By: IOL Motoring Staff
Frankfurt Motor Show - After more ungainly-looking generations than we care to remember, the two-door version of the S-Class looks set to evolve into something of a swan, assuming that the showroom model remains faithful enough to this concept car.
Described by Mercedes-Benz board member Dr Joachim Schmidt as "an automotive masterpiece" the concept points towards a next-generation two-door flagship with a more expressive design and one that could even poach sales from the likes of Bentley's Continental GT.
MEASURING UP
Also interesting is that the company is calling it the Concept S-Class Coupé, which implies that the CL nameplate could be dropped when this generation hits the streets.
Measuring 5050mm in length, 1409mm in height and 1958mm in width, the concept is 196mm shorter and 90mm lower than the S-Class sedan, yet it's also 59mm wider.
The cabin is dominated by flowing lines, with upper and lower waves creating a clear structure and a bluish-green colour scheme adds some distinction, as does the "black diamond" central command unit that Mercedes describes as a "shiny jewel."
POWER PLAY
Mechanically the Concept S-Class Coupé mirrors the S 500 sedan by employing a 339kW/700Nm twin-turbo V8 petrol engine as well as Magic Body Control suspension with "camera eyes" that monitor the road ahead.
Naturally, there will be an S 63 version too, powered by AMG's 436kW 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8, and an S 65 featuring a tweaked version of the familiar twin-turbo V12 with a power figure rumoured to be in the upper-four-hundreds.
We'll have ours in silver.