Mercedes-Benz Type 300
Encyclopedia
The Mercedes-Benz Type 300 (chassis codes W186, W188, and W189) were the company's largest and most-prestigious models throughout the 1950s. Analogous to today's S-Class
, the Type 300 cars were elegant, powerful, exclusive, and expensive.
The 300, 300b, 300c (chassis code 186), and successor 300d (chassis code 189) models were touring cars, often referred to as Adenauers after Konrad Adenauer
, the first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany. In office from 1949 to 1963, he employed six custom convertible
, hardtop
, and landaulet
versions during his tenure.
These large saloons and four-door cabriolets featured many luxury features. Options such as Becker radio, VHF mobile telephone, and dictation machine were geared to the business man and politician. Among the custom features in Chancellor Adenauer's "parade cars" were writing desks, sirens, curtains, dividing partitions, sunroofs, and half-roof landaulet
configurations.
The 300s and its successor the 300Sc (chassis code 188) were all but handmade sports tourers, the pinnacles of the Mercedes line of their era. Each were available in 2+2
coupe
, cabriolet, and roadster
versions.
was coupled to a 4-speed all-synchromesh manual gearbox. Twin downdraft Solex carburetors made possible by an unusual diagonal head-to-block joint exploited oversized valves to produce 115 PS.
Designed to give reliable service under prolonged hard use, the engine featured deep water jackets, thermostatically controlled oil cooling, copper-lead bearings and a hardened crankshaft. With no natural cruising speed, the car could sustain anything up to its maximum speed all day, road conditions permitting.
The four door, six passenger Type 300 was available both as a saloon or cabriolet (officially called Cabriolet D). A central lubrication system was fitted, along with an innovative dsahboard-operated rear load-levelling suspension that increased stiffness by one-third.
The 300's frame was made of ovoid steel tubes, with a double wishbone, coil spring axle and stabilizer bar up front and Mercedes` typical double coil spring rear swing axle. Brakes were hyrdaulic drum all around, steering worm-and-sector, replaced in 1952 by a recirculating ball unit.
6,214 saloon models and 591 Cabriolet Ds were produced until September, 1955 (including the 300b).
s introduced via a remote vacuum tank with the Type 300b. Vent windows were also introduced for the front windows. Power of the engine was upped to 125 PS via different Solex carburettors and a higher compression ratio (7.5:1 instead of 6.4:1).
rear independent suspension
.
A special Innenlenker model (also called the Type 300 Lang) limousine
model rode on a 20 cm (7.9 in) longer wheelbase
and became available from July, 1956 (price: DM 25,000).
While the Cabriolet D was cancelled after June, 1956 (51 built), the saloon remained in production until July, 1957 and was built in 1,432 units.
coupe
, cabriolet (with landau
bars) (officially Cabriolet A), or roadster
. Although mechanically similar to the contemporary W186, the largely hand-built W188 was marketed as one of the top luxury cars in the world.
7.8:1 compression and triple Solex
carburettors raised engine output to 150 PS at 5000 rpm.
From July, 1952 to August, 1955, a total of 216 Coupés, 203 Cabriolet As and 141 Roadsters were produced.
1955 saw the substitution of Mercedes-Benz's "low-pivot" independent suspension
in the rear, and the addition of fuel injection
in the Type 300 Sc whose inline-six now delivered 175 PS at 5400 rpm. Visually, a pair of chrome strips on either side of the hood denotes this "Sc" model.
Prices rose to DM 36,500 and 98 Coupés, 49 Cabriolet As and 53 Roadsters were built until April 1958.
Introduced in August 1957, the 300d was the linear successor to the 300c, with a longer wheelbase, fuel injection, and unique hardtop
configuration transforming it into a pillarless phaeton.
The additional 4 inches of wheelbase provided greater rear legroom and established the car as a true limousine in direct competition with the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud
. Removable rear quarter lights allowed an unobstructed view in and out from the front vent window on back, much valued in the model's popular role as "parade car".
Employing a slightly detuned version of the 300 SL sports car's Bosch fuel injected
engine, the 300d produced 180 PS at 5500 rpm. Automatic transmission was standard. Power brakes, power steering, and Artic-Kar air-conditioning were added as an options.
A total of 3,077 300d models (priced at DM 27,000) was produced through March 1962, along with 65 special-order 300d-based Cabriolet Ds (DM 35,500). After some initial overlap with the smaller, more contemporary styled W112
chassied 300SE, the 300d was ultimately replaced as M-B flagship by the 600 pullman "Grand Mercedes".
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is a series of luxury sedans produced by Mercedes-Benz, a division of Daimler AG. The classification was officially introduced in 1972 with the W116 S-Class, which succeeded previous Mercedes-Benz models dating to the mid-1950s...
