Square end exhaust tip

[wwheeler]

I saw this at a car show this weekend. It is a '72 US R107 350SL and a very early one at that. It actually has a 4.5 though as US dictated. Anyway, it has one original square ended tip and one later rounded end tip. I assume one original has been replaced and didn't come like this from the factory. Just curious if anyone knows when they stopped producing the square exhaust tip and went to the rounded end. I know there are several here who still have the originals on their 113s.

[Cees Klumper]

Mine no longer has the originals, but just want to say that, seeing them side by side, I like the rounded look better than the square ones ...

[lreppond]

I purchased a new R107 in 1973 and it had the squared off exhaust tips.  In 1974, all US imports had those gargantuan bumpers. I’m assuming the exhaust pipes had to be elongated and I think that’s when they switched over to the rounded tips.  My next door neighbor purchased a new SLC in 1975 and it had the rounded tips.

This is merely a guess on my part.  I’ve never seen any reliable documentation about when and why they were phased out.