• One of 581 300d saloons built in 1960 • Left-hand drive • Non-original Mercedes-Benz engine • Manual column-change gearbox • Repainted and re-trimmed in 2020 One of Mercedes-Benz's first all-new designs of the post-war era, the 300 saloon debuted in 1951 and would succeed in re-establishing the Stuttgart firm in the front rank of prestige motor manufacturers, marking as it did a return to the marque's tradition of building high-performance luxury automobiles of the finest quality.

The 300 featured independent suspension all round, four-wheel drum brakes, hypoid bevel final drive, dynamically balanced wheels and remote electrical control of the rear suspension ride height.

Initially developing 115bhp, the 3.0-litre, overhead-camshaft, six-cylinder engine, also used in the 300 SL sports car, gained the latter's fuel injection in the restyled, longer wheelbase (and even more roomier) 300d of 1957.

Other improvements included larger brakes (servo-assisted from 1954), optional power st...