Naming conventions
The manufacturer applied the widely followed German naming conventions of the time. On the Mercedes-Benz 8/38 PS the "8" defined the car's tax horsepower, used by the authorities to determine the level of annual car tax to be imposed on car owners. The "38" defined the manufacturer's claims regarding car's actual power output as defined in Horsepower#Metric horsepower (PS, cv, hk, pk, ks, ch). In Germany tax horsepower, which had been defined by statute since 1906, was based on the dimensions of the cylinders in the engine.
Unlike the systems used elsewhere in Europe, the German tax horsepower calculation took account both of the cylinder bore and of the cylinder stroke, and there was therefore a direct linear relationship between engine size and tax horsepower.
The model was effectively relaunched in 1929, and although there were not many changes on paper, the car was now more modern and cultivated, thanks to the attentions of Hans Nibel, who from January 1929, newly appointed as Technical Director, held sole responsibility for model development. [2] The relaunch was accompanied by a new name, and the car was now sold as the Mercedes-Benz Typ Stuttgart 200.
In retrospect the car is sometimes referred to by its company works number, as the Mercedes-Benz W02, which minimises the risk of confusion with other Mercedes-Benz models with names similar to "Mercedes-Benz Typ 200".
Mercedes-Benz Typ 8/38 PS (1926–1928)
The car was offered in bare chassis form for customers wishing to purchase a car body from an independent coach builder. Standard bodies from the manufacturer started with a Torpedo-bodied "Tourenwagen" and included 2 or 4-door "Limousine" (sedan/saloon) bodies. There was also a choice from (initially) two different Mercedes-Benz cabriolet bodies. [3]
The side-valve six-cylinder 1,988 cc engine delivered a maximum output of 38 PS (28 kW; 37 hp) at 3,400 rpm, which translated into a top speed of 75 km/h (47 mph). Power was transmitted via a three-speed manual transmission to the rear wheels, which were fixed to a rigid axle suspended from semi-elliptic leaf springs. The braking applied to all four wheels, mechanically controlled using rod linkages. [4]
From 1927 a small delivery van version branded as the Mercedes-Benz Lieferwagen Typ L 3/4 was offered, intended either as a load carrier or, with ten seats, as a small bus.
During its early years the manufacturer pursued an inappropriate pricing strategy. Initially the prices were set much too high, and when they were reduced by between 500 and 1,000 Marks, which fed a rumour that the model was about to be replaced and existing cars were being priced as "run-out" models. This was part of the backdrop to the boardroom conflicts that led to the departure of Technical Director Porsche at the end of 1928.
Mercedes-Benz 8/38 PS Typ Stuttgart 200 (1929–1933)
The relaunched car, now branded as the "Mercedes-Benz Typ Stuttgart 200" retained the 1,988 cc side-valve engine fitted the previous year. Claimed maximum output was also unchanged at of 38 PS (28 kW; 37 hp). However, this level of output was now achieved at a slightly reduced engine speed of only 3,200 rpm. The compression ratio was substantially raised from 5 : 1 to 6.2 : 1, and the carburetor type (though apparently not its diameter) was changed from a "Zenith 30 HKG" to a "Solex 30 MOHLT".
The three-speed transmission was available as before, but customers could now also specify a four-speed manual transmission. The lower ratios were unchanged, and the same on both the gearboxes now offered, the fourth speed on the four-speed box being effectively an overdrive ratio of 1 : 0.76 while the more conventional "top" 1 : 1 ratio was achieved, as before, by selecting third gear. The combined impact of these engine and transmission changes enabled the manufacturer to increase the listed top speed to 80 km/h (50 mph) though at this time actual achievable top speed would have depended on a number of variables including the body type used.
The delivery van option was no longer listed for the Typ 200, and the two-door version of the "Limousine"-bodied car also disappeared with this upgrade, but the four-door "Limousine", now priced at only 80 Marks above the entry level Torpedo-bodied "Tourenwagen"-bodied car, remained as the mainstay of the range. 1929 also saw the introduction of the Mercedes-Benz W11, which in effect was virtually the same car, but offered with a larger engine and a wider range of body options.
