{{Infobox automobile | image = Mercedes-Benz W187 front 20110611.jpg | caption = Mercedes-Benz 220 "Cabriolet B" W187 | name = Mercedes-Benz W187<br>220 | manufacturer = [[Mercedes-Benz]] | production = 1951–1955 <br/> 18,514 built{{sfn|Oswald|2001c|page=16}} <br/><br/> Saloon: 16,154 <br/> Cabr. A: 1,278 <br/> Cabr. B: 997 <br/> Coupé: 85 | predecessor = [[Mercedes-Benz W142]] | successor = [[Mercedes-Benz W105]]<br>[[Mercedes-Benz W180]] | class = [[luxury car]] | platform = | layout = [[FR layout]] | body_style = 1951–54: 4 door [[sedan (car)|saloon]]<br>1951–54: 2-door [[cabriolet (automobile)|"cabriolet B"]]<br>1951–55: 2-door [[cabriolet (automobile)|"cabriolet A"]]<br>1954–55: 2 door [[coupé]] | engine = {{convert|2195|cc|L|1|abbr=on}} ''[[Mercedes-Benz M180 engine|M180]]'' [[Straight-six engine|I6]] | transmission = 4-speed [[manual transmission|manual]] | wheelbase = {{convert|2845|mm|in||abbr=on}} | length = {{convert|4507|mm|in||abbr=on}} - {{convert|4538|mm|in||abbr=on}} | width = {{convert|1685|mm|in||abbr=on}} | height = | weight = | aka = | related = | designer = }}
The '''Mercedes-Benz W187''' is a [[luxury car]] produced by [[Mercedes-Benz]] as a [[sedan (car)|saloon]], [[coupé]], and [[cabriolet (automobile)|cabriolet]] from 1951 to 1955. Designated the '''220''', it was powered by a [[single overhead camshaft]] [[inline-six|inline six-cylinder]] [[Mercedes-Benz M180 engine|M180]] engine.{{sfn|Oswald|2001c|page=16}} A
Initially a four-door sedan and two-door cabriolet were offered, with the sedan continuing through 1954 and the cabriolet through 1955. They were joined in 1954 by a two-door coupe, produced through 1955.
==History== The W187 was introduced at the [[Frankfurt Motor Show#1951|Frankfurt Motor Show]] in April 1951.
Despite its pre-[[World War II]] reputation as a manufacturer of [[luxury car]]s, in the depressed immediate post-war years [[Mercedes-Benz]] had produced only [[four-cylinder-engine]]d passenger cars. The W187 Mercedes-Benz 220 and flagship W186 [[Mercedes-Benz W186|Mercedes-Benz 300]] ''Adenauer'' introduced together were the first Mercedes to once again feature [[six-cylinder engine]]s.
The body of the W187 [[sedan (car)|saloon]] bore a strong resemblance to the 1938 [[Mercedes-Benz W153]], and despite the modern engine that powered it, already looked old fashioned to many observers on its introduction. Two years earlier, in 1949, the [[Borgward Hansa 1500|Borgward Hansa]] had served notice that car design had moved on since the 1930s, and the manufacturer's own 1953 [[Mercedes-Benz W120|W120]] "[[Mercedes-Benz Ponton|Ponton]]" confirmed that "modern" European cars were following the North American trend to lower wider bodied designs. This has been seen as an explanation for the W187's own unusually short production run of slightly above three years for the [[sedan (car)|saloon]] and less than five years for the longest lived of the Cabriolet models.{{sfn|Oswald|2001c|page=16}}
===Models=== The 220 sedan was similar in styling to the contemporary W136 [[Mercedes-Benz 170S]], with the 170's freestanding headlights integrated into the fenders for a slightly more modern look. To handle the extra power in what was, by contemporary standards, a heavy car, the W187 was given [[:de:Duplexbremse|duplex drum brakes]].
Two different 2-door [[cabriolet (automobile)|cabriolet]] models were built, similar to those offered in the W170 line, the "A" (an opulently styled roadster evoking the ultra-exclusive W188 [[Mercedes-Benz W188|300S]]) and "B" (a much plainer, dedicated 2+2 which closely resembled the 220 sedan). During 1953 the "Cabriolet A's" flat windscreen was replaced with a slightly curved screen. In December, a Coupé derived from it was announced for 1954. Fitted, as many were, with a steel sunroof, it was priced at 22,000 [[Deutsche Mark|Marks]], nearly twice the standard W187 sedan.
A total of 1,278 Cabriolet As, 997 Cabriolet Bs, and just 85 Coupés were sold.{{sfn|Oswald|2001c|pages=16–17}}
Between August 1952 and May 1953, 41 special soft top OTP (''Offener Tourenwagen Polizei'', "Open Police Touring Car") bodied W187 220s were produced for the [[Law enforcement in Germany|West German police]].
