Mercedes Benz W08 19/100HP Nuerburg 500 Sport Tourenwagen
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Car producer : |
Mercedes Benz |
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Model: |
W08 19/100HP Nuerburg 500 Sport Tourenwagen |
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Year: |
1931-1934 |
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Type: |
Cabriolet |
In contrast to the sports cars, they had side-valve engines, flat radiators, and wood-spoke artillery wheels. They were named for German towns, with the smallest being Stuttgart and the mid-range being Mannheim, and they both had six-cylinder engines. Further up the line was the straight-eight W08 Nürburg, with either a 4,622- or 4,918-cubic centimeter engine on a 3,670-millimetre wheelbase, and at the top was the Type 770 Grosser Mercedes. From 1931, the Nürburg was re-named “500”, and built through until 1939. A 3,430-millimetre wheelbase version of the Nürburg was also available; it was known as the 460 K (with the “K” meaning kurz, or short).
The Mercedes-Benz W08 Nürburg acquired a more powerful companion model, the 500, in 1931. With the engine bored out to 4,918 cubic centimeters, it was rated at the same 18/80 PS as the 460 model, which continued in production until 1933. Both touring saloons and Pullman limousines were offered, and the bodies remained much the same as the 460, but there was no short-wheelbase model.
Such prestige limousines were often bodied by outside coachbuilders. Daimler-Benz, however, had their own coachworks, which was equal to any of the other European constructors. In 1915, Daimler Motoren-Gesellschaft had established an aero engine plant at Sindelfingen, near Stuttgart. After the Great War, however, it was underutilized, as the Treaty of Versailles proscribed German aero production. However, the expanding automobile market, especially after the 1926 merger with Benz, demanded more space, so body production was moved to Sindelfingen, where coach building was also undertaken for outside firms like BMW, Hanomag, and Maybach. From 1933, only 1930s sports model Mercedes-Benz cars were bodied, and they proudly displayed Sindefingen body plates.
The 500 Nürburg, later simply called the Type 500 N, would succeed its sibling after 1932, when a vee-type radiator shell and slightly raked windscreen were adopted. The final iteration of the W08 style, with higher compression and more streamlining of the body, was built from 1936 to 1939.
The first of the Nürburg was designed by Ferdinand Porsche, in one of his last acts before leaving Daimler-Benz. Owing much to the earlier Horch 8, it had a high chassis and solid axles, giving it a rather old-fashioned look. Introduced in 1928, it was only mildly popular; therefore, it was replaced by a more modern low-chassis design by Hans Nibel the following year. Besides the saloon and cabriolet, limousines and Pullman limousines, which offered additional seating, were also available. The first formal “Popemobile”, a 460 presented by the company to Pius XI, was equipped with a central rear-compartment throne and a custom interior. His Holiness called it “a masterpiece of modern engineering”.
