Mercedes-Benz Luxury Cabriolet · 220 Cabriolet

W188

Open-top postwar luxury — rare and refined.

Production
1952–1958
Built
446
Body
Cabriolet
Chassis
W188
Mercedes-Benz Luxury Cabriolet (W188)

The W188 300 S and 300 Sc were Mercedes-Benz's post-war hand-built sporting luxury cars — short-chassis cabriolets and roadsters for buyers who wanted Adenauer engineering in a more intimate, driver-focused package.

The 300 S used the pre-war derived 3.0-liter six in elegant two-door coachwork, while the later 300 Sc added fuel injection and further refinement. These were not volume cars: each body was crafted with the care normally reserved for the Großer Mercedes, in dimensions better suited to personal rather than state transport.

Produced from 1952 to 1958, only 446 W188 examples were built. Scarcity, craftsmanship, and mechanical sophistication make the 300 S and 300 Sc among the most collectible Mercedes-Benz models of the 1950s.

W188 interior
Cabin details of the W188, as preserved in period photography.

Every model.

4 model designations across 1952–1958 — engines, chassis codes and production figures for the W188.

ModelModel yearsChassisEngineTransmissionTotal
300 S Roadster1953–1955188.012188.920141
300 S Cabriolet1953–1955188.010188.920203
300 Sc Cabriolet1956–1957188.013199.98049
300 Sc Roadster1956–1958188.015199.98053

* The published production figure covers every series of that model; the source does not break it down further.

W188 side profile
Studio profile of the W188 — the proportions that defined this chassis.
W188 rear three-quarter view
Rear three-quarter view of the W188.