1956 MERCEDES 170S

4 Speed Gearbox, ULEZ COMPLIANT, 15'' Steel Wheels, Folding Roof, Hood cover, Original Steering Wheel, Leather Trim, Rear Drum Brakes, Front Drum Brakes, LHD 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 has 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! This stunning Mercedes-Benz 170S Cabriolet B - Chassis No: W13604304514/51 and Engine No: M13692204787/51 is a 'Matching Numbers' car and was built on 20th April 1951 and first registered in Berlin on 5th May 1951. The car had 3 German owners before being purchased by MI6 in Berlin and registered to MI6 agent Howard Greville in Charlottenburg in Berlin on 7th February 1955. It was used by MI6 agent Greville during one of the most interesting periods of the Cold War in the 1950’s and he worked with George Blake the Russian spy and the car was registered at the same address as Blake during its time in Berlin. He brought the car back to the UK in April 1956 and a 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 23rd April 1956 and given the number plate SXC 29 which it still wears today. Later that year Mr Greville moved to Farnham in Surrey and the log book shows it was taxed by Mr Greville every year from 1956 until 1967 in Farnham, Surrey. The car was purchased from Howard Greville by Mr Kenneth Foat in August 1972 and he commenced a complete restoration of the car over the next 20 years to what can only be described as 'Concours' standard and there are photographs of the restoration in the history file. It is presented in a beautiful colour scheme of two-tone Blue with a light Grey leather interior and Beige Mohair soft top, its original 1767cc 4 cylinder 52bhp Engine and 4 Speed Manual Gearbox, 15'' Steel Wheels and it has since won several awards as well as being on display at Mercedes-Benz World between 2008-2013 and featured in the film of the history of Mercedes Benz. When the car was imported in 1956 it is recorded as 88,000 Kilometers on the import documentation and the mileage on the speedometer now (which is working) only reads 88,848 Kilometers, so although we are advised that this is its correct mileage from new, we can't confirm this. 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. In the documents section included on this advert is a full history of the car taken from the information provided by the previous owner. This really is a special car with a great history and in outstanding restored condition and it really should be a car suitable for any car collection. Further details, photographs and a video to follow upon completion of our showroom preparation. Car on display @ our showrooms in Mortlake, SW London. NB: Classic Chrome Ltd make every effort to ensure that the information in this advertisement is accurate and all statements as to provenance and condition are given as opinions only. When describing any car that is more than 20 years old, we sometimes have to rely on the car’s history file and any information provided by the previous owner(s). This information in passed on in good faith and is therefore not purported to be a statement of fact. Any prospective purchaser must satisfy themselves as to the condition and fitness for use of the vehicle. This does not affect your statutory rights.