| In September 1991, at the IAA in Frankfurt a fifth body variant of the medium size class was presented - the 300_CE=24 Cabriolet. For the first time after a break of 20 years a four-door cabriolet was again in the selling program.
The development of the open variant, in which the coupe served as base, was carried out with high constructive efforts. In spite of the good fundament, about 1,000 new parts had to be newly constructed for stiffening the body. For almost all structural parts a thicker or high-strength steel sheet was used. All highly stressed spots were provided with additional reinforcements in the form of connection plates or braces. Especially efficient were the diagonal struts, already known from the SL. They secured the four corners of the body floor with the engine cross member and the spare-wheel pan. More than 130_kg additional sheet metal was necessary in order to compensate for the 28_kg of the missing coupe-roof. The result was a body which in its torsional stiffness was hardly inferior to the limousine.
A further important point of improvement were the comfort-reducing body vibrations, a weakness of open vehicles based on their system. The goal was to reduce them to limousine level. It was reached by four vibration absorbers, allocated in the left damper strut, in the roof frame and in the lateral boot recesses. This increased the weight of the vehicle by another 26_kg.
Due to the above-mentioned body reinforcements, the safety standard, known from the limousines, the T-limousines and the coupes, were also fulfilled by the open version. -.At least in respect to front, rear or lateral impact behaviour. In case of an overturning special safety measures had to be taken.
In order to compensate largely for the missing lateral roof frame, all A-pillars within the potential pressure area had been welded in with inboard profile sheets to one stable unit. Thus in the critical roof crush a depth stability level similar to the limousine was achieved. Extreme experiments, in which the whole vehicle had been suspended by one A-pillar, proofed the stability of the construction in an impressive way. A complete safety system, however, was only guaranteed in combination with an automatic rollover bar.
The construction known from the two-seater SL was not applicable to the 300_CE=24 Cabriolet. In case of an automatic raising of the rotating bar the rear passengers could have had unfavourable contact. Therefore a linear bar was developed and allocated behind the rear seats. At an imminent rollover this bar shot up almost vertically within 0.3 seconds in order to serve as head rests for the rear passengers. For this purpose the rollover protection could also be manually extended and retracted.
The fully folding hardtop convinced by a great number of well-reasoned technical details. When concealed, the 43_kg heavy, highly precise high-tech construction with its 27_linkage parts and 34_joints only took a volume of 80_ltr. Thus the boot remained spacious. A catch groove at the front roof pillars provided for water drainage in bad weather.
A large heated rear window of safety glass was flush-bolted with the outer skin by a double frame and provided a back view without distortion. A special equipment, an electrohydraulic folding-top actuation, improved control comfort. It worked at 180_bar operating pressure with six compact hydraulic cylinders. The hydraulic unit was allocated at the right boot recess. Ten valves and twelve electric limit switches regulated the smooth operation of three swivelling motions as well as the correct snapping into place of the various latches. They also monitor the safe locking during driving.
The series production of the 300_CE=24 Cabriolet only started six months after its presentation in Sindelfingen. Already six months later the cabriolet, like all models of the medium size class, received a considerably improved interior equipment. It now included the airbag for the driver as well as electronically controlled outside mirrors left and right. A central locking system and a fife-speed gear box, which had been included into the basic equipment at the same time, had been part of the standard installation from the very beginning of the cabriolet production.
In June 1993, the 300_CE=24_Cabriolet as well as all other models of series 124 were stylistically actualised and adapted to the other type ranges.. The most conspicuous characteristic of the modified models was the radiator grill changed according to the shape of the S-class. Now the much smaller chrome frame was harmonically integrated into the engine bonnet. The Mercedes star - as in the S-class limousines - was on the bonnet. Equally eye-catching were the changes at the lamp units. The front turn signal lamps had received colourless glass covers. The rear lamps showed bi-chromatic covers, which in the area of the turn-signal and the reversing lamp had been uniformly stained in white-grey. The yellow turn signal light in the front and rear was produced by coloured bulbs. Further changes were made at the bumpers. Their protective strips were now painted in the colour of the add-on parts. The protective strip of the rear bumper had been prolonged to the wheel cutouts.
Within this model improvement the cabriolet was not only optically actualised, but also equipped with new engines which had already been introduced in the other body variants of the medium size class in October 1992. The 3,2_ltr.=six cylinder with four valve technology now replaced the proven 3,0_ltr.=four valve engine in the cabriolet as well. Its nominal capacity had remained the same in comparison to the former four valve engine. It was, however, reached 900_/min earlier. The torque maximum was considerably higher and was shifted towards lower numbers of revolution. Thus pollutant and noise emissions could be reduced considerably.
A total novelty now was the four-cylinder variant of the cabriolet, which was cheaper than its six-cylinder counterpart by more than 20,000.-_DM. The new entry-level model was provided with a 150_PS strong 2,2_ltr.=four valve engine, which had been used since its appearance in October 1992 in the limousine, in the T-model as well as in the coupe of series 124.
The cabriolet was also provided with the 2,0_ltr.=version of the four-cylinder four-valve engine for export to Italy, Greece and Portugal exclusively. It mobilised 136_PS and had already been used since October 1992 in the export version of the coupe.
Now all three standard variants were equipped with the electrohydraulic folding top which was provided with a modified interior lining with improved thermal and sound insulation.
When the redesigned models were started to be sold in June 1993, a new nomenclature came into force which also applied for series 124. Analogous to the S-class and to the new C-class, the medium-size class now was called E-class. The designation of types now followed a modified system. Thus a letter documented the belonging to a class. It stood in front of a three-digit figure which continued to be based on the displacement. The ,E" for ,Einspritzmotor" (injection engine) could be dropped, since carburettor engines now belonged to the past. Codifying the obvious body variants by ,C" or ,T" was equally superfluous. According to the new nomenclature system the cabiolets were called E_220_cabriolet and E_320_cabriolet. The type label, however, only documented the class designation and the displacement.
From September 1993 a powerful variant, the E_36_AMG, was available for the ambitious sports fan and cabriolet lover. The car was equipped with a 195_kW strong 3,6_ltr.=four-valve engine from AMG. The new top model of the 124-cabriolet differed discreetly but stylistically from its less dynamic sister models by enlarged add-on parts. Front spoiler, side sills and rear apron were painted in the body colour and harmonically integrated into the body shape. In the standard version the impression was completed by the 17_inch all-aluminium wheels in AMG-design.
In order to offer a reasonable entry-level car to less power-oriented clients, the domestic selling program was extended by the E_200 cabriolet in December 1994. So far it had been produced for export only. The price was more than another 10,000.-DM lower than for the 2,2_ltr.-variant. Therefore a somewhat reduced equipment had to be taken into account; all-aluminium wheels, leather upholstery and seat heating were not part of the standard version as in the sister models and only available for an extra charge.
The E-class cabriolets were the last body variants of series 124 to remain in production till July 1997. Altogether 33,952 cars were built. Among them were 15,380 four-cylinder and 18,572 six-cylinder engines. The export percentage was far beyond average, a development that has had a long tradition especially with the more exclusive models of the Mercedes-Benz passenger car program.
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