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Mercedes-Benz 130 W 144 - front-wheel drive for the second time

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Created on February 28, 2021

Reading time 4min

Written by:

Gerhard Schütz

Photos:

Daimler AG

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Archiv G. Schütz

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Daimler AG

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Archiv G. Schütz

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Mercedes-Benz 130 VB (1936) - Frontantriebs-Versuchswagen Baureihe W144, das Designkonzept von Citroën lässt grüssen, auch Anklänge an den Adler Trumpf junor sind zu erkennen

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Mercedes-Benz 130 VB (1935) - Typ W 144, Versuchswagen mit Frontantrieb und Vorderradantrieb, Konstruktion Gustav Röhr

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Mercedes-Benz 130 VB (1936) - neues Raumkonzept mit grosszügigem Einstieg ohne B-Säule und mit flachem Boden

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Mercedes-Benz 130 VB (1935) - der Vierzylinder Boxer, ein zukunftsträchtiges Konzept

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Mercedes-Benz 400 V (1937) - Baureihe W147, Modell des Oberklassewagens mit stolzer Breite von 188 cm und geteilter Frontscheide

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Mercedes-Benz 400 V (1937) - Cabrioletversion des W147

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Mercedes-Benz W125 (1937) - verbesserte De-Dion-Achse mit Querfürhung am Differential für den Silberpfeil

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Mercedes-Benz W125 (1937) - der Silberpfeil mit De-Dion-Hinterachse

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Mercedes-Benz W125 (1937) - Durchsichtszeichnung/Phantombild, ganz links mit De-Dion-Rohr mit vertikaler Führung am Differential

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Summary

If Gustav Röhr had been able to assert himself at Mercedes-Benz, history would have taken a different course and entire model ranges would have been front-wheel drive. Despite extensive design work, however, all test vehicles were scrapped and, after Röhr's death, rear-wheel drive was retained until the launch of the A-Class 60 years later. This article looks back at an innovative phase at Mercedes-Benz and shows some of the few surviving photographs.

This article contains the following chapters

Everything new and forward-looking
Little enthusiasm for front-wheel drive among the company management

Estimated reading time: 4min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Mercedes and front-wheel drive is a story in itself, and we are making it accessible to a wider audience here for the first time. The A-Class (W168) was not the first front-wheel drive series from Mercedes in 1997. Its beginnings were more than 60 years ago. Hans Nibel had already designed such a vehicle with a front transverse engine in 1934 . He died in the same year. His successor was Hans Gustav Röhr. And he was a front-wheel drive pioneer ... Röhr was no stranger to the car scene of the 1930s, having built progressive cars under his name from 1927 to 1935, including a small car under license from the Tatra 57.

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