The Mercedes 220 Cabriolet was the last model from Stuttgart that was largely hand-built. Although it was based on the sedan with the same numeric designation, they didn’t have much in common beyond the engine and chassis.
When the cabriolet – and the coupe – arrived in 1961, the fins from the sedan, the "Fin Mercedes," were gone, emphasizing a lower and more elegant look. It was a very expensive car, significantly more expensive in the USA than comparable models from Cadillac and Lincoln, but it still – or perhaps because of this – became popular among the elite of the time, particularly in Hollywood.
The 220 Cabriolet’s main competitor in the USA was the Rolls-Royce Shadow, which was more exclusive but hardly a better car. Mercedes cars from the 1960s were exceptionally well-made with exquisite craftsmanship.
Bilweb Auctions now has a 1963 220 SE Cabriolet for sale. It was sold new in Germany, where it left the factory painted white but was imported to Sweden in 1989, where after meticulous restoration, it was given an elegant metallic red color.
Recently, it has received a new red leather interior, which contrasts beautifully with the white steering wheel featuring noble wood in the hub and a gearshift knob in the same color. A Becker Grand Prix radio, which probably has been in the car since it was new, adds to the original feel.
In the tidy engine bay sits the direct-injection, almost indestructible, straight-six engine of 2.2 liters and 120 horsepower, which carried Mercedes through the 1960s and into the 1970s.
This 220 SE Cabriolet is likely the highlight of Bilweb Auctions' second online auction of classic cars in October. It is estimated to have a market value of between 1.1 and 1.3 million SEK.
But five more Mercedes are included in the auction:
- 1982 300 Geländewagen
- 1992 500 SL
- 2005 E 350
- 1985 200
- 1988 190 E 2.3
The auctions end on October 10.
