Over 100 years of Mercedes-Benz convertibles

Agent001 submitted on 4/11/2003 Auto Spies Photos Timestamp: 2:27:17 PM

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Over 100 years of Mercedes-Benz convertibles










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Over 100 years of tradition: Mercedes-Benz four-seater Cabriolets
Blue skies for four
 

 

 
Providing uninhibited driving pleasure has always been the raison d’être of the luxurious four-seater Cabriolets from Mercedes-Benz, cars which have combined unsurpassed touring qualities with impressive safety features, innovative technology and the thrill of high-end open-air motoring for the whole family since the earliest days of the last century.
 


The sun is shining, the birds are singing and a powerful scent of hay fills the air. For the early motoring pioneers, driving a car was an invigorating fusion with the natural environment – whether they liked it or not. Indeed, in the first carriages to make their way with the horsepower in mechanical rather than animal form, the metal ran out at waist height. Above that was nothing, no windows and, more often than not, no roof. Ensuring a comfortable journey demanded as much a gift for meteorology as proficiency at the wheel.



The first Mercedes, which brought the curtain down on the age of the carriage in automotive construction in December 1900 and made history as the first modern car, was open-top. This ground-breaking vehicle may not have had the luxury of a windscreen, but it was available with a roof on request and featured four comfortable seats. This model marked the birth of a tradition, which – save for one or two brief interruptions – has remained unbroken at Mercedes-Benz and its predecessor brands to the present day: it is a tradition of luxurious four-seater Cabriolets, representing the perfect synthesis of unrivalled touring qualities and a sensuous driving experience.

The motorists of that bygone age may not have had the scramble for a parking space to occupy their minds, but neither could they call on the shelter of a fixed roof. However, that is not to say that the Mercedes and Benz design engineers were not already working feverishly to improve the comfort factor in their cars. Around 1910, both manufacturers – who were competitors at the time – were offering open-top touring cars, or “phaetons” as they were generically known back then, with a windscreen and a roof covering all seats. Side windows were still considered something of a luxury feature, although special leather overcoats and fur jackets were available as highly desirable motorist’s accessories.

When the four-seater Cabriolet’s honeymoon period began to peter out, Mercedes-Benz still retained its faith in the family convertible. The solidly-built Stuttgart 200 and 260 models, for example, made their debuts in 1929 and, just like the lightning fast SSK, caused quite a stir on the bumpy roads. Indeed, progress was proving to be an irresistible force. Every model was available in several different open-top variants and, in many cases, with weatherproof plug-in windows, to boot. However, with their prominent exterior rods and joints, the roofs still looked more like oversized pushchairs.

1949: The Mercedes Cabriolet makes a comeback
 


It wasn’t long after the Second World War that two Mercedes open-top models were again gracing the streets. The 170 S took to the stage in 1949, in the form of the Cabriolet A two-seater – which was to become the passenger car range’s flagship model – and the almost as exclusive Cabriolet B four-seater. Only two years later, both variants were replaced by the 220 six-cylinder model, whilst customers could also order the 300 – later to become known as the “Adenauer Mercedes” – as a Cabriolet.

1956: The “Ponton” Cabriolets hit the streets
 


Two-wheeled vehicles and small cars may have still been dominating street scenes in the 1950s, but the dawning of a new era could not be ignored. Germany’s “Wirtschaftswunder”, or economic miracle, had taken hold. By 1955, a total of 46,226 people were on the Daimler-Benz payroll, 50 percent more than five years previously. The world’s oldest car maker saw its revenues inside Germany more than double, mush-rooming from 435 million to 925 million Marks, whilst foreign revenues increased almost eight-fold, skyrocketing from 67 million to 510 million Marks. Passenger car production was also experiencing an inexorable rise. In 1955 no fewer than 63,683 Mercedes passenger cars rolled off the assembly line, climbing to 69,601 units a year later.

