Mercedes-Benz 220 S - the leading star of the sixties and its relatives
Summary
From 1959 to 1968 (Coupé and Cabriolet until 1971), the Mercedes-Benz W111 model series and its offshoots W110 and W112 were the benchmark in the luxury car class. The saloons, colloquially known as the big and small hatchbacks, impressed - especially in the top versions - with their high level of safety and comfort, impressive looks and self-confident price tags. In this vehicle report, the three model series are brought into order and a Mercedes-Benz 220 S is portrayed in detail, supplemented by many historical illustrations and a sales brochure.
This article contains the following chapters
- The spearhead of German automotive engineering
 - Launch of the "large hatchback" W111 in 1959
 - Durable coupé and cabriolet without trailing edges
 - "Universal" from external production
 - Top-down strategy with the "small fin" W110 from 1961
 - The "super fin" W112 from 1961
 - "Neither of us had ever experienced that before..."
 - New benchmark for comfort and safety
 - With crumple zone
 - Conspicuous bumpers with two "floors"
 - US look made in Stuttgart
 - Racing-inspired road holding
 - Few shadows and lots of light
 - Further information
 
Estimated reading time: 14min
Preview (beginning of the article)
The benchmark in the luxury class - no more and no less were the three model series W 110 to W 112 from Mercedes-Benz from 1959 to 1968 (Coupé and Cabriolet until 1971). The saloons, known colloquially as the small and large hatchbacks, impressed with their high level of safety and comfort, impressive looks and self-confident price tags - especially in the top versions. The message was simple to understand: if you were in it, you had made it! Horch or Maybach no longer existed, Audi had not yet been resurrected, BMW still mainly built motorcycles and small cars, and the big Opels were not really German products. Mercedes was therefore still the undisputed spearhead of German automobile production in the 1950s and enjoyed an excellent reputation worldwide. The Ponton-Mercedes formed the sound basis and its 190 SL offshoot and the various 300 versions the superstructure for luxury and sport.
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