1955 Mercedes-Benz 300b Cabriolet D

2,996cc SOHC Inline 6-Cylinder Engine
Dual Downdraft Solex Carburetors
125bhp at 4,500rpm
4-Speed Manual Transmission
4-Wheel Independent Suspension
4-Wheel Vacuum-Assisted Drum Brakes

*In the present ownership since 1963
*Older restoration work by Paul Russell and Automotive Restorations
*One of only 59 300b Cabriolet Ds produced in 1955
*The top-of-the-line Mercedes-Benz model

THE MERCEDES-BENZ 300 'ADENAUER'

"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.

THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

This rare and gorgeous Convertible D was delivered new to the United States and has been in its present ownership since 1963. When the car was purchased, it was at a repair shop on the Jericho Turnpike in Long Island, New York, where it had been sent by its then owner, a TWA pilot who regularly parked it at Idlewild (now JFK) airport. While it was among the most expensive cars on the market when new, eight years hence it was available for $2,225—a still princely sum. Acquiring the car with a loan from his boss, the luxurious four-door convertible became his daily driver for the next 12 years, carrying him tens of thousands of miles throughout New York and the surrounding area.

While regularly maintained, as evidenced by service receipts dating back to the mid-1960s, by 1975 it was time to start restoring the car. The process would eventually extend into a 12 year saga, but some of the starring characters include Gullwing Services Company in Topsfield, Massachusetts—Paul Russell's then-new shop—where the engine was rebuilt from 1980-82 at a cost of some $10,000, and Automotive Restorations, Inc. in Stratford, Connecticut where substantial cosmetic and further mechanical restoration work was executed from 1982-87. Receipts on file document the entirety of work completed by both of these well known and still existing operations.

By then a collector car, it was no longer a daily driver but still regularly and carefully maintained with further service records demonstrating the regular care the car received. Stored since 2014, the Mercedes still shows nicely but its restoration has mellowed with age to make it present as a fine driver. While recently fettled, further recommissioning may be necessary before actively touring the car.

A most worthy upholder of the Grosser Mercedes tradition of pre-war years, this rare Cabriolet D is one of only 59 of its type built on the 300b chassis during 1955 out of a total convertible production of 146.