Rock’n’roll, the Suez crisis, James Dean and whitewall tyres defined an era which also spawned a four-seater open-top car. Introduced in 1956, the Cabriolet version of the Mercedes-Benz 220 S six-cylinder “Ponton” model set new standards and combined the adventurous thrill of open-top motoring with the luxury and comfort of a hard-top saloon. A solid roof construction ensured that the four or five passengers were no longer at the mercy of the fickle weather. However, they also had the option of folding down the roof and taking off into the fresh air like a swallow in full flight. At least that was how people at the time described the exhilaration of a cabriolet, which the new Mercedes model was perfectly equipped to provide.

Unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1955 as the 220 Cabriolet and feted by the motoring world as an aesthetically captivating new design, the four-seater soft-top did not go into series production until the summer of 1956. By then it had been rechristened the 220 S Cabriolet – a virtually unaltered reproduction of the 220 Cabriolet stylistically, but powered by the increased output of the 100-hp engine fitted in the 220 S, which had been presented in May 1956.
“Even better, but no more expensive” was the motto, as the engine out-put was boosted to 106 hp only a year later. Another fascinating feature was the “Hydrak” hydraulic automatic clutch system, which was introduced at the same time and available as an option.

1960: Fuel injection celebrates its premiere

In September 1958, a Cabriolet version joined the Coupé and Saloon variants of the 220 SE with fuel injected engine. The 2.2-litre engine now supplied its six cylinders with fuel using an innovative new manifold in-jection system and developed 115 horsepower.

It wasn’t until November 1960, by which time the new generation of “Fintail” Saloons were cruising the streets, that the last 220 SE Cabriolet left the Mercedes-Benz assembly line. The “Ponton” Cabriolets are today among the rarest of the models built by Mercedes-Benz in post-war production, and are widely coveted.

1961: “Fintails”: the next big thing

The next new arrival, a Cabriolet variant of the 111-series 220 SEb, was introduced in August 1961 and shared many of the design hallmarks of the Saloon. However, the Mercedes engineers decided not to shorten the frame floor unit as in the predecessor model. After all, their aim was to create a genuine four-seater in every respect. Although the Cabriolet only featured the head-turning “tail-fins” of the four-door model in a rudimentary form, the open-top car still had much in common stylistically with the Saloon and was unmistakeably part of the same successful family.

Meanwhile, around the world radical changes were afoot. A young American President was organising an invasion of Cuba, doomed to flounder in the Bay of Pigs on 17 April 1961; five days earlier Juri Gagarin had spent 70 minutes floating weightlessly through space in his “Wostok 1” space capsule, orbiting the Earth once in the process; and the German Democratic Republic began construction of the Berlin Wall in August 1961.

That year, the 71,000-strong workforce at Daimler-Benz in Stuttgart produced 137,431 passenger cars. The declared strategy of Walter Hitzinger, the Chairman of the Board of Management at the time, was to keep Mercedes-Benz passenger cars as a rare and expensive entity. Long delivery times were seen as a sign of good business policy.
However, this approach did not stop Mercedes-Benz from continuing to attach great importance to the development of new technology. One outstanding feature of both the Cabriolet and its 220 SEb Coupé sister model, which was presented on 24 February 1961 at the opening ceremony of the Mercedes Museum in Untertürkheim, were disc brakes on the front wheels.

1962: A new 3-litre all-alloy engine

The 1962 Geneva Motor Show was the venue for the debut of a particu-larly exclusive variant of the four-seater Cabriolet. The 300 SE Cabriolet boasted the same pioneering technology as the 300 SE and belonged to the 112 series. Among the highlights on display were a 3-litre all-alloy engine, four-speed automatic transmission, power steering, air suspension, and a dual-circuit braking system with disc brakes on the front and rear wheels. Additional chrome trim ensured that this high-tech vehicle was also extremely easy on the eye.

