It is interesting that a Mercedes Benz car, once thought to be for the upper middle-class prior to World War II, has developed into a car for the rich after the war. But in the history of Mercedes Benz during those times, these four-cylinder vehicles had an important contribution for the survival of the business. The upper middle-class at the end of the 1940s just could not pay for these cars. They either had older pre-war automobiles or new a Opel or Ford. While the Opel Kapit¤n, which used a six-cylinder power-plant, could be purchased for 9,950. – DM ($ 2,360. -), the four-cylinder 170S began at 10,100. – DM ($ 2,400. -). That type of investment allowed you an eight-cylinder Packard in the US.
Given such a price the 170S Benz was seen as a luxury vehicle. And aided by the press, the four-cylinder car performed that role well. It was not such a popular seller as its competitor the Opel Kapit¤n, but that was for Daimler-Benz not a real issue. Their long term planning was to get a firm grip on the luxury car market. The Mercedes Benz 170S was just the first step.
A nice image boost came from the arrival of two elegant convertibles, the two-seater Cabriolet A and the four-seater Cabriolet B. They were built by hand and the Cabriolet A even had a wooden body structure. Like in the past of Mercedes Benz most chrome applications on these special cars were hand fitted first, adjusted and only then chromed. The dashboard’s top of the genuine wood, with the same wood on the window sills and in the center of the dashboard. Although the standard sedan had the same areas covered with wood, the wood on the cabriolets and here especially the Cabriolet A, had a different veneer. One could choose between walnut and bur walnut veneer. Other options were available on request.
Although both Mercedes Benz cabriolets had a price tag that made them the most expensive German cars until the arrival of the six-cylinder Benz models, it is doubtful that Daimler-Benz made any money with them.
Daimler-Benz continued its tradition of offering a diesel version. It became available to the public in 1952 and was known as 170DS. It was the same engine that powered already the previous 170V. It was a rather frugal and noisy affair and destroyed somewhat the luxury image of the car, but the company had already introduced in 1951 the even more expensive six-cylinder 220 and 300 Benz, so the high-end image was taken care of. It wasn’t the first diesel-powered power plant in the history of Mercedes Benz, a diesel-powered vehicle was first introduced in 1937 in form of the 260D. The engine produced 40 horse-powers at 3,200 rpm, which resulted in a top speed of 105 km/h (65 mph). 40hp for a car weighting some 1.2 tons was not too exciting of course, but customers didn’t mind. They didn’t buy the car for its speed potential. They appreciated the fuel economy, comfort and reliability the car had to offer.
The car’s styling looked pretty dated, when production finally stopped in 1955. The diesel clientele did not mind. In the history of Mercedes Benz the diesel was going to develop into a cornerstone of the entire Daimler-Benz fleet. Customers valued the car not for its appearance or pace. They recognized they got great value in durability, comfort and gas mileage. That is why it is no surprise that the diesel-powered 170 model outsold its petrol sibling in 1954, its last season of complete production, almost eight to one.
