Ironically, when I was working as a Sindelfingen Daimler-Benz Designer, I had seen Sacco coming in after hours to meet with Pfeifer, Wagener and Bauer on final details for W204. I was surprised to see him coming into the company at that time period. Great company, good people, I'm glad that I had an opportunity to have worked there. Also, cool seeing some of these people including Fink and Steffen Köhl when all were much younger as well some of the modelers.
I've not been a huge fan of Mercedes because of how much less sporty and feelsome they've been throughout the majority of their history and during my whole lifetime, until about 2014 when they finally decided to start selling cars with proper gearboxes, steering, and pretty good handling. But I'll always remember how my mother would constantly be waxing her new 190 E in black with a grey interior and with those beautiful SL-style oval-hole-wheels. She sure didn't used to wax previous cars that often. That was a beautiful car! We also had a W124 300 TE at the time, but the 190 E sure looked better!
@@abel4776 yeah agree… but how would you keep the business afloat otherwise… it's just a handful of us who don't like it but it's the great public who make the sales
I love the Sacco-era. Unfortunately, it was under his tutelage that they ceased being true “Forever cars”, in the sense of being infinitely serviceable and repairable, analogue platforms. I’d say that ended with the W124.
Thank you Bruno Sacco. I have loved the W126 since they were released, I've now had 3. So too the W124. I'd love an R129, his designs are timeless and I love the Sacco era Mercedes-Benz. Today's Benz's for me don't have the same impact, Mercedes-Benz appears to have become Toyota in that there's something for every market now, and without the road presence or exclusivity. Thanks again Bruno, you really did leave a magnificent mark 🥂👍🥂
@@abel4776 you are going to love your S55, I had one here in Australia and the car belies it's almost 2 ton kerb weight. Do a thorough check 1st, make sure the climate control is 100%, and the suspension. Other than that, you are going to love it (and not just how it sounds under power 😉👍).
I still cannot believe Mercedes abolished its vertical grill with the W140. It was the common design of very Mercedes since the beginning of the 20th century.
Modern engineering and safety requirements made them more difficult to implement. I personally think Mercedes was clever in how they evolved their classic radiator theme into the integrated grill seen since the early 1990s. Of course the modern more sporting Mercedes then adapted a style more inline with the iconic 300SL
At Mercedes designers still use the Sacco's statements to constantly evolve style and design new vehicles. If you pay attention, after he left at the beginning of 2000s, cars were a constant evolution of the great 70s designs, till the new A-Class and then the C-Class which cut wires with the past (as Sacco would have done if still in charge) and re-elaborate the inheritance of the glorious Mercedes of the 30s and early 50s without being kitsch and unbalanced... Sacco, through all his career, was always discrete and never under the flashed of the magazines and with his determined and innovative manner, always in the background compared to the limelight, he created a way of making cars that will remain for decades to come. And I am extremely proud that he is a fellow citizen of mine.
Cool video, so this means that this man was the person responsible behind the design of the masterpiece the CLK GTR such an amazing car, my grandpa bought a CLK 320 and its still to this day my favorite mb car, i will one day buy a CLK 55 AMG
I can vouch for the reliability woes of the early W140's....I bought a used one in the late 90's and it taught me that there is nothing out there likely more expensive to fix than a Mercedes Benz
I would have loved to have seen how the W140 was supposed to look before they went back to the drawing board after the BMW E32 appeared. Sadly the products they make today lack the engineering and the style evident in their predecessors. Looking at the documents they put out when launching the W201, W124, R129 W140 the designers and engineers were proud to show off their work.
Great Video, but I was surprised it did not mention at all Bruno's most beautiful design, which was (and is!) his daily driver for DECADEs, the AWESOME 560 SEC coupe that finished production in 1992. I would buy one today, 33 y ears later, and 40 years after it was designed, but it lacks the tech necessary for a daily driver.
Not much is left today of the old Mercedes, just look at cla class it's complete rubbish. They stick amg badge on almost everything today quality is no way near the Mercedes from the '80s and '90s. They are so overpriced for what you get,nah I am never buying one again except maybe 190 amg from the '90s.
The new E class is oozing pure 90s class. It has brought back some Robustness to the design. And doesn’t habe squinting headlights neither. It’s like a modern version of a classic 80s 90s mercedes sedan.
If you study the design closely, there are many designs detailing, not only still used by Mercedes, but buy the industry as a whole, so couldn’t disagree more!
