1926 Mercedes-Benz W03/W04/W05 300

Vehicle Overview

After the merger between Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft and Benz & Cie in 1924, the new board approved the production of a new vehicle that was supposed to be unveiled in September 1925, but that didn’t happen.

A year later, in October 1926, the new model was finally unveiled at the Berlin Motor Show. Instead of a four-cylinder vehicle, the new Mercedes-Benz appeared in front of its potential customers with an inline-six. Moreover, the vehicle was built in a choice of three bodyworks and a chassis-cab configuration for those who wanted to hire individual coachbuilders for their vehicles.

Regardless of the bodywork version, all of them featured a flat front fascia with a rounded top for the engine compartment and curved fenders that flanked it. The two big headlights were supported by vertical poles mounted directly on the car’s chassis. Also, all of them featured artillery wheels and flat windshields. The automaker offered the car either as a torpedo, as a sedan, or as a Pullman version. The latter was designed for those with deep pockets who were asking for luxurious vehicles.

All versions were fitted with two individual seats at the front and a large bench at the back. Thanks to the car’s long wheelbase, there was more than enough legroom. In addition, the closed-bodywork versions featured side windows.

While the car was originally developed with a three-liter engine, later on, the automaker increased the cylinders’ bores, so the end result was a 3.2-liter powerplant, hence the 320 commercial designation.