![MHV MB W23 130 1935 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/MHV_MB_W23_130_1935_01.jpg)
From 1931 to 1939,
Daimler-Benz AG produced three cars (
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...
130, 150 and 170 H) with
rear engine as well as a few prototypes. The production numbers remained quite low for each of these models, especially compared to the production of classical front-engine Mercedes cars.
Development and prototypes (W17/W25D)
![Mercedes 130H rear axle (Autocar Handbook, 13th ed, 1935)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Mercedes_130H_rear_axle_%28Autocar_Handbook%2C_13th_ed%2C_1935%29.jpg)
At the beginning of the 1930s, inspired by modern streamlined shapes, there were attempts to move car engines from the forward compartment to the rear of the car. Such a move allows a reduction in the volume of the front compartment. At the same time, the voluminous rear provides a lot of space above and behind the rear axle. Moreover, when engines are rear mounted, the drive shaft is eliminated. The most famous such development was with the 1930s
Tatra cars under the leadership of
Hans Ledwinka
Hans Ledwinka (14 February 1878 – 2 March 1967) was an Austrian automobile designer.
Youth
Ledwinka was born in Klosterneuburg (Lower Austria), near Vienna, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
He started his career as a mechanic, a ...
.
In 1930, Daimler-Benz entrusted Hans Nibel with the development of a small rear-engined car, starting from the same principles. In 1931, working with Max Wagner, the type W17 or 120(H) was created, a two-door, equipped with four seats, vertical front and rear wheel arches, and a
four-cylinder boxer engine in the rear with a displacement of 1200 cc and a power of 25 hp (18.4 kW). There were also attempts with transverse
four-cylinder inline engines. In 1932/1933 Mercedes built a prototype with a front similar to the later
VW Beetle
The Volkswagen Beetle—officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informally in German (meaning "beetle"), in parts of the English-speaking world the Bug, and known by many other nicknames in other languages—is a two-door, rear-engine economy car, ...
, and a longer tail. The tail fin attached to the middle of the hood divides the oval rear window, so it anticipated the small oval two piece rear window of the Beetle known as "pretzel form". The "D" referred to the three-cylinder diesel engine OM 134 with an output of 30 hp (22 kW), but due to high noise level, this vehicle was again rejected. From this type, 12 test cars were assembled
Mercedes-Benz 130 (W23)
![MHV MB W23 130 1935 02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/MHV_MB_W23_130_1935_02.jpg)
The Mercedes-Benz 130H was a low-production
automobile
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods.
The year 1886 is regarde ...
built in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
in the 1930s.
[Lyons, Pete. "10 Best Ahead-of-Their-Time Machines", in ''Car and Driver'', 1/88, p.73.] It was presented in February 1934 at the Berlin Car Show.
Conceived by
Hans Nibel
Hans may refer to:
__NOTOC__ People
* Hans (name), a masculine given name
* Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician
** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans
** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi a ...
, chief engineer of
Mercedes Benz
Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...
,
the 130H was inspired by
Edmund Rumpler
Edmund Elias Rumpler (4 January 1872 – 7 September 1940) was an Austrian automobile and aircraft designer.
Born in Vienna, then Austro-Hungarian Empire (now Austria),Wise 1974, p.1964 he worked mainly in Germany.Lyons 1988, p.73 An automo ...
's
''Tropfenwagen''. It followed on the
Rumpler
Rumpler-Luftfahrzeugbau GmbH, Rumpler-Werke, usually known simply as Rumpler was a German aircraft and automobile manufacturer founded in Berlin by Austrian engineer Edmund Rumpler in 1909 as Rumpler Luftfahrzeugbau.Gunston 1993, p.259 The fi ...
-chassis
''Tropfenwagen'' racers, which ran between 1923 and 1926.
[Wise, David Burgess. "Rumpler: One Aeroplane which Never Flew", in Northey, Tom, ed. ''World of Automobiles'' (London: Orbis, 1974), Vol. 17, p.1964.]
Created in 1931 by Nibel, it had the 1.3 liter
sidevalve
A flathead engine, also known as a sidevalve engine''American Rodder'', 6/94, pp.45 & 93. or valve-in-block engine is an internal combustion engine with its poppet valves contained within the engine block, instead of in the cylinder head, as ...
[Setright, L. J. K. "Mercedes-Benz: The German Fountain-head", in Northey, Tom, ed. ''World of Automobiles'' (London: Orbis, 1974), Vol. 11, p.1311.] four-cylinder engine mounted at the back, hence the "H", from German ''heck'' (rear),
With the fan between the rear coil springs, it drove a
transmission with three forward speeds, plus a semi-automatic overdrive which did not require the use of a clutch.
