The Reason Behind The Ribbed Taillights On Earlier Mercedes Cars

The design of the rear lights on old Mercedes cars made them unmistakable, but their design was not only unique in appearance, it had a more important function.

In today’s new cars, brake lights are becoming such a prominent part of the overall picture that their original function is slowly being pushed into the background.

However, the auto industry never came up with such a great idea as Mercedes-Benz in the 1970s. Around this time, they started putting ribbed taillights on their cars, which are still the subject of good comments today, and which quickly became as recognizable as the kidneys on BMWs.

That particular design changed to a greater or lesser extent over the decades, but it survived well into the 2000s before being replaced by a more streamlined design. However, appearance was only a secondary factor with this design. Namely, it was designed to increase visibility.

The ribbed design has been found to have several advantages. The deep-cut, ribbed surface of the light is designed so that when the car is driven on bad, muddy roads, mud and dust settle in the depressions between the “ribs”, and the wind blows the dirt there. Thanks to this, the protruding edges remain clean and the lamp light remains clearly visible to the drivers behind, even when the light body is dirty. The ribs also made the car’s lower body more visible from the side.

Since the lampshade did not have a smooth surface, the ribs acted as a kind of prism and refracted the light in many directions, so that the position light and brake light did not shine as one blinding point but were clearly visible from a wider angle, regardless of the conditions.

The reason for the disappearance of such light bodies is not only a change in design philosophy. With the spread of LED technology, such tricks were no longer needed, and their advantage disappeared.

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