The 220 SE cabriolet cost ten percent more than a Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz, with no power steering on offer at any price.
Median 90 hp across 186 similar cars
Lead trim: 220 SE (M127 2.2 fuel-injected I6)
Mercedes-Benz S-ClassW128 · 1958–1960
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FactThe 220 SE cabriolet cost ten percent more than a Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz, with no power steering on offer at any price.
The Mercedes-Benz W128 is a six-cylinder luxury car produced by Mercedes-Benz as the 220 SE from 1958 to 1960 as a sedan, coupé and cabriolet (3,916 built: 1,974 sedans, 830 coupés and 1,112 cabriolets). A more powerful version of the near-identical W180 220 S, it gained the fuel-injected M127 version of Mercedes' 2.2 litre M180 engine and an "E" in its name for Einspritzung, German for petrol injection; the sedan was produced from October 1958 to August 1959 and the coupé and cabriolet from July 1958 to November 1960. It was the last new model of the "Ponton" range, whose design and styling roots trace to the 1953 W120 sedan it was derived from. The cabriolet was priced at DM 23,400/$8,091, ten percent above Cadillac's Eldorado Biarritz convertible, and nearly every interior surface of the coupé and cabriolet was covered in wood or leather, with matching leather luggage available; power steering, windows, air conditioning and an automatic transmission were not available (an automatic clutch was offered with the column-mounted 4-speed manual). The sedan was succeeded in 1959 by the W111 220 SEb "Fintail", and the coupé and cabriolet in 1961 and 1962 by the Paul Bracq-designed 220 SEb. Wheelbase is 2,820 mm (111.0 in) for the sedan and 2,700 mm (106.3 in) for the coupé and cabriolet. The page gives no power figure.
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Trims & Figures
One published trim in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 220 SE (M127 2.2 fuel-injected I6) | 1958–1960 | 2.2 L Inline-6 | 113 hp | 137 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
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Owners’ builds
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Photographs
This S63 drops the S-Class's century-old hood ornament for a Panamericana grille with a giant badge up front — a first for the S-Class sedan.
This S-Class pioneered a new kind of rear airbag: instead of being gas-inflated, it deploys by inflating a supporting structure and letting ordinary ambient air fill the bag - a world first.
The Z223 Maybach S-Class is 18 cm longer than the car it replaced, and the first Mercedes with rear-passenger frontal airbags.
The V12 AMG S-Class went out on a high note: a 130-unit S 65 Final Edition unveiled at the 2019 Geneva show before the engine was retired for good.
The W222 S63 AMG's battery wasn't a bespoke part — Mercedes borrowed a lightweight 78 Ah lithium-ion unit straight from the SLS AMG Black Series supercar.
The W222 S-Class got a suspension with 'eyes': a stereo camera reads the road up to 15 meters ahead at speeds up to 130 km/h, softening each damper before the car even hits the bump.
Mercedes built this S65 with a 5-speed automatic while rivals had moved to seven gears, saving the V12's torque from a gearbox it would have broken.
The S63 AMG's tail lights hide a tiny detail: 52 individual LEDs arranged into a glowing "C" shape on each side.
The W221 was the first S-Class offered with Mercedes' Active Body Control-based Magic Body Control successor tech groundwork and the first to include a night-vision assist system as an option in the US.
AMG's own V12 for the S65 reportedly made 1,200 N·m of torque in testing — Mercedes had to electronically cap it because the transmission behind it couldn't survive the real number.
The sportier S 55 AMG and the flagship S 600 made identical horsepower — Mercedes simply aimed one at drivers and the other at passengers.
The W220 dropped nearly 200 kg compared to its W140 predecessor despite growing in interior space, a weight-reduction goal set directly in response to criticism of the older car's bulk.
The W140's development cost roughly one billion dollars, making it one of the most expensive car programs of its era.
The W126 S-Class pioneered seat belt pretensioners that automatically cinched tight the instant the car sensed a crash coming — years ahead of the rest of the industry.
China quietly cloned this S-Class in 1974: the Shanghai SH771, a reverse-engineered copy meant to replace a 1950s sedan, built only as prototypes.
Mercedes dropped its flagship 600 limousine's 6.3-litre V8 into an ordinary-looking sedan body. It's the car historians credit as the first true Mercedes sleeper.
The W108 sold well enough in Southeast Asia and North America to rack up 383,072 built by 1972.
The 300 SE sedan raced European Touring Car events despite costing nearly double the top W111 model it was based on.
Every W111 sedan wore the pointed "Heckflosse" fintail that gave the whole line its nickname — except these two-door coupes and cabriolets, which designer Paul Bracq deliberately gave a cleaner, more modern rear years ahead of its time.
The "Fintail" quietly rewrote car safety: Mercedes built in front and rear crumple zones and patented retractable seatbelts, years before either was ever required by law.
The 220 SE cabriolet cost ten percent more than a Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz, with no power steering on offer at any price.
The 219 is a 220's front end welded to a 180's rear doors, a factory mix-and-match of two different cars.
The 220 a exists because Mercedes stretched a four-cylinder W120 170mm to squeeze in a straight-six.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
It briefly served as senior sibling to Marquette, a GM companion brand cancelled after just one year.
Nissan hired former BMW engineers to help develop the 510's suspension, which is why period reviewers frequently compared its handling to the BMW 1600/2002.
A Trabant 601 won its class at the 1970 Monte Carlo Rally, with a second 601 right behind it in second.
The 600 was a stopgap: the P50's body over the 601's mechanicals, and for a while its estate was built alongside the new 601 saloon.
The G80 Sport brought a 370 PS twin-turbo 3.3 V6, a mesh grille and copper-tinted chrome with copper stitching to match.
The Vigor was sold only with a five-cylinder engine, an unusual configuration Honda used to fit a longer engine transversely under a short hood.
The GS/E coupe earned the nickname "German Charger" for its long hood, short deck stance borrowed from Detroit muscle cars.
This DeVille/Fleetwood was the first production car anywhere to mount its V8 sideways, Cadillac's front-drive gamble on the new C-body.