The successor to the 220 SE arrived in 1965 in the shape of the 150-hp 2.5-litre 250 SE, which came complete with hydropneumatic equalizer springs on the rear axle. This technology kept the level of the body constant, regardless of the load. In 1968 and 1969, the more powerful 280 SE and 280 SE 3.5 followed in its tyre tracks, the totally new 3.5-litre V8 engine developing 200 hp and helping to provide relaxed driving pleasure.

Stylistically, this highly successful Cabriolet underwent only slight modifications during its lifecycle. The main alteration introduced with the debut of the V8 version involved lowering and widening the radiator grille. For insiders, this marked the birth of the legendary “Flachkühler” [flat radiator] models.

In May 1971, the last 2.8-litre Cabriolet rolled off the assembly line. Two months later, production also came to an end of the eight-cylinder variants. A total of 7,013 Cabriolets were built of this model series. The most exclusive model in the series was the 300 SE Cabriolet, of which only 708 units were ever made. Indeed, the 250 SE Cabriolet (954 units), 280 SE 3.5 Cabriolet (1,232 units) and 280 SE Cabriolet (1,390 units) were hardly a frequent sight on Europe’s roads, either.

1971: Four-seater cabrios temporarily take a back seat

It was certainly true to say that large cabriolets were a dwindling force on Germany’s roads. If you wanted an uninhibited view of the sky when you drove, your only option was a two-seater sports car. Saloons were experiencing a period of dominance, presenting as they did a much more sen-sible solution and, thanks to their integral body construction, causing fewer problems for the engineers as far as rigidity was concerned. In-deed, Mercedes-Benz did not have any long-term plans in place to build another four-seater Cabriolet – after all, Mercedes drivers in search of fresh air were well served by the SL.

However, whilst others continued to pine for a family cabriolet, Mercedes-Benz began work on a new development which would once again open up a four-seater car to the sky. The designers’ brief was to create a car which would not only put the pleasure of open-top motoring back on the menu for the whole family, but also raise the bar in terms of design, dynamics, comfort, elegance and exclusiveness. The image was one of a “four-seasons cabrio” – a car which combined pleasure, comfort and safety.

1991: The 300 CE-24 Cabrio causes a sensation

By 1991 the time had arrived. With Germany preparing to celebrate the first anniversary of the country’s reunification, Mercedes-Benz presented the 124-series 300 CE-24 Cabriolet at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September that year, a model which was to bear the E-Class badge from 1993. In order to increase the rigidity of its body, the engineers had re-designed some 1,000 components. They used thicker or high-strength sheet steel for virtually all load-bearing parts and fitted all areas under particularly high levels of stress with additional reinforcement in the form of duplicators, gusset plates or struts. They even persisted with ways of minimising the apparently inevitable body vibrations which so diminished comfort in open-top vehicles, eventually using four vibration dampers to bring vibrations down to Saloon-type levels.

Another outstanding feature of the new Mercedes-Benz four-seater Cabriolet was its high standard of safety. Even if the car rolled over, it would protect its occupants, thanks to reinforced A-pillars working in conjunction with an automatic roll-over bar. This bar would rise up almost vertically from behind the rear seats within a matter of 0.3 seconds if there was a danger of the car rolling over. Plus, the fully retractable soft-top boasted impressive functionality, aided by a host of ingenious technical details. These included 27 linkage parts and 34 joints.

1993: Step forward the E-Class
 


In June 1993, the 300 CE-24 Cabriolet and the other vehicles in the 124 series were all given stylistic modifications and adopted the S-Class’ redesigned radiator grille – the so-called “integrated radiator”. As part of this facelift, which also saw the new “E-Class” model designation introduced, the Cabriolet was given a new 3.2-litre six-cylinder engine with four-valve technology. A four-cylinder, four-valve variant with 2.2-litre displacement and output of 150 hp was added to the range and the electrohydraulic soft-top operating system, previously only available as an option, was now fitted as standard.

