Mercedes-Benz Ocean Drive

Mercedes-Benz's Ocean Drive concept takes customization to an entirely new level. Suede seats, body kits and wheels the size of ceiling fans? Child's play. The Ocean Drive has a retractable cloth roof, which turns the car into a four-door convertible. It's based on the redesigned S-Class — the S600 in particular. That car seems an appropriate candidate, as its 510-horsepower V-12 will be needed to haul a car that likely weighs more than two Toyota Corollas.Mercedes says the Ocean Drive "displays the restraint of an elite and aristocratic automobile," and in truth it doesn't look as garish as do some aftermarket jobs. Up front, an upright grille sits between LED headlights, but the lower bumper lacks fog lights, much less a body kit. Two-tone paint, upgraded wheels and LED taillights finish the package. The side windows lack any B-pillars, though there looks to be a considerable blind spot when the convertible top is raised.The cabin is mostly identical to that of the latest S-Class, which is to say its quality is excellent. The front head restraints have television screens installed for backseat passengers — an old trick these days — and each outboard seat includes Mercedes' Airscarf system. Airscarf, also available on the SLK roadster, blows heated air near neck level, allowing for top-down driving in cooler weather.Without the support that a roof provides, convertibles tend to lack the structural rigidity of hardtop cars — and the extended length of a four-door car only exacerbates the problem. Add in a range of safety concerns, and it's easy to see why a four-door convertible hasn't been built in the U.S. since the 1967 Lincoln Continental.Mercedes isn't the first company to conceptualize such a car since then, however. One recent example came two years ago when Southfield, Mich.-based American Specialty Cars unveiled a Chrysler 300 droptop at the 2005 Detroit auto show.

source : cars