Thank you for this excellent summary of a very complex subject considering the time span covered. Bruno Sacco in creating so many of these iconic designs significantly influenced the perceived quality and value intrinsic to the Mercedes brand. Visually translating the original styling elements into innovative and contemporary forms, together with simultaneously manifesting the feel of superlative German engineering was in my opinion one of his greatest strengths. A truly great designer and "hidden champion".
I have owned 7 MB’s since1984: a W123 300D, 2 W124 300E’s, a W124 300CE, a W210 E320, a W210 E430, and a W210 E430 Sport. The 1984 300D was perhaps the finest machine ever made, bulletproof durability. My 1990 300CE is a classic coupe, some of the best lines ever. My 2001 E430 Sport bridges the gap from old school Benz to modern. I still own the coupe and both E430’s. After the W210 I feel Mercedes lost its edge, they seem more like Japanese/Koreans than Teutonic German cars. Certainly Bruno Sacco is missed.
Good documentary, very interesting to know more about Mercedes and Bruno Sacco, I like his designs. Almost all companies today are using the formula of horizontal and vertical integration Would pick the w126 over the w140. The glass area appears to be leaner, C pillar has less mass. Gives a battlecruiser kind of feel as it does not sit too tall. So, I would agree with Mr. Sacco that reducing the height makes a car look more appealing, perhaps accentuating the length of the already long vehicle to give it a more commanding appearance. w140 is not bad looking but the C pillar is too thick IMO, the rear is also not that appealing with those diagonal and efficient lines. It looks more approachable with the new design but less charming at the same time because of aggressive de-chroming. What works in its favour is reducing the number of small visual elements as the design looks less flamboyant, which could appeal to some Yes, I prefer boxy designs generally and not much for changes, but understandably that's how you keep the sales going and keeping things 'fresh'. Thanks
Other companies were already using "horizontal integration" well before Bruno Sacco came along. Like BMW for example, and Jaguar, probably countless others like many Americans, Japanese, Italians, French...
Bruno Sacco did a damn good job with Mercedes ! His designs behave like wine ...... They ripe with the years , after about ten years the design is at its best ! A new BMW nocks you off your feet , after ten years they look cheap......😂
The aerodynamic wedge-shape car design trend that Bruno Sacco introduced with the Mercedes of the early 80's forever changed the look of automobiles. Four decades later, that wedge-shape car design trend refuses to die. This makes Bruno Sacco one of the most influential car designers of all time.
Since old news is no news, Paul Bracq did this in the '60's, corporate look from SL roadster to 600 Pullman limo, Diesel & ICE. Then BMW were smart enough to hire him & he created original 3/5/6/7.
is it possible that mercedes benz re interduces the w140 and w124 and w201 with the latest electronic equipment which is in the current modles i think its going to be a record breaker
The f200 is an iconic vehicle…it’s redemptive to realise that the Peugeot 607 was based on this as well as the 2024 merc e class…very impressive A life well lived,Bruno Sacco !!!🎉 May all professionals in all shades of endeavour look up to you.
I love Mercedes-Benz with all my heart, but, to me, those 90s models….. they leave a lot to be desired. The angular, “modern” shapes… lack the character of previous generations. And the over-plasticky interiors in light grey, are now as dated as the suits and haircuts of that time. I’m happy to see consequent generations went back to elegance and quality design of yesteryears, down to today’s.
As someone who considers the W220 the best design Sacco ever made, I agree. The W201 and W124 series in particular remind me a lot of the brutalist style in architecture.
I would argue that Bruno Sacco absolutely did NOT invent the concept of "horizontal integration", maybe only put it more clearly into words and emphasised its importance at Mercedes-Benz. Maybe he invented the wording "horizontal integration" but not the concept itself. Countless other brands had kept to that principle long before, many Mercedes' close competitors like BMW, Jaguar and many other brands in the USA, Japan and Europe.
I would really like to know how mercedes went from making cars which were “engineered like no other” to making cars while being pushed around by stingy accountants. Some say that it was the arrival of lexus that was the catalyst. Some say it was the merger with chrysler that kicked them off. Either way, great video. Bruno sacco will always go down as the man that revolutionised car design.
Cool video. Thanks. Love design in general but never really thought to study it in the context of automotive. Consider a pop shield filter on your microphone though. Lots of plosives coming through on a full range monitoring system :(.
