Page 1 of 1 At the 1951 Paris Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz revealed two-door versions of the top-of-the-range 300 Saloon introduced a few months earlier. Dubbed the 300 S for Sport, it was available in three different body-styles. With pricing starting at a hefty DM 34,500, the new two-door machine was the German manufacturer's first high-end, luxury sports car introduced since the War.
Compared to the 300 it was based on, the 300 S featured a chassis shortened by 150 mm. More substantial changes were made to the straight-six engine. While the three-litre displacement was retained, it was fitted with a third carburettor and a high compression head. This raised the output of the engine to 150 hp and enabled a top speed of 175 km/h.
The three body-styles available for the 300 S were the fix-head Coupé and the drop-top Cabriolet A and Roadster. The difference between the latter was the type of roof fitted; the Roadster's was lighter and featured no 'Landau' coach joints. Although first shown to the public at the in October of 1951, production of the three 300 S models did not start until June of 1952.
Mercedes-Benz launched a revised 'c' version of the 300 S at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September of 1955. There were subtle changes to the exterior, which included additional chrome trim, bigger indicators and swivel windows. More crucially, the engine was fitted with the direct fuel-injection system of the 300 SL. As a result, the output of the engine increased to 175 hp.
While the 300 Sc benefited from the technology pioneered on the 300 SL, the demand also suffered from the 'Gullwing', which was a staggering 4,000 DM cheaper. As a result, production of the 300 Sc ended in 1957. Between 1951 and 1957, a combined total of 760 examples were constructed, only 200 of which were of the 300 Sc version.
Today, the first Mercedes-Benz luxury sports car of the post-War era is highly sought after with the best examples demanding high six-figure prices. Page 1 of 1
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300 S Roadster
At the 1951 Paris Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz revealed two-door versions of the top-of-the-range 300 Saloon introduced a few months earlier. Dubbed the 300 S for Sport, it was available in three different body-styles. With pricing starting at a hefty DM 34,500, the new two-door machine was the German manufacturer's first high-end, luxury sports car introduced since the War.