by A rare 1996 Mercedes-Benz E320 Cabriolet has appeared in Ukraine, belonging to the early cars from the factory’s Designo individualization program. The cabriolet is painted in the exclusive Designo Grün 252 color and features an original interior design combining green and black leather with dark wood. This was reported by blogger Roma Urraco.
The Designo program was introduced by Daimler-Benz in 1995 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It allowed customers to choose non-standard body and interior colors, virtually without restrictions, except for budget. The presented cabriolet is one of the first production cars executed in such a specification.
By the time this model was released, the Mercedes-Benz W124 series sedan had already been discontinued, and the station wagon and coupe were also completing their life cycle. Meanwhile, the soft-top cabriolet remained on the assembly line until July 1997, making later examples particularly interesting for collectors.
Rare Mercedes-Benz E320 Cabriolet with the Designo Program
According to model researchers’ data, only 11 cars from the W124 family received factory Designo paintwork, and all of them were cabriolets. This is why such versions are considered extremely rare even among collectible Mercedes-Benz.
The Mercedes-Benz E320 Cabriolet Had Official Press Car Status
This particular example was assembled from the very beginning as an official Mercedes-Benz press car. It was used to demonstrate the possibilities of the Designo palette to journalists and experts. All this information is noted in the car’s data card, where the ordering party is indicated as a Daimler-Benz employee. Later, the car was found, inspected, and purchased for a Ukrainian collector.
