Once upon a time ... the exterior mirror that could be adjusted mechanically from the inside
There are things that you don't even notice when they disappear. Yet they were both simple and functional. One example is the exterior mirror that can be adjusted from the inside without motors or electrics. This was actually a real advance back then, when you no longer had to open the side window to reach outside to adjust the exterior mirror. After all, this was unpleasant, especially when it was raining or very cold. As early as the late 1960s, but increasingly in the decade that followed, small levers in the interior made it possible to adjust the exterior mirror for maximum rear view.
Even a Mercedes-Benz S-Class of the W126 series in the mid-1980s still had such a manual adjustment device directly on the inside of the mirror mount.
At some point, electric motors came into play, as these not only made it possible to position the control element as far away from the mirror as desired, but also to automatically return it to the preferred position (memory). However, this naturally meant more weight, more wiring and additional complexity. The mirrors did not become any cheaper with the electric adjustability.
So we are all the more pleased today when we can adjust an exterior mirror with a simple lever mechanism and enjoy the feel of this activity ...
