Description
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.
