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Mercedes-Benz 300: Where is Adenauer's last "Adenauer" parked?

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Mercedes-Benz 300: Where is Adenauer's last "Adenauer" parked?

 "Close-up" - the name of the series from the Mercedes-Benz Museum says it all. Each episode focuses on a vehicle, an exhibit or an element of architecture and design. She throws the spot on details, tells profound, exciting, amazing things. Because 160 vehicles and 1.500 exhibits in the Mercedes-Benz Museum are a rich source of stories. This time in view: the Mercedes-Benz 300 (W 189) of the first German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer.

No. 1/2021: Mercedes-Benz 300 (W 189) from Konrad Adenauer

Statesmanlike: black paint and subtle chrome trim, plus plenty of space and soft upholstery in the rear. The rear door of the Mercedes-Benz 300 slams shut and the last company car receives the first German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. Maybe state guests like John F. Kennedy have already taken their seats on this bench? The time would fit. Because when the President of the United States of America visited the Federal Republic of Germany from June 23 to 26, 1963, it was precisely this vehicle that was the personal company car of his host Adenauer. Both politicians hold official parades standing in a Mercedes-Benz 300 Landaulet - for example in Cologne. But the sedan should also have been at hand. Today it can be seen in the Mercedes-Benz Museum, in room Collection 4: Gallery of Names.

Mercedes-Benz 300: Where is Adenauer's last "Adenauer" parked?

Working atmosphere: How does it feel in the German election year 2021 to take a seat in the back seat, which was once part of the power center of the young Federal Republic? Standard details of the prestige vehicle such as wood paneling still attest to the positioning of the Mercedes-Benz 300 as a luxury vehicle. But Adenauer's seat in the rear on the right-hand side of the vehicle also exudes a real working atmosphere: a small folding table is mounted behind the partition with an electrically retractable pane, for example for studying files and working through the mail folder. A roller blind can be pulled in front of the rear window with a cable and offers protection from the sun. Because the Chancellor's car does not yet have air conditioning. However, a three-blade fan is installed above the head of government's seat and provides a refreshing movement of the air. The communication technology of the sedan from 1959 is ultra-modern: the early version of a car phone is hidden in the glove compartment.

Safety: The static three-point seat belts in the rear are also state-of-the-art at the time. Mercedes-Benz has offered them as special equipment since the end of 1958 - the Chancellor's company car, built a little later, is equipped with them. The passenger is obviously convinced of the passive safety system: When Konrad Adenauer was involved in an accident after his chancellorship in 1965 while on a train trip, he gave a critical warning that the train should think about installing seat belts.

Mercedes-Benz 300: Where is Adenauer's last "Adenauer" parked?

Historical testimony: The vehicle in the Mercedes-Benz Museum is the last company car of the first Federal Chancellor. Mercedes-Benz delivered it to the state fleet in January 1959. At the end of his chancellorship in 1963, Adenauer acquired the Mercedes-Benz 300 from the Federal Republic and used it as a private person until his death in 1967. That is why the exhibit in the Mercedes-Benz Museum does not have the license plate number 0-002, which was intended for the Chancellor's car at the time, but an authentic private registration. As a pensioner, Adenauer can still be chauffeured in the state limousine. The driver is indispensable because the first German Chancellor does not have a driver's license.

Enthusiasm for technology: The sedan in the Mercedes-Benz Museum is assigned to the W 1957 series, which has been in production since 189. This has been significantly further developed in terms of technology and style compared to the first Mercedes-Benz 300 from 1951 (W 186). Among other things, the six-cylinder engine now has intake manifold injection instead of a carburetor. This increases the performance of 92 kW (125 hp) 118 kW (160 PS) and the top speed from 160 km / h to 165 km / h. The Chancellor should have liked the increase in performance. Because Adenauer enjoys being chauffeured at high speed. His frequent announcement to his driver in the Rhenish dialect has been passed down: "Jeben Se Jas!"

State limousine: On September 15, 1949, the German Bundestag elects the CDU politician Konrad Adenauer as the first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany. Two years later, Adenauer then had the choice himself: at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt am Main from April 19 to 29, 1951, the new representative vehicle Mercedes-Benz 300 (W 186) celebrated its much-acclaimed premiere. The head of government visits the trade fair and spontaneously decides on the Stuttgart brand's vehicle as the new company car. The limousine was handed over on December 8, 1951 in the Palais Schaumburg in Bonn, the seat of the Federal Chancellery at the time. The first Federal President Theodor Heuss also used a Mercedes-Benz 300 as a company car. On official occasions, the vehicles carry stander in the format 30 x 30 centimeters on a front fender. The Mercedes-Benz Museum shows the stands of the Federal Chancellor (Federal eagle on a black, red and gold background) and Federal President (Federal eagle on a gold background in a red frame) in a showcase of the contemporary history tour in Room Myth 4: Wonder Years - Form and Diversity, 1945 to 1960. While Adenauer's first Mercedes-Benz 300 company car in 1951 has two stand brackets, the vehicle from 1959 shown in the museum only has one bracket on the front right wing.

Continuity: With the slogan “No experiments”, Adenauer and the CDU campaigned in the 1950s. The Chancellor's motto also seems to apply to his company cars: he will use a total of six different “300s” from the W 186 series and the successor W 189 series from 1951 until the end of his term in office in October 1963. The guy is soon called colloquially “Adenauer-Mercedes” because the public appearances are almost inextricably linked with the always black representation vehicles.

Sovereignty: These automobiles are also a symbol of the young, up-and-coming Federal Republic. Because the Federal Chancellor takes them with him on trips abroad if possible. Since it covers long distances on the government train, the company car also travels this way. This applies, for example, to state visits to London (Nine Powers Conference, 1954), Moscow (1955) and Paris (1962). Adenauer's company car is also available for holiday trips to Cadenabbia on Lake Como in Italy. The original “Adenauer-Mercedes” exhibited in the Mercedes-Benz Museum even plays a role in the documentary “Holidays without a holiday. A visit to Cadenabbia ”from 1960 about the Chancellor's stays in Lombardy.

Mercedes-Benz 300: Where is Adenauer's last "Adenauer" parked?

"Adenauer" No. 1: Another important historical testimony is the Chancellor's first Mercedes-Benz 300 from 1951. The company car was decommissioned and sold in 1956 with a mileage of more than 150.000 kilometers. In 1971 he came to the United States of America and was bought in 1989 for the future museum "House of the History of the Federal Republic of Germany" in Bonn. Since opening in 1994, Adenauer's first “Adenauer” has been a central exhibit there - with the matching number 0-002. The extensive restoration of the body, chassis, engine and interior with the support of the experts from Mercedes-Benz Classic ensured the excellent condition of the Mercedes-Benz 300.

Mercedes-Benz 300: Where is Adenauer's last "Adenauer" parked?

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Mercedes-Benz 300: Where is Adenauer's last "Adenauer" parked?

Where is Adenauer's last "Adenauer" parked?
Photo credit: Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz 300: Where is Adenauer's last "Adenauer" parked?

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About Thomas Wachsmuth

Thomas Wachsmuth - He has been an integral part of tuningblog.eu since 2013. His passion for cars is so intense that he invests every available penny in them. While he dreams of a BMW E31 850CSI and a Hennessey 6x6 Ford F-150, he currently drives a rather inconspicuous BMW 540i (G31/LCI). His collection of books, magazines and brochures on the subject of car tuning has now reached such proportions that he himself has become a walking reference work for the tuning scene.  More about Thomas

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