History Of Mercedes Benz

Today in 2012 very few people have an idea what a Mercedes 170 S is all about. Most of them have never even seen one. So, let us dive a bit into the history of Mercedes after the war and have a look at what made this strange car so special. In the late 1940s, when this car was launched in Germany, times were very different. And not only in Germany. It was a similar situation all over Europe. Human resources were available in abundance, but there was an acute shortage in raw materials, machinery tools and most of all money. So most automobile manufacturers in Europe tried to launch cars that were either already available before World War II or were mildly upgraded to make them look at least from the outside somewhat more modern. Technically they were all just copies of what was already available ten years earlier. The first Mercedes after the war was no different.

The engine was upgraded from 38 hp to 52 hp and the car was launched as the Mercedes 170 S, "S" standing for "super". 2,400.- at contemporary exchange rates). It meant that very few could afford the car. As a first in the history of Mercedes: a four-cylinder car for the rich and famous. In the US that kind of money bought you an eight-cylinder Packard. None of 170 V or S cars would have found a buyer in North America. But if Daimler-Benz would have made an attempt to sell the Mercedes 170 S to potential American customers, there would have been no dealership yet to shoulder such a task. That came a few years later only. But at least in Germany the car played its role surprisingly well. One of the reasons was of course that competition didn't have anything better to offer. The General Motors subsidiary Opel had the prestigious and well received six-cylinder Kapit, which was priced at around the same level.

The icing on the (image-) cake was the introduction of two elegant convertibles, the two-seater Cabriolet A and the four-seater Cabriolet B. Both cabriolet interiors were trimmed more elaborately than the sedan's. In typical Mercedes fashion, they also had a price tag that made them the most expensive German cars money could buy. Although very few could afford them, and even if Daimler-Benz was most probably not able to make money with these hand built beauties, image wise they were unbeatable. When production of the Mercedes 170 S was finally halted in 1955, the car looked with its 1930s style fenders like an ancient pelican compared with the more modern ponton limousines, and very few still wanted to buy the car. But together with its predecessor the 170 V this car was in the history of Mercedes an instrumental first step in the company's later dominance of the luxury car market.

The AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 7-speed sports transmission combines perfectly with the V8 biturbo engine. Maximum agility and exciting dynamics are the two key strengths of this transmission, which is used exclusively at AMG. Drivers can configure their own personal set-up, depending on their driving style. There are three modes to choose from: "C" (Controlled Efficiency), "S" (Sport) and "M" (Manual). The ECO start/stop function features as standard and is activated in transmission mode "C". There are two variants of the S 63 Cabriolet available: with rear-wheel drive (as RHD version only) or with the performance-oriented AMG 4MATIC all-wheel drive (as LHD version). The combination of S-Class Cabriolet and 4MATIC is exclusive to the AMG variant. The drive distributes 33 percent of the engine torque to the front axle and 67 percent to the rear axle. This rear-biased power distribution provides for the signature AMG high driving dynamics and superlative driving enjoyment, and improves acceleration in all driving situations, including from a standing start. The all-wheel drive also enhances driving safety on wet or wintry road surfaces.

Specific front axle kinematics - including a higher camber, a larger anti-roll bar and a stiffer subframe carrier on the rear axle - have also been developed for the Cabriolet. The AMG-specific elastokinematics and parameterisation of the continuously variable damper control, the lower air volume of the air suspension system and the progressive piston geometry nip unpleasant rolling and pitching in the bud. It is also possible to raise the vehicle's level by 30 millimetres on poor surfaces. The chassis is lowered again automatically in "Sport" mode and from a speed of 120 km/h in "Controlled Efficiency" mode. The S 63 Cabriolet is equipped with forged AMG light-alloy wheels as standard. This forged design provides for extremely strong and particularly light wheels. The resultant lower unsprung masses give rise to advantages in terms of handling and spring/damper element response. Short stopping distances and rapid deceleration are a given for the S 63 Cabriolet, which is equipped with a weight-optimised, fade-resistant high-performance composite brake system.