===Engines=== All 220s used the newly developed [[Mercedes-Benz M180 engine|M180]] six cylinder {{convert|2195|cc|L cuin|1|abbr=on|order=flip}} engine producing {{cvt|80|PS|hp kW|0|disp=flip}}. In contrast with the rather old fashioned look of the car's body, the new engines attracted much attention in the motoring press{{Citation needed|date=July 2018}}, being the first new engine presented by Mercedes-Benz in more than ten years. The valves were operated by short rocker arms from an [[overhead camshaft]]. The engine was unusual in Europe at this time in having [[oversquare]] cylinder dimensions with a bore of 80.0mm and a stroke of only 72.8mm, which facilitated the design of an efficient [[reverse-flow cylinder head]].
The manufacturer claimed a top speed of {{convert|87|mi/h|abbr=on}} for the saloon and {{convert|90|mi/h|abbr=on}}<!--There's a bug in this conversion template: that should display 145 kph. Inputting either 89 or 91 mph will get correct figures. Weird.--> for the cabriolet, which was faster than the {{cvt|52|PS|hp kW|0|disp=flip}} powered [[Mercedes-Benz 170S|170S Cabriolet]] which the cabriolet version of the W187 replaced and from which its bodywork was derived. The new six-cylinder engine would form the basis for a long line of repeatedly enlarged and upgraded six-cylinder engines powering a wide range of Mercedes-Benz models, including the early [[Mercedes-Benz W116|W116]] S-Class models in the 1970s.
In April 1954 the "Cabriolet A" and its Coupé derivative were fitted with a new higher compression {{cvt|85|PS|hp kW|0|disp=flip}} engine that had been developed for the soon to be announced [[Mercedes-Benz W180]] "Ponton".
===Replacement=== The [[sedan (car)|saloon]] was replaced by the W105 [[Mercedes-Benz W105|219]]/W180 [[Mercedes-Benz W180|220a]] and went out of production in May, 1954; the Cabriolet A and Coupé models continued for another 15 months until August 1955.{{sfn|Oswald|2001c|page=17}}
When the cabriolet was withdrawn in 1955 there was no immediate successor. However, just over a year later the all-new ponton styled Mercedes-Benz 220S Cabriolet and Coupé appeared, in July and October 1956 respectively.
==Gallery== <gallery widths="200" heights="150"> File:Mercedes-Benz 220, 1951-1954 (2008-07-12) kl.JPG|Mercedes-Benz 220 sedan (W187) File:Mercedes-Benz 220 (W187) - Rallye du Pays de Fougères 01.jpg|Mercedes-Benz 220 Cabriolet A (W187) File:Mercedes-Benz 220 B, 1952.jpg|Mercedes-Benz 220 Cabriolet B (W187) File:Mercedes-Benz 220 Coupe 1954.jpg|Mercedes-Benz 220 Coupé (W187) File:Classic Moto Show 2014 (13).JPG|Mercedes-Benz 220 sedan interior (W187) </gallery>
===Specifications=== {| class="wikitable" |+ Technical data Mercedes-Benz 220 (W187){{sfn|Oswald|2001c}} ''(Manufacturer's figures except where stated)'' |- ! width="20%"|Mercedes-Benz ! width="40%"|220 ! width="40%"|220 Cabriolet/Coupé |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Produced: || align="center" |1951–1954 || align="center" |1951–1955 |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Engine: || colspan="2" align="center" |[[Straight-six engine|6-cylinder-inline engine]] ([[four-stroke]]), front-mounted |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Bore x Stroke: || colspan="2" align="center" | 80 mm x 72.8 mm |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Displacement: || colspan="2" align="center" | 2195 cc |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Max. Power @ rpm: || colspan="2" align="center" | {{convert|80|PS|kW hp|abbr=on}} @ 4850 |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Max. Torque @ rpm: || colspan="2" align="center" | {{convert|142|Nm|lbft|abbr=on}} @ 2500 |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Compression Ratio: || colspan="2" align="center" |6.5: 1 |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Fuel feed: || colspan="2" align="center" | Two-barrel downdraft carburetter Solex 30PAAJ |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Fuel tank capacity: || colspan="2" align="center" | {{Convert|47|L|usgal impgal|1|abbr=on}}, from late 1951 {{Convert|65|L|usgal impgal|1|abbr=on}} |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Valvetrain: || colspan="2" align="center" | [[SOHC]], duplex chain |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Cooling: || colspan="2" align="center" |Water |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Gearbox: || colspan="2" align="center" | 4-speed manual <br/> rear wheel drive, axle ratio 4.44:1 |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Electrical system: || colspan="2" align="center" | 6 volt |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Front suspension: || colspan="2" align="center" | Double wishbones, coil springs, stabilising bar |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Rear suspension:: || align="center" | High-pivot swing axle, coil springs || align="center" | High-pivot swing axle, coil springs |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Brakes: || colspan="2" align="center" | Drum brakes (Ø 240 mm) |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Steering: || colspan="2" align="center" | Worm-and-sector steering |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Body structure: || align="center" | Sheet