Oldtimer Mercedes S-Class Nurburgring Near-Crash Is a Defensive Driving Lesson

And the W126 S-Class Nordschleife footage at the bottom of the page is no exception to this unspoken Green Hell rule.

We can see the old luxury sedan running wide and going for a classic understeer-turned-oversteer scheme. As the Benz understeers its way off the track and reaches the grass, the rear end steps out.

In fact, an important part of the rather violent tail-out movement comes due to the fact that the driver was still on the brakes after leaving the asphalt - applying a tad of braking pressure should help correct the understeer a bit, but the guy behind the wheel should've stepped off the brakes as soon as he felt the rear end starting to come loose.

Then again, judging by the driver's slow-motion countersteer reaction, we don't expect his reflexes to be as sharp as his desired cornering speed.

However, the lesson here comes not from the S-Class guy, but from the other drivers. You'll get to see how the luxobarge end up spinning its way to a mid-corner track section, thus forcing incoming cars to avoid it.

And while a Renault Clio RS that was close to the W126 wasn't hit, it was luck that prevented the situation from turning into a crash.

The idea is that, as cool as lap times can get, when a Touristenfahrten (Tourist Days) event gets crowded, and this happens often, one should activate his or her defensive driving mode.

Sure, it's not easy to aim for that apex and control your car's ill temper while also trying to make sure you have enough room to avoid a spinning vehicle, but this is the best way to increased your chances of making it from Bridge to Gantry in one piece.