Vehicle to be offered for Auction sale January 19th – 22nd, 2017 at Russo and Steele’s 17th Annual Scottsdale Arizona Auction at the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Please contact us for more information.

Incredibly expensive when new and almost double the price of a contemporary top-of-the-line Cadillac, the W186 Mercedes-Benz 300 sedan and its exclusive, shorter-wheelbase 300S/Sc offshoots remain significant cultural icons of the 1950s. Featuring sophisticated mechanicals and custom-built by Mercedes-Benz’s finest craftsmen, the 300 was luxuriously appointed and trimmed with materials of the highest quality. Fast and elegant, the 300 was the car of choice among the era’s business, political, and social elites and top government officials throughout Europe and the United States, with the 300 continuing to be unofficially and best known today as the ‘Adenauer’ after West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, undoubtedly its most famous customer.

The conservatively styled 300 Saloon was soon joined by the shorter-wheelbase 300S Super, a premium model evoking much of the elegance and opulence of the prewar 540K. Introduced at the Paris Salon in October 1951, the 300S was built along two-seater coupe, cabriolet, and roadster body styles, with just 216, 203, and 141 produced respectively from 1952 to 1958. Not only was the 300S considerably lighter than the 300 saloon, it was also more powerful, equipped with triple Solex carburetors and higher compression to deliver 150 bhp and a 110-mph top speed. Built to uncompromising standards, the 300S boasted a lavish interior featuring supple leather upholstery, rich walnut trim, chrome-plated instruments, and precision controls and switchgear.

Accompanied by a copy of its factory-original Delivery Note provided with the assistance of the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center, this exceedingly rare 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300 S Cabriolet A was dispatched from the factory in Stuttgart on December 20, 1954 and delivered new to Los Angeles, California. Factory-specified features included instruments with English faces, Bosch sealed-beam headlamps, one kilogram of black lacquer paint, red brake lights, reliable 12-volt electrics, and more. As offered, the 300S continues to benefit from an older restoration with the car finished in its originally-specified black paint and light beige cabriolet top with the interior upholstery having been changed to dark red leather upholstery. The interior woodwork remains impressive, as do the insert for the instruments. The radio is a Becker ‘Nurburg’ unit, which complements the instrument panel with its sleek rectangular design. Red carpeting finishes off the interior and trunk floor. Other desirable features include tinted sun visors, twin bumper-mounted Bosch fog lamps, and black wheels shod in period style wide whitewall tires. The engine bay and triple-carbureted 3.0-litre engine are tidy in keeping with the rest of the vehicle’s overall character. A full whitewall spare tire and tools reside inside the trunk, with plenty of space remaining for luggage while you enjoy the driving experience that this very rare Mercedes-Benz 300S Cabriolet A is renowned for delivering – with the top up or down on a favorite stretch of road.