Between 1927 and 1931 the "8/38 PS / Typ Stuttgart 200" and the more powerful but broadly similar "Typ Stuttgart 260" were the mainstays of the Mercedes-Benz range. The period was a particularly difficult one for the German auto industry, with passenger car sales badly depressed. The 4,788 cars produced in 1927 represented 61% of the manufacturer's output. [5] Corresponding figures for the next five years (excluding van and military versions) are:
- 1928: 3,938 cars / 63%,
- 1929: 5,640 cars / 56%,
- 1930: 4,453 cars / 69%,
- 1931: 2,320 cars / 70%,
- 1932: 885 cars / 15%
(1932 saw the launch of the all-new and smaller W15 model. )
Production of the 1,988 cc Mercedes Benz 8/38 PS / W02 ended with a trickle in 1933, by which time 16,956 had been produced. (If the volumes are combined with those for the more powerful W11 the total comfortably exceeds 20,000.) The replacement W21 model was introduced in 1933, by which year the auto industry faced a much less bleak immediate-term outlook.
Not included with these passenger car statistics are "Kübelwagen" (quasi-Jeep) versions of the model, which continued to be produced until 1936.
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class is a series of compact executive cars produced by Daimler AG. Introduced in 1993 as a replacement for the 190 (W201) range, the C-Class was the smallest model in the marque's line-up until the W168 A-Class arrived in 1997. The C-Class has been available with a "4MATIC" four-wheel drive option since 2002. The third generation (W204) was launched in 2007 while the current W205 generation launched in 2014.
The Mercedes-Benz W136 was Mercedes-Benz's main line of inline-four cylinder motorcars from the mid-1930s into the 1950s. The model 170 V made its public debut as successor to the W15 Typ 170 in February 1936. Between 1936 and 1939 it was Mercedes' top selling model.
From 1931 to 1939, Daimler-Benz AG produced three cars 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.
The Mercedes-Benz Mannheim 350 replaced the W03/Typ 350 models in 1929. The structure originated by Ferdinand Porsche was modified by Hans Nibel.
The Mercedes-Benz W15 is an automobile produced by Mercedes-Benz from 1931 to 1936. Regarded today as a mid-size family car, it was given the chassis designation W15, and sold as the Typ 170 in four-door "Limousine" (sedan/saloon) and Cabriolet forms.
The Mercedes-Benz 380 is an eight-cylinder powered automobile introduced by the German manufacturer Mercedes-Benz at the Berlin Motor Show in February 1933. It was withdrawn from production during 1934. Several models with similar names were produced by Mercedes-Benz during the 1930s, so that in retrospect the car is frequently identified using the manufacturer's Works Number as the W22.
The Adler Favorit is a passenger car introduced early in 1929 by the Frankfurt auto-maker, Adler. It was a substantial six cylinder “limousine” (saloon) closely modelled on the manufacturer’s Standard 6 which had first appeared in public in October 1926. The two models shared the same 2,840 mm (112 in) wheelbase, but the Favorit was powered by a smaller 1,943 cc 4-cylinder engine for which a maximum power output of 35 PS was claimed. For both cars, a range of alternative body styles were available from coach builders.
The Adler Standard 8 is a large passenger car introduced in 1928 by the Frankfurt auto-maker, Adler. It was a big eight cylinder “limousine” (saloon) closely modelled on the manufacturer’s Standard 6 which had first appeared in public in October 1926. However the Standard 8 had a longer 3,325 mm (130.9 in) wheelbase as well as a 50 mm (2.0 in) wider track. Although it closely resembled the Standard 6, the Standard 8 was larger all round. The Standard 8 engine had eight cylinders, but individually the cylinder dimensions, at 75 mm (3.0 in) x 110 mm (4.3 in), were identical to those on the six cylinder car as well as on the four cylinder with the Adler Favorit which appeared in 1929.
The Mercedes-Benz W 21 was a six-cylinder passenger car launched in 1933 using the name Mercedes-Benz Typ 200. It was one of several Mercedes-Benz models known, in its own time, as the Mercedes-Benz 200 and is therefore in retrospect more commonly referred to using its Mercedes-Benz works number, “W21”.
