Mercedes-Benz 300b Cabriolet D Adenauer - Only 87 produced in 1954

Specific on car

- Total of 591 cars produced
- Build year 16/11/1954
- First registration year: 23/06/1955 (New York, USA)
- Chassis number: 186 014 45 00839
- Engine number: 186 923 45 00853
- Color exterior: Mittel Grun DB 229 – Sonderwunsch
- Color interior: Beige leather
- Hood color: Grungrouer, Sonnenland 72
- Original cabriolet
- Matching numbers
- Matching colors

Special options

- Radio Mexico Becker Le Mans
- Right exterior mirror
- Noble/tropical wood details (dashboard, panels)

Ownership history

- 13/6/1969: M. Arthur Roberts, Brookfield, USA
- 16/7/1990: David Lloyd, New York, USA
- 5/5/1994: Karel De Kegel, Belgium
- 2000: Eduard Vandermolen, Stabroek, Belgium
- 2018: Current owner, Kapellen, Belgium

Works and service history

- 14/4/89: brakes, points, spark plugs repair, condenser
- 14/5/91: Hannover Motor Cars Vermont; brake fluid, new brake shoes, fuse cover, rear reflector, window crank, air filters
- 12/11/92: Mercedes Aachen brake hose and brake fluid,
- 25/05/93: Mercedes Aachen divers repair, see documents
- 8/11/93-24/1/94: Mercedes Aachen; Joints, silent block, isolation, filters, clutch, cylinders (6), water pump, door slot (2), wheel cylinder (1)
- 1994: communication between Karel De Kegel and hood company
- 2000-2013: (carpass) mileage from 10.664km until 20.639km

2013-2014 restoration works carried-out (50+ photos available on file)

- Total motor revision
- Suspension and electrical control renewed
- New radiator
- New brakes + circuits
- New chrome
- Electrical wiring harness
- Convertible top with cover
- New interior, leather, and carpets
- New radial tires with white flanks

Documents with the car

- Technical control
- Official build sheet from Mercedes (Erstzeil)
- Belgium Road Registration
- Certificate of Title from 1969 (M. Arthur Roberts)
- Certificate of inspection (from ownership in USA up to 1999)
- Copies of cashier’s check
- Repairs orders bills
- All documents of restauration (+- 60 pictures)

Model history

A Continental test on a (Mercedes-Benz 300) production model recently made available by the manufacturers shows that the

car now challenges the best produced anywhere in the world today. There are still very few saloon cars which are capable of a mean

speed of over 100mph, but to obtain this result on a five/six-seater saloon car with generous room for passengers and

luggage, using an engine of three-liter capacity said to deliver only 114bhp, is a notable achievement." - The Autocar magazine, May

1952. Introduced at the Frankfurt Auto Show in 1951, the Mercedes-Benz 300 owed the design of its independently suspended oval-tube

chassis to the 170S of 1949 and would later on provide the mechanical basis for the incomparable 300SL sports car. Additional

refinements appropriate for the company's top-of-the-range luxury saloon included an improved steering mechanism and remote

electrical control of the rear suspension ride height. Initially developing 115bhp (DIN), the 3-liter, overhead-camshaft six-cylinder engine

was increased in power for succeeding models, producing 125bhp in the 300b built between March 1954 and August 1955. Other

improvements included larger brakes (with servo-assistance from 1954) optional power steering and three-speed automatic

transmission as standard on the 300d. Conservatively styled, the Mercedes-Benz 300 was one of very few contemporary vehicles

capable of carrying six passengers in comfort at sustained high speeds.

 Priced at DM24,700 in 1954, the 300b Cabriolet D was among the world's most expensive - if not the most expensive - automobiles

of its day.

To the characteristics of high performance, impressive appearance and fine detail finish which distinguished the big Mercedes

models of pre-war days are added new virtues of silence, flexibility, and lightness of control, while the latest rear suspension, a product

of long experience on Grand Prix cars and touring cars, confers a degree of security at high speeds on rough and slippery surfaces which

it would be very difficult indeed to equal," observed The Autocar.

More pictures available

Visible only on appointment

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