People are more likely to use a convertible if they live in a warm climate where they can easily take advantage of roofless motoring. For those in colder climates with a shorter convertible season, features that stretch that driving calendar can help automakers sell more cars.
As the market’s pioneering luxury open-top, the Mercedes SL-Class is expected to deliver exciting, cutting-edge innovations with every new generation. In 2009, one such feature arrived to do just that, fundamentally changing cold-weather roadster comfort while quietly sparking a high-stakes legal battle along the way.
The Airscarf System Hid A Heater In The Headrest
2026 Mercedes-Maybach SL 680Mercedes-Benz
Airscarf arrived in the Mercedes SL in 2009 as part of a styling update to the long-running nameplate that year. The feature had already been available on the SLK-Class roadster since 2004. By 2009, all SL roadster models could be fitted with the system, which was intended to broaden the driver’s open-air season by providing an extra heating system built into the seats. Each perch got a built-in heater with ducting that directed warm air around its occupant’s head and neck, acting as a sort of invisible scarf, according to Mercedes-Benz.
The feature was born in part due to automaker testing, likely with focus groups, that showed warming a relatively small area around the occupant’s neck dramatically improved the perception of comfort in colder weather. If you’re in the business of selling luxury convertibles, that’s some valuable information.
2009 Mercedes-Benz SL600 R230 Black/Tan Interior Front SeatsBring A Trailer
The result was an interesting piece of technology by automobile standards. The Airscarf system used a heating element made primarily of barium titanate, a material capable of heating to its maximum temperature very quickly the instant electrical current is applied. If you’ve ever used a hot glue gun, curling iron, hair straightener, or high-end espresso machine, you’ve seen barium titanate in action.
Once heated, the electrical resistance of the elements spikes, reducing power draw. In this way, the heating material acts as its own thermostat, maintaining a constant temperature while fan speed and resistance change accordingly. The heater assembly is only a few inches in size, allowing it to hide inside the SL’s seatbacks. According to Mercedes, aluminum fins on the heater help transfer the heat to the air, and a small fan pushes the air through the vents in the head restraint.
2009-2012 Mercedes-Benz SL-ClassMercedes-Benz
The vents can swivel up and down a total of 36 degrees, allowing passengers of all heights to feel the heat. The system can even compensate for changes in air temperature and vehicle speed, with an electronic control module monitoring data from inside and outside temperature sensors, as well as the speedometer. The fan speed adjusts based on these parameters, though the driver can override via a three-speed switch.
Note that the Airscarf system is a self-contained unit in each seat that only deals with heating, not cooling. Though it can blow hot air down your back and around your neck all day long, the system can’t be used to cool off when it’s hot outside.
Like Driving A Luxury Hot Tub
2009-2012 Mercedes-Benz SL-ClassMercedes-Benz
From the driver’s seat, the Airscarf was a new dimension to top-off driving in the cold by focusing on a person’s upper back, shoulders, and neck. Until this solution, the climate control vents and heated seats were the primary ways to keep occupants comfortable during open-air travel. Some models even boasted interior panel heating, such as for the door-mounted armrests.
Don’t underestimate the effect from the driver’s seat, either. The powerful heater exhaled through a duct that sat just an inch or two behind a person’s neck. If you can imagine leaning back against the warm waterfall feature in a luxury hot tub, you’re in the right ballpark. The air was hot and generous, and the sound of the fans was noticeable but discreet. Speaking from experience, those of us with a limited follicular supply atop our heads could easily appreciate the added protection from the cold.
Legal Resistance Was Heating Up In Stuttgart
2009-2012 Mercedes-Benz SL-ClassMercedes-Benz
As drivers bathed their chilly necks in hot air as the Airscarf system rolled out, a patent dispute was unfolding that threatened the system’s use and rollout at home. Basically, this was a long-running clash between Mercedes-Benz and an independent German inventor named Ludwig Schatzinger. Schatzinger had filed a patent for a nearly identical convertible neck-heating concept a few years earlier, and a patent licensing firm representing him sued Mercedes’ parent, Daimler, claiming the automaker had incorporated his protected intellectual property into its production vehicles without a proper licensing agreement.
