1. Concept Ocean Drive Design Study
2. Design and Equipment
3. Engineering
4. Technical Data

Design and equipment: Classic lines and meticulous craftsmanship

• Elaborate two-tone paintwork
  
  
• Seductive blend of elegance and power
  
  
• World's first soft top with proportional valves
  
  
• Luxurious bird's eye maple and soft leather
  
  

Detroit, Jan 07, 2007
At first glance the Mercedes-Benz Concept Ocean Drive strongly recalls classic luxury-car designs. This impression rests above all on a large, very upright radiator and the elegant, long and extended lines of the new four-door convertible body. The design study's creators were not aiming to be avantgarde in their interpretations of Mercedes-Benz design themes. Rather, the idea was that to create a unique showpiece fusing effortless superiority, prestige, elegance, luxury and self-confident enjoyment of pleasure and the good life.

The four-door convertible's styling is surprising, seductive and in keeping with the Mercedes-Benz styling philosophy, whose watchword is contemporary purity and clarity. Lucid forms and large, restful surfaces are interwoven with taut lines to create a fascinating counterpoint between calmness and power. The resulting impression is of harmony, elegance and all-round quality – particularly when the soft top is down. In this state, the side windows are fully retracted and the interior is completely open, thanks to the typical convertible lack of a B-pillar or side-window frames. The dropped top also shows off the elegant interior with its high-quality materials and many interesting features, while the exterior appears particularly long and extended. When the soft top is raised, the taut curve of the roof-line emphasises the thoroughbred qualities of the vehicle.

Large and dominant radiator

Specially developed for the design study, the radiator is the defining feature of the front end of the luxury convertible. It is based on the familiar saloon radiator grille but scales new dimensions in terms of its surface area. This extremely imposing radiator grille is almost a third larger than that of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. With its four sturdy slats, this one-off design is also much more upright than the radiator grille on any model in the current Mercedes-Benz range and its dominant aura makes it an unmistakable status symbol.

This impression is buttressed by the strongly V-shaped front end and the long bonnet, which is bounded by a prominent feature line around the edge. This line embraces the radiator grille and merges in an elegant, coupé-like flourish with the sharply raked A-pillar.

LED technology gives distinctive headlamp appearance

All the headlamp functions are provided by LED technology, which also serves as a design medium. Arranged in five banks, 35 high-performance LEDs provide both the dipped and the main beam headlamp functions. Each LED is housed in its own specially constructed sheath, which acts as a kind of directional nozzle for the emerging light. Transparent Plexiglas elements accentuate the divisions between the banks of LEDs, while at their top edge the headlamps incorporate a distinctive three-dimensional lid.

When the dipped or main beams are switched on, they form a C-like light pattern in the outer part of the headlamp, thus creating a distinctive night-time effect. The daytime driving lights/parking lights are LED-based too. These light units are fitted with a cover which creates a uniform light dispersion. The same applies to the direction indicators, which forms a C-shaped border round the edge of the daytime driving lights.

Long and extended silhouette and taut lines

A defining stylistic feature of the Concept Ocean Drive in side view is the flowing shoulder line, which grows "organically" out of the front wheel arches, rises only very slightly and then drops away slightly again towards the rear, before coming to a logical conclusion in the taillights. The windscreen is sharply raked, taking design cues from the dynamic styling of the Mercedes-Benz coupés. When the soft top is raised, the roof line forms a gentle but powerful curve spanning the body, thereby preserving the impression of a long and extended silhouette.

One hallmark of Mercedes design is a striking use of lines and curves. This is reflected in the four-door convertible design study too. The shoulder line running along the lower window edge gives structure and support, while below this a fea-ture line provides further structuring for the side sections. It runs the full length of the vehicle, from the tip of the headlamps to the tip of the taillights, separating the convex and concave surfaces of the doors and creating a sense of harmony and balance. At the same time it gives the body an extended appearance, creating an effect of dynamism and elegance. The feature line also forms a striking shading line, and adds interesting effects of light and shade.

