Mercedes-Benz W 29

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Mercedes Benz
Mercedes-Benz type 500 K special roadster
Mercedes-Benz type 500 K special roadster
W 29
Sales designation: Type 500 K
Type 540 K
Type 540 K short
Production period: 1934-1939
Class : Sports car
Body versions : Touring car , roadster , sedan , coupé , cabriolet
Engines:
Petrol engines : 5.0-5.4 liters
(118-132 kW)
Length: 4480-5360 mm
Width: 1820-1930 mm
Height: 1480-1650 mm
Wheelbase : 2980-3290 mm
Empty weight : 2170-2500 kg
Previous model Mercedes-Benz W 06
successor Mercedes-Benz W 129

The Mercedes-Benz W 29 was a passenger car series from Mercedes-Benz in the 1930s. It includes the types Mercedes-Benz 500 K and Mercedes-Benz 540 K .

Mercedes-Benz 500 K (1934-1939)

History and description

The Mercedes-Benz 500 K was presented as the successor to the SS / SSK types in February 1934 at the 24th  International Automobile and Motorcycle Exhibition (IAMA) in Berlin .

The wagons were available with three different chassis: The normal chassis has a wheelbase of 3290 mm, just like the chassis with the motor set back, in which the drive unit and the radiator are set back 185 mm. The space available for the latter chassis again corresponds to that of the chassis with a short wheelbase of 2980 mm. Four-door sedans, two-door touring cars and convertibles B and C were offered on the normal chassis, while convertibles A, roadsters 2 + 2, coupé, special roadsters and motorway couriers used the chassis with the engine set back. The sports roadster and sports coupé were on the short chassis.

All cars are equipped with an eight-cylinder OHV in - line engine with a displacement of 5018 cm³ and a switchable Roots blower . The drive unit delivers 74 kW (100 PS) in suction mode and 118 kW (160 PS) with a compressor. Partially synchronized four- or five-speed transmissions transfer the power to the rear wheels, which are attached to a coil-sprung pendulum axle. The front axle also has coil springs. All four wheels have hydraulic brakes with suction air assistance. The cars reach a top speed of 160 km / h. The price at the time was 15,000 Reichsmarks, which is equivalent to around 100,000 euros based on today's conditions. A 1937 540 K special roadster fetched $ 9.68 million at auction in 2008.

Technical specifications

Mercedes Benz Type 500 K Type 500 K (reset motor) Type 500 K (short wheelbase)
Engine:  8-cylinder in-line engine (four-stroke), longitudinally at the front
Displacement:  5018 cc
Bore × stroke:  86 × 108 mm
Performance at 1 / min:  without / with compressor:
74/118 kW
(100/160 PS)
at 3400
Compression:  5.5–6.5: 1 (depending on fuel)
Mixture preparation:  Double riser carburetor
Valve control:  1 side camshaft, drive via spur gears
Cooling:  Water cooling
Transmission:  4-speed manual transmission or 5-speed manual transmission,
rear-wheel drive
Front suspension:  Independent suspension on double wishbones , coil springs
Rear suspension:  Pendulum axle with compensating springs below, double helical springs
Steering:  Screw steering
Track width front / rear:  1515/1502 mm
or 1535/1547 mm
1535/1547 mm
Wheelbase:  3290 mm 2980 mm
Dimensions:  5150-5250 × 1820-1880 × 1580-1650 mm 5000-5170 × 1820-1880 × 1520-1640 mm 4880 × 1900 × 1500 mm
Turning circle:  12.8 m 11.8 m
Empty weight:  2300-2350 kg 2250-2350 kg 2170-2250 kg
Top speed:  160 km / h
Consumption (L / 100 km):  27
Price:  Chassis:
15,500 RM
sedan, touring car,
convertible (B, C):
22,000 RM
Chassis:
15,500 RM
Coupé, Cabriolet (A), Roadster:
22,000 RM
Motorway Courier:
24,000 RM (1935)
Special Roadster:
26,000 RM (1935)
28,000 RM (1936)
Chassis:
15,500 RM
sports roadster, sports coupé:
22,000 RM

Mercedes-Benz 540 K (1936-1939)

History and description

The successor type 540 K was presented at the Mondial de l'Automobile in Paris in October 1936. With otherwise the same technical equipment, it had an eight-cylinder OHV in-line engine with 5401 cm³ and a switchable Roots blower . The power in naturally aspirated mode rose to 85 kW (115 hp), and when operated with a compressor, 132 kW (180 hp). The top speed increased to 170 km / h.

