Mercedes-Benz Luxury Cabriolet · 220 Cabriolet
W188
Open-top postwar luxury — rare and refined.
- Production
- 1952–1958
- Built
- 446
- Body
- Cabriolet
- Chassis
- 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.
Every model.
4 model designations across 1952–1958 — engines, chassis codes and production figures for the W188.
| Model | Lata modelowe | Zbudowano | Podwozie | Silnik | Skrzynia biegów | Razem |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 S Roadster | 1953–1955 | 09.1952–06.1955 | 188.012 | 188.920 | 141 | |
| 300 S Cabriolet | 1953–1955 | 06.1952–07.1955 | 188.010 | 188.920 | 203 | |
| 300 Sc Cabriolet | 1956–1957 | 01.1956–07.1957 | 188.013 | 199.980 | 49 | |
| 300 Sc Roadster | 1956–1958 | 01.1956–02.1958 | 188.015 | 199.980 | 53 |
* Opublikowana liczba produkcji obejmuje każdą serię tego modelu; źródło nie rozbija jej dalej.
Year by year.
The few major changes that separate the carbureted 300 S from the injected 300 Sc.
- 1952
- Series production began for the 300 S Cabriolet A, Roadster and Coupé.
- Three carburettors helped the M188 six-cylinder engine produce 150 hp.
- 1955
- The 300 Sc replaced carburettors with direct petrol injection and raised output to 175 hp.
- A low-pivot single-joint swing axle replaced the earlier rear-axle design.
- Vent windows, larger indicators and twin horizontal bonnet vents identified the 300 Sc.
- Full-length side chrome and an “Einspritzmotor” boot badge provided additional visual dating cues.
- 1958
- Production of the final 300 Sc models ended in April.
