1957 Mercedes-Benz 220S Cabriolet

It's not always appreciated what a stir Mercedes-Benz road cars made in the 1950s. Leaving aside such obvious stars as the 300SL "Gullwing', there were headlines like "Magnificent Mercedes' whenever a new model was launched so it's not hard to see why the company applied new levels of build quality to even its most mundane models.

The discreetly styled 220S, for example, featured servo-assisted brakes and an overhead camshaft engine and had a top speed of 100mph when it was introduced in 1956, a speed that was beyond some sports cars. It was superbly assembled at a time when most post-war saloons were of dubious quality and built down to a price.

It also basked in the reflected glory of Mercedes-Benz's legendary return to Grand Prix racing in 1954 (Fangio won back-to-back World Championships) and its winning of the 1955 World Sports Car Championship. The kudos which surrounded the model range cannot be understated especially since Mercedes-Benz insisted on direct correlations between its road cars and competition cars.

With the cars it introduced in the 1950s, Mercedes-Benz began to move towards the niche in the market that it has come to call its own. It was a decision which paid off as Mercedes-Benz has become an extraordinarily successful company on the back of matchless engineering and build quality. The 220S is part of that tradition and remains one of the most desirable motorcars of its day.

At the top of the range was the S Cabriolet, a stylish and graceful tourer, of which this is a fine example. 167 EVJ is particularly unusual in being one of just a handful of original right-hand drive examples built and we believe that out of the original 20 produced, only 8 remain. It was first registered on the 15th July 1957 and has had three owners since, with the previous owner purchasing the car on the 22nd May 1973 for £500 and this bill of sale is included in the file.

Since our vendor purchased the car, much work has been undertaken, including a full interior retrim in red leather, a new hood, and re-chroming of the brightwork along with other recommissioning work to ensure the vehicle is in fine fettle.

167 EVJ has been loved and cherished throughout and is supplied with its original instruction manual and sales brochure along with various bills and receipts from specialists such as Werner Karasch and Company, a UK V5 and a copy of the build sheets.

With a comprehensive archive file, the car's rarity, and the model's importance in the history of 1950's Mercedes-Benz, this drophead 220S is worth consideration by any marque enthusiast.