Affixed to a car, the number 300 might not mean too much anymore nowadays, but back in the 1950s and 1960s that number carried a lot of weight. Chrysler used it for its V8 hemi powered ultra fast C-300 starting in 1955 and is still using it today. The same goes for Daimler-Benz, in the history of Mercedes a 300 was back in the early 1950s a top luxury automobile for the rich and famous.
While in case of the Chrysler C-300 the number disclosed the horsepower under the hood, for the Mercedes Adenauer 300 it was a guide to the engine displacement. When the Mercedes Adenauer was introduced together with its smaller brother the 220 in April 1951 at the Frankfurt Automobile Show, it created quite a stir. People had not expected such a vehicle from Daimler-Benz just a few years after the war. It was not just the public that adored the car, also the press was highly impressed. But it was not just the car that was impressive, the price was impressive too. At 19,900.- DM ($4,720.-) very few people were able to afford the Benz. In North America it was launched in 1953 and was even more expensive at $6,500.-. A top of the range Cadillac 75 Fleetwood with a large V8 engine and a longer wheelbase was at $5,820.- almost a bargain compared to it.
Customers did not seem to mind and the price guaranteed exclusivity for the rich. No wonder stars like Errol Flynn, Gary Cooper, Yul Brunner, Anthony Quinn, King Gustaf Adolph of Sweden, Frank Lloyd Wright and the Aga Khan all owned one. Also the pope had a special 300d Pullman Landaulet made for himself in 1960. But the person most closely associated with the Mercedes Benz 300 was the German chancellor Konrad Adenauer, who had six of them during his tenure. The last one he owned until his death in 1967. No wonder the car is remembered by aficionados as the Mercedes Adenauer.
The body of the Mercedes Adenauer was still built on a traditional cruciform oval-tubed chassis, which was designed already prior to World War II. In the history of Mercedes Benz one could consider this as evolutionary progress. In its basic set-up it was similar to the chassis used on the smaller 170 and 220 Benz. It also carried over the central lubrication system of the 170 model. It might look a bit outdated, but it has to be said in its favor that a body-on-frame-construction was better suited for maintaining a high level of quality for cars produced in smaller numbers. Its overhead camshaft inline six-cylinder engine was very modern for early 1950’s standards. It was fed by two downdraft carburetors instead of one as in the Mercedes 220. With a top speed of 160 km/h (100 mph) it was quicker than its smaller sibling and established itself as the fastest sedan produced by a German car manufacturer. It was as fast as a Porsche 356 but offered of course considerably more comfort and space.
Production lasted from 1951 to 1962. All in all four versions of the Mercedes Adenauer have been produced: While the first three models differed mostly in technical aspects, the last version 300d was not only larger and offered a more powerful fuel injected engine, it was also somewhat similar to American luxury cars of that time. It was for the first time for Mercedes Benz to offer a sedan with a hardtop roof. All four side windows could be lowered with their chromed frames, there was no B-pillar and even the rear quarter lights could be removed. When a Webasto sunroof had been ordered, the Mercedes Adenauer could almost pass as a cabriolet. Although four-door cabriolets were available for all versions of the Mercedes Adenauer, they were very expensive and only a few have been produced.
Over a time span of eleven years, Daimler-Benz managed to sell 11,430 units of the Mercedes Adenauer 300, of which just 707 were cabriolets. Although the 300 might not have lived up to the sales expectations of Daimler-Benz management, it helped for certain to re-establish the image of Daimler-Benz as a leading manufacturer of luxury automobiles.
