In October that year, at the 1926 Berlin Motor Show, the new company presented the first Daimler-Benz product range. The exhibition saw the unveiling of the first jointly developed passenger car models launched under the new Mercedes-Benz brand name: the 8/38 hp two-litre car (W 02) and the 12/55 hp three-litre model (W 03).

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Also on display was the model ‘K’. Based on the 12/100/140 hp vehicle, this special model featured a shorter wheelbase and was the fastest touring car in the world. It was added to the standard sales range in April 1927. The new models bore the new trademark, the Mercedes Star. From then on the three-pointed star graced all Mercedes-Benz vehicles, a global symbol of quality and safety. And the Mercedes-Benz name was universally associated with tradition, innovation, and the future of the motor car.

What the company came up with was the ground-breaking ‘Ponton’ series. Introduced at the 1956 Frankfurt Auto Show, the Mercedes-Benz 220 S saloon debuted alongside the 190 and the 219, a set of sedans, coupes and convertibles that took their sobriquet (employed by the media but never by Mercedes-Benz itself) from a progressive design that featured pontoon-like sides dispensing with the separate fenders of previous car designs.

Like the contemporary 180, the new trio featured unitary construction of the chassis/body, independent suspension all round and drum brakes. Powered by an up-rated (100bhp) version of the existing 2,195cc overhead-camshaft six-cylinder engine, the 220 S was good for a top speed that touched 100mph (161km/h). A shorter wheelbase was adopted for the Cabriolet model that appeared in May 1956 and also for the Coupé introduced the following year when the Hydrak semi-automatic transmission become available as an option.

The cars basked in the reflected glory of Mercedes-Benz’s legendary return to Grand Prix racing in 1954 – the Argentinian Juan Manuel Fangio won back-to-back World Championships in Mercedes-Benz vehicles – and its winning of the 1955 World Sports Car Championship. Fangio presided as the honorary president of Mercedes-Benz Argentina from 1987, a year after the inauguration of his museum, until his death in 1995.

A 220S coupe debuted later in 1956, followed by a two-door, four-seat convertible, an example of which we have right now at Beverly Hills Car Club, a highly-desirable 1958 Mercedes-Benz 220S Cabriolet that is finished in a color scheme of silver complemented with a gorgeous tan interior.

This original California car is equipped with a column-shifted manual transmission, inline-six engine, Solex dual carburetors, single exhaust outlet, VDO instruments, convertible soft top, boot cover, chrome trim/bumpers/grille, ‘220S’ badging, ivory color two-spoke steering wheel with a chrome horn ring, interior wood trim, Hella-branded front fog lights, Sears Allstate whitewall tires, Mercedes-Benz branded hub caps, tool roll, and a full-size spare tire fitted in the trunk.

Total production of the 220S coupe and cabriolet over the car’s four-year lifespan never exceeded 3,500.

So the beautiful 220S cabriolet that we have right now at Beverly Hills Car Club is close to a limited edition!

-Alex Manos, Owner