, the dashboard side mounts would just be two flanges or “ears” on either end of the dash with 2-3 holes punched for the mounting bolts to pass through and bolt to the A-pillar lower . As the car was moving down the line, the operators installing the dash had to move it into position and try to hold it in position while shooting the screws to fasten it. But because of the panel variation I mentioned above the holes for the dash mounting screws had to be “loose” to account for inconsistent distances between the two A-pillars. so the actual location of the dash in the car could vary a hell of a lot. Today, because of the greater accuracy of body assembly, things like IPs now have multiple locator and hanging features designed into mounting points. There will be at least one two-way locator (slot) and one four-way locator (hole.) Now, the operators bring the IP into the car, slide the locator pins into their holes, the hanging features hold the IP in place, and the next station can shoot the fasteners and move on.

The Japanese were the first to listen to Deming and get the “design for assembly” religion, and were very good at “poka yoke” (mistake-proofing) the assembly process. The rest of the industry rapidly followed suit.

so I guess it’s best to say modern cars are built more accurately and consistently. 

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 14:04

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Does its fancy stuff fail with time ? Because if not...

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > jimz 10/24/2019 at 14:06

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jimz > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 10/24/2019 at 14:09

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heh, not that  bad.  though I remember back in the ‘90s looking at the Range Rovers at the Detroit auto show.  on all of them, the gap between the front door and fender was twice as big at the top than at the bottom.  

dogisbadob > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 14:09

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the third gen Camry

HammerheadFistpunch > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 10/24/2019 at 14:10

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this gets to the root of my conundrum. Does “old world” build beat out modern techniques? The old heavy engineering and craftsmanship could be built better...but modern QC and techniques produce a much more consistent vehicle no question. which do you weigh more?

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 14:12

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This Volvo.

HammerheadFistpunch > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 10/24/2019 at 14:14

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tis a very well loved volvo

i86hotdogs > Textured Soy Protein 10/24/2019 at 14:15

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I was thinking of either the NSX or Nissan GTR.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 14:17

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That gets back to what I was saying about the whole framework being different. The car of far yesteryear was, let’s say, often but not always 30% tougher than it normally needed to be. The car of today has many more features and is more uniformly 5% tougher than it normally needs to be. Where’s the car that’s uniformly 15% tougher and has the minimum number (lowest perverse complexity) of Air Force hardened grade electrics? Doesn’t exist, mostly.

SWITAWI > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 14:23

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After yesterday I have to pluck the low hanging fruit and say mine, in my own personal experience . I probably could have driven away if I had the ARB bumper I talked myself out of a while back.

Be yond that I’m going to say everything I’ve ever heard or read about the late-60s Mercedes-Benz 600 ‘Grosser’ sedans was that their engineering was insane for the time .

HammerheadFistpunch > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 10/24/2019 at 14:25

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closest would be a Toyota J truck.  4runner for example.

SWITAWI > DucST3-Red-1Liter-Standing-By 10/24/2019 at 14:33

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In the dictionary under ‘ over-engineered ’ should be an entry about the Phaeton.

Just look at those trunk lid hinges, lol. And d idn’t the windshield wiper system reverse a tiny bit when shutting off after every other use to make the rubber lean a different direction in an effort to prolong wiper blade  life? Pretty sure I read/heard that somewhere...

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 14:46

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I think you get what I’m saying. What it would take to be the unambiguous best would be offering something few people want at a price most wouldn’t take it. And as a highlight of the “overbuiltness” index vs. general reliability for 90s cars, you’d need go no further than the reported reliability numbers vs. Lemons results for the Panther cars vs. a Camry.

Every Panther requires rebuild of the front suspension and a lot of electrical items go south, but in a “tougher than average” loading like Lemons, it lasts longer than a Camry. Which, in general use, may have fewer problems overall but also has its own points like needing a water pump, or needing CV axles. Which is most reliable? Well, both and neither. Too many categories to weight in too many ways.

TheNeonDriver - Now with More BMW! > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 14:52

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How has you GX been? I am looking at getting one as we are moving out of the city and have a large dog. I have almost convinced my wife it will be relaible, but I would like some data to back that up. I really like the look and the build quality is supposed to be second to none, but I have never talked to an ower, and would like to hear your first hand experiances!

