This model was produced between 1951 and 1955, having been presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in April 1951, in four versions: the Saloon (with a production of 16,154 units - one of which is in the collection); the Cabrio A (with a production of 1,278 units); Cabrio B (with a production of 997 units); and the Coupé (with a production of only 85 units).

Despite its reputation before the Second World War as a manufacturer of luxury cars, in the immediate post-war years Mercedes-Benz produced only passenger cars with four-cylinder engines.

The W187 Mercedes-Benz 220 and the W186 Mercedes-Benz 300 Adenauer, introduced together in 1951, were the first Mercedes to once again feature six-cylinder engines.