1951 | Mercedes-Benz 170 S Cabriolet B

This sensational Mercedes-Benz 170S Cabriolet B is a 'Matching Numbers' car which was built on the 20th of April 1951 and initially registered in Berlin on the 5th of May 1951. The car has a an absolutely captivating history. It had 3 German owners before being purchased by the British Secret Service, MI6 in Berlin, where it was registered to MI6 agent Howard Greville in Charlottenburg, Berlin on 7th February in 1955. It was used by the MI6 agent Greville during one of the most interesting periods of the Cold War in the 1950’s. To be exact, it was used during “Operation Gold”, where Greville worked with George Blake, a double agent and a Russian spy. The 170 S was registered at the same address as Blake during its time in Berlin.

He brought the car back to the UK in April 1956. The copy of the original Green Logbook shows it was first registered in his name by London County Council at his address in Brentwood, Essex on the 23rd of April 1956 and given the number plate SXC 29 which it still wears today. Later that year Mr Greville moved to Farnham in Surrey - the log book shows it was taxed by Mr Greville every year from 1956 until 1967 in Farnham, Surrey.

Howard Greville sold the 170 S to Mr Kenneth Foat in August 1972, who commenced a complete restoration of the car over the next 20 years to what can only be described as 'Concours' standard. There are many photos of the restoration within the file of the car.

It presents itself in a beautiful colour scheme of two-tone Blue with a light Grey leather interior and Beige Mohair soft top. It is still equipped with its original 1767cc 4 cylinder 52bhp Engine and its 4 Speed Manual Gearbox. It has since won several awards as well as being on display at the Mercedes-Benz World between 2008 and 2013, where it was also featured in the film of the history of Mercedes Benz. When the car was imported in 1956 it was recorded to have 88.000 Kilometres on the import documentation and the mileage on the speedometer now reads 88,848 Kilometres, so we are pretty confident that this is its actual mileage from new, although it has had a complete mechanical and body rebuild since of course.

The car comes with lots of paperwork, books and manuals, newspaper cuttings about Howard Greville and the car itself, photographs and various award certificates and badges and a letter of Authenticity from Mercedes Benz. Please feel free to contact or visit us to get insight into the full history of the car.

This is truly a very unique car. It has a great history and presents its self in an outstanding restored condition. Technically the car functions absolutely perfectly and has proven to be quite a good driver as well.

History of the series

The Mercedes-Benz W136 170 V made its public debut in February 1936. During the war the plant suffered very severe bomb damage but nevertheless emerged with a significant advantage over many of its pre-war competitors as enough of the W136's tooling survived or could be recreated for it to serve as the foundation upon which the company could rebuild. By 1947 the 170 V had resumed its place as Mercedes-Benz top-seller, but with the introduction of the 170 S W136 in 1949, this was the first real Mercedes Benz luxury/executive car after WWII and was extremely important for the company's survival.

The only version of the Mercedes-Benz 170 V available to the public was a four-door saloon, but with the introduction of the 170 S in 1949 it reintroduced some of the other versions available before the war including a 2-seater convertible called the 'Cabriolet A' and a 4-seater convertible - 'Cabriolet B'. These models were only built between 1949 and 1951 and were almost entirely hand assembled cars with only 1,603 cars of the 'four-seater Convertible B' models produced and at 12,850 Deutschmarks, it was certainly not a cheap car, but it was built for the luxury market and is now extremely sought after car by car collectors and enthusiasts.

The 170 S was the first 'S-Class' Mercedes-Benz' produced and it was promoted as a luxury car for the Company Director and the 'S-Class' name has been continued ever since! 

The vehicle is located in our showroom in Stuttgart-Plieningen, close to the airport/trade fair. A test drive and an inspection on the car lift are possible by arrangement.

The sale takes place on request with new inspection, service and TÜV. We also offer a wide range of accessories for your new dream car. If required, we can also deliver the vehicle to you in a closed trailer.

Opening hours: Mon - Sat by appointment

Carola Daimler Cars is a company owned by the great-granddaughter of inventor and visionary Gottlieb Daimler. We collect, trade and broker classic cars, youngtimers and collectibles with potential and history. We place particular emphasis on quality, history and preserved charm.

Subject to prior sale and errors for this offer excepted. The vehicle description on the Internet serves only for the general identification of the vehicle and does not represent a warranty in the sense of sales law. Only the agreements in the purchase contract are decisive.

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