1956 | Mercedes-Benz 300 c Cabriolet D

• Only 51 (!) examples manufactured as 300c Cabriolet D
• Stylish colour scheme in black (colour code 040, delivery colour) with red leather interior and black soft top
• Restored around 15 years ago, only driven approx. 5,000 km since then and still in good preservation
• Leather and burl wood in the interior in high-quality condition
• Engine “matching numbers“
• Mercedes Benz data card on the delivery specs available
• Probably the most representative Mercedes at the time, which was highly valued by numerous German and international personalities

According to the available data card, this Mercedes Benz 300c Cabriolet D was delivered in November 1956 and then reached the Delecroix company in Paris, France, via the Stuttgart Mercedes Benz dealer Merz & Pabst. The original delivery colour scheme was black (colour code DB 040) with special upholstery in light grey leather (colour code 955) and a special soft top in light grey rubber fabric. The equipment included a Becker Le Mans radio as well as 5-wheel whitewall tyres. The car later came to Germany to an owner in the north of Hamburg. There is an original vehicle registration document from 1990 as well as various original invoices for servicing, repairs and spare parts from the early 1990s. A still existing FIVA passport was issued to the owner in 1999. There are further various invoices from the period 2010 to 2014, including for the installation of a power steering. Later in 2014, the last owner from Hamburg acquired this 300c Cabriolet D. This car was restored around 15 years ago and has only been driven around 5,000 kilometres since then. The engine is still the first unit from the delivery (‘matching numbers’). The current colour combination is also black on the outside with a leather interior in red, which is still in very good condition with a light patina. Also, the burl wood veneers in the interior give a very high-quality impression. This is the most attractive and, with only 51 (!) examples manufactured, also the rarest four-seater Mercedes Cabriolet model of the 1950s.

The Cabriolet version of the Mercedes-Benz 300 (W186) was introduced at the beginning of 1952, one year later than the saloon, and immediately became a bestseller for the Stuttgart-based car manufacturer in the premium vehicle league. Only around 450 units were built in three different variants, largely by hand, until 1956. Many famous personalities such as Gary Cooper or Yul Brynner ordered one of these cars early on and a number of heads of state, such as the Shah of Persia or Emperor Hirohito from Japan, were among the prominent owners of this impressive vehicle. Even the then German Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, insisted on being chauffeured in a 300 Mercedes. This gave rise to the common term ‘Adenauer Mercedes’ for the Type 300. The 300c was the revised version of the 300 from 1955 and had the internal designation W186 IV. The main innovation was the modernised single-jointed rear axle, which provided significantly better road holding. In addition, the final expansion stage of the 300 carburettor engine with 125 hp instead of 115 hp had a powerful effect. Visually, the 300c can be recognised by the hinged windows in the front doors and the large indicators as well as the front and rear bumper horns, which the predecessor did not yet have. The 300c Cabriolet D is particularly the rarest variant, of which only 51 were built. It was as rare and sought-after as an open-top Mercedes 300 Sc. There is a current inventory list of the surviving 300c Cabriolet D, which is maintained by an MVC member.