The Mercedes-Benz W186 Model 300 is commonly nicknamed “Adenauer.” The name honors Konrad Adenauer, West Germany’s first federal chancellor.
Adenauer served from 1949 to 1963 and used several specially prepared Mercedes-Benz 300 cars for official duties. These included custom cabriolets, hardtop saloons, and landaulets based on the W186 and its successor, the W189. Their features could include writing desks, curtains, dividing partitions, sirens, and half-roof landaulet bodies, reinforcing the connection between the car and the chancellery.
The W186 itself was introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in April 1951 and entered series production later that year. It was also known simply as the Type 300 and combined a 3.0-liter overhead-cam straight-six with a substantial luxury-car body. Despite its formal status, Mercedes positioned it as a driver’s car rather than merely a chauffeur limousine.
“Kohl” and “Erhard” are plausible political distractors because both were West German chancellors, but neither supplied the established nickname. “Adenauer” is the canonical answer.