***1952 Mercedes-Benz 300a in Detail (and other classics!)***

[cawimmer430]

This happened a few weeks ago but I am only getting around to posting it now.

My father and I visited a friend of his who is a local doctor and passionate car enthusiast. He especially has a soft sport for BMWs and Mercedes', especially of older vintage.

In his garage was a beautiful blue 1952 Mercedes 300 (W186 II) "Adenauer" that even in that dark environment looked stunning. This 300a is special. The regular 300a had a 115-horsepower inline-6, but his car has the engine of a 300S Coupe with 150-horsepower. I found that pretty interesting. He found the car in poor condition and restored it himself. Sadly he couldn't find a M186I (300) engine so he had to settle for the M188 engine of the 300S Coupe.

So I photograph the hell out of it with my Olympus FE-200 digital camera and then I asked him if I could sit in it. He was pretty cool about, even wanted me to drive it but I declined that offer since I didn't want to be blamed if something happened. Plus, I felt tired that day and driving something like this, without power-steering, wasn't something I wanted to do!

Also on his land are two Mercedes 319 buses, one of them is being restored and the other is a donor for spare parts. He's also got a genuine 1939 Opel Blitz, 1979 BMW 2800CS and various BMWs and a Glas GT.

Here she is, the 300a with the 300S engine. A beauty.




150-horsepower engine from the 300S...


Rear aspect...



Classic whitewall tires...


The interior. I've never sat in anything more comfortable than this. The seats were so soft and comfortable I can't really describe it. You need to sit in this car to believe it.





Close-ups of the instruments.



Oil pressure and engine temperature....


km/h speedometer...


Fuel tank clock and battery voltage indicator...


Clock and radio...


These various switches below are used to control the engine. You can control an oil pump and fuel pump among others.



Clutch, brake and gas pedal...


Glovebox and the back seats...



Front door from the inside, simple yet classy...


Other cars from his classic garage.

An old BMW 3-Series sedan...




BMW 1502 I think...



An old Mercedes 319 series bus, looking good...






1979 BMW 2800CS, beauty!









The body of a Glas 1600 or 1800 GT...


1939 Opel Blitz Firetruck








Some old motorcycles from his collection...





And lastly his second Mercedes 319 bus, the one he uses for spares...

 

[SDNR]

The interior of the old 300 limousine looks very nice and very German -- first class quality.

 

[ree]

Beautiful looking Mercedes Adenauer - in a perfect restored condition...

 

[Imhotep Evil]

Christian, you really know MB but not BMW, 2 things to pint out:


- there's no such thing as the 1979 2800 CS, as by that time it was replaced with the 6 series.

- the 3er didn't go 4 doors until the E36 launched in 1990. That in your picture is either an 1800 or a 2000 model.

 

[cawimmer430]

Christian, you really know MB but not BMW, 2 things to pint out:


- there's no such thing as the 1979 2800 CS, as by that time it was replaced with the 6 series.

- the 3er didn't go 4 doors until the E36 launched in 1990. That in your picture is either an 1800 or a 2000 model.

Thanks.

On the "6-Series", it says 2800CS at the back. The owner also said it was a 1979 model. Did he get the dates wrong!?

And thanks about the "3-Series". When it comes to those older BMWs I really have no clue.

 

[MikeJ]

According to the all-knowing Wikipedia, the 2800CS was in production from 1968 to 1971, when it was replaced by the 3.0 CS. My guess is that it's an 1969 model.
[And no, I'm not an expert on old BMW's.]

 

[cawimmer430]

According to the all-knowing Wikipedia, the 2800CS was in production from 1968 to 1971, when it was replaced by the 3.0 CS. My guess is that it's an 1969 model.
[And no, I'm not an expert on old BMW's.]

Looks like my ears need to get cleaned.

 

[Giannis]

Wow, this guy has done a great job with the 300a!!! Impressive...

 

[gotyk]

- the 3er didn't go 4 doors until the E36 launched in 1990.

Sorry, mate, but the 3er went four door with the E30, introduced in 1982. And I believe the E36 came out in 1991. Apologies for being so pedantic with dates. I quite like them bimmers

Christiaan, another great post. I've been secretly enjoying your writeups on here (one of the reasons I registered, in the first place). Since you know of so many MB resources, can you look around for some W124 and W201 road tests/reviews of the time? I've seen a couple in your "testdrives" topic, but I want some more. Really like those two

P.S. get some new shoes

 

[cawimmer430]

Christiaan, another great post. I've been secretly enjoying your writeups on here (one of the reasons I registered, in the first place). Since you know of so many MB resources, can you look around for some W124 and W201 road tests/reviews of the time? I've seen a couple in your "testdrives" topic, but I want some more. Really like those two

Thank you for those kind words and thanks for registering at CGZ. Welcome!

W124 and W201s? I got a couple of English roadtests and reviews on these cars from a British magazine called Mercedes Enthusiast. I'll post some more but you might want to check this out. Scroll through the pages.

Link: http://www.germancarforum.com/mercedes-benz-lounge/6671-wimmers-testdrives-complete-list.html

I've got all my reviews and Mercedes Enthusiast posts there. There are a few W124 threads too and I'll post some W201s ASAP.

P.S. get some new shoes

Already done!

A few weeks after these shots were taken I bought new shoes. They're similar to my older Reebok's too (same brand).