(A similar idea was adopted by
Cord
Cord or CORD may refer to:
People
* Alex Cord (1933–2021), American actor and writer
* Chris Cord (born 1940), American racing driver
* Errett Lobban Cord (1894–1974) American industrialist
* Ronnie Cord (1943–1986), Brazilian singer
* Co ...
for the abortive
810
__NOTOC__
Year 810 ( DCCCX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place Byzantine Empire
* Spring – The Venetian dukes change sides again, submitting to Ki ...
in 1935.) The backbone
chassis owed something to
Hans Ledwinka
Hans Ledwinka (14 February 1878 – 2 March 1967) was an Austrian automobile designer.
Youth
Ledwinka was born in Klosterneuburg (Lower Austria), near Vienna, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
He started his career as a mechanic, a ...
,
and
suspension
Suspension or suspended may refer to:
Science and engineering
* Suspension (topology), in mathematics
* Suspension (dynamical systems), in mathematics
* Suspension of a ring, in mathematics
* Suspension (chemistry), small solid particles suspende ...
was independent at all four corners.
Daimler-Benz put the 130H in production in 1934.
Due to its suspension,
handling proved poor,
although perfectly adequate on German roads at the time,
while its ride quality was superior to anything in Germany.
The motor had a power of 26 PS (19 kW) and was able to propel the small two-door sedan at a speed of 92 km/h. The synchronised four-speed gearbox (which would be called later 3 + E by VW) is accommodated in front of the rear axle, the balance being provided by coil springs. The front axle was equipped with two transverse leaf springs.
The car was sold as a sedan, an open-top sedan or a convertible (with and without cabrio cover and without side windows), each being fitted with two doors. Due to its extreme unbalance (⅔ of the mass on the rear axle), the car had very awkward handling. Because of the low sales volume, the model was discontinued in 1936.
Nibel followed the 130H with a more powerful
150H, with chassis designed by
Daimler's
Max Wagner
Max Wagner (November 28, 1901 – November 16, 1975) was a Mexican-born American film actor who specialized in playing small parts such as thugs, gangsters, sailors, henchmen, bodyguards, cab drivers and moving men, appearing more than 400 ...
.
Mercedes-Benz 150 (W30)
The Mercedes-Benz 150H was a prototype sports racing
automobile
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods.
The year 1886 is regarde ...
built in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
in the 1930s.
It was derived in 1935 from the 130 with only two seats and a more powerful engine, with 1498 cc and a power of 55 PS (40 kW). The top speed of the car was 125 km/h.
Conceived by Hans Nibel, chief engineer of
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...
,
the 150H was inspired by
Edmund Rumpler
Edmund Elias Rumpler (4 January 1872 – 7 September 1940) was an Austrian automobile and aircraft designer.
Born in Vienna, then Austro-Hungarian Empire (now Austria),Wise 1974, p.1964 he worked mainly in Germany.Lyons 1988, p.73 An automo ...
's
''Tropfen-Auto''. It followed on the
Rumpler
Rumpler-Luftfahrzeugbau GmbH, Rumpler-Werke, usually known simply as Rumpler was a German aircraft and automobile manufacturer founded in Berlin by Austrian engineer Edmund Rumpler in 1909 as Rumpler Luftfahrzeugbau.Gunston 1993, p.259 The fi ...
-chassis
''Tropfenwagen'' racers, which ran between 1923 and 1926,
and was based on the backbone chassis of earlier
130H.
Created in 1934 by Nibel and chassis engineer Max Wagner.
the 150H was a two-seat sports roadster.
It featured transverse
leaf spring
A leaf spring is a simple form of spring commonly used for the suspension in wheeled vehicles. Originally called a ''laminated'' or ''carriage spring'', and sometimes referred to as a semi-elliptical spring, elliptical spring, or cart spring, i ...
front and
coil-sprung
swing axle
A swing axle is a simple type of independent (rear wheel) suspension designed and patented by Edmund Rumpler in 1903. This was a revolutionary invention in automotive suspension, allowing driven (powered) wheels to follow uneven road surfaces ...
rear
suspension
Suspension or suspended may refer to:
Science and engineering
* Suspension (topology), in mathematics
* Suspension (dynamical systems), in mathematics
* Suspension of a ring, in mathematics
* Suspension (chemistry), small solid particles suspende ...
. A
water-cooled
Cooling tower and water discharge of a nuclear power plant
Water cooling is a method of heat removal from components and industrial equipment. Evaporative cooling using water is often more efficient than air cooling. Water is inexpensive and no ...
OHC four-cylinder engine, producing , was mounted in back, hence the "H", from German ''heck'' (rear).
The radiator was behind that, above the
transaxle
A transaxle is a single mechanical device which combines the functions of an automobile's transmission, axle, and differential into one integrated assembly. It can be produced in both manual and automatic versions.
Engine and drive at the s ...
