TOP＞Stock List＞1957 model Mercedes-Benz W186 300C "Adenauer Mercedes" BarnFound Restoration
1957 model
Mercedes-Benz W186 300C
"Adenauer Mercedes" BarnFound Restoration
The detailed condition of the vehicle is described in each photo.
On the top slide, there are 50 attractive photos of the vehicle. Click on a photo to see it with a description.
"One of the largest barn-founds in history! The discovery of one of the four cars delivered to the Imperial Household Agency over half a century ago...! A top-of-the-line limousine with the same engine and basic components as the 300SL Gullwing... The Mercedes-Benz W183 300C is a dream come true for restorers!
The 1957 Mercedes-Benz W183 Model 300C, with its wing-type front and rear fenders, postwar modernized boxy flush sides, large vertical grille that functions as a radiator itself, and large vintage Bosch headlights, is a symbol of prewar design. It was produced between 1951 and 1957, just six years after the Second World War, as the flagship saloon to replace the previous Mercedes-Benz 770 Grocer….
Its performance was superior to that of its rivals, the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud and the Bentley S1, and while it was used as a chauffeur-driven car by many heads of state and celebrities, including the Imperial Household Agency in Japan, many of its mechanical components, such as the engine, suspension, and chassis, were replaced by the iconic The W183 300, which shared many mechanical components such as engine, suspension and chassis with the iconic Mercedes-Benz 300SL “Gullwing” and was technologically innovative, is known worldwide as a real classic that is also very attractive as a “driver’s car”….
"The luxury car that symbolized Germany's post-war economic recovery... The Mercedes-Benz W186 300 Adenauer The 300 Adenauer was also delivered to the Imperial Household Agency..."
The Mercedes-Benz W186 300, unveiled at the first IAA International Motor Show in Frankfurt in April 1951, just six years after the end of World War II, was a symbol of Germany’s rapid post-war recovery and return to the international automobile market.
Shortly after the war, Daimler-Benz began to focus on producing powerful and elegant luxury limousines in the spirit of the pre-war 770 Großer, and it is truly astonishing that only six years after the turmoil and depression in Germany after World War II, the company presented such an advanced car to the world.
Konrad Adenauer, the first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, adopted six W186 300s to symbolize his country’s economic revival during his tenure from 1949 to 1963. These cars had special features such as writing desks, sirens, curtains, partitions, sunroofs, half-roofs, etc. The influence of these special features was so great that the W186 300 was also called “Adenauer”. The W186 300 became an instant success.
The W186 300 quickly became one of the leading prestige cars of its time, with Pope John XXIII of Rome, King Pahlavi of Iran, architect Frank Lloyd Wright, actor Yul Brynner, and Maria Callas, the greatest soprano diva of the 20th century, among others, adorning its list of loyal customers. It is known as a famous car that has been used by VIPs around the world. In Japan, Yanase delivered four units of W183 300C to the Imperial Household Agency in 1957, and the car was used for transportation when Her Majesty the Empress visited the Imperial Palace for the first time during the reign of Michiko Shoda, as well as for various imperial family events. After the war, the Mercedes lineage was continued with the W186 300C, 600, and now the Mercedes-Benz Maybach….
You can also see a 1957 W186 300C Adenauer from a press video from 1964 here.
"The fruit of cutting-edge technology... The W186 300 Adenauer shares components with the legendary 300SL Gullwing..."
The quality of the car was superb, manufactured by the master craftsmen of Mercedes Meister, who put their prestige on the post-war reconstruction, and the bodywork of the W183 300 was very modernized and elegant, with no gaps left even in the smallest joints of the body.
The M186 straight six with newly developed overhead camshafts and aluminum heads was mated to a three-speed Borg-Warner automatic transmission with twin downdraft Solex carburetors and innovative diagonal head-to-block joints. The engine is equipped with large intake and exhaust valves and produces 115PS with a compression ratio of 6.4:1.
To withstand long hours of hard use, the engine was equipped with a deep water jacket, thermostatically controlled oil cooling, copper-lead bearings, and a hardened, hardened crankshaft. This, combined with a rigid X-shaped tubular steel frame and four-wheel independent suspension, made for surprisingly nimble handling…!
The innovative dashboard-operated rear load-leveling suspension tripled the rigidity by activating the torsion bars as needed, and a pedal-operated central lubrication system was the most advanced mechanism for keeping friction points quiet….
Of the 11,430 W183s produced, only 1,483 were the 300C, which debuted in September 1955 and included 51 Cabriolets. More than half a century has already passed since its launch. The 300C is a very rare model even in the world.
