Mercedes-Benz Ultra-Luxury Sedan · 300

W186

Adenauer-era flagship — the car of statesmen.

Production
1951–1957
Built
8,288
Body
Sedan & cabriolet
Chassis
W186
Mercedes-Benz Ultra-Luxury Sedan (W186)

The W186 Großer Mercedes 300 was the car that restored Mercedes-Benz's post-war prestige — a hand-finished luxury saloon and cabriolet for chancellors, industrialists, and anyone who required the very best from Untertürkheim.

Known universally as the Adenauer Mercedes after West Germany's first Chancellor, the 300 used a 3.0-liter inline-six in a separate-frame chassis with formal Sindelfingen coachwork. It was not fast by later standards, but it was quiet, authoritative, and built without cost constraint — the standard against which German luxury was measured in the 1950s.

Produced from 1951 to 1957, Mercedes-Benz built 8,288 W186 cars across all variants. It was the Großer Mercedes reborn — and the car that told the world Mercedes-Benz had returned.

W186 interior
Cabin details of the W186, as preserved in period photography.

Every model.

19 model designations across 1951–1957 — engines, chassis codes and production figures for the W186.

MalliMallivuodetValmistettuAlustaMoottoriVaihteistoYhteensä
300 Sedan1952–195411.1951–04.1954186.011186.9204,563
300 Cabriolet1952–195403.1952–04.1954186.014186.920455
300 Sedan (sliding roof)1952–195411.1951–04.1954186.015186.920sisältyy yllä olevaan
300 Chassis1952–195411.1951–04.1954186.011186.9202
300 b Sedan195503.1954–08.1955186.015186.920sisältyy yllä olevaan
300 b Cabriolet195504.1954–08.1955186.014186.920136
300 b Sedan195503.1954–08.1955186.011186.9201,639
300 b Chassis195503.1954–08.1955186.011186.92010
300 c Cabriolet195612.1955–06.1956186.033186.92051
300 c Sedan1956–195709.1955–07.1957186.016186.9201,367
300 c Sedan (sliding roof)1956–195709.1955–07.1957186.017186.920sisältyy yllä olevaan
300 c Sedan automatic1956–195709.1955–07.1957186.016186.921sisältyy yllä olevaan
300 c Sedan automatic (sliding roof)1956–195709.1955–07.1957186.017186.921sisältyy yllä olevaan
300 c Chassis1956–195709.1955–07.1957186.016186.920 · 186.9213
300 c LWB1956–195705.1956–07.1957186.016186.92062
300 c LWB (sliding roof)1956–195705.1956–07.1957186.017186.920sisältyy yllä olevaan
300 c LWB automatic1956–195705.1956–07.1957186.016186.921sisältyy yllä olevaan
300 c LWB automatic (sliding roof)1956–195705.1956–07.1957186.017186.921sisältyy yllä olevaan
300 c Cabriolet automatic195612.1955–06.1956186.033186.921sisältyy yllä olevaan

* Julkaistu tuotantoluku kattaa kyseisen mallin kaikki sarjat; lähde ei erittele sitä tarkemmin.

W186 side profile
Studio profile of the W186 — the proportions that defined this chassis.

Year by year.

The documented revisions that distinguish the original 300, 300 b and 300 c.

  1. 1951
    • The 300 entered series production with a 115 hp M186 six-cylinder engine.
    • An electrically engaged auxiliary torsion bar provided rear load levelling.
  2. 1954
    • The 300 b raised engine output to 125 hp.
    • A vacuum brake servo and wider brake shoes were fitted.
    • Front-door vent windows and chrome rear-fender stone guards identified the revised body.
  3. 1955
    • The 300 c adopted a low-pivot single-joint swing axle.
    • A Borg-Warner Detroit Gear automatic transmission became optional.
    • An enlarged rear window and wider tires distinguished the 300 c.
  4. 1956
    • The 300 c Cabriolet D left the range after June.
    • A 100 mm longer-wheelbase 300 c joined the regular sales program.
  5. 1957
    • W186 production ended as the fuel-injected W189 300 d replaced it.
W186 rear three-quarter view
Rear three-quarter view of the W186.

Engines.

The M186 as fitted to the W186.

M186

Inline-6
  • 186.920 3.0 L · 2,996 cc

    117 PS

    86 kW · 115 hv / 4,600 r/min

    196 N·m

    145 lb·ft / 2,500 r/min

  • 186.921 3.0 L · 2,996 cc

    126 PS

    93 kW · 125 hv / 4,500 r/min

    221 N·m

    163 lb·ft / 2,600 r/min