, the Type 300 cars were elegant, powerful, exclusive, and expensive.
The 300, 300b, 300c (chassis code 186), and successor 300d (chassis code 189) models were touring cars, often referred to as Adenauers after Konrad Adenauer
Konrad Adenauer
Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer was a German statesman. He was the chancellor of the West Germany from 1949 to 1963. He is widely recognised as a person who led his country from the ruins of World War II to a powerful and prosperous nation that had forged close relations with old enemies France,...
, the first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany. In office from 1949 to 1963, he employed six custom convertible
Convertible
A convertible is a type of automobile in which the roof can retract and fold away having windows which wind-down inside the doors, converting it from an enclosed to an open-air vehicle...
, hardtop
Hardtop
A hardtop is a term for a rigid, rather than canvas, automobile roof. It has been used in several contexts: detachable hardtops, retractable hardtop roofs, and the so-called pillarless hardtop body style....
, and landaulet
Landaulet
A landaulet or landaulette is a car body style, "an enclosed sedan or coupé with a folding top at the extreme rear quarter, over the rear seat."...
versions during his tenure.
These large saloons and four-door cabriolets featured many luxury features. Options such as Becker radio, VHF mobile telephone, and dictation machine were geared to the business man and politician. Among the custom features in Chancellor Adenauer's "parade cars" were writing desks, sirens, curtains, dividing partitions, sunroofs, and half-roof landaulet
Landaulet
A landaulet or landaulette is a car body style, "an enclosed sedan or coupé with a folding top at the extreme rear quarter, over the rear seat."...
configurations.
The 300s and its successor the 300Sc (chassis code 188) were all but handmade sports tourers, the pinnacles of the Mercedes line of their era. Each were available in 2+2
2 plus 2
The term 2+2 is a phrase used to describe the configuration of a car with seating for two passengers in the front, plus two smaller seats for occasional passengers in the rear.-Description:...
coupe
Coupé
A coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...
, cabriolet, and roadster
Roadster
A roadster is a two-seat open car with emphasis on sporty handling and without a fixed roof or side weather protection. Strictly speaking a roadster with wind-up windows is a convertible but as true roadsters are no longer made the distinction is now irrelevant...
versions.
300 (W186 II)
The "W186" Type 300, introduced in November 1951, featured graceful modernist bodywork atop Mercedes proven X-frame chassis. An all new 3 L (2996 cc/182 in³) overhead cam, aluminum head straight-6Straight-6
The straight-six engine or inline-six engine is a six-cylinder internal combustion engine with all six cylinders mounted in a straight line along the crankcase...
was coupled to a 4-speed all-synchromesh manual gearbox. Twin downdraft Solex carburetors made possible by an unusual diagonal head-to-block joint exploited oversized valves to produce 115 PS.
Designed to give reliable service under prolonged hard use, the engine featured deep water jackets, thermostatically controlled oil cooling, copper-lead bearings and a hardened crankshaft. With no natural cruising speed, the car could sustain anything up to its maximum speed all day, road conditions permitting.
The four door, six passenger Type 300 was available both as a saloon or cabriolet (officially called Cabriolet D). A central lubrication system was fitted, along with an innovative dsahboard-operated rear load-levelling suspension that increased stiffness by one-third.
The 300's frame was made of ovoid steel tubes, with a double wishbone, coil spring axle and stabilizer bar up front and Mercedes` typical double coil spring rear swing axle. Brakes were hyrdaulic drum all around, steering worm-and-sector, replaced in 1952 by a recirculating ball unit.
6,214 saloon models and 591 Cabriolet Ds were produced until September, 1955 (including the 300b).
300b (W186 III)
March 1954 saw power brakeBrake
A brake is a mechanical device which inhibits motion. Its opposite component is a clutch. The rest of this article is dedicated to various types of vehicular brakes....
s introduced via a remote vacuum tank with the Type 300b. Vent windows were also introduced for the front windows. Power of the engine was upped to 125 PS via different Solex carburettors and a higher compression ratio (7.5:1 instead of 6.4:1).
300c (W186 IV)
A larger rear window was added in September, 1955 on the Type 300c. An automatic transmission was also introduced for the first time. This car was priced at $10,864 in the United States (DM 22,000 on the home market), with the convertible commanding a pricy $14,231 (DM 24,700). The c also featured a swing axleSwing axle
A swing axle is a simple type of independent suspension first used in early aircraft , such as the Sopwith and Fokker, usually with rubber bungee and no damping....
rear independent suspension
Independent suspension
Independent suspension is a broad term for any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically independently of each other. This is contrasted with a beam axle, live axle or deDion axle system in which the wheels are linked – movement on one side affects...