For your information, the price at that time was 22,000 Deutschmarks, enough to buy 22 Volkswagen Type 1s, the people’s car…! It was also more expensive than the 300SC Roadster and 300SL Roadster, which shared the same components…!
The largest barn find in history, one of only four ever delivered to the Imperial Household Agency in 1957.
First of all, please take a look at the attached photo. This car is one of the four 300C’s delivered to the Imperial Household Agency in 1957. Body number 186016A7500121: This car was used as No. 12 service car.
You can see that it is the second car from the left.
When the current owner got married, he was worried that his tall wife’s white cloth horn cover would hit the ceiling of the car, so he bought this car from a friend of his in 1970. After that, she drove it for a while, but kept it in the barn in the photo with a sheet over it…. This time, after more than 30 years, the seat was opened….
As you can see in the photos, the W183 300 Adenauer was found in a very rare condition, full of history, and of course it is a base for restoration including exterior and interior.
As you can see in the photos, it looks as if time has stopped… The odometer has stopped at 22040km….
The white hand-written “12” on the side of the meter panel quietly tells us that it was the 12th service car, and the machined aluminum switches and the original Becker radio are just waiting to be restored by an enthusiast.
The process of restoring the radio to its original state is an irreplaceable time, and the project of reclaiming a page of history is nothing short of a joy…!
For those of you who have read this up to this point and are excited about this unknown project, I know it’s a bit of a cop-out, but in Europe, especially in Germany, where classic car culture permeates, there are several specialized suppliers of classic Mercedes parts, and you can order everything from a single screw to a seat to the entire body.
The following are the pages of W183 parts from two of these companies for your reference.
Niemöller With 63,000 different parts, Niemöller is the most important spare parts supplier in the world.
Niemöller offers complete parts for all classic Mercedes-Benz cars manufactured between 1946 and 1975. The author is also indebted to…
https://www.niemoeller.de/en/w186/w186/BIL
Classic Center Versmold A parts supplier specializing in Mercedes-Benz manufactured from 1953 to 1995.
https://mercedes-lager.de/shop/300c-186016
postmortem
The owner was concerned about the damage to the suspension, so he jacked up the car and covered it with a plastic sheet to protect it from the rain and dew for over 30 years. This is a precious 1957 W186 300C Adenauer that shows not only its history, but also that it has been cherished with family memories all its life.
When I imagine that such a precious car will be restored by enthusiasts and can be driven again, I sincerely believe that it will be a very meaningful thing….
This is one of the best discoveries I’ve ever made….
This could be one of the best discoveries… Please come to Okayama Prefecture to see the car in person.
▲This very nice “1957 Mercedes-Benz W186 300C Adenauer Mercedes” is currently located in Okayama Prefecture.
This vehicle is being offered for sale by a private individual, so no consumption tax or other fees will be charged.
The vehicle is currently registered for temporary cancellation, so there is no need to calculate the monthly car tax.
The buyer will be responsible for transporting the car out of the country, but I also provide classic car transportation services. Please feel free to contact me if you have any requests.
For inquiries…
The vehicles on this page were posted on the “Estate Sale®︎ Supremacy” cross-border car e-commerce site.
What is a “Supremacy” estate sale?
Estate Sale®︎Supremacy is the Japanese version of the North American cultural estate sale, which introduces cars with the owner’s thoughts and feelings through interview-based manuscript preparation, and organizes things and minds.
This is completely different from buying a car at a bargain price and leaving nothing behind in terms of culture or passing it on to the next generation. We will guide and mediate you through the process of honestly expressing the owner’s feelings and leaving the memories firmly in your mind while passing it on to the next generation without fail.
The content of this article was written on October 27, 2021, in about two hours of interview time, based on the interview with the owner, the materials received, and the contact experience.
Please be aware that the information may not be 100% accurate due to the very limited time available.
Please be aware that the condition may not be 100% accurate. Please note that comments on the condition of the vehicle are based on the weather and conditions at the time of the interview and the author’s subjective opinion.
Please contact us from the bottom of this page if you have any questions about the vehicles listed on this site or if you would like to make an appointment to see them in person.
If you have any questions about the vehicle listed on this site, please contact us from the bottom of this page. Please note that this service is only available for customers who are considering purchasing the vehicle.
Thank you very much for your interest.
SPEC
Mileage
22040km
Length
5060mm
Width
1840mm
Height
1600mm
Weight
1910kg
Displacement
2996cc
Location
Okayama,Japan
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Nice i really enjoyed reading your blogs. Keep on posting. Thanks