In the late 1940s, Germany, under the control of the Allies, slowly began to be reborn from the ruins of the war. In 1953 Mercedes presented its first car with a monocoque structure, i.e. without a separate chassis. The car, series W120, was initially equipped with a four-cylinder equipped with 52hp side valves. It was the first model of a lucky family that, with 4 and 6 cylinder engines, continued until 1962.