These features are complemented by the lines which grow out from the understated front and rear wheel arches. Behind the wheel arches they slightly dip away, thus accentuating the air of stylish sleekness and classic elegance. Rounding things off at the lower extremity is a side skirt with central chrome accent line.

Two-tone paintwork with new metallic paints

The feature line on the Concept Ocean Drive also forms the dividing line between the two different shades used in the two-tone paint scheme. The shimmering, coordinated beige/grey shades were specially formulated by the paint specialists at Mercedes-Benz. The upper parts of the vehicle, including the bonnet and the boot lid, are painted in the darker, pearlescent, very distinguished champagne pearl shade. The lower parts are in Alubeam champagne. The special feature of this paint are the metallic flakes which produce an extreme light/dark effect and cause the appearance to vary between either a matt or a high-sheen effect, all depending on the light and on the perspective and distance from which the vehicle is viewed. The sophisticated paintwork concept is further set off by the bronze tinting of the windows.

The two-tone paintwork not only accentuates the high-quality craftsmanship that has gone into the convertible study but also makes the vehicle appear longer and more elegant, while the play of light also reinforces the effect of the side feature lines.

Ingenious: side windows and door handles

When the frameless side windows are closed, they have to meet and form a seal outside the door area. This and the fact that the B-pillar stump makes complete retraction more difficult meant that the engineers had to devise a retraction system with special geometry and a complicated sequence of movements to manage the opening and closing of the windows. When the button is pressed, the window in the front door moves forwards and downwards at an angle. Before the rear side window can disappear completely into the rear door, the mechanism first moves it a few centimetres backwards before tilting it forwards and downwards.

Careful thought has also gone into the design of the door handles, which fit flush with the bodywork in order not to interrupt the styling. Touch sensors cause the handles to extend automatically when someone wishes to open a door.

Multi-spoke wheels

The 21-inch wheels produced specially for the four-door design study add to the impression of superior quality. Their 36 narrow spokes recall the spoked wheels of aristocratic cars of years gone by, though their overall appearance is unmistakably modern. The Concept Ocean Drive rides on large, low-profile tyres, size 275/35 ZR 21.

Distinctive rear view

At the rear, a steep edge separates the boot lid from the main body of the vehicle. The taillights, like the front lighting, are completely LED-based. When the lights are off, a narrow horizontal chrome rib continues to divide the taillight and brake light into C-shaped units reminiscent of the front headlamp design. In both cases the light covers have a homogenous appearance so that the individual LEDs be-hind cannot be distinguished. As on the headlamps, there is a module embedded in the centre of the "C". In this case it comprises the direction indicator and reversing light.

Two large trapezoidal exhaust pipes integrated in the rear bumper are telltale pointers to the presence of a powerful V12 engine underneath the bonnet.

Unique soft-top mechanism

The soft top posed a special challenge, not least due to its remarkable dimensions: with a length of 2182 millimetres, it forms a roof arc of 2220 mm and covers an area of approx. 3.2 square metres.

The soft top is opened and closed by a sophisticated electric retraction mechanism. First of all an electric motor opens the catch on the windscreen frame, then the rear bow unlatches. Finally the roof folds up and the boot lid opens back-wards, together with the parcel shelf, to accommodate it. The retraction mechanism displayed on the concept vehicle is new in this form and makes it possible to dispense with the usual transverse join.

The complex sequence of movements is driven by a variable-power hydraulic system. This system provides the motive power for the opening and closing operations, while control and coordination is for the first time provided by proportional valves which are unique worldwide. Unlike the type of valves previously used, which carried out the various operations consecutively and at uniform speed, the proportional valves use a more intelligent control strategy whereby the different opening and closing phases can take place at different speeds and in parallel. This means that the different movements can be more smoothly and elegantly, not to mention efficiently, choreographed. The six separately controllable proportional valves used in the Mercedes-Benz luxury convertible allow the roof to be opened in the very short time of approximately 20 seconds - an astonishingly quick time for a soft top of this size.