To pick some nits: at 11:20 you say "...by removing the vertical slats in the grille..." but I'd suggest a more correct way to say this is: "...by choosing the Mercedes grille style without vertical slats...". This is more accurate because Bruno Sacco didn't remove the slats for the R129, Mercedes sport models have always been without vertical slats from the very beginning! Already from the very beginning with the W198 (Gullwing) = no vertical slats. Bruno Sacco's S-Class coupé, the C126 = no vertical slats. (Yes, some special racing variations of the SL had the "Panamericana" grille after a vulture had caused damage previously without them, but those were outliers and not production road cars)
Great video as always! I do have a video recommendation myself Actually: could you perhaps be interested in doing a documentary on Mazda's Kudo design language and how it evolved into the stunning cars they sell rn?
@@BarchettaAnother topic is the Altezza/ Lexus IS first gen, i just bought one and its such an odd car, it didn't really fit in with Lexus ideology but became an import part of giving the brand some sporting heritage aswell as being the product of Mr Katayama who had a hand in the 86, Supra and Soarer. Plus the taillights must have a cool story behind them.
I follow the history of Mercedes a lot and I remember the auto magazine of the time (Yugoslav auto zurnal) they wrote how during a test drive a journalist crashed the cabriolet version (500 sel - I think it was the 1987-9 model) and that she didn't have one scratch) that was the quality in that time why don't they still make it today like that ?someone will say that they will go bankrupt, so how can a toyota or a lexus not go bankrupt with their quality.. and another detail that should be addressed to the designers, and that is the rear lights, they should still have so-called "ribs" .. because that gives them some imposingness.. I would never buy new models made after 2000-2001.. I don't feel safe anymore.. and let me mention that my first Mercedes was a W115 220D automatic.. and the last W W210 220 CDI.. after that they can make out models and models but that's not it.. thank you for this video, it's very nice to see someone explain a brand like Mercedes in great detail..
Exelente video , para mí el w116 y c107 son los más lindos , por ende no estoy muy de acuerdo con Sacco , pero comparado a la época actual dónde Mercedes Benz perdió el rumbo , no me desagrada .
Yes but there is one big difference. Jaguar's designs kept rehashing and modernizing a design language they established in the early 1960s, particularly the saloon models. They were looking to the past. A 2008 XJ is clearly heavily influenced by the 1968 XJ, in fact the entire shape is just a mild evolution. Mercedes implemented the quad headlights in a thoroughly modern design. In other words the W210 takes very little direct cues from its 1950s equivalent.
The designers who have come after him are garbage except the guy who designed the W140 There is no Mercedes I've loved designed after the w140 Inherited a w124 300e 4matic when my dad passed in Zimbabwe. He also had a w220 320. For me the 300e 4 matic is what excites me. Hadn't been started since like 2003 and we tried to start it but fuel had become like sludge We poured it into the air filter direct and just like that it started straight away. That's a machine and I can't wait to service it and change colour etc 😍🥰
I never liked the 126, cant understand the sucess of that thing, the W 116 is just a awesome design with his double chrome bumpers and no any plastic stuff which the 126 shows. I love the W 116, best looking Merc ever!
R129 had been his car from the front to the end cause no one was adding anything or removing cause he defended it as his child while he had silently retreated from the W140 redesign cause that was not what has been shown here. In fact there had been more designs and with the BMW 750iA release in the 80s all the sketches for the W140 were thrown away and the management team / Board of directors were talking and dealing with him about any tiny details, the terrible growth that killed the sales in europe, and a lot more. Every single board member had fough for his own element he wanted to see realised and therefore the W140 is the worst car in the S-class history cause it was pumped up and lost its roots, sovereignity and style. But the R129 wasa his car and that has no line too much nor a line too less. I heard him in presentations back in the early 90s about the mess with the W140 cause everybody was asking him why there has been a E500 that fitted perfectly in the time and a SL or R129 series while the W140 and even worse the S140 looked like an alien. And that was the usual opinion of european mercedes buyers , the few, that still bought one cause a lot did not like the W140 at all.
please make a video on tata motors and how Ratan Tata founded tata motors passengers vehicles. his vision in making vehicles in india changed india forever.
Cars with merc sedan hint (nowadays you d have to explain ercedes what a sedan is, boot. Trunk. With lid. No thats not too heavy, peopl ain t disabled). Lexus is 200 first one. Lancia Dedra. Lots of chrome. But cheap. Xedos 9. Not cheap. Honda legend very Mercedes ey , see , honda has this scheme. We say the crx s and gti (of civic) are like bigtime succes, but you dont push vw golf off the arena without a fight obviously, meanwhile suggest sublimal advertisngey , we re getting Merc customers to lose rheir religion And in fact we sell like..well, at least they try. Mazda has never Lukewarm is their middle name ..