Also, my vote would be the Hilux. Because diesel Toyota Pickup. 

promoted by the color red > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 15:01

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XV10 Camry & its stablemate the Corolla:

Toyota funneled lessons learned from Lexus into making these cars. Probably the purest form of the Toyota philosophy distilled into a $20,000 package.

ranwhenparked > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 15:04

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Modern equivalent of $93,000 ($98k with air conditioning), and Ford still lost almost $10k per car in today's money. 

HammerheadFistpunch > TheNeonDriver - Now with More BMW! 10/24/2019 at 15:11

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lets be clear, they aren’t trouble free. I have 155k on mine and I’ve had to replace a transfer case seal, the rear springs (air) , and for some reason it was going through rear brakes like pez for a while. I’ve also replaced a front CV and I have a clunk up front I think is sway bar related or it could be ball joint. either way I plan to rebuilt the entire front suspension in the next year.

On the other side of the coin its 11 years and 155,000 miles old so I can’t expect it to be trouble free.

Its been a great all rounder, tows like a dream, faster than you would expect and sounds great doing it, competent off-road (especially on washboards) and well screwed together.

Xanadu603 > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 15:12

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LFA?

Ash78, voting early and often > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 15:16

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Tough call, but IIRC the gassers had complex mechanical fuel injection, so probably any non-turbo Diesel, which can reach 40mph from a standstill in just a little more time than it took you to read this.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 15:16

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Assembly line ford model T. For its time it was an amazing leap in quality control, with interchangeable parts and tighter tolerances than many higher priced autos of the day. Though crude and basic in features it wasn’t just the low cost that attracted buyers, but also ruggedness and reliability.

For the 70s w123

90s Camry or accord 

HammerheadFistpunch > Xanadu603 10/24/2019 at 15:20

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fails the production run mini mum.

HammerheadFistpunch > Ash78, voting early and often 10/24/2019 at 15:21

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my friend in highschool had a non-turbo w123 wagon...can confirm.  could barely make it up the hills around my house. but it did have front AND rear horns, so thats cool.

HammerheadFistpunch > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas 10/24/2019 at 15:21

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the T was a tough bird.

Textured Soy Protein > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 15:21

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I’m just basing this on what I’ve read about the production of each of those cars. The Century I think we all know about but the Honda PMC tour videos are pretty impressive.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 15:49

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I love how everyone who says this or that old Mercedes has no firsthand experience with maintaining or repairing one.

arl > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 15:51

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Early Lexus LS models. 

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Textured Soy Protein 10/24/2019 at 15:51

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Century...? Like... Buick century...?

HammerheadFistpunch > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/24/2019 at 15:51

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even simpler ones like 123? not that i know anything about them

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > fintail 10/24/2019 at 15:56

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No u

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Spanfeller is a twat 10/24/2019 at 15:56

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Lol A-class!!! Thanks, I needed a good laugh!

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 16:02

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Simple for a Mercedes is still more complicated than any Honda ten years newer. I’m not saying they’re not generally solid especially considering their age. But when they have problems, and they will, you better know someone, know the right satanic chant, and have Harry Potter wave his want around a bunch. Even the techs who are familiar with them and have been around since they were common don’t want to work on them.

If you own one, it will be a  labor of love that requires tons of patience.

BigBlock440 > SWITAWI 10/24/2019 at 16:20

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Just look at those trunk lid hinges, lol

Robust, sure, but not exactly over engineered when you can find the same type of hinge on a 90's Dodge Stratus (or Plymouth Breeze), just out of stamped steel.  A much better design than goosenecks though.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Textured Soy Protein 10/24/2019 at 16:33

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Those early 90s Buick Centuries were damn well built cars ;)

Spanfeller is a twat > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/24/2019 at 16:40

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for MY 2015-2016

GLA Class recalls: 5
S Class recalls: 9
Honda Civic recalls : 4
Toyota Camry recalls: 3

I chose the A class because Mercedes QC for interior finishes and panel gaps is probably tighter than the one for Toyota and Honda, whereas the recall rate is not that high.