For the soft top material, a currently unique high-quality fabric was chosen. Since the warp and weft threads are in lighter and darker shades, an alternating matt/shiny effect is created which picks up on and complements the colour-shifting effects of the paintwork, producing a shimmering effect reminiscent of wood.

The soft top has a 30-millimetre layer of intermediate padding and a light-coloured interior lining which preserves the light and airy interior ambience even when the top is closed. A polished metal strip runs along the edge between the closed top and the body.

Ultimate elegance and refinement in the interior

With the top down, there is a much greater sense of continuity between the exterior and the interior of this luxury convertible when looking at the vehicle from the outside than would be possible with a closed-body vehicle. The colour of the paintwork blends seamlessly with that of the large wood trim parts – in anthracite hinting slightly at beige – which run all the way round the convertible at shoulder line level. The wood trim produces the same colour-shifting effects, altering with the light, as the paintwork. Even the large soft top compartment cover, under which the soft top stows away when lowered, is completely covered in bird's eye maple, one of the most expensive wood veneers on account of its unusual, though unostentatious, grain pattern. A particularly neat feature: when the soft top is closed, this cover doubles up as the parcel shelf.

Inside the design study, the driver and passengers are surrounded by a wide range of sensually appealing features: when the occupants are seated, their eyes are drawn to attractive, well-proportioned, finely-balanced forms and lines and to light, warm colours, while hands brush further bird's eye maple trim parts and fingertips linger over soft and supple leather and superior fabrics. This is luxury and comfort in the typical Mercedes-Benz mould.

Finely coordinated colour ambience

Meticulous craftsmanship sets the tone throughout the vehicle. The interior layout is horizontally structured and geared to four people. Below the instrument panel cover and the A-pillars, both of which are trimmed with dark-brown leather to avoid reflections, a large bird's eye maple wood panel runs right across the instrument panel. It is inclined upwards and also forms the centre console.

Beneath the wood, "ivory" fabric trim whose weave gives it a three-dimensional look and feel, forms a light-coloured contrast in the area of the instrument panel, centre console and doors. The same material also surrounds the sides of the large console between the front seats. It also sets the tone on the specially designed seats, where wide strips of it alternate on the surfaces of the squab and backrest with soft leather in the same light-coloured shade. The fabric sections in the seat are not only unusual in appearance but also provide a high standard of comfort.

Another surprise offered by the driver's seat is not revealed until the driver wants to enter the car. At this point the seat automatically glides backwards and down to provide easier access. Once the driver is sitting in the seat, the memory function automatically returns the seat to the programmed optimal setting.

Bird's eye maple is also used on the sides of the centre console (whose surface is trimmed in light-coloured leather) and the armrests. Those areas where the occupants' hand will rest are likewise trimmed in a light-coloured leather which is particularly pleasant to the touch.

DVD system and champagne compartment

The folding armrest between the rear-seat backrests in the design study incorporates a cleverly devised mechanism which, when the armrest is folded out, first of all raises the upper wood-trimmed section then, when the leather-upholstered armrest has been extended, lowers the wood flap back down again to close the gap. This rear armrest incorporates a twist/push control with hand rest which the rear-seat passengers can use to operate the high-quality DVD/audio system. The video screens are built into the back of the front head restraints.

Also located between the seats is a champagne compartment housing one bottle and two champagne goblets. Special grips hold the filled goblets securely in place when the car is on the move.

Superior control and operation

Looking at the design study there is very little indication that it is, in fact, based on an S 600 model. The instruments and switches that make up the control and operation system are the only thing the engineers have adopted wholesale from the S-Class – everything else was developed and built specially for the design study. The wood steering wheel for example is again a one-off design. The polished aluminium highlight, with a central Mercedes star in the same material creates an inlaid effect. Also new, and specially designed for this model, is the chronometer in the centre of the instrument panel.

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Copyright © 2007, DaimlerChrysler AG