17 hours ago
Bentley Doesn't Want Mercedes-Benz To Revive These Iconic Cabriolets
Imagine the rejuvenating waft of ocean air flowing through your long and full head of hair. The sun's heavy rays beat down on you with the same effect as steaming rocks in a sauna, but your cashmere polo stays void of sweat, thanks to the blissfully effective ventilation packed beneath the supple leather seats in your Mercedes-Benz convertible as you dash briskly out of town, away from your day job, and off into the cloudless weekend. This is what life is like in a drop-top Mercedes–all the theatrical joie de vivre of a top-end Benz, elevated exponentially by the disappearance of a roof. It's a simple recipe for success in the business of flashy, high-end luxury, but it seems these days that, in the pursuit of cost-cutting, shareholder value maximization, and regulatory compliance, Mercedes-Benz seems to have turned its back on some of the brand's most coveted convertible models.
Models like the S-Class Cabriolet and the G-Class Cabriolet have long acted as high watermarks that set Mercedes-Benz apart from other so-called "luxury brands" who never had the guts to build such inaccessibly niche yet over-the-top extravagant models. Kids might have bright orange Lamborghinis sticky-puttied onto their bedroom walls, but the grown elite fantasize about lavish Rolls-Royce Dropheads and sultry convertible Bentleys.
With models like the S-Cab and the G-Cab, Mercedes-Benz signalled to the world that it could keep up with the elite go-tos like Rolls-Royce and Bentley in terms of elegance and excessive extravagance, all with German build quality to boot. Neither Audi nor BMW ever offered drop-top variants of their full-size sedan or of a military-grade SUV, and that level of extremism has thus become synonymous with Mercedes-Benz instead of Audi or BMW.
Using generative text-to-image artificial intelligence and Adobe Photoshop, we take an imagined look at what some iconic Mercedes-Benz convertible models would look like if revived for the modern day, using contemporary styling and modern body styles. These renders are purely for speculative and entertainment purposes and in no way depict any actual Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG, or Mercedes-Maybach products.
Only a few short years ago, the Mercedes-Benz cabriolet lineup included variants of most of the brand's traditional sedans, including the C-Class Cabrio, the E-Class Cabrio, and the venerable S-Class Cabrio, which represented the pinnacle of extravagance in the standard Mercedes-Benz lineup and could even be had in AMG and Maybach flavors. Now that Mercedes has replaced both the C- and E-Class Cabriolet with the sporty and modern CLE-Class, the world has been left without a worthy successor to the big body S-Class Cabriolet. Based on the W223 platform, an all-new Mercedes-Benz S580 Cabriolet could make use of the model's twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 with mild hybrid drive to produce up to 496 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque, placing its performance stats close to those of the 2025 Bentley Continental GT Azure, which packs 516 horsepower from a similar, hybridized and twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 setup.
Reviving the S-Class Cabriolet on the Mercedes-Benz W223 platform could even spawn AMG and Maybach variants, just as the W222 generation can so proudly claim. Imagine a high-performance Mercedes-AMG S63 E Performance Cabriolet with 791 horsepower and a whopping 1,055 lb-ft of torque from a handcrafted twin-turbocharged plug-in hybrid 4.0-liter V8. Using 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive and an AMG SPEEDSHIFT 9-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, imagine doing 0-60 mph sprints in just 3.3 seconds with the wind in your hair. Alternatively, for those who appreciate the S-Class Cabrio's massive talents as a superbly luxurious cruiser, a Mercedes-Maybach S680 Cabriolet variant could make use of the lush, twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12 found in the contemporary Maybach saloon, which packs a 621 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque punch.
The Mercedes-Benz G-Class Cabriolet has become a true cult classic in its own right, as its striking yet classy appearance has aged like fine wine. The G-Class Cabriolet has become so coveted, in fact, that clean examples command exponentially higher price tags than standard, non-cabriolet variants. For example, this 2006 Mercedes-Benz G500 Cabriolet, auctioned on Bring a Trailer, sold for an astonishing $350,000 USD back in 2022.
Compare that to this 2008 Mercedes-Benz G500 that sold just a month prior for $52,500, despite being two years newer, and it becomes clear that the collector car market recognizes tremendous value in the topless two-door G-Wagen variant. Perhaps Mercedes should take the hint and bring the massively desirable cabriolet back into its model lineup.
Although the contemporary Mercedes-Benz lineup is not entirely absent of convertible offerings, the CLE-Class exists as the sole traditional cabriolet offering, with the SL-Class carrying the flag for the iconic Mercedes roadster format. It's unfortunate to see such historic and coveted convertibles vanish from the German automaker's legendary lineup, but we're hopeful that we'll see a comeback soon. Perhaps we'll even see some electric Mercedes cabrios eventually!
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