1951-62
Mercedes Benz 300
"Adenauer"
Out
of 31 responses only 24 were correct.
The
following people got the answer correct:
COLIN
FRANKLIN (Auckland, New Zealand),
Ritwik kakati (Guwahati, India),
Hemant Joshi (Mumbai, India),
UdayBhan Singh (Howrah, India),
Vinay Kumar Jhingon (Jamshedpur, India),
Sumeet Sen (Cuttack, India),
Nayan, Mitch Ross (New York, USA),
Pranav Garg (Delhi, India),
Jayadev Gopakumar (Cochin, India),
Sudhindra, Shyam S.,
Bhupendra Jadhav (Pune, India),
Jay Shettar, Srini Mandava (Bangalore, India), Colwyn Fernandez
(Mumbai, India),
Cortrel Fernandez (Mumbai, India),
Bhushan Pandya (Ahmedabad, India),
S K Gupta(Noida, India),
Sayeed Ahmed Jamadar (Dhahran, Saudi Arabia), Rajeev Dhami (Delhi,
India),
Mike, Praveen Kumar (Vijayawada, India),
Utpal Joshi (Ahmedabad, India),
Sponty (Hyderabad, India).
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The
information about the 1951-62
Mercedes Benz 300 "Adenauer" car was provided
by Mr.B.J.Ram Rao who is an avid auto enthusiast and has participated
and won almost all the Spot Car Contests that we have run.
You
can contact Mr.B.J.Ram Rao at -
ramrao@bajirao.com
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1951-62
Mercedes Benz 300
"Adenauer"
Daimler Benz's first post-WW2,
new car was the 300 (W186).
Launched in late 1951 it was
produced for eleven years
(1951..1962).
It is also called the "Adenauer"
after Germany's first post-war
Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, who
used Mercedes 300 cars
extensively.
A landmark design in automotive
engineering history, the 300
(W186), was a fine example of the
Mercedes-Benz philosophy of
mass-produced excellence that
continues even today with models
such as the S-Class.
Its elegant bodywork with
headlamps integrated into the
wings sat on a cruciform chassis
frame heavily boxed in at the
center for extra rigidity and
featuring a two-piece propeller
shaft. It featured a built-in
lubrication system, which the
driver could operate via a pedal.
This would lubricate the chassis,
including the center bearing on the
divided propeller-shaft.
The car had independent, coil
sprung front and rear suspension,
with wishbones and anti-roll bar in
front and swing axles in the rear.
It had no understeer nor
oversteer--the tires hardly even
squealed, however fast the
corners were taken. A switch on
the dashboard operated a servo
motor which activated auxiliary
torsion bars in the rear suspension,
forcing the rear wheels towards a
slight positive camber. This
restored the car's exceptional
cornering ability even when
heavier loads of passengers and
luggage were carried. The soft and
very well damped ride had no
sensation of roll, even on winding
roads. Superior insulation kept
noise, vibration and ride-harshness
away from occupants. At 113
km/h, only the whisper of wind and
tyres could be heard.
The modern 6-cylinder 2996 cc
engine with SOHC (single overhead
camshaft) developed 114 bhp @
4600 rpm and
145 lb-ft @ 2500 rpm. Designed to
give reliable service under
prolonged hard use, the engine
featured deep water jackets,
thermostatically controlled oil
cooling, copper-lead bearings and
a hardened crankshaft. With no
natural cruising speed, the car
could sustain anything up to its
maximum speed all day, road
conditions permitting.
Finish and equipment details
showed pedigree everywhere. The
dashboard and window fillets were
in polished wood. The car had a
cigar lighter and four ashtrays that
emptied themselves into a lower
container each time they were
used.
The doors closed easily with the
smooth click of special locks
mounted in rubber. The doors had
unusual ventilators, which hinged
inwards, preventing draughts when
speeding with the windows open.
Turning the horn ring operated the
flashers. A switch under the dash
added-in a third horn to augment
the usual pair for really fast
driving. Back in 1952, the car
came with a four-speaker radio,
dimmable dashboard lighting,
electric clock, windscreen spray,
prismatic day & night mirror, and
combination ignition and steering
lock.
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