• One of only 65 300d models produced • Dating from the penultimate year of production • The ultimate in motoring luxury in its day • Present ownership since circa 2013 One of Mercedes-Benz's first all-new designs of the post-war era, the 300 debuted at the Frankfurt Auto Show in 1951 and would succeed in re-establishing the Stuttgart firm in the front rank of prestige car manufacturers, marking as it did a return to the marque's tradition of building high-performance luxury automobiles of the finest quality.

The 300's cross-braced, oval-tube chassis followed the lines of the 170S and 220 but incorporated the added refinements of hypoid bevel final drive, dynamically balanced wheels and remote electrical control of the rear suspension ride height.

Initially developing 115bhp, the 3-litre, overhead-camshaft, six-cylinder engine - used in fuel-injected form in the 300SL sports car - was boosted in power for the succeeding 300b and 300c models, finally gaining fuel injection in the re-s...