Flowing Two-Doors

A look at the beautiful Mercedes luxury coupés built over forty years of last century...

1952: The 300 S Coupé

In 1950s West Germany now appears as a decade which looked back to the past. At the time nobody knew what lay ahead, though it was clear that the debris left over from the Second World War had to be cleared as soon as possible. The most visible signs of the general desolation were the roads, which were in an appalling condition. The traffic density in Germany was very low, with just 19 cars per 1000 inhabitants. There were unmistakable signs of a more forward-looking spirit, however. The communications sector, which was still in its infancy, was introducing self-dialled long-distance telephone calls. Television was affordable for everybody, though only in black-and-white. It was during this time that Sony in Japan brought its first transistor radio to production maturity. Technical breakthroughs were also taking place in the medical world, and the first heart pacemakers came into use.

It was against this social background that Mercedes-Benz launched the 300 S Coupé in the W 188 model series, which had been presented at the Paris Motor Show in autumn 1951 and entered series production in summer 1952. With this highly acclaimed top-of-the-line model, the Stuttgart company not only demonstrated its outstanding engineering expertise, but also its future-oriented entrepreneurial spirit. It was particularly the design of this Coupé that captured the attention. The sweeping wings and stretched bonnet produced "traditional and in this case particularly noble contours", to quote a comment made at the time. Furthermore, the "calm, dignified lines in exquisite harmony with a modern design" had a tangible aura of power. In this respect it also reflected the resurgent spirit of the era.

The refined, sporty Coupé was equipped with a 150 hp six-cylinder engine and capable of 175 km/h – though under the prevailing conditions this speed could only be driven on very few stretches of road. "Covering long distances in the shortest time, with minimum stress on the body and nerves", was the message to customers for the Coupé, which also included the American film stars Gary Cooper and Errol Flynn.

How seriously Mercedes-Benz took its enthusiastic target group already became obvious in 1955, when the company presented a revised model, the 300 Sc Coupé. The engine now had an injection pump rather than the previous carburettor, and the output had increased to 128 kW/175 hp. The new Coupé had also adopted the single-joint swing axle from the Saloon model, which improved ride comfort even further. A certain amount of justifiable pride on the part of the designers was also shown by the lettering "Injection Engine" on the boot lid of the 300 Sc.

The fact that only 314 of these W 188-series Coupés were produced between 1951 and 1958 is due to the relatively small market of that period. Accordingly, the very few remaining post-war Coupés are among the most sought-after collectors’ items, and change hands at the highest prices at auctions.

1956: the “Pontoon” Coupés

By the mid-1950s the "post-war years" were well and truly over. The tentative economic resurgence in Germany had developed into a boom which has gone down in history as the "economic miracle". During the four years from 1952, car ownership more than doubled to 40 per 1000 inhabitants.

Unemployment was non-existent, and under these positive circumstances even the politicians were prepared to take risks. An "All-Germany team" took part in the Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia for the first time. This political initiative was reversed some time later, but it showed that opportunities must be exploited if progress is to be achieved. When the first transatlantic telephone cable went into service in 1956, anybody could call New York or San Francisco from the comfort of home. This was the start of the global revolution in telecommunications. Communication also means movement, and movement also means the motor vehicle.

When Mercedes-Benz presented the 220 S Coupé in the W 180 series in 1956, the more nostalgically inclined – and they existed even then – complained that the new Coupé lacked the sweeping wings of its predecessor. With its two doors, flowing roofline and prominent, curved rear window, the 220 S Coupé once again showed powerful and elegant contours. Large bumpers and fog lamps characterised the front end. The most striking feature was the three-fold division of the passenger cell, front end and rear end into a characteristic form which quickly led to the nickname "Pontoon Mercedes" – a term which has gone down in automotive history. The 220 S Coupé was the first coupé by Mercedes-Benz to possess a self-supporting body which was welded to the frame floor.

The characteristic "Pontoon" Mercedes models in this series were first introduced with a 74 kW/100 hp engine, including the Coupés. Shortly afterwards the engine output was increased to 78 kW/106 hp. An improved front wheel location made for better ride comfort, as did the single-joint swing axle with its low pivot point. On request, and at an extra cost of 450 Marks, an automatic, hydraulic clutch named "Hydrak" became available from 1957. The interior appointments were also luxurious, including polished exotic wood trim, leather upholstery and an auxiliary fan for the heating and ventilation system. The motoring press described the Coupé as a combination of "modern technology and purposeful elegance". Responding to customer wishes for increased performance, Mercedes-Benz offered a petrol injection system in the 220 SE (W 128 series) at a price of 1900 Marks from September 1958, and this increased the output to 85 kW/115 hp.

Only 2081 units of the 220 S and 220 SE Coupés were produced. The "Pontoon" Coupés are likewise highly sought-after collectors’ items.

1961: The 220 SEb Coupé

The year 1961 saw a number of epoch-making events which drew enormous international attention, as unremitting advances in communications technology ensured that they reached every household in possession of a television receiver. August 13, 1961 will always remain a painful memory in Germany, as this is the day when the GDR sent in construction teams to build a wall between East and West Berlin. This marked the start of a political division which would last for 28 years, and only ended with the events that precipitated the fall of the wall on November 9, 1989. Even though accompanied by a great deal of propaganda, the first manned space flight in 1961 was a trailblazing achievement in a positive sense: in a "Vostok" rocket the Russian Yuri Gagarin orbited the earth once in one hour and 48 minutes, becoming a Hero of the Soviet Union. In contrast, September 10, 1961 was marked by the tragic death of the German racing driver Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips, who lost control of his Ferrari at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, killing himself and 16 spectators.

