What's all this about?
Mercedes-Benz has popped the top off the S-Class Coupé to create its first luxury four-seater open-top since 1971 - this is the S-Class Cabriolet.
First four-seat open-top? I've got an E-Class Cabrio and that's luxury...
Erm, yes. Well, Mercedes said it, not us. Clearly, Mercedes considers this the true successor to the 'W111' 280SE of 1971. Y'know, the one the Wolf Pack drove in the film The Hangover.
Oh yes, that. So what do we know about the S-Class Cabriolet?
Not much beyond these teaser sketches. It is closely related to the S-Class Coupé, so expect the same line-up of an S 500 and pair of AMG models (S 63 and S 65) as that car, plus a starting price in excess of the £96,195 required to get into a basic S 500 Coupé. The Cabrio is also said to be the sixth car in the S-Class family.
Sixth?
Yup, we reckon Mercedes is counting the regular saloon (short- and long-wheelbase), the Coupé, both variants of the Mercedes-Maybach (the 'normal' one and the Pullman version too) and possibly the GLS SUV that will be coming later this year.
So when do we think this will be on sale?
Knowing the speed at which car companies work these days, we'd expect the Mercedes S-Class Cabriolet to hit showrooms in 2016, with a debut at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show.
Matt Robinson - 15 Aug 2015