After the assassination attempt on Reinhard Heydrich in Prague at the end of May 1942, the Reich Chancellery ordered Aktion P , in which all leaders of friendly powers and German governors abroad were to be equipped with armored vehicles. In addition to 20 “Great Mercedes”, Type 770 , there were also 20 copies of the Type 540 K as two-door sedans in 1943 and 1944. A copy is on display today in the Technical Museum in Prague. Another, first owned by the Croatian fascist "Poglavnik" (leader) Ante Pavelić , then by Josip Broz Tito , is now in the Technical Museum in Bistra, Vrhnika (Slovenia).

In 2012, a Mercedes-Benz 540 K special roadster ("Warrior Mercedes") built in 1936 was auctioned for $ 11.77 million. The car belonged to the heirs of Gisela Josephine von Krieger (1913–1989).

Technical specifications

Mercedes Benz Type 540 K Type 540 K (recessed motor) Type 540 K short Type 540 K (armored special version)
Engine:  8-cylinder in-line engine (four-stroke), longitudinally at the front
Displacement:  5401 cc
Bore × stroke:  88 x 111 mm
Performance at 1 / min:  without / with compressor:
85/132 kW
(115/180 PS)
at 3400
Max. Torque at 1 / min:  431 Nm at 2200
Compression:  5.2–6.5: 1 (depending on fuel)
Mixture preparation:  Double riser carburetor
Valve control:  1 side camshaft, drive via spur gears
Cooling:  Water cooling
Transmission:  4-speed manual transmission (until 1938), 5-speed manual transmission (1939)
rear-wheel drive
5-speed manual transmission,
rear-wheel drive
Front suspension:  Independent suspension on double wishbones , coil springs
Rear suspension:  Pendulum axle , until 1938 with a compensating spring at the bottom , double helical springs Pendulum axle, double coil springs
Steering:  Screw steering
Track width front / rear:  1515/1502 mm
or 1535/1547 mm
1535/1547 mm
Wheelbase:  3290 mm 2980 mm 3290 mm
Dimensions:  5100-5360 × 1880-1930 × 1530-1650 mm 5000-5200 × 1800 × 1530-1640 mm 4480-4650 × 1880-1900 × 1480-1530 mm 5300 × 2000 × 1700 mm
Turning circle:  12.8 m 11.8 m 13 m
Empty weight:  2400-2500 kg 2350-2450 kg 2250 kg -
Top speed:  170 km / h 80 km / h
Consumption (L / 100 km):  29 32
Price:  Chassis:
15,500 RM
sedan, touring car,
coupé, cabriolet (A, B, C):
22,000 RM
Special roadster (from 1938):
28,000 RM
Chassis:
15,500 RM
Coupé, Cabriolet (A), Roadster:
22,000 RM
Motorway courier:
24,000 RM (1936)
Special roadster (until 1937):
28,000 RM
Chassis:
15,500 RM
sports roadster, sports cabriolet A:
22,000 RM
-

Production numbers

342 pieces of the 500 K model were produced, 419 pieces of the (normal) 540 K model. Both models were delivered from Sindelfingen production:

  • 070 chassis without superstructures
  • 028 open touring cars
  • 023 limousines with 4 doors (mainly 500 K)
  • 029 sedans with 2 doors (mainly 540 K)
  • 012 coupes
  • 006 motorway couriers
  • 058 roadster
  • 116 Cabriolets A
  • 296 convertibles B
  • 122 Cabriolets C

Trivia

The noble vehicle was of course also used as a backdrop in films of its time, for example in My Girlfriend Barbara with Grete Weiser (Barbara) and Franz Zimmermann (the son of a factory owner of the 540 K Special Roadster bought with bills of exchange ; 46th minute).

literature

  • Roberto Bruno: Type Compass Mercedes Benz - Passenger Cars 1886–1980. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2014, ISBN 978-3-613-03681-9 , pp. 74-77.
  • Werner Oswald : German cars. Volume 2: 1920-1945. New edition. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-613-02170-6 , pp. 264-267.
  • Werner Oswald: Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars 1886–1986. 4th edition. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1987, ISBN 3-613-01133-6 , pp. 368-397.
  • Rainer W. Schlegelmilch , Hartmut Lehbrink: Mercedes Sport. Tandem Verlag, Potsdam 2013, ISBN 978-3-8427-0266-0 , pp. 272-283.
  • Peter Schneider: German Cars in Pictures - The Milestones from 1886 to Today. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-613-02233-8 , pp. 47-50.
  • René Staud, Eberhard Kittler : Fascination and Myth - Sports Cars from Mercedes-Benz. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-613-02160-9 , pp. 42–49, 54–59.

Web links

Commons : Mercedes-Benz W29  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. mercedes-fans.de accessed on May 29, 2016.
  2. FOCUS-MONEY No. 3 (2013)
  3. The rebirth of IT-146901 in Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung of June 22, 2014, page V8