|
Price |
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-- |
Production |
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Engine |
2.6
liter inline-4 |
Weight |
-- |
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Aspiration |
-- |
Torque |
-- |
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HP |
45
hp @ 3200 rpm |
HP/Weight |
-- |
|
HP/Liter |
17.3
hp per liter |
1/4 mile |
-- |
|
0-62 mph |
-- |
Top Speed |
-- |
(from Daimler Press
Release) February 1936: the diesel engine celebrates its
premiere in the passenger car
• The Mercedes-Benz
260 D of 1936 was the first series-production passenger car with
a diesel engine
• Diesel technology at Mercedes-Benz is an almost one hundred
year history of innovation
• Modern car diesel engines are economical, powerful and refined
power units
• BlueTEC and hybrid drive make the diesel an engine technology
for the future
Stuttgart – The
Mercedes-Benz 260 D in the W 138 series was the world's first
series-production diesel passenger car. In February 1936 – 50 years
after the invention of the petrol-powered automobile by Carl Benz –
Mercedes-Benz presented this revolutionary vehicle at the
International Motorcycle and Automobile Exhibition in Berlin. Its
2.6-litre OM 138 four-cylinder engine with the Mercedes-Benz
pre-chamber system and a Bosch injection pump developed 33 kW (45
hp) at 3200 rpm, and was installed in the chassis of the
petrol-powered Mercedes-Benz 200 with a long wheelbase. The Bosch
Four-plunger injection pump allowed engine speeds of up to 3000 rpm
and ensured rapid fuel delivery.
In November 1934, after
experimenting with various diesel engines in Mercedes-Benz passenger
cars, the engineers opted for a modified version of the well-proven
six-cylinder in-line engine from the commercial vehicle sector. The
result was a four-cylinder unit with a displacement of 2.6 litres
(bore x stroke 90 x 100 millimetres). The new engine adopted the
truck engine's smooth pre-chamber combustion process. The technical
specifications included overhead valves and a five-bearing
crankshaft.
Series production of the
model 260 D commenced at the end of 1935, and the world's first
regular production diesel car was premiered in February 1936, at the
International Motorcycle and Automobile Exhibition in Berlin. At an
average diesel fuel consumption of 9.5 litres, a tank filling was
initially sufficient for 400 kilometres, and this increased to no
less than 500 kilometres or more after a model upgrade in 1937. This
was not without significance considering the relative scarcity of
filling stations at the time.
Even in 1936 the diesel
engine in the model 260 D delivered impressive fuel economy: average
consumption was slightly above 9 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres,
considerably bettering the 13 litres consumed by the petrol-powered
model 200. Moreover, diesel fuel cost only 17 Pfennigs per litre for
holders of a passenger transport licence in 1936: at the time that
was less than half the normal cost of petrol. Taxi-drivers in
particular immediately opted for this car, which was available in a
spacious Pullman version with six seats right from the start.
In September 1936
Mercedes-Benz also introduced a Pullman saloon, a 4/5-seater saloon
and the 4/5-seater Convertible B as further body variants of the
model 260 D. Apart from taxi-drivers, more and more private
customers also chose this very economical vehicle.
As early as 1937
Mercedes-Benz presented an improved version of the model 260 D: the
facelifted version now had a modified radiator grille. The slightly
smaller headlamps had more curved housings whose bases were inserted
directly into the wings. Previously the headlamps had been mounted
on a chrome-plated rail in front of the radiator, which was now
omitted. The two 6/7-seater model variants were also given
redesigned bodies which were both more spacious and more
prestigious-looking than the first Pullman versions. New bumpers
replacing the dainty versions of the first two years were introduced
in 1938.
Modifications to the 260
D for the model upgrade included a wider track at the front (1370
instead of 1340 millimetres) and rear (1390 instead of 1380
millimetres) and a larger fuel tank (50 litres instead of 38 litres),
which was now also moved from the engine compartment to the rear of
the vehicle.
In February 1938 the previous overdrive transmission was replaced by
a fully synchronised four-speed transmission with a direct-ratio
fourth gear. At the same time the 260 D – like the model 230 – was
given wider wheels and tyres in the interests of standardisation, as
well as dual-action hydraulic shock absorbers at the rear. And from
early 1938, electrically heated glow plugs made starting easier when
the engine was cold.
From 1936 to 1940
Mercedes-Benz produced 1967 examples of the model 260 D. Especially
as a taxi, the world's first diesel passenger car proved to be an
absolute long-distance champion: taxi cabs based on the 260 D were
still on the road in large numbers well into the 1950s.
Mercedes-Benz also used the OM 138 engine, which underwent only very
few modifications during the four-year production period of the
model 260 D, for other applications. The same engine also powered
the L 1100 to L 1500-series vans built in Stuttgart and Mannheim.
Since the sensational
premiere of the model 260 D, Mercedes-Benz passenger cars with
diesel engines have continuously set new technical standards. After
the Second World War, the model 170 D (W 136) was the first newly
designed diesel car offered by Mercedes-Benz. It was powered by the
OM 636 1.7-litre four-cylinder engine and presented in 1949. Since
then, Mercedes-Benz passenger cars with diesel engines have been a
dynamic success story with numerous highlights. These range from the
first diesel car with a five-cylinder engine (model 240 D 3.0 in the
W 115 series of 1974) to the introduction of CDI technology with
common-rail injection in the C 220 CDI of 1997 and BlueTEC emissions
control in the E 320 BlueTEC for the American market in 2006, and
right up to the development of diesel-hybrid vehicles such as the E
300 BlueTEC HYBRID for model year 2011. The brand is therefore
making a decisive contribution towards establishing the diesel
engine as an economical, powerful and refined passenger car drive
unit with great future potential.
