***1952 Mercedes-Benz 300a in Detail (and BMW 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...

[BMWDave]

Wow!? Quite a collection.? THe 2800cs sure is a beauty!

[cawimmer430]

Wow!? Quite a collection.? THe 2800cs sure is a beauty!

[sandertheshark]

I would love to have a shot at restoring that little old 1502.  I have an unusually large soft spot for those puny 1499cc engines.

[sandertheshark]

And holy crap a Tornax V200!

[cawimmer430]

I would love to have a shot at restoring that little old 1502.  I have an unusually large soft spot for those puny 1499cc engines.

Good stuff, eh? :D

[Colin]

That Mercedes 300 is just fabulous............

Minor points of correction. Not a 3 Series, but a "neue Klasse". This was the 1600/1800/2000 range that were probably more accurately the precursor to the E12 5 Series............ and the 2800 CS is quite a bit earlier than 1979. These elgeant cars were replaced by the E24 6 Series in 1976. The 2800 became the 3.0 in about 1971, so I'd guess this one is no later than 1970. Nice car though... says a non-BMW person!

[Champ]

Sweet!

[Raghavan]

Why is the gas pedal on the MB so small?

[cawimmer430]

That Mercedes 300 is just fabulous............

Minor points of correction. Not a 3 Series, but a "neue Klasse". This was the 1600/1800/2000 range that were probably more accurately the precursor to the E12 5 Series............ and the 2800 CS is quite a bit earlier than 1979. These elgeant cars were replaced by the E24 6 Series in 1976. The 2800 became the 3.0 in about 1971, so I'd guess this one is no later than 1970. Nice car though... says a non-BMW person!

That Mercedes 300 is just fabulous............

Minor points of correction. Not a 3 Series, but a "neue Klasse". This was the 1600/1800/2000 range that were probably more accurately the precursor to the E12 5 Series............ and the 2800 CS is quite a bit earlier than 1979. These elgeant cars were replaced by the E24 6 Series in 1976. The 2800 became the 3.0 in about 1971, so I'd guess this one is no later than 1970. Nice car though... says a non-BMW person!

Thanks! 

The guys on GCZ claim the same thing that this BMW 2800CS is earlier older than 1979. I guess my ears need to be checked. 

[cawimmer430]

Why is the gas pedal on the MB so small?

No idea to be honest. Might be that a cover pedal is missing as he is constantly restoring things on te car. I am not sure.