Mercedes-Benz W136: История легендарного автомобиля 1930-х – 1950-х годов.

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. Between 1936 and 1942 over 75,000 were built making it by far the most popular Mercedes Benz model up till that point. Enough of the W136's tooling survived Allied bombing during World War II (or could be recreated post war) for it to serve as the foundation upon which the company could rebuild. By 1947 the model 170 V had resumed its place as Mercedes' top seller, a position it held until 1953. Mileage was The engine was attached using just two mountings and set the standard for smoothness for four cylinder motors.

Most of the cars produced, and an even higher proportion of those that survive, were two or four door "Limousine" (saloon/sedan) bodied cars, but the range of different body types offered in the 1930s for the 170 V was unusually broad. A four door "Cabrio Limousine" combined the four doors of the four door "Limousine" with a full length foldaway canvas roof. Both the four door bodies were also available adapted for taxi work, with large luggage racks at the back. There was a two door two seater "Cabriolet A" and a two door four seater "Cabriolet B" both with luggage storage behind the seats and beneath the storage location of the hood when folded (but without any external lid for accessing the luggage from outside the car). A common feature of the 170 V bodies was external storage of the spare wheel on the car's rear panel.

During the war the Mercedes Benz plant suffered very severe bomb damage, but the manufacturer nevertheless emerged from the trauma of war with a significant competitive advantage over many of its pre war competitors. Manufacturers including Adler, BMW and Ford in Germany had been heavily dependent for the supply of steel car bodies on Ambi Budd whose Berlin plant was destroyed by bombing in 1943: its site now ended up in the Soviet occupation zone (subsequently East Germany). The manufacturing plants of Horch, Wanderer and BMW were located in what in July 1945 became the Soviet controlled part of Germany. None of these manufacturers could resume volume production without first finding a way to obtain and fund a source of steel car bodies and access to a suitable plant for auto assembly. Mercedes Benz, however, retained ownership of and access to its car plant. Production restarted in May 1946. The vehicles produced were versions of the 170 V, but in 1946 only 214 vehicles were produced and they were all light trucks or ambulances. The 170D was the world's third diesel fueled passenger car, and the first to be introduced after the war.

Lacking a luxury car in its line up, Mercedes sought to regain a niche in that market by introducing the upscale 170 S (W191) version of the 170 V in 1949. It was more luxurious, costlier and, when launched, slightly larger than the 170 V, distinctions the company made an effort to emphasize. Though sometimes referred to today as the first S Class Mercedes Benz that designation did not yet exist. A pair of 170 S derivations followed, the 170 Sb and 170 DS diesel models, earning the 170 S series its own chassis code, W191. The 170 S series retained the separate internal designation until the 1953 introduction of Mercedes' new W120 180 "Ponton", when the 170 S was downsized to the 170 V's body (while retaining the 170 S' more powerful motor). This hybrid was given the designation 170 S V, and repositioned below the 180 in the company line up. Production of the 170 S V ended in 1955. The Mercedes Benz 170 SV and 170 SD were also built briefly in Argentina from 1952 to 1955 in sedan, taxi, pick up and van versions.

In 1951 and 1952 Mercedes Benz produced a 170 D OTP version for police use. This was effectively a four door cabriolet, although the hood was of rather a thin material and basic structure when compared to the 170 cabriolets of the 1930. It was a requirement that all the cars should be painted in "Police Green", but in the end most of the cars delivered to the police were painted blue. Although the car was provided only for the use of official bodies, it incorporated several technical and other features, including for the first time on a 170 car a trunk/boot accessible from the outside via a hinged lid, which soon afterwards appeared on other upgraded W136s. A single one known to have been painstakingly fully restored in the United States is the closest to factory original in existence today. A fully restored OTP sold to a private collector fetched north of 350,000 Euro, in 2015.

In May 1950 the 170 V and 170 D received a power upgrade with a larger 1.8 litre version of the M136 engine (which would go on to power the new Mercedes Benz 180 in 1950). At this stage there was no name change to reflect the increased engine size. At the same time safety was improved with the incorporation of telescopic shock absorbers, a wider rear track, and stronger brakes. Attention in this upgrade was also applied to comfort with the passenger cabin widened by and larger seats. The luggage compartment at the back finally became accessible from outside, using a boot/trunk lid and ventilation was improved. To differentiate them from the existing models, the petrol/gasoline and diesel versions of the upgraded cars were designated internally as the Mercedes Benz 170 Va and Mercedes Benz 170 Da.

With the appearance of the new Ponton bodied Mercedes Benz 180 in 1953, the 170 models suddenly appeared very old fashioned. The 170 V was delisted in September 1953: in July 1953 the manufacturer had replaced the existing 170 S with the reduced specification 170 S V. The car that resulted combined the slightly larger body from the 170 S with the less powerful 45 PS engine that had previously powered the 170 V. The vehicle provided reduced performance but at a reduced price, while salesmen steered more prosperous buyers to the new Ponton bodied 180. The diesel powered 170 S continued to be sold, now branded as the 170 S D. The internal “W191” designation which had distinguished the previous 170 Ss was removed, and the 170 Ss manufactured from 1953 returned to the “W136” works designation that they had shared with the 170 V till the end of 1951. In September 1955 the last Mercedes Benz W136, the Mercedes Benz 170 S was withdrawn from production.