220

STORY

The 220 (W187) was a landmark model as Mercedes-Benz's first postwar car to introduce an all-new engine, the 2.2-litre M180 overhead-cam inline-six. Presented at the 1951 Frankfurt Motor Show alongside the larger 300, it modernized the prewar-derived 170 range with more power, better performance and updated styling that integrated the headlamps into the front wings. It was offered as a saloon, a two-door Coupé and elegant Cabriolet A and Cabriolet B bodies. The smooth six-cylinder engine it introduced would underpin Mercedes passenger cars for years to come. Produced until 1955, the W187 helped re-establish Mercedes-Benz as a maker of refined, upper-middle-class touring cars in the recovering postwar market.