Some machines, like land speed record cars, modern airplanes, high speed trains, F1 cars, and so on are optimized to their purpose -- form follows function. In some extremely tightly engineered machines, there really is little room for further optimization or change. One might literally call such things "appliances," in that these machines are designed for some specialized and specific purpose.
Other machines, like our older automobiles, are intended as more than just transportation. Though one might not think about such things too deeply, one's consumer tastes are often inextricably linked to one's self-concept and desired self-image. It's no different today. This is perhaps stating the obvious. But you all doubtlessly know guys who buy a new 911, Ferrari, Aston Martin, real M BMW or real AMG Mercedes, and they never exercise the incredible features these cars have. They just like knowing they can do it. Porsche certainly knows that. Some people do track their 911s. I believe most do not. Some people do take their G-wagen offroad. Most do not. I think nowhere is this more apparent than the typical profile of the person who buys a new Wrangler. It's fashion, baby, not for real. And that's okay. One doesn't need to be in Hawaii to don an Aloha shirt, nor does one need to be a real cowboy to wear their boots.
I have spent a while studying the hoard of material included with my car as well as that which appeared in contemporary American periodicals regarding our cars. I had a good idea of the romantic notions Mercedes tried to communicate to their target buyer long before I bought this car. And therein begins the real debate of originality. One can look at this like an American Constitutional scholar and say, "what is the intent here" versus "what is literally written". Often the two are very different. And often there is a lot of grey to be found. And if one isn't too careful, one can easily lose the plot, that is true, and one ends up in a Ship of Theseus situation wherein one is left with a car that does resemble a Pagoda but... is it? The same can be said for some of the extremely impressive works of engineering produced by the likes of Singer. Their cars aren't derivative of 911s. They are in another dimension. And yet, they have found their audience, those who want the ultimate car that resembles a 911. And indeed, I think no one can deny that the Singer is the ultimate evolution of one of those cars, and I think we can also have no doubt that if Porsche had the ability to produce such a car affordably, they would have! The point is that Singer, Icon, Mechatronik, etc have all taken the idea of their specialized car and distilled the formula to be as pure as it can be, while delivering something to a contemporary audience that is but a modern evolution of the target audience the OEM had when initially producing the vehicle.
And Dan, I don't think it's fair to look at companies like RUF, Alpina, AMG, Renntech, AC Schnitzer, Shelby, Callaway, and others and deride them as if they are yahoos covered in grease racing a Model A down Woodward in 1955. And at least those guys were having loads of fun, so I'm not deriding the latter either. Lots of these forums are filled with a very dour bunch of guys who have left behind their beginner's mind and spirit of inquiry to the abyss of time. The aforementioned companies have done a lot of work pushing the envelope and showing what is possible in these cars, sometimes when the manufacturer doesn't deserve it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not. But they have all helped build and shape the legend and mythos of various companies often much better than their marketing arm ever could. And often by the time they were done, there was very little of the "original car" left... except the idea of that original car, and its overall form factor. That's important.
I argue that Mercedes basically let their motorsport arm for consumer vehicles atrophy when they started to geld the 113 later in its production. I believe you'd agree with me, Dan, as I have read some of your posts from the last 20 years or so on this forum that basically state as much, especially in re: the values of the 230 vs the 280. The 113 went down a different skill tree than it could have, becoming softer and more accessible to a particular audience, and I don't blame Mercedes, for if Porsche did nothing but make 911s they would be out of business. But I envision a time when they more seriously invested in racing the car. Think of how much they could have undercut BMW had that happened. The 113 would have truly been the true ultimate driving machine, or perhaps like the company's 911, instead of the lineage that you see play out over the course of the 107, 129, and 230 generations.
More can always be said about the above, but let this be some food for thought. We each have our reasons for purchasing this car, as each owner did when they were new. This is a question to all forum members. If you had to name one reason, what might it be?
Was it because your father or grandfather had one?
Was it because you like Paul Bracq's design?
Or you are just in love with the variants of the i6 sitting in the engine bay?
You like the idea of yourself driving one? (And if so, what does that *actually mean*?)
You like the overall build quality?
You think it shows taste and restraint?
You liked that it won the Spa-Sofia-Liege rally?
You like that Stirling Moss had one?
You liked the cameo in "Mad Men"?
And any other number of reasons. I think the design is snappy and build quality is superior for cars of its era. In an era when manufacturers designed and built male and female-oriented cars, I think Mercedes wanted to have a broad appeal to a clientele that thought of themselves as sophisticated and mature. So the car had lots of compromises in the actual technical aspects. This was noted in many contemporary reviews. By the time the E9 came out in 1968 and Porsche was beginning to really distinguish itself with the 911S in 1967, it's evident Mercedes ceded away that part of the market until basically 1999 when they merged with AMG. Again, I argue that it didn't have to be that way, and exploring what Mercedes might have done to improve these cars instead of abandoning the Pagoda altogether for something else is an interesting intellectual path.
