How do you make the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, already considered by many as the greatest car in the world, better? First you take two doors out. Then you chop the top. Delightfully, that’s exactly what Mercedes is going to do.
That’s right. Mercedes-Benz is set to build an S-Class convertible.
Product development boss Thomas Weber told Automotive News that the convertible is a sure thing, and that it will be based on the Concept S-Class Coupe that debuted last month at the Frankfurt Auto Show.
We already knew the Frankfurt concept would spawn a production hardtop. And we heard rumors back in June that an S-Class convertible could be in the pipeline. We didn’t know, however, if it’d truly come to fruition.
Mercedes last teased a convertible S-Class with the 2007 Ocean Drive concept. The German luxury leader hasn’t actually built a convertible flagship since the W111 Cabriolet (not actually badged as an S-Class, but a full-size Merc nonetheless) expired in 1971.
Weber says the new S-Class convertible will have a fabric top. That may seem a bit old-fashioned, but other mega-convertibles like the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe and Bentley Continental GTC also use this traditional, more space-efficient design.
As for giddy-up, the S-Class convertible will be powered by the same twin-turbocharged V8 and V12 engines as the sedan and coupe.
With the styling of the Frankfurt coupe concept, and the tech of 2014 sedan, the new S-Class convertible should live up to the standard set by past versions of Mercedes’ flagship.
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