Einzelstuck! Mercedes-Benz W220 S500, manufacturing year 1997 chassis number 000011. This concerns a prototype of the W220, which was introduced to the public at the IAA in Frankfurt in 1998. This copy is a prototype, used on the road for test purposes in 1997. The chassis indicates that this is the 11th produced copy of the W220. By the time Mercedes-Benz no longer needed this copy as a prototype, it was changed into a Messefahrzeug (exhibition car). The powertrain is extended and half of the body is openwork to serve as a Messefahrzeug. Usually, Mercedes-Benz destroyed all prototypes after the introduction of a new model.