1949 MERCEDES BENZ Typ 170 Cabriolet (W136) 170 S (B)

Vehicle Overview

After the war, all of Europe was destroyed and Germany didn’t have an industry anymore. Mercedes-Benz gathered its forces and brought back its engineers to the drawing board. They had a country to revive and a company to grow.

The design team didn’t start from a blank sheet of paper. They had some of the plans used before and during WWII. In 1946 they started with a delivery van built on that chassis. There was a high demand for vans to be used or converted into ambulances and police cars. In 1949, Mercedes-Benz introduced the 170 S series at the technical export fair in Hanover. It was its first, post-war, top-class passenger vehicle, based on the same W136 chassis.

The new 170 S was based on some pre-war models, especially on the W153 model. The convertible was available as a two- or a four-seat vehicle named Cabriolet A, and Cabriolet B, respectively. The former was considered a luxury car. The flared arches, the narrow and tall engine compartment was a relic from the past but helped the German brand to move on.

Inside, the Cabriolet A featured a shelf behind the seats. It was used as an extra luggage compartment. Some were fitted with seats fit for children. The dash panel featured a radio in the middle and a glove-compartment on the passenger side. For the instrument cluster, there was a big clock on the left and a speedometer on the right, in front of the driver. In the middle, the car-maker installed the fuel-level gauge and the volt-meter. The floor-mounted gear-stick featured a round, white, gear-knob.

For the engine compartment, the 170S Cabriolet was fitted with a 1.8-liter gasoline engine. Unlike its panel-van siblings, it wasn’t fitted with a diesel unit. The four-speed manual gearbox was the only choice.