A salient is a battlefield feature that is usually a breakthrough into enemy territory that is surrounded on many sides by the enemy, allowing the offensive to enter the enemy’s rear area. The bottom of a deep salient is prone to being “squeezed”, making the salient an isolated area, and the supply line will be cut off.
Owner’s manual cover art is something a subculture of cars. Some cars don’t have them at all, some do, with subtle variations. Mercedes-Benz is clearly in the latter category. Mercedes owner’s manual covers have featured car sketches since 1983. The details of these sketches vary depending on the market and the period. In the previous article History: Evolution of the owner’s manual cover art, we have reviewed the entire history of W140 owner’s manual cover art. We also have a good collection of them in our archives. Today we want to highlight one of the most special pieces of this collection, the Japanese S 600 owner’s manual from 1994. It can be described as a standout in the entire history of W140 owner’s manual cover art, and we’ll explain why.
02.1991 V12 DE Ausgabe A
Once upon a time, at least till early 1990s, no expense was spared at Mercedes. This can be seen in the earliest owner’s manuals for the W140. The cover art for the first version showed a stark difference between the V12 and non-V12 models. The 600 SE/SEL got an exclusive owner’s manual, and correspondingly, an exclusive cover art. Wipers from the headlight washing system (SA code 600) that optional on other models were added to the headlights on this version, which was standard on the V12. At the same time, a sunroof (SA code 412/414) outline is added to the roof, which is also standard on the V12. It’s likely that such differences won’t be noticed by the owner, but MB insisted on doing the best it could.
Difference with non-V12 DE Ausgabe A
The Japanese version is treated as an independant series, with the slight difference that it is designed and printed locally by MBJC, rather than in Germany as genuine part. The first Japanese version came out in October 1991 in two volumes, 300 SE – 500 SEL and 600 SEL, which shared the same cover. Sketches of this period were exact copy of the German versions rather than being independently produced or theoretically closer British versions. Note that although Japan is a RHD market, most of the 140s were delivered in LHD, so even though the UK had gotten RHD sketches at about the same time, Japan didn’t do so. However, using the German sketch directly led to an error: the headlight lens is for right-hand traffic, while in the British version, the lens modified to left-hand traffic. Therefore, it can be said that at the beginning, MBJSC was not so dedicated.
10.1991 MBJCSD 30220-109105200
Although the cover is just one page of the manual, if you look closely, you can find a lot. Sometimes they pay a lot of attention to detail, working on details that users won’t even notice. Sometimes they just give up the struggle altogether, blatantly displaying their carelessness. Observing these details and making judgments will not only help increase understanding of the vehicle itself, but also help us understand the changes in Mercedes-Benz operations. Although the W140 owner’s manuals initially remained as diverse as ever, the amount of cover art began to shrink as the car entered production, meaning that cars of different classes and markets began to share sketches. In model year 1994, all Mercedes owner’s manuals got a new style cover. It carries over the previous colors and layout, but modifies the sketch. This new sketch uses 45 degrees from front left to draw and contains more detail. The North American market was the first to get the new style sketch in April 1993 due to model year updates, which called USA-Ausagbe C. The North Amercian continues three volumes : S 320 – S 500, S 6OO and S 350 Turbodiesel, they share the same cover.
04.1993 USA-Ausagbe C
In September 1993, the Japanese market also received the MY1994 update. This time the new sketch was taken from the earlier USA-Ausgabe C. Since there was no MY1994 for the German market, the German owner’s manual was not updated with this sketch. Again, just as in the first version, this Japanese version did not have any adaptations specific to the Japanese market. The most noticeable was the short license plate bracket on the North American version. Although Japan used the same size license plates as the US, Japanese-spec cars until the 1994 facelift had used the long German-sized license plate bracket on the front bumper. Also, fender turn signals (SA code 341), which are required for the Japanese market, are not reflected in the sketch. Thus up to this time, the MBJSC owner’s manual still ranked casually among all W140 manuals.
