Re: Leica M[262] or M-E[262]
I think somebody at Leica must have been thinking of the Messerschmidt analogy. Otherwise they would have chosen a smaller model number since it has reduced function from the 240 base, or a number ending in 0 since it is so "wesentlich." I wonder what its code name was? "Max" for the SL indicated its objective well. I thought "Sartre" fitted the late summer marketing mysts pretty well, and in fact is a better match for the 262 than the 601. But Jono tells me that code names are now under the NDA, and "Max" must have slipped out by accident.
But, distinguishing this M-E[262] from its illustrious predecessor is easy. Upper management positioning shows a real understanding of the camera's potential value. With the jet, (Wikpedia tells me), Willi Messerschmidt was reluctant to take resources away from his propeller-driven fighters, and upper management (G-----g and H----r) thought its incredible speed made it a long-range bomber when it was in fact a deadly bomber-killer at the time of Dresden, but a sitting duck, because of its poor acceleration and speed, when at altitudes below 20,000'. As a result it was more appreciated when the war had ended. I'd love to see one, wouldn't want to fly it.
scott