The Mercedes-Benz W 142 was a six-cylinder passenger car launched in February 1937, as a successor to the Mercedes-Benz Typ 290. The car was known by its name Typ 320 at the time of its production and service, but is in retrospect commonly referred to using its Mercedes-Benz works number, "W142", which gives a more unambiguously unique nomenclature.
The Mercedes-Benz Nürburg 460 was introduced in Autumn 1928, Mercedes-Benz's first eight-cylinder passenger car. Designated model W 08 was by the factory, it remained in production with various modifications and upgrades until the later summer of 1939, the longest lived Mercedes-Benz model of the 1920s and 1930s.
The Mercedes-Benz W18 was a six-cylinder automobile introduced as the Mercedes-Benz Typ 290 in 1933. It was a smaller-engined successor to the manufacturer’s Typ 350 / 370 Mannheim model. In terms of the German auto-business of the 1930s it occupied a market position roughly equivalent to that filled by the Mercedes-Benz E-Class in the closing decades of the twentieth century. The W18 was replaced in 1937 by the manufacturer’s W142.
The Benz 10/25 PS was a midsize automobile introduced by Benz & Cie in 1912. The same year stated maximum output was increased which meant a name change to Benz 10/30 PS. The model disappeared for three years following the First World War but returned in 1921. A further power increase in 1926 meant another name change, now to Benz 10/35 PS. Following the "fusion" between the Daimler and Benz companies, production of the Benz 10/35 PS ended in 1927.
The Mercedes 15/70/100 PS was a large automobile introduced by Daimler in 1924. Production continued till 1929 by which time Daimler had merged with Benz & Cie as a result of which the car's name had changed to Mercedes-Benz Typ 400.
The Mercedes 24/100/140 PS was a large luxury car introduced by Daimler of Untertürkheim in 1924. Production continued until 1929 by which time Daimler had merged with Benz & Cie and the car's name changed to Mercedes-Benz Typ 630. The car was conceptually and structurally similar to the contemporary Mercedes 15/70/100 PS, but the 24/100/140 PS was longer, heavier, more powerful, faster and more expensive.
The Mercedes-Benz W11 was a midsize six-cylinder automobile introduced by Daimler-Benz it 1929. It was developed from the Mercedes-Benz W02 first seen in 1926, and the W11 shared its chassis and bodywork with the W02, but the W11 came with a larger more powerful engine, a new name and a wider list of “standard bodies” from which customers could choose.
The Mercedes-Benz W03 was a large six-cylinder-engined automobile introduced as the Mercedes-Benz 12/55 PS and, initially, as the Mercedes-Benz Typ 300, by Daimler-Benz at the Berlin Motor Show in October 1926. It was developed in some haste under the manufacturer's Technical Director, Ferdinand Porsche in parallel with the smaller Mercedes-Benz W 01 and the two-litre-engined Mercedes-Benz W02 following the creation of Daimler-Benz, formally in July 1926, from the fusion of the Daimler and Benz & Cie auto-businesses.
The Mercedes-Benz M08 engine is a naturally-aspirated and supercharged, 4.6-liter and 5.0-liter, straight-8 engine, designed, developed and produced by Mercedes-Benz; between 1928 and 1940.
The Mercedes-Benz M11 engine is a naturally-aspirated, 2.6-liter, straight-6, internal combustion piston engine, designed, developed and produced by Mercedes-Benz; between 1929 and 1935.
Hans Nibel was a German mechanical engineer who was employed for more than a quarter of a century in positions of increasing influence at Benz and Cie and, after the 1926 merger, its successor entity, the Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft. He is best remembered for his time as Technical Director, a position he took over from Ferdinand Porsche following an acrimonious falling out between the company and Dr. Porsche. Between 1929 and 1934 Nibel was responsible for a succession of new Mercedes-Benz models of which, in commercial terms, the Mercedes-Benz W15, introduced in October 1931, was probably the most important. During the savage backwash from the Great Depression the W15 was relatively affordable, enabling the manufacturer to retain a major presence in the German automarket in a way that the large expensive cars with which Mercedes-Benz had increasingly been associated during the 1920s never could have done.
