Vehicle Description
The 220A was succeeded in March 1956 by the 220S, which was
externally almost identical, but had an upgraded version of the
2.2L inline-six putting out 106 HP due to the use of
twin-carburetors. Visually, the 220S featured a new one piece front
bumper, instead of the 3-piece bumper used on the 220a. Also, the
twin chrome and rubber strips running under the doors of the 220a
were replaced with solid chrome strips. The most obvious difference
is the addition of a chrome strip running along the front fenders
and doors of the 220S. The 220S was available with a 4-speed column
shift manual transmission, with an optional Hydrak automatic
clutch. This made use of small microswitches on the gear selector
that automatically disengaged the clutch when the driver changed
gears. Many cars have subsequently been converted to use a regular
manual clutch, due to the high maintenance costs of continuing to
use the Hydrak clutch. Also introduced with the 220S was the W105
219, which from the a-pillar forward was essentially a
single-carburettor 220a, but rearward from the a-pillar it used the
shorter body of the W120/W121 180/190 models. In July 1956 a
Cabriolet (two doors, four seats) joined the line-up, and in
October 1956 a coupe version followed suit. Some Cabriolets were
finished with folding rear seats to accommodate additional luggage.