In 1961 yet another coupé was in the limelight at Mercedes-Benz, when the 220 SEb Coupé in the W 111 series was presented during the opening ceremony for the new Museum at the plant in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim on February 24. Once again the designers had demonstrated their creativity and unerring sense of style. This elegant and prestigious coupé possessed a compelling aura, while power and comfort blended to form a harmonious whole which was already visible externally. The tailfins which adorned the saloon models were now only vestigial, thereby reinforcing the flowing lines. The car’s well-balanced design dispensed with any form of styling gimmickry. This fully-fledged four-seater with plenty of space for longer journeys had adopted not only the engine and suspension, but also the safety body from the four-door Saloon. Otherwise the Coupé was a completely new design.

The six-cylinder engine developed an output of 120 hp, enough for high average speeds on long journeys. Neither were the performance figures theoretical any more, as the early 1960s were the start of a travel boom in Germany. Car density in Germany had more than doubled again since 1956. It now stood at 95 cars per 1000 inhabitants, though the quality of the road surfaces was still rather variable. The designers at Mercedes-Benz had planned ahead, however: the 220 SEb Coupé was the first series production car by Mercedes-Benz to feature disc brakes at the front. There was also a padded steering wheel and new wedge-pin door locks, which prevented the doors from bursting open in the event of an accident. There were also three-point seat belts.

These safety features, as well as the performance figures, were further improved upon by models introduced in the years that followed. To take just one example, the 300 SE Coupé in the W 112 model series of 1962 featured a four-speed automatic transmission, air suspension and power steering as standard, in line with the expectations of customers who were covering more and more annual mileages. These Coupés were not just predestined for luxurious recreational use but also proved especially ideal for frequent business travellers. The popularity of these models was spectacularly reflected in the sales figures: production of the Coupés in the W 111 and W 112 series exceeded those of the preceding "Pontoon" series more than tenfold, with 28,918 units built.

1981: the W126

The year 1981 ushered in the era of truly global communication, both at the technological and social level. A young software company named Microsoft in Seattle, Washington achieved a worldwide breakthrough with its computer operating system when MS DOS became the standard for most of the world’s PCs. Another major event was attracting far more media attention at the time, however: the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer on July 29, 1981. This royal spectacle was broadcast by more TV stations and seen by more viewers than any Olympic Games: statisticians have calculated that more than one billion people witnessed the marriage ceremony.

When the Mercedes 380 SEC Coupé and 500 SEC Coupé in the C 126 model series were presented in 1981, the designers and engineers had once again turned to the S-Class as the basis for the Coupés rather than the SL-Class, which was also available as the SLC Coupé from 1971 to 1981. This initially meant that their dimensions were slightly increased. The design of the new Coupé was also derived from the four-door saloons, with elegant and harmonious contours.

Car ownership in Germany had expanded at an enormous rate, for in 1981 no less than 385 of every thousand inhabitants possessed a car. The expectations of car buyers increased. Mercedes-Benz engineers met the demands for more output with V8 engines for the new Coupés, which had also been thoroughly revised to achieve reduced fuel consumption and exhaust emissions as part of the "Mercedes-Benz Energy Concept". The output of the 380 SEC Coupé was 150 kW/204 hp, that of the 500 SEC Coupé 170 kW/231 hp. As a motoring magazine wrote at the time: "The feeling of spaciousness and visibility are quite excellent, the SEC appears to drive itself."

In addition to a higher compression ratio, technical modifications included improved camshafts with altered timing, air-bathed injection valves and electronic idling speed control. Thanks to these sophisticated modifications it was possible to reduce the fuel consumption of the SEC Coupés significantly compared to their predecessors. Naturally these Coupés also shared the same high safety standards as the S-Class Saloons.

A particularly interesting interior feature was the electrically operated belt feeders, which were standard equipment in the SEC models and were designed to bring the seat belts into the field of vision on all four seats, while making those for the driver and front passenger easily accessible. A driver airbag and a belt tensioner for the front passenger were available on request.

The excitement generated by the new, large Coupé was not least confirmed by the sales figures, with 74,060 units of the W 126 series produced.

Model Chronology

Period	Models	Engines	Total production
1952 - 1958 W 188	300 S (1952 - 1955) 300 Sc (1955 - 1958)	6 in-line, 110 kW/150 hp 6 in-line, 128 kW/175 hp	314
1956 - 1960 W 180/W 128	220 S (1956 - 1959) 220 SE (1958 - 1960)	6 in-line, 74 kW/100 hp; from 8/1957: 78 kW/106 hp 6 in-line, 85 kW/115 hp; from 8/1959: 88 kW/120 hp	2081
1961 - 1971 W 111/112	220 SEb (1961 - 1965) 250 SE (1965 - 1967) 280 SE (1968 - 1971) 300 SE (1962 - 1967) 280 SE 3.5 (1969 - 1971)	6 in-line, 88 kW/120 hp 6 in-line, 110 kW/150 hp 6 in-line, 118 kW/160 hp 6 in-line, 118 kW/160 hp V8, 148 kW/200 hp	28 918
1981 - 1991 C 126	380 SEC (1981 - 1985) 500 SEC (1981 - 1991) 420 SEC (1985 - 1991) 560 SEC (1985 - 1991)	V8, 150 kW/204 hp V8, 170 kW/231 hp; from 1985: 180 kW/245 hp (w. cat. conv. 164 kW/223 hp); from 9/1987: 195 kW/265 hp (w. cat. conv. 185 kW/252 hp) V8, 160 kW/218 hp (w. cat. conv. 150 kW/204 hp); from 9/1987: 170 kW/231 hp (w. cat. conv. 165 kW/ 224 hp) V8, 200 kW/272 hp (w. cat. conv. 178 kW/242 hp); from 9/1987: 220 kW/300 hp (w. cat. conv. 205 kW/279 hp)	74 060