, with a squirrel-cage blower
(reminiscent of the
VW Type 1) feeding both radiator and
carburetor.
The roadster featured disc wheels,
DuVal-style windshield, side-mounted spare (fastened with straps), and three headlights, the third mounted at the lip of the hood above the bumper.
The car was only offered as a Sport Roadster. The gas tank, which in the case of the Mercedes-Benz 130 was installed over the engine, was transferred to the front compartment, and therefore there was no room for luggage there. The practicality of the 150 was therefore very limited, and the price of the car was quite high at 6600 RM ; as a comparison the Mercedes-Benz 170 V had a price of 5500 RM. The car was discontinued in 1936 due to poor sales.
Six 150Hs were built as coupes, "with low-drag lines that eerily presaged the VW Beetle".
They were raced in several
rallies, demonstrating much better handling than the 130H, before Nibel and Wagner turned to
Grand Prix cars. Only twenty were produced before the 150H was abandoned in 1936.
The last remaining 150 Sport Roadster has been fully restored mechanically by the
Mercedes-Benz Classic Center USA in Irvine, California in 2010.
Mercedes-Benz 170 H (W28)
![MHV MB W28 170H 02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/MHV_MB_W28_170H_02.jpg)
In 1936, in parallel to the classical front-engine Mercedes-Benz 170 V, Daimler-Benz AG introduced the Mercedes-Benz 170 H which had the same engine as the 170 V, with an architecture derived from the one of the 130, its predecessor. The 170 H was powered by a four-cylinder 1697 cc engine with a power of 38 PS (28 kW). The "H" stood for "Heckmotor", or rear engine.
The car was significantly more expensive than the 170 V (two-door sedan 170 V - 3750 RM, 170 H - 4350 RM) but offered much less room in the trunk, a much louder engine and poor handling (though it handled better than the 130). It was however more comfortably equipped and was therefore considered as a "finer" car, but sold less well than the 170 V. Apart from the sedan, there was still a convertible sedan. Production stopped in 1939 due to the War and the low demand.
Forty years later a company spokesman suggested that the car's relative lack of commercial success was caused by the rear mounting of the engine and the resulting absence of the "characteristic Mercedes-Benz tall radiator".
The same spokesman was at pains to highlight the similarity of the car's overall architecture and some of its detailing to that of the later highly successful
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Beetle—officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informally in German (meaning "beetle"), in parts of the English-speaking world the Bug, and known by many other nicknames in other languages—is a two-door, rear-engine economy car, ...
: it was pointed out that
Dr Porsche, creator of the Volkswagen, had been chief engineer at
Daimler-Benz
The Mercedes-Benz Group AG (previously named Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler and Daimler) is a German multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is one of the world's leading car manufactur ...
between 1923 and 1928 when the little rear-engined Mercedes-Benz sedans were under development.
[
Because these cars, unlike front-engined sister models, were not widely used, and also not suitable for conversion to ]wood gas generator
A wood gas generator is a gasification unit which converts timber or charcoal into wood gas, a producer gas consisting of atmospheric nitrogen, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, traces of methane, and other gases, which – after cooling and filtering ...
, they were not confiscated by the ''Wehrmacht''. Therefore, an above-average number of models survived in private hands without damage due to the war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
, but most were used to exhaustion in the early post-war years. Today, these cars remain among the rarest and most sought-after Mercedes-Benz models.
In addition, engineer Karl Schlör from the Krauss Maffei company used the 170H chassis to build a pod-like streamliner called the '' Schlörwagen'' (nicknamed "Egg" or "Pillbug"). In wind tunnel
Wind tunnels are large tubes with air blowing through them which are used to replicate the interaction between air and an object flying through the air or moving along the ground. Researchers use wind tunnels to learn more about how an aircraft ...
tests done before the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, it demonstrated the astonishing drag coefficient
In fluid dynamics, the drag coefficient (commonly denoted as: c_\mathrm, c_x or c_) is a dimensionless quantity that is used to quantify the drag or resistance of an object in a fluid environment, such as air or water. It is used in the drag e ...
of only 0.113. It was displayed at the 1939 Berlin Auto Show
The Berlin Motor Show originally started in 1897 in the German capital Berlin as the home of the International Motor Show (''Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung'', IAA) and ran until 1939. From 1951 the IAA eventually became established in Frankf ...
; its fate is unknown.[Christopher, p.200.]
Sources
The source of this article is :
* Oswald, Werner: Mercedes-Benz Personenwagen 1886-1986, Motorbuch-Verlag Stuttgart 1987,
External links
"Tube Forms Auto Chassis and Cools Motor" ''Popular Science'', August 1935
small article on the Model 130
{{Mercedes-Benz vehicles before ww2
130
Rear-engined vehicles
Cars introduced in 1931
Automobiles with backbone chassis