Has any automotive facelift ever made a car better than its original design?

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What Carmudgeon episode would complete without a discussion of Bruno Sacco's Mercedes masterpieces, including the W201, W124, W140, and R129?

Then, there's the Ferrari lineage: 246 Dino to 308 GTB to 328 GTB to 348 tb to F355.

And perhaps the most successful facelift ever, the Bangle-Butt BMW E65/E66 7-series — which was vastly more successful in showrooms after BMW"s "LCI," or "Life Cycle Impulse," BMW-speak for a facelift.

There's the Mk1 Volkswagen Golf, with the Clipper Kit Cabriolet and the Citi versions, the BMW E30, the Jaguar Series III to XJ40 to X300 to X308.

And what if all the Radwood-era cars only got prettier because of relaxed and harmonized bumper standards, like the W116 Mercedes S-Class did when it was replaced with the W126.

Discussed is also the Lamborghini Countach, Renault R5 Turbo, Lancia Integrale and Evo.

And of course the Ferrari Testarossa Monospecchio, turned into the Testarossa, the 512TR, and ultimately 512M.

How about BMW's prime era of the E38 and E39 and E46? The original Chevrolet Cavalier? The ovoid Taurus? Or just the Miata NC Miata, in NC1, NC2, and NC3 revisions?

It's all an interesting discussion and a fun brain-dump from two curmudgeonly car experts, one of whom probably needs a facelift himself soon.

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