: ''See
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class, formerly known as ''Sonderklasse'' (German for "special class", abbreviated as "S-Klasse"), is a series of full-sized luxury vehicle, luxury sedans, limousines and Armored car (VIP), armored sedans produced by the Germa ...
for a complete overview of all S-Class models.''
The Mercedes-Benz W189 model 300 was a four-door luxury tourer produced by
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...
between 1957 and 1962. It was the company's flagship model at the time, equivalent to the modern
S-Class and
Maybach
Maybach (, ) is a Automotive industry in Germany, German luxury car brand that exists today as a part of Mercedes-Benz. The original company was founded in 1909 by Wilhelm Maybach and his son Karl Maybach, originally as a subsidiary of ''Lufts ...
.
Marketed as the Type 300d, it was equal in features and price but superior in performance to the rival
Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud
The Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud is a luxury automobile produced by Rolls-Royce Limited from April 1955 to March 1966. It was the core model of the Rolls-Royce range during that period. The Silver Cloud replaced the Silver Dawn and was, in turn, r ...
.
[Classic and Sportscar Magazine, February 1994, Pp. 52-55] Favored by statesmen and business leaders, it offered options such as a glass partition, VHF mobile telephone, and dictation machine.
All but hand-built as the company
flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...
, the 300d is often colloquially referred to as the Adenauer, after
Konrad Adenauer
Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer (; 5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967) was a Germany, German statesman who served as the first Chancellor of Germany, chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1949 to 1963. From 1946 to 1966, he was the fir ...
, the first
Chancellor of Germany
The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,; often shortened to ''Bundeskanzler''/''Bundeskanzlerin'', / is the head of the federal government of Germany and the commander in chief of the Ge ...
(then
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
) who employed six custom
cabriolet
A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers.
A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...
,
hardtop
A hardtop is a rigid form of automobile roof, which for modern cars is typically constructed from metal. A hardtop roof can be either fixed (i.e. not removable), Convertible#Detachable hardtop, detachable for separate storing or retractable ha ...
saloon, and
landaulet Landaulet may refer to:
* Landaulet (carriage), horse-drawn carriage
* Landaulet (car)
A landaulet, also known as a landaulette, is a car body style where the rear passengers are covered by a convertible top. Often the driver is separated from t ...
versions of the W189 and its precursor
W186 series during his tenure. Among the custom features in these "parade cars" were writing desks, sirens, curtains, dividing partitions, sunroofs, and half-roof "landaulet" configurations.
Technologically advanced, the
fuel injected
Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of an injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines.
All compr ...
3.0 L
inline-6
The straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine balan ...
"Type 300" was regarded as a "driver's" car, sharing numerous design innovations and mechanical components with the iconic
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL
The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (chassis code W 198) is a two-seat sports car which was produced by Mercedes-Benz as a gullwinged coupe (1954–1957) and roadster (1957–1963).Werner Oswald: ''Mercedes-Benz Personenwagen 1945–1985''. Motorbuch Ve ...
"Gullwing", including engine, suspension, and chassis. It was succeeded by the 6 L W100
Mercedes-Benz 600
The Mercedes-Benz 600 (W100) is a line of ultra-luxury cars produced by Daimler-Benz from 1963 to 1981. The forerunner of the modern Maybach marque, the ''Grosser Mercedes'' ("Grand Mercedes") succeeded the Type 300d "Adenauer" as the compa ...
''Grosser Mercedes'' in 1963.
300d
![MHV MB W189 300d 1959 02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/MHV_MB_W189_300d_1959_02.jpg)
A successor to Mercedes' flagship
W186 series final model, the
300c, the enlarged 300d (W189) was introduced in August 1957. Its new chassis code reflected sweeping refinements that included modernized bodywork, pioneering
fuel injection
Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of an injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines.
All comp ...
, and a unique
hardtop
A hardtop is a rigid form of automobile roof, which for modern cars is typically constructed from metal. A hardtop roof can be either fixed (i.e. not removable), Convertible#Detachable hardtop, detachable for separate storing or retractable ha ...
configuration transforming it into a pillarless
phaeton.
Available as both a saloon and cabriolet, it retained the W186's proven X-frame chassis and was fitted with a more powerful version of its 3.0 L (2996 cc/182 in³) overhead cam, aluminum head M186
straight-6
The straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine bal ...
, the
M189.
This shared improvements proven in the iconic
300SL "Gull Wing", the fastest production car of its day, including
Bosch mechanical direct injection and an innovative diagonal head-to-block joint that allowed for oversized intake and exhaust valves. Output was an even horsepower per cubic inch, at 5500 rpm.
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. A 3-speed
Borg-Warner automatic transmission was standard. With no natural cruising speed, the car could sustain anything up to its maximum speed all day, road conditions permitting.
![Mercedes 300a 300d](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/Mercedes_300a_300d.jpg)
The combination of a rigid X-shaped ovoid steel tube frame and four-wheel
independent suspension
Independent suspension is any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically (i.e. reacting to a bump on the road) independently of the others. This is contrasted with a beam axle or deDion axle system in w ...
provided surprisingly nimble handling.
Double wishbone
A double wishbone suspension is an independent suspension design for automobiles using two (occasionally parallel) wishbone-shaped arms to locate the wheel. Each wishbone or arm has two mounting points to the chassis and one joint at the knuckle ...
s,
coil spring
A selection of conical coil springs
The most common type of spring is the coil spring, which is made out of a long piece of metal that is wound around itself.
Coil springs were in use in Roman times, evidence of this can be found in bronze Fib ...
s, and a
stabilizer bar were used up front, and Mercedes' typical double coil spring
swing axle
A swing axle is a simple type of independent (rear wheel) suspension designed and patented by Edmund Rumpler in 1903. This was a revolutionary invention in automotive suspension, allowing driven (powered) wheels to follow uneven road surfaces i ...
in rear. An innovative dashboard-operated rear load-leveling suspension engaged a
torsion bar
A torsion bar suspension, also known as a torsion spring suspension, is any vehicle suspension that uses a torsion bar as its main weight-bearing spring. One end of a long metal bar is attached firmly to the vehicle chassis; the opposite end termi ...
to increase stiffness by one-third when needed, and a pedal-operated central lubrication system kept friction points silent.
Brakes were vacuum-assisted hydraulic drum all around, steering
recirculating ball
Recirculating ball, also known as recirculating ball and nut or worm and sector, is a steering mechanism commonly found in older automobiles, off-road vehicles, and some trucks. Most newer cars use the more economical rack and pinion steering ins ...
. Power steering and ''Artic-Kar'' air-conditioning were new options.
An additional 4 inches of wheelbase provided greater rear legroom, equaling that of the long wheelbase model
Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud
The Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud is a luxury automobile produced by Rolls-Royce Limited from April 1955 to March 1966. It was the core model of the Rolls-Royce range during that period. The Silver Cloud replaced the Silver Dawn and was, in turn, r ...
also introduced that year.
Removable rear
quarter light
Quarter glass (or quarter light) on automobiles and closed carriages may be a side window in the front door or located on each side of the car just forward of the rear-facing rear window of the vehicle. Only some cars have them. In some cases ...
s allowed an unobstructed view in and out from the front vent window on back, much valued in the model's popular role as a "parade car".
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 overlap with the smaller, more contemporary styled
W112 chassied 300SE that shared its engine, the 300d limousine was ultimately replaced as company flagship in 1963 by the
600
__NOTOC__
600 ( DC) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 600 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the ...
pullman "Grand Mercedes".
See also
*
Mercedes-Benz 300 Sc
References
Notes
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External links
{{Mercedes-Benz S-Class lineage
W189