Mercedes S-Class loses its head and goes convertible!

Mercedes-Benz didn’t do a great job of hiding this from the public eye, an uncovered (no eye-straining black and white camouflaged) S-Class was spotted putting some laps under its belt at the infamous Nurburgring, Germany. The last time an S-Class went topless was 44 years ago. This time the exterior remains completely unchanged with the exception of the fabric roof. Seating arrangements are made for one driver and three passengers much like its coupe counterpart.

Three models will be available; S500, S63 AMG and S65 AMG.

Rear-wheel drive is standard in all three. S500 and S 63 models have the option of 4matic or all-wheel drive. Automatic gearbox’s will be the only options with S500’s receiving a standard seven-speed one, whereas the other two receive an AMG seven-speed Speedshift one.

With the roof being cut off, extra support has to added to the base of the vehicle in order to stop flexing. It adds weight meaning 0-100 time is cut down only by a second or two compared to hard tops. This support is comprised of aluminium and magnesium, to still add weight just not a huge amount of it.

The interior is identical to its roof bearing brethren, however Mercedes has sneaked some new features in. For example when the roof is retracted, the climate control system uses sensors and actuators for maintaining the temperature for occupants. This system also detects potentially harmful gases. Front seats can be equipped with vents aimed towards one’s neck to blast hot air, not that one would need that in the UAE but it’s an option (think airscarf).

What other luxurious four-seater convertibles are there in the market that Mercedes want to take customers away from? What about the Bentley Continental GTC or the Rolls-Royce Phantom.

S-Class roof’s are said to retract in 20 seconds and can be done at a maximum speed of 60 km/h. It can be operated inside the vehicle or remotely. Once folded away its nestled in a separate compartment in the boot, in turn reducing space.

S-Class convertibles are said to start with 2016 models meaning they will roll into showrooms later this year, a full reveal is scheduled for this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show. Hardtop sedans and coupes are available right now, check out all new Mercedes-Benz S-Class and used Mercedes-Benz S-Class for sale in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, UAE listings on dubicars.com.

Don’t forget to tell us what you think of Mercedes’s latest S-Class convertible since 1971 below.