The W136 design, listed as the 170V, was first displayed by Mercedes Benz at the Berlin Motor Show of 1936. It gave class and luxury for the driver and passengers with lines reminiscent of the W15 body. Initial production ran from 1935 to 1941 when the war intervened.
During WWII many of these cars were used as staff cars and proved very versatile, not only in the roles they could perform but also the fact they could be converted to run on gas reclaimed from wood and coal burners in specially designed canisters mounted on both ends of the car!
What was left of the Untertürkheim plant provisionally re-opened on May 20, 1945, just 12 days after the German surrender. Around 1,240 employees reported back but the occupying allied powers would only permitted the clearing away of rubble. In self interest they started to allow the repair of their military vehicles in temporary workshops. Post war production was held up by the Allies and when they did allow vehicles to be built the Allied Control Council had prohibited the manufacture of passenger cars. When tentative production of the 170v resumed in May 1946 only pick ups, panel vans and ambulances could be produced. In fact the lack of materials and machinery would have made production to any proper level prohibitive anyway.
Eventually production of four-door sedans was resumed in July 1947 as the Sindelfingen plant press-shop had come through the war with relatively little damage. This factory housed the tools for the pre-war 170V passenger car and it held the key to Mercedes return to the automotive business. The initial production run of 170v sedans went almost exclusively supplied to the authorities.
This "new" 170 V was still very much a pre-war model, a good one but clearly dated in design. The side-valve engine was once state of the art by 1947 was clearly from a bygone age; The X-shaped tubular chassis frame was a totally separate unit from the body and the luggage compartment could only be accessed from the inside of the cabin. None of this stopped the 170v from going on to be a best-selling car.
As the design progressed through saloon, coupe and convertible body styles the Mercedes attention to detail kept them ahead of other manufacturers. Th steering wheel designed around the company logo, body colour wheels (which contrasted with white wall tyres) and triangular bonnet protruding through the wide front wheel arches made the car a commanding presence on the road. Spare wheels moved from the sides to the rear hung upon a boot door that opened to a luggage space little larger than a drawer! Indicator lights were introduced to the front wheel arches creating an interesting lighting ensemble with the bigger, round head lamps beside the front grille.
1/24th scale kit.
Built by Rod.
Rod initially made this model in the 1980s. Brush applied Humbrol enamels were used for all the painting back then.
The car was fully restored in 2005 after an accident! during the "putting away" phase after a weekend at the Stoke in Steam event this car slipped from Rod's grasp and, imitating a plastic grenade, spread itself over a wide area. Rod was most upset with the car, but turning the negative into a positive decided to restore the model and use the latest techniques and materials to improve upon the earlier incarnation.
The process for restoring model cars can be found in our articles and projects pages, so for now we will limit our text to a general description of the car as it is now. Halfords plastic primer and acrylic car paints have been used for the exterior finish. Humbrol acrylics and enamels have been used for the detail painting. Bare metal foil was applied to the hubcaps, and some of the other chrome parts, in order to impart a natural metal look.
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