1933 MERCEDES BENZ Typ Nurburg Cabriolet F (W08) 500

Vehicle Overview

Even though this car is part of the Nurburg lineup, it didn’t carry over the name in the automaker’s official listings, but it was commonly used due to naming confusion.

Mercedes-Benz prepared an update for the longest-produced vehicle in its lineup, the W08, a car that had to stay on the assembly lines due to the 1930s Great Depression. The automaker knew that creating an entirely new vehicle for that segment would increase production costs. So, it just did some tweaks here and there to make the W08 more attractive, but without high costs.

The automaker ended the production of the Nurburg 460 in December 1933 and, in February 1934, started the production of the 500. In March, the German carmaker added the 500 version with a supercharger, and customers were confused. Mercedes-Benz noticed that and added the K letter for the supercharged version and N for the naturally aspirated model. But that added even more confusion between the “Nurburg” and “Normal.”

That confusion remained, and sometimes 500N were named as Nurburg, mainly because it used the technical underpinnings carried over from the W08, like the Cabriolet F. This model was the last to use the same chassis and solid rear axle developed in the ’20s. Moreover, it was fitted with wooden wheels. On the other hand, the bodywork sported a new design with a tilted, rounded radiator instead of the straight-up, wedged-shaped one from the W08 I. Its slightly tilted windshield and bodywork were similar to those found on the 500 model. Moreover, its four doors were hinged to the B-pillars so the front occupants could exit faster and open the rear doors for the most important passengers.

Under the hood, the car sported a five-liter engine that provided 100 ponies in the W08 II version, which were increased to 110 PS for the W08 III.