09.1993 MBJCSD 30210-099300650
1993 was a turning point for Mercedes. As Mercedes fell into a recession that year, spending was cut, including the manufacture of the W140. This can also be seen from the cover art. In November 1993, the European version finally got the new style sketch, this time it came with the facelift. Interestingly, the facelift sketch is modified from the MY1994 sketch for the North American and Japanese markets. The lower body has been updated, including new front and rear bumpers and side panels, the front bumper gets the European license plate bracket. An unmodified error detail indicates that it is a partial modification of MY1994 sketch. The headlight is still in the pre-facelift style, which is exactly the same as the MY1994, but the facelift has replaced a new lens and the sketch has enough details to distinguish. The tail lights have not been modified either, the pre-facelift tail lights have three grooves, while the facelifted version is almost flat, the sketch can still see the pre-facelift tail light features.
11.1993 DE Ausagbe A
This facelift sketch is used in all markets. If the classic version of sketch is more general because it is simpler, the newer version with more details create problems. The new sketch has long-wheelbase body, The V12 loses the standard sunroof and doesn’t even get a V12 badge on the C-pillar. The velour seats that have to be ordered specially in North America market make this sketch more inclined to Japan. Overall, this sketch tries to satisfy several different markets with a single version. Now, the English version no longer provides the RHD sketch, and there is no difference between different trim levels, espicially when the V12 has different radiator grille. The only modifiable place is the license plate bracket. In most cases, this sketch is also applied to MY1996 without any updates, although the shape of the mirror housing has changed in MY1995.
12.1993 USA-Ausagbe A 1995
However, just when carelessness became a global phenomenon, the Japanese colleagues suddenly decided to be more dedicated. Facelift owner’s manuals in Japan continue to be divided into 2 series: non-V12 and V12. The difference between them on the cover is the cover of the S 600 owner’s manual. The car’s air intake grille now has more mouldings like the actual car. They did increase the horizontal mouldings from 3 per side on the pre-facelift to 6 per side. But the technique is a bit rough, because the spacing between each moulding is not uniform. So much so that it can be guessed that this change was not made by the German colleagues, it may have come from an enthusiastic but techincal limited Japanese colleague. The rest of the details are the same as the North American version. The Japanese version also had the short license plate holder on the front bumper since MY1995, so it is correct. But details such as the fender turn signals are still missing. Anyway this is the only example found so far with the S 600 grille modification.
04.1994 MBJCSD 30210-079400700
Because the sketch only appeared in Japan, it was identified as MBJSC’s own work. This is rare for owner’s manuals, but it happens with sales manuals. The regional sales organizations were given some basic templates and were allowed to make their own modifications, although these modifications might require the assistance of German colleagues. In any case, here, compared to the carelessness of the sales organizations in all other markets, MBJSC’s extra dedication made it a standout. But don’t forget that standsouts are often unsustainable and will be blocked, and this is what happened next. Just six months later, in March 1995, the Japanese model owner’s manual was updated again. This time the cover switched back to the previous version: the non-V12 grille. Maybe this was a system correction, or maybe someone just carelessly lost the last revision.
05.1995 MBJCSD 30220-059503000
After surpassing the peak, Mercedes-Benz Japan soon showed a slippery slope, that is, a comprehensive tightening of the owner’s manual. There appeared a owner’s manual for CL, S, and SL at the same time, which was more perfunctory than the version for any other market. Starting from MY1997, the art cover was updated again worldwide. The new style is simpler than the previous one. On the inteiror, only the contours around the front windshield have been limited performed, most details are omitted. On the outside, the shading of the wheel arches is no longer filled by black, but creates a shadow for the entire body. Little has changed in the way the bodywork is handled, with the reflectors now only showing up on the grille. The shape of the rim is blurred and it looks like it has 8 holes, but 8-loch is no longer available since MY1997. Thankfully, the mirrors have been revised and now grooves have been added. During this period, the Japanese market also had its own S-Class owner’s manual, which was updated until January 1998. But there was no more local adaptation of the cover, not even the license plate holder, as was done by MBJSC’s colleagues worldwide.
Perhaps only the parties involved can explain why a small accident occurred in July 1994.