1952 Mercedes-Benz 220 Cabriolet A

During World War II, Daimler-Benz AG's plants were largely rubble due to Allied bombing. The company's administration was in shambled. The early years that followed were continuations of the four-cylinder 170V. A new car was in the works, the 300 Series, but in 1951, an upscale modernization of the 170 was introduced, the 220 Series, carrying the internal company designation of W187. The 220 Series had styling similar to the 170, but with headlights that were flared into the front fenders instead of free-standing. Under the bonnet, the engine was completely new. It was an inline six-cylinder unit that displaced 2195 cubic centimeters and had a single overhead camshaft operating the vales and short rocker arms. It had a stroke that was shorter than the bore dimension.

Over the production life span, more than 16,000 Mercedes-Benz 220s were sedans. Just 1,278 examples were the two-three seat Cabriolet A.

This 220 Cabriolet A was purchased in 1996 by the current owner from Tom Divel, of New Jersey. It then became the subject of an exhaustive restoration which was completed in 2000. Soon after the work was completed, the owner passed away and the car remained in climate-controlled storage until recently. The car has been driven less than 20 miles since the work was completed. It has been painted black with a tan leather interior.

The car has fitted luggage and several tools in the compartment. There is a four-band pushbutton radio.

By Daniel Vaughan | May 2015