Mercedes-Benz Whensday: The Convertible S-Class

The Return of the Flagship Mercedes-Benz Cabriolet

Welcome to the first installment of Mercedes-Benz Whensday where we compare modern Mercedes-Benz cars to predecessors and discuss historical events that relate to all modern branches of Mercedes-Benz. This includes Daimler, AMG, Maybach, Brabus, and more. Over the last century and a half, Mercedes-Benz has helped shape the automobile, and with this weekly blog, we are going to show you how. The topic of today’s discussion? The rise, fall, and resurrection of the flagship Mercedes-Benz Cabriolet.

Read More: 2017 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cabriolet Release Date

1966 Mercedes-Benz SE vs. 2017 Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Today, we look at the 2017 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cabriolet. It is a perfect example of how Mercedes-Benz holds on to its culture because although it has been 44 years, this is not the first time it has been offered without a top. The last time it was available as such, Stanford had just beaten Ohio State 27-17 in the 57th Rose Bowl, cigarette ads were newly banned from television, and the selfie stick was just a dream.

1961-1971 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cabriolet

1971 was the last year the S-Class was sold as a cabriolet. It was produced from 1961 to 1971 as the W111 and the W112. As you can see from the video, even in the 1960s, the flagship S-Class was timeless and offered luxuries that are impressive even for today’s standards. The real question is why production was stopped in the first place. It was powerful for its time and efficient, not that drivers cared about that back then.

Mercedes-Benz “Fintail”

Fintail is a nickname that was given to the W111 and the W112 because of the pointy fins that stretch across the trunk. It sort of makes it look like a Chevy, hinting at an American influence within Mercedes-Benz. The Fintail first featured a 2.2-liter V6 engine, but eventually worked its way up to a 3.5L V8 by 1971. They are very rare now, but similar coupe versions can be found online for around $100,000, which is funny because a brand new S-Class would cost roughly the same today.

2017 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cabriolet

Was Mercedes-Benz looking 44 years into the future so that it could release the new cabriolet this year? Although the truth is probably that Vietnam caused a drop in cabriolet sales, we like to think Mercedes-Benz is half a century ahead of us. This kind of thing is usually reserved for anniversaries or special events, but we guess Mercedes-Benz just couldn’t wait.  If you have any questions about the W111 chassis of the 1960s or the W222 chassis of today, let us know in the comments below.