It was a wild guess... If I had access to QC pass rates, and the standards themselves maybe I could’ve come up with an accurate answer. 

ranwhenparked > MiniGTI - now with XJ6 10/24/2019 at 16:49

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Hoovies Garage had a decent video about why that's the case. Aside from high initial quality, those Camrys are also easy to work on and have very cheap and plentiful parts, so a catastrophic failure that costs more than the car's worth to fix is actually pretty rare even at 25 years old. And the bland/anonymous styling works in its favor, since a trendier, more fashion forward design would look much more dated now, but the Camry still blends in among much newer machinery, giving an air of respectability. 

Textured Soy Protein > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/24/2019 at 16:55

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Available now, at your Buick dealer!

SWITAWI > BigBlock440 10/24/2019 at 17:14

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Same type of hinge? ..

Well ...

I don’ mean to interrupt, and I’ma let you finish, but...

Dodge didn’t commission Campagnolo (Italian bicycle maker) to design and produce billet/polished aluminum hinges or offer a touch-activated power opening and closing system for the trunk lid.

Combine that with all the other crazy details like the original project requirements to be able drove 300kph (186mph) all day in 120F heat of the Arabian desert with the AC blowing cold and to be able to accelerate unrestricted to 190mph without undue vibration. Top it off with the dedicated ‘transparent’ factory built with glass walls and moving hardwood floors (arguably more posh than the Phaeton) w hen it should have shared a totally combined line with the Bentley Flying Spur it was developed alongside. To be fair they did do some Flying Spur production t here as well. Now they build the electric Golfs here.

I know this was in 2000-2002 but for a car with relatively staid styling that was intended to carry the VW badge all along ( instead of making it, you know, as an AUDI ) this was all pretty crazy even to the press at the time who were mostly just awed and slack-jawed . There were many reasons why this entire project was waaay overdone.

dieseldub > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 17:24

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Guess that depends on the definition of well made. In terms of mechanical reliability? In terms of chassis integrity and the infrequency of needing to replace suspension components? The drivetrain’s ability to withstand max load for extended periods of time?

There’s definitely gotta be some old tank of a Volvo in consideration here. The Germans are usually too overly complex, but a number of their cars are built very sturdily as well and they do generally design engines to withstand extended periods of wide open throttle, but they’re typically so overcomplex mechanically and electronically that they’re a headache when they do break... I suppose the whole “must withstand wide open throttle for extended periods of time” driving duty cycle that is reality in Germany is probably why VW stubbornly clings to closed deck cast iron blocks...

Kind of funny, the couple of Lemons races I participated in, certain Japanese cars that were otherwise known for their longevity and relative lack of attention needed to keep on the roads in normal use suddenly pop headgaskets left and right in the much higher loads experienced in a Lemons race. Otherwise, I’d nominate late 90s Accords and Camrys for consideration.

I know some of the old 3.4 Toyotas were headgasket poppers too. Haven’t had much experience with the V8s. There’s always a soft spot for the first generation Lexus LS as well... and we all know of one that’s hit 1 million miles.

fintail > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/24/2019 at 17:45

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I didn’t s ay W140

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 18:14

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Series 3 Land Rover...think about it. Simplicity, decent engineering and not much need for tight tolerances.

HammerheadFistpunch > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media 10/24/2019 at 18:23

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there is something to be said for the tolerance issue, though I wouldn’t call that well made, per-se as much as low expectations.  

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > HammerheadFistpunch 10/24/2019 at 20:59

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The concepts of nominal and approximate apply to most facets of the Series Three...and I'm certain that was intentional.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > jimz 10/24/2019 at 23:28

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What is fascinating is how the US manufacturers completely forgot all the production lessons they learned during the war as after they were just flush with cash and sell ing cars as fast as they could make them.

Scrap rate? throw it in the bin and grab another one. 

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Spanfeller is a twat 10/25/2019 at 00:42

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Or number of recalls is something tired to overall complexity and h   long the vehicle generation and it’s features have been on the market, and therefore not a good measure of quality overall.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Textured Soy Protein 10/25/2019 at 00:43

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I have never seen one of those before. Japanese cars are really not my thing.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > fintail 10/25/2019 at 00:44

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But CIS automatically limits anything from being worthwhile

Textured Soy Protein > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/25/2019 at 08:59

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https://autoweek.com/article/car-reviews/best-car-world-building-toyota-century

https://www.motortrend.com/news/we-dont-get-it/

https://jalopnik.com/the-most-interesting-car-toyota-makes-is-too-luxurious-1836026347

fintail > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/25/2019 at 09:49

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Just pick diesel variants then 

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > fintail 10/25/2019 at 14:41

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Eww. Stinky smelly stainy slower than walking. I'll take a 115 chassis with a 113 engine though!