The E-Class Cabriolet was produced until 1997, with a total of 33,952 units rolling off the assembly line. The export share of the E 320 Cabriolet stood at more than 75 percent, which was over average. These impressive sales figures showed that exclusive four-seater cabriolets offering the high levels of comfort normally only found in saloons were back in favour. More and more people were catching the bug of open-top motoring.

1998: The CLK Cabriolet: a milestone in the product initiative
 


In March 1998, Mercedes-Benz presented the CLK Cabriolet at the Geneva Motor Show as the successor to the E-Class Cabrio and a further important element in an, at the time, unique product initiative in the passenger car sector. Although the Cabriolet was based technically and stylistically on the CLK Coupé, it showed that it had a character very much of its own, moulded by a newly developed semi-automatic soft-top with solid steel/aluminium frame. The roof was extremely easy to fold up and down, too, thanks to its electrohydraulically-assisted operating system.

The Easy Entry system was another feature introduced to enhance the comfort of the rear passengers, the front seats sliding forward automatically for passengers to get in and out of the car and making access to the rear much easier. In addition, the CLK Cabriolet was equipped with a host of technical innovations which further improved the safety, comfort and cost-effectiveness of the car. These included the ELCODE drive authorisation system, which optimises both anti-theft protection and comfort, Brake Assist, which ensures maximum braking force when emergency braking, and the ASSYST service interval indicator, which constantly analyses the quality of the oil in the engine and allows service intervals to be calculated according to actual need. The generous levels of equipment also included acceleration skid control (ASR), an outside temperature display, leather steering wheel, remote boot lid opening, tinted glass and automatic roll-over protection – a tried and tested ele-ment of the predecessor model.

The CLK Cabriolet was initially available with three different engine variants. The CLK 200 with 100-kW/136-hp four-cylinder power unit was joined by the CLK 230 KOMPRESSOR with supercharged 142-kW/193-hp 2.3-litre engine and the V6 CLK 320 (160 kW/ 224 hp). A state-of-the-art, 4.3-litre V8 engine developing 205 kW/ 279 hp was added to the range in 1999, followed by a sporty AMG version with 5.5-litre displacement and 255 kW/347 hp.

1999: Enhancement down to the finest detail

With the introduction of the CLK 430 Cabriolet, Mercedes-Benz gave the design, technology and equipment of the whole CLK model series another impressive shot in the arm, upgrading some 800 components. In-deed, Mercedes-Benz has consistently injected state-of-the-art technology into the model’s engine range since 1999. For example, June 2000 saw the arrival of four-cylinder models with a modified supercharged engine and standard-fitted six-speed manual transmission.
In total, Mercedes-Benz has produced over 115,000 units of the CLK Cabriolet since 1998, over three times more than of its predecessor model.

Model chronology: Four-seater Mercedes Cabriolets since 1956
Period, Model series, Models and engines















1956 – 1960
 W 180 II
 220 S
 (1956 - 1959)
 6/in-line
 100 hp
 
 W 128
 220 SE
 (1958 - 1960)
 6/in-line
 115 hp
Total production: 3,290 units





























1961 – 1971
 W 111/
W 112
 220 SE
 (1961 - 1965)
 6/in-line
 120 hp
 
 250 SE
 (1965 - 1967)
 6/in-line
 150 hp
300 SE
 (1962 - 1967)
 6/in-line
 160 hp
280 SE
 (1968 - 1971)
 6/in-line
 160 hp
280 SE 3.5
 (1969 -1971)
 8/V
 200 hp
Total production: 7,013 units





























1991 – 1997
 A 124
 300 CE-24
 (1991 - 1993)
 6/in-line
 220 hp
 
 E 200
 (1993 - 1997)
 4/in-line
 136 hp
E 220
 (1993 - 1997)
 4/in-line
150 hp
E 320
 (1992 - 1997)
 6/in-line
 220 hp
E 36 AMG
 (1993 - 1997)
 6/in-line
 272 hp
Total production: 33,952 units







































