Supplied new to Munich. The 28th of the 203 of these cabriolets only ever built! The Frankfurt Motor Show held in the spring of 1951 saw Mercedes-Benz reclaim its place as one of the top luxury car manufacturers in the world with the 300 series. In October 1951, the Stuttgart company unveiled the latest addition to this series, the 300 S, at the Paris Motor Show. The 300 S was available as a coupé, cabriolet and a roadster version, and often considered the successor of the famous supercharged cars of the 1930s. It featured an imposing body with long wings set atop a shortened version of the 300's limousine chassis. The interior was dominated by heavy leather and sophisticated woods. These grand 300 series S models had 150 bhp, sufficient for a peak speed of 175 km/h, which made it Germany's fastest car. By August 1955, Mercedes had managed to produce 560 of these cars, 203 of which left the factory as elegant cabriolets, fitted with a full-featured, lined hood. The reason for these moderate production numbers was the price of these first-rate vehicles, which were largely produced by hand. At the time, a 300 S, no matter what body shape, went for DM 34,500, which was an exorbitant price and only affordable by the most wealthy, as directors were purchasing Adenauer Mercedes' for a princely DM 19,000 and workers wages were around DM 150 a month. And even those able to fulfil their dream of owning a 300 S had to wait months before it would be delivered. This was because the high quality workmanship that went into the cars' production simply took time and each was crafted to absolute perfection. This meant that, at times, as much as six months would pass between ordering and finally receiving your 300 S. Just a week after Mercedes unveiled its new top model in Paris to a hushed audience, Heinrich Nicolaus, a paper manufacturer from Munich/Dachau, ordered his 300 S cabriolet on 11 October 1951. The delivery of the first of these elite vehicles only began in July 1952. Nicolaus Heinrich's cabriolet bore the chassis number 00033 and engine number 00028 and was delivered to him in Dachau on 30 August 1952. According to the Mercedes datacard, he only kept the 300 S for just under three years before selling it on 15 April 1955 to the company Auto-Becker in Düsseldorf, from where it presumably set off on its long journey to the USA. Because this is where the 300 S returned from to Europe in 2006, when it was sold to a German collector by a well-respected dealer. The 300 S had already been lovingly restored while abroad and to a standard and exceptional quality that is still clearly and delightfully evident today! However, the 300 S also, as did so many of its kind, received a new heart during its time in the New World, very formally and with a plate. One of the certificates supplied on the occasion of its purchase in 2006 describes the car as being in pristine condition both generally and with respect to its original parts. To conclude, it has to be said that it vehicles of this quality are extremely rare. At the time of the inspection, the milometer read 52,340 km. Following a period of about two years, the Mercedes was passed on to another collector on the grounds of age. Today, the 300 S continues to impress with its breathtaking condition, particularly since it has been more on the receiving end of yet more loving attention rather than having been driven since it was restored. These cars continue to be as fascinating today as they were when they were first built, when they must have had a near otherworldly aura – because now as then, they are without equal in terms of elegance and class!

VIN: 188010000331/52 Mileage: 2,786 km (read) Displacement : 2,975 ccm/R6 Gearbox: 4 gears Colour: Ivory/red-brown (leather) Power: 150 bhp Papers: German vehicle registration documents