The Mercedes-Benz 300 was the ultimate top model of Mercedes-Benz in the fifties of the twentieth century. The model was named 'Adenauer' after 'Bunderkanzler' Konrad Adenauer who was driven in six 300 S models during his government period. The Mercedes 300 sedan and four door cabriolet (W186 - A series) were introduced together with the 300 S (W188 series) on the Paris Salon of 1951. The 300 S featured three downdraught Solex carburettors. In the year 1954 the B series was presented (with servo assisted brakes), in the year 1955 C series was introduced (with independent suspension and optional automatic transmission). In 1957 the D series (W189) saw the light of day (petrol injection standard). The Mercedes-Benz 300 S is scarce, between the years 1951 and 1958 only 760 have been built on a total of 12.290 300 models. The C-series 300 S was also available with petrol injection, this model was named 300 Sc. These models are very scarce, from the 300 Sc C-series cabriolet only 49 have been built.
The Mercedes-Benz 300 'Adenauer' was an extremely luxurious automobile, only the best materials were used and the appearance was of royal class. In the 1950'ies they were the most expensive cars on the market and much more expensive than the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL 'Gullwing'. A 300 S cabriolet was available from 36.000 D-mark... Customers could order options like several Becker radio's, a dictating machine or a VHF telephone...

Technical data

6 cylinder in-line engine (M 199)
1 overhead camshaft
cylinder capacity: 2996 cc.
Bosch petrol-injection
capacity: 175 DIN bhp. (200 SAE) at 5400 rpm.
top-speed: 180 km/h.
gearbox: 4-speed, manual, column shift
brakes: servo assisted hydraulic drum brakes all round
weight: 1760 kg.

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