I remember this add on TV when I was a kid, Mercedes would park the car in the dealership showrooms and at the Melbourne and Sydney International Motorshow (Autoshow) with a list of the safety that came into effect. The car was a pre air bag car and MB aust gave the family a new car as a replacement, this was when the W126 was first released.
When the A class was released, it was a slow seller as people didnt trust the size of the car and the fact that it had plastic fenders, MB Aust did the same thing when a woman wrote in saying how lucky she was when she was in a bad accident with her kids amd how the car saved them, so MB Aust promtly gave her a new replacment car and toured the car to various showrooms around the country and Autoshows.
A 420SEL cannot be pre-airbag. What it can be is that as a non-US version it was not equipped with airbags.
Unfortunately in Australia, 420SEL's from that time had the airbag as an option. We have had mandatory seatbelt laws since about the early 70's, so the airbag came as more of a suppliment rather than an alternative to the seat belt.
Unfortunately in Australia, 420SEL's from that time had the airbag as an option. We have had mandatory seatbelt laws since about the early 70's, so the airbag came as more of a suppliment rather than an alternative to the seat belt.
I don't think there is anything unfortunate about leaving it as an option. In every country except the USA the airbag is a suppliment. Only in the USA is there a rule that airbags (combined with the cabin) have to protect occupants not wearing seatbelts. And why do we have that rule? Because even today there are many people out there so stupid that they don't wear their seatbelt.
If anybody has ever been in a US BMW e39 5 series and a european version and wondered why the US version seems to have MUCH less leg room and knee room that person can thank every idiot who doesn't wear a seat belt.
But so yeah, it's like I said, not pre-airbag, simply not airbag equpped.
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