The A160’s front engine, front wheel drive layout was quite unusual for Mercedes. The innovative frontal-impact absorption system, called the "Sandwich", is so designed that in the event of a crash the engine and transmission would go underneath the floor and below the pedals rather than entering the cabin. It became infamous in 1997 after crashing in the a traditional "moose test" in Sweden. According to reports the car overturned when turning sharply to avoid the "moose". After initially denying the problem, Mercedes recalled 2,600 and stopped sales until the problem was solved. They installed electronic stability control and modified the suspension. This was the first time stability control was used in a small car.
1/24th scale kit.
Built by Rod.
Built straight from the box in January 2002 this rather nice model kit (by Revell's standards) proved to be very nice to build. Painted with Halfords car paints and Humbrol enamels. Thinned matt black paint has been run around the doors and panel lines to give some depth and reality to the model.
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