1958 Mercedes-Benz 300d
One of Mercedes-Benz's first all-new designs of the post-war era, the 300 saloon debuted in 1951 and would succeed in re-establishing the Stuttgart firm in the front rank of prestige motor manufacturers, marking as it did a return to the marque's tradition of building high-performance luxury automobiles of the finest quality.
The 300 featured independent suspension all round, four-wheel drum brakes, hypoid bevel final drive, dynamically balanced wheels and remote electrical control of the rear suspension ride height. Initially developing 115bhp, the 3.0-liter, overhead-camshaft, six-cylinder engine, also used in the 300 SL sports car, gained the latter's fuel injection in the restyled, longer wheelbase (and even more roomier) 300d of 1957. Other improvements included larger brakes (servo-assisted from 1954), optional power steering (on the 300d) and the adoption of three-speed automatic transmission as standard on the latter. The sedan had become a pillarless design, and a longer wheelbase added comfort and prestige. The convertible model, formally designated "Cabriolet D," was constructed only to special order, with 65 built in five years.
Custom built by Mercedes-Benz's most experienced craftsmen, the 300 was luxuriously appointed and trimmed with materials of the highest quality. Fast and elegant, it was one of very few contemporary vehicles capable of carrying six passengers in comfort at sustained high speeds. It was the car of choice among West German government officials and was widely favored by businessmen, financiers and politicians. Indeed, 'Adenauer' became its unofficial model name, after German Chancellor Dr Konrad Adenauer, its most famous customer.
Between 1957 and 1962 when production ceased, Mercedes-Benz made 3,077 300d saloons, but only 65 Cabriolet Ds were finished in the same time. This is one of the those 2% of 300d's delivered with a folding roof. According to the Mercedes-Benz data card, this Cabriolet D was delivered new to South Africa. How long it spent in the southern tip of Africa is unknown, but it was found by in 1991 as a disassembled project scattered across two locations in Rye and Pound Ridge, New York. As a restoration not for the faint of heart, the car was sent to Wolfgang Grod of Sleeping Beauties in Brisbane, Australia to be completely restored.
The extensive project saw the car emerge in 2006 much as it must have looked leaving Stuttgart in 1958. Finished in the elegant combination of Medium Red over tan leather, the car was carefully resurrected with the donor parts from another 300. Restored with an eye toward authenticity, the only alteration from stock was the addition of a small tachometer on the left-hand side of the dashboard—ensconced by the rich wood veneer that wraps the dash and tops of the doors—and a more robust electrical system. Not just cosmetically restored, the drivetrain was also gone through.