1998 – 2003
 A 208
 CLK 200
 (1998-2000)
 4/in-line
 136 hp
 
 CLK 200 KOMPRESSOR
 (2000-2003)
 4/in-line
 163 hp
CLK 230 KOMPRESSOR
 (1999-2000)
 4/in-line
 193 hp
CLK 230 KOMPRESSOR
 (2000-2003)
 4/in-line
 197 hp
CLK 320 KOMPRESSOR
 (1998-2003)
 6/V
 218 hp
CLK 430
 (1997-1999)
 8/V
 279 hp
CLK 55 AMG
 (1999-2003)
 8/V
 347 hp
Total production: approx. 115,000 units
Technical data in detail: Mercedes Cabriolets since 1956
“Ponton” Cabriolets (1956 - 1959)
220 S Cabriolet (1956 - 1959)
6-cylinder in-line engine
Bore x stroke: 80 x 72.8 mm
Displacement: 2195 cc
Output: 100 hp at 4800 rpm; from 8/57: 106 hp at 5200 rpm
Torque: 165 Nm at 3500 rpm; from 8/57: 175 Nm at 3500 rpm
Maximum speed: 160 km/h
0-100 km/h: 17 s
220 SE Cabriolet (1958 - 1960)
6-cylinder in-line engine
Bore x stroke: 80 x 72.8 mm
Displacement: 2195 cc
Output: 115 hp at 4800 rpm; from 8/59: 120 hp at 4800 rpm
Torque: 19 Nm at 3800 rpm; from 8/59: 193 Nm at 3900 rpm
Maximum speed: 160 km/h; from 8/59: 165 km/h
0-100 km/h: 15 s
Cabriolets from the 111/112 series (1961 – 1971)
220 SE Cabriolet (1961 - 1965)
6-cylinder in-line engine
Bore x stroke: 80 x 72.8 mm
Displacement: 2195 cc
Output: 120 hp at 4800 rpm
Torque: 193 Nm at 3900 rpm
Maximum speed: 170 km/h
0-100 km/h: 13.7 s
250 SE Cabriolet (1965 - 1967)
6-cylinder in-line engine
Bore x stroke: 82 x 78.8 mm
Displacement: 2496 cc
Output: 150 hp at 5500 rpm
Torque: 220 Nm at 4200 rpm
Maximum speed: 190 km/h
0-100 km/h: 11.8 s
300 SE Cabriolet (1962 - 1967)
6-cylinder in-line engine
Bore x stroke: 85 x 88 mm
Displacement: 2996 cc
Output: 160 hp at 5000 rpm, from 1/64: 170 hp at 5400 rpm
Torque: 256 Nm at 3800 rpm, from 1/64: 254 Nm at 4000 rpm
Maximum speed: 180 km/h, from 1/64: 195 km/h
0-100 km/h: 11.5 s, from 1/64: 11.7 s
280 SE Cabriolet (1968 - 1971)
6-cylinder in-line engine
Bore x stroke: 86.5 x 78.8 mm
Displacement: 2778 cc
Output: 160 hp at 5500 rpm
Torque: 245 Nm at 4250 rpm
Maximum speed: 190 km/h
280 SE 3.5 Cabriolet (1969 - 1971)
V8 engine
Bore x stroke: 92 x 65.8 mm
Displacement: 3499 cc
Output: 200 hp at 5800 rpm
Torque: 292 Nm at 4000 rpm
Maximum speed: 205 km/h
0-100 km/h: 9.4 s
E-Class Cabriolets from the 124 series (1991 – 1997)
300 CE-24 Cabriolet (1992 - 1993)
6-cylinder in-line engine
Bore x stroke: 88.5 x 80.2 mm
Displacement: 2960 cc
Output: 162 kW/220 hp at 6400 rpm
Torque: 265 Nm at 4600 rpm
Maximum speed: 235 km/h
0-100 km/h: 9.0 s
E 200 Cabriolet (1993 - 1997)
