Forgotten movie cars: The Mercedes-Benz 230 Lang from "The wing or the thigh?"
06/22/2024
Louis de Funès (or rather the full-time hustlers he portrayed in his films) was usually on the road in a Citroën DS – mostly in black, once even in red. The flagship of French automotive engineering suited Victor Buntspecht, Antoine Brisebard and the no-firstnamed Monsieur Septime all too well. None of the patriotic patriarchs would ever buy a foreign car.
It therefore seems unusual that he, as respected restaurant critic Charles Duchemin, does not opt for the big Citroën in "The wing or the thigh?". Instead, the gourmet on a secret mission is chauffeured around France in a Mercedes-Benz 230 Lang, with chauffeur Henri displaying a very aggressive driving style even by French standards.
To avoid receiving special treatment, Duchemin visits all the restaurants in disguise. This is probably also the reason for buying the German long saloon: with its extended rear compartment, it simply offers much more space for changing clothes than any standard DS. And a workmanlike minivan would really be out of the question for a man of Duchemin's stature.