2009-2012 Mercedes-Benz SL-ClassMercedes-Benz
The ruling applied within Germany, and Mercedes had to stop selling cars equipped with the feature, or turn it off. The system had to be scrubbed from advertising and marketing information, as well.
The US-market convertibles weren’t affected. Since the final court decision in Germany arrived shortly before the original patent expired, the disruption in Mercedes-Benz’s home market was brief. Once the patent officially expired in late 2016, the dispute ended, and Mercedes immediately re-enabled the feature for German buyers as well.
Some Notable Moments In SL History
- 1952: The first Mercedes-Benz 300SL race car arrives with a tubular space frame, teardrop-shaped aluminum body, and gullwing doors, causing a stir in the motorsports world.
- 1954: Surprising many, production of the road-going SL began, with a direct-fuel-injection engine. An exciting global debut in New York City kicked off the SL’s exciting story.
- 1957: Based on the 300SL Gullwing coupe, the convertible 300SL roadster was launched. These were similar to more modern-day ‘gullwing’ and ‘roadster’ models that followed decades later.
- 1963: The second-generation W113 SL arrived, and earned the nickname “Pagoda SL” because of the shape of its removable hardtop roof. Based on a shortened version of the 220 SE tailfin sedan, this generation SL allowed Mercedes to bring pioneering crumple zones and a rigid passenger cell to the SL.
- 1971: The got its first V8 engine, in the form of the 350SL.
- 1989: The fourth-generation SL brought the first automatic folding top and pop-up roll bars to the line.
- 2001: This was the SL’s first use of a retractable hardtop and Active Body Control (ABC) suspension, and the line grew to include AMG-powered variations with V8 and V12 engines.
- 2009: Mercedes-Benz SL gets Airscarf for the first time.
Copycat Competitors Caught On Quickly
2025 BMW 4 Series Convertible side-view with the top downBMW
Since Ludwig Schatzinger’s neck‑level heating patent was a Germany‑only filing, rival automakers could engineer and sell similar systems in other major global markets without encountering any infringement risk. Inside Germany? There were two options: license the design directly from Schatzinger, or engineer around the protected claims by altering ducting, airflow paths, or heating‑element placement to avoid violating the patent.
2017 BMW 4 Series Coupe cabriolet and coupe side by sideBMW
This territorial structure allowed most of the luxury segment to adopt neck‑level heating well before the patent expired in 2016. Audi, BMW, and Bentley rolled out their own branded versions across international markets throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s. While Mercedes‑Benz was tied up in a long‑running legal fight that affected only its German‑market inventory, its competitors were free to establish neck‑warming systems for sale in the rest of the world.
Don’t Confuse Airscarf With Aircap
2025 BMW 4 Series Convertible BMW
If you’re shopping for a used Mercedes convertible, it’s important not to confuse the marketing Airscarf and Aircap systems with one another. They both aim to extend open-top driving season, but target completely different comfort needs. Remember: Airscarf uses headrest-mounted heating vents to blow warm air directly around the front occupants’ necks like an invisible thermal scarf. The Aircap system is a roof-frame wind deflector paired with an electric rear wind blocker that can help reduce turbulence experienced within the cabin.
Audi got the jump on the segment early by debuting its “Head-Level Heating” on the A5 Cabriolet for 2009, with Bentley following suit by building a “Neck Warmer” into the Continental GT Convertible for 2012.
BMW brought its “Air Collar” to the 4 Series Convertible in 2014, while Porsche rolled out optional “Neck Heating” across the 718 Boxster and 911 Cabriolet lineups for 2016. Even after the German patent restrictions cleared away, brands continued building on the concept. For instance, consider setups like the Lexus LC 500 Convertible, which in 2020 integrated headrest neck heaters directly into its automated “Climate Concierge” system.
End of the day, what began as a clever bit of luxury roadster comfort tech evolved into a nearly essential feature in the topless luxury scene. Alongside the increased rollout of AWD-equipped luxury convertibles elsewhere in the scene, modern luxury roadsters were effectively turning into genuine four-season drivers in more global markets than ever.
Sources: Mercedes-Benz, Hagerty, juve-patent.com, Autocar