4-cylinder in-line engine
Bore x stroke: 89.9 x 78.7 mm
Displacement: 1998 cc
Output: 100 kW/136 hp at 5500 rpm
Torque: 190 Nm at 4000 rpm
Maximum speed: 200 km/h
0-100 km/h: 13.3 s
E 220 Cabriolet (1993 - 1997)
4-cylinder in-line engine
Bore x stroke: 89.9 x 86.6 mm
Displacement: 2199 cc
Output: 110 kW/150 hp at 5500 rpm
Torque: 210 Nm at 4000 rpm
Maximum speed: 210 km/h
0-100 km/h: 11.9 s
E 320 Cabriolet (1992 - 1997)
6-cylinder in-line engine
Bore x stroke: 89.9 x 84.0 mm
Displacement: 3199 cc
Output: 162 kW/220 hp at 5500 rpm
Torque: 310 Nm at 3750 rpm
Maximum speed: 235 km/h
0-100 km/h: 9.2 s
E 36 AMG Cabriolet (1993 – 1997)
6-cylinder in-line engine
Bore x stroke: 91.0 x 92.4 mm
Displacement: 3604 cc
Output: 200 kW/272 hp at 5750 rpm
Torque: 385 Nm at 3750 - 4500 rpm
Maximum speed: 250 km/h
0-100 km/h: 7.2 s
CLK-Class Cabriolets from the 208 series (1998 - 2003)
CLK 200 Cabriolet (1998 - 2000)
4-cylinder in-line engine
Bore x stroke: 89.9 x 78.7 mm
Displacement: 1998 cc
Output: 100 kW/136 hp at 5500 rpm
Torque: 190 Nm at 3700 - 4500 rpm
Maximum speed: 204 km/h
0-100 km/h: 12.0 s
CLK 200 KOMPRESSOR Cabriolet (2000 - 2003)
4-cylinder in-line engine
Bore x stroke: 89.9 x 78.7 mm
Displacement: 1998 cc
Output: 120 kW/163 hp at 5300 rpm
Torque: 230 Nm at 2500 - 4800 rpm
Maximum speed: 218 km/h
0-100 km/h: 9.9 s
CLK 230 KOMPRESSOR Cabriolet (1998 - 2000)
4-cylinder in-line engine
Bore x stroke: 90.9 x 88.4 mm
Displacement: 2295 cc
Output: 142 kW/193 hp at 5300 rpm
Torque: 280 Nm at 2500 - 4800 rpm
Maximum speed: 230 km/h
0-100 km/h: 8.8 s
CLK 230 KOMPRESSOR Cabriolet (2000 - 2003)
4-cylinder in-line engine
Bore x stroke: 90.9 x 88.4 mm
Displacement: 2295 cc
Output: 145 kW/197 hp at 5500 rpm
Torque: 280 Nm at 2500 - 5000 rpm
Maximum speed: 230 km/h
0-100 km/h: 8.7 s
CLK 320 Cabriolet (1998 - 2003)
V6 engine
Bore x stroke:89.9 x 84.0 mm
Displacement: 3199 cc
Output: 160 kW/218 hp at 5700 rpm
Torque: 310 Nm at 3000 - 4600 rpm
Maximum speed: 236 km/h
0-100 km/h: 8.3 s
CLK 430 Cabriolet (1997 - 1999)
V8 engine
Bore x stroke: 89.9 x 84.0 mm
Displacement: 4266 cc
Output: 205 kW/279 hp at 5750 rpm
Torque: 400 Nm at 3000 - 4400 rpm
Maximum speed: 250 km/h
0-100 km/h: 7.4 s
CLK 55 AMG Cabriolet (1999 - 2003)
V8 engine
Bore x stroke: 97.0 x 92.0 mm
Displacement: 5439 cc
Output: 255 kW/347 hp at 5500 rpm
Torque: 510 Nm at 3000 - 4300 rpm
Maximum speed: 250 km/h
0-100 km/h: 6.2 s
 







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