steel on ovoid steel tube X-frame || align="center" | Sheet steel with wood frame on ovoid steel tube X-frame |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | || colspan="6" align="center" | |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | || colspan="6" align="center" | |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Dry weight: || align="center" |{{convert|1350|kg|lb|abbr=on}} || align="center" |{{convert|1440|kg|lb|abbr=on}} |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Loaded weight: || align="center" |{{convert|1690|kg|lb|abbr=on}} || align="center" | Cabriolet A {{convert|1680|kg|lb|abbr=on}} <br/> Cabriolet B {{convert|1785|kg|lb|abbr=on}} |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | || colspan="6" align="center" | |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Track front/<br>rear: || colspan="2" align="center" |{{convert|1315|mm|in|abbr=on}} {{convert|1435|mm|in|abbr=on}} |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Wheelbase: || colspan="2" align="center" | {{convert|2845|mm|in|abbr=on}} |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | || colspan="6" align="center" | |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Length: || align="center" | {{convert|4507|mm|in|abbr=on}} || align="center" | Cabriolet B: {{convert|4507|mm|in|abbr=on}}<br/> Cabriolet A: {{convert|4538|mm|in|abbr=on}} |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Width: || colspan="2" align="center" | {{convert|1685|mm|in|abbr=on}} |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Height: || align="center" | {{convert|1610|mm|in|abbr=on}} || align="center" | Cabriolet B: {{convert|1610|mm|in|abbr=on}} <br/> Cabriolet A: {{convert|1560|mm|in|abbr=on}} |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | || colspan="6" align="center" | |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | || colspan="6" align="center" | |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Tyre/Tire sizes: || colspan="2" align="center" | 6.40-15 - 185R15 |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | || colspan="6" align="center" | |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | || colspan="6" align="center" | |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Top speed: || align="center" | {{convert|140|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} || align="center" | {{convert|140|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} <br/> Cabriolet A: {{convert|145|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Fuel Consumption (estimate): || align="center" |{{convert|14.0|L/100 km }} || align="center" |{{convert|14.5|L/100 km }} |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" | Price (Germany): <br/> Saalon <br/> Saloon w/fabric sunroof <br/> Cabriolet A <br/> Cabriolet B <br/> Coupé <br/> Coupé w/steel sunroof: || align="center" | DM 11,925 <br/> DM 12,525 <br/> <br/> <br/> || align="center" | <br/> <br/> DM 18,860 <br/> DM 15,160 <br/> DM 20,850 <br/> DM 22,000 |- style="background:#EEEEEE;" |}
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===Timeline===
{| style="margin:0 auto;" class="toccolours" align="left" |- style="background:#F0F0F0;" |align=center width=5%|Chassis||align=center width=5%|Type||align=center width=5%|1951||align=center width=5%|1952||align=center width=5%|1953||align=center width=5%|1954||align=center width=5%|1955 |- align=center |rowspan=4 style="background:#C0C0C0;"|W187 |style="background:#C0C0C0;"|[[sedan (car)|saloon]] |colspan=4 style="background:#C0C0C0;" |220 |colspan=1 style="background:#E0E0E0;"| |- align=center |style="background:#C0C0C0;"|[[coupe]] |colspan=3 style="background:#E0E0E0;"| |colspan=2 style="background:#C0C0C0;" |220 |- align=center |style="background:#C0C0C0;"|[[cabriolet (automobile)|cabriolet]] |colspan=5 style="background:#C0C0C0;" |220 |} {{clear}}
==See also== * [[Mercedes-Benz 170S]]
== References == ===Notes=== {{Reflist}}
===Bibliography=== <!-- last updated October 2021 --> {{refbegin}} * {{Hartmann: Das große Mercedes-Cabrio-Buch}} * {{Deutsche Autos|volume=4}} * {{Staud: Mercedes-Benz: The Grand Cabrios & Coupes}} {{refend}}
==References== * {{cite web|url=http://home.hiwaay.net/~gbf/mbmodels.html |title=Mercedes-Benz U.S Models |work=Hiwaay.net |accessdate=December 1, 2005 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20051125151608/http://home.hiwaay.net/~gbf/mbmodels.html |archivedate=November 25, 2005 |url-status=dead }} * {{cite web|url=http://www.philseed.com/mb220-w187.html|title=220 (W187)|work=Phil Seed's Virtual Car Museum|accessdate=December 1, 2005}}
==External links== {{commons category|Mercedes-Benz W187}} * [http://www.170220.com/ Mercedes Benz 170220 Club Website] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20090105151128/http://www.170220.com/170smf/index.php Mercedes Benz 170220 Club Forum] {{Mercedes-Benz S-Class lineage}} {{Mercedes-Benz CL-class lineage}} {{Classic Mercedes-Benz vehicles}}
[[Category:Mercedes-Benz vehicles|W187]] [[Category:Mercedes-Benz model codes|W187]] [[Category:Cars introduced in 1951]] [[Category:Rear-wheel-drive vehicles]] [[Category:Full-size vehicles]] [[Category:Luxury vehicles]] [[Category:Sedans]] [[Category:Convertibles]] [[Category:Coupés]] [[Category:Limousines]]