.
A special Innenlenker model (also called the Type 300 Lang) limousine
Limousine
A limousine is a luxury sedan or saloon car, especially one with a lengthened wheelbase or driven by a chauffeur. The chassis of a limousine may have been extended by the manufacturer or by an independent coachbuilder. These are called "stretch" limousines and are traditionally black or white....
model rode on a 20 cm (7.9 in) longer wheelbase
Wheelbase
In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels.- Road :In automobiles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the center of the front wheel and the center of the rear wheel...
and became available from July, 1956 (price: DM 25,000).
While the Cabriolet D was cancelled after June, 1956 (51 built), the saloon remained in production until July, 1957 and was built in 1,432 units.
W188
W188 I
The "W188" Type 300 S was Mercedes-Benz's top-end vehicle on its introduction at the Paris Salon in October 1951. The Type 300 S came as a 2+22 plus 2
The term 2+2 is a phrase used to describe the configuration of a car with seating for two passengers in the front, plus two smaller seats for occasional passengers in the rear.-Description:...
coupe
Coupé
A coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...
, cabriolet (with landau
Landau
Landau or Landau in der Pfalz is an autonomous city surrounded by the Südliche Weinstraße district of southern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a university town , a long-standing cultural centre, and a market and shopping town, surrounded by vineyards and wine-growing villages of the...
bars) (officially Cabriolet A), or roadster
Roadster
A roadster is a two-seat open car with emphasis on sporty handling and without a fixed roof or side weather protection. Strictly speaking a roadster with wind-up windows is a convertible but as true roadsters are no longer made the distinction is now irrelevant...
. Although mechanically similar to the contemporary W186, the largely hand-built W188 was marketed as one of the top luxury cars in the world.
7.8:1 compression and triple Solex
Solex
Solex was a French manufacturer of carburetors and the powered bicycle VéloSoleX.The Solex company was founded by Marcel Mennesson and Maurice Goudard to manufacture vehicle radiators...
carburettors raised engine output to 150 PS at 5000 rpm.
From July, 1952 to August, 1955, a total of 216 Coupés, 203 Cabriolet As and 141 Roadsters were produced.
W188 II
Independent suspension
Independent suspension is a broad term for any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically independently of each other. This is contrasted with a beam axle, live axle or deDion axle system in which the wheels are linked – movement on one side affects...
in the rear, and the addition of fuel injection
Fuel injection
Fuel injection is a system for admitting fuel into an internal combustion engine. It has become the primary fuel delivery system used in automotive petrol engines, having almost completely replaced carburetors in the late 1980s....
in the Type 300 Sc whose inline-six now delivered 175 PS at 5400 rpm. Visually, a pair of chrome strips on either side of the hood denotes this "Sc" model.
Prices rose to DM 36,500 and 98 Coupés, 49 Cabriolet As and 53 Roadsters were built until April 1958.
300d
Hardtop
A hardtop is a term for a rigid, rather than canvas, automobile roof. It has been used in several contexts: detachable hardtops, retractable hardtop roofs, and the so-called pillarless hardtop body style....
configuration transforming it into a pillarless phaeton.
The additional 4 inches of wheelbase provided greater rear legroom and established the car as a true limousine in direct competition with the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud
Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud
The Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud was the core model of the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars range from April 1955 until March 1966. It replaced the Silver Dawn and was, in turn, replaced by the Silver Shadow.The J. P...
. Removable rear quarter lights allowed an unobstructed view in and out from the front vent window on back, much valued in the model's popular role as "parade car".
Employing a slightly detuned version of the 300 SL sports car's Bosch fuel injected
Fuel injection
Fuel injection is a system for admitting fuel into an internal combustion engine. It has become the primary fuel delivery system used in automotive petrol engines, having almost completely replaced carburetors in the late 1980s....
engine, the 300d produced 180 PS at 5500 rpm. Automatic transmission was standard. Power brakes, power steering, and Artic-Kar air-conditioning were added as an options.
A total of 3,077 300d models (priced at DM 27,000) was produced through March 1962, along with 65 special-order 300d-based Cabriolet Ds (DM 35,500). After some initial overlap with the smaller, more contemporary styled W112
Mercedes-Benz W112
The Mercedes-Benz W112 was a flagship model in Mercedes-Benz's line-up during the early 1960s. The car, produced in four modifications: coupé, cabriolet and sedans, was identical to the standard Mercedes-Benz W111 Fintail car, but was fitted with the M189 big-block six-cylinder engine, as well as...
chassied 300SE, the 300d was ultimately replaced as M-B flagship by the 600 pullman "Grand Mercedes".