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Textured Soy Protein 10/25/2019 at 14:47

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This is gonna be fun. I'm part way through the MT article and I'm pretty intrigued. Something I've never said about a Japanese car.

fintail > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/25/2019 at 15:54

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Turbos aren’t bad, the noise is entertaining and you can roll coal.

You might want to do some reinforcement for a 113 in an old car , those can be kind of light . Engine would be good in a 108/111 too (you might not see many of those around these days).

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Textured Soy Protein 10/25/2019 at 21:27

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Ooh that car is cool! I’ve got a little bit of body and hot rod background and can really appreciate how perfect they make it. I would love to check one out.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > fintail 10/25/2019 at 21:39

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As a motorcycle and bicycle rider and lazy environmentalist and fan of properly tuned things, I hate rolling coal. Cannot stand old diesels. That’s just me 

Oh absolutely yes to all of that. Though I think if I do get around to a neat project it'll be me 4matic 210 E55 wagon idea. Much less work and much more useable on a daily basis.

fintail > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/26/2019 at 00:00

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If the diesel is within spec, I am fine with it. Only so many of these remain, out of tune commercial vehicles irk me a lot more.

M y W111 has an engine (M127) dating a decade before the most primitive smog pump, and nearly 20 years before cats. I bet it enrages the ecodorks around here.

IIRC there was a small run of 210 E55 4matic wagons from the factory, I swear I saw one in Germany a few years ago.  Eventually they’ll be importable.    I am kind of getting into softer riding vehicles now - my E450 with “luxury” trim seems to be where it’s at.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > fintail 10/27/2019 at 10:59

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Spec gets tighter every year. Climate change gets worse every year. Anything dirtier than a 648 is too much for my taste. Most gas engines can be tuned easily enough to run reasonably clean. But even aside from that you don’t get nearly the soot or nasty black diesel oil issues with gas when working on them, and that’s the kicker for me. Do an oil change on an oil diesel, have black-stained arms for a week. Gross.

Really!? Finding one in decent shape today would be extremely difficult I think. Check out the link I just posted to one on eBay right now. It’s pretty cool. 210 AMG’s ride pretty nice. For me it’s only the last 7-8 years or so where they’re getting too stiff. Any of the specifically track oriented suspension packages (205 C63 coupe) are about as comfortable as doing a cannonball into an empty swimming pool.

fintail > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/27/2019 at 13:51

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I mean original factory spec of course. I can’t hold a car from 1960 accountable to 2020 emissions standards. I am much more irritated by polluting commercial vehicles who are able to buy their way out of responsibility (both road-going and ocean-going) than a handful of old cars who make up a minuscule fraction of the vehicle fleet. Like this old thing:

Smokes like a chimney, but they did when new. Sounds lovely though.

Speaking of spec, oil consumption at 1 qt/800 miles is within spec on my M127. I think only Audi or VW would try that today. For oil changes, I haven’t done that since I was a student :) On my recent modern cars, I just buy prepaid maintenance, on oldies, my indy shop will do it for $100 - I live in a midrise building with a common garage, and I don’t have the the patience to make a mess of myself for something like that.

That swapped 210 is a pretty cool thing. I am certain there were factory models too, but low production, double digits likely, or low triple at most. 210s can rust, so they might not have all survived. Got at least 5 years til they are importable though, but maybe could buy now and store in the land of the free (Canada) and wait it out.

I recall my C43 rode like a go-kart, it was jarring. My 210 E55 felt like a Cadillac in comparison, but as the tires aged (and local roads decayed), it would have me dodging every slight imperfection, too. I find the stock “sport” suspension in non-AMG cars to be a little too firm for the character of the car though, so maybe it is just me - the pair of 212 Bluetecs I drove were not sports cars, but the marketing hacks wanted to put on a false pretense. If I want sport, I will get an AMG, but if I want comfort, it should be available on a normal model. As you know, probably 90% of dealer stock is “sport” even if not a sporty car.