- Mercedes-Benz 130H
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1935 130H front view
1935 130H rear viewThe Mercedes-Benz 130H was a low-production automobile built in Germany in the 1930s.[1]
Conceived by Hans Nibel, chief engineer of Mercedes Benz,[1] the 130H was inspired by Edmund Rumpler's Tropfen-Auto. It followed on the Rumpler-chassis Tropfenwagen racers, which ran between 1923 and 1926.[2]
Created in 1931 by Nibel, it had the 1.3 liter sidevalve[3] four-cylinder engine mounted at the back, hence the "H", from German heck (rear),[1] With the fan between the rear coil springs,[4] it drove a transmission with three forward speeds, plus a semi-automatic overdrive which did not require the use of a clutch.[3] (A similar idea was adopted by Cord for the abortive 810 in 1935.)[5] The backbone chassis owed something to Hans Ledwinka,[3] and suspension was independent at all four corners.[3] Daimler-Benz put the 130H in production in 1934.[1] Due to its suspension,[3] handling proved poor,[1] although perfectly adequate on German roads at the time,[3] while its ride quality was superior to anything in Germany.[3]
Nibel followed the 130H with a more powerful 150H, with chassis designed by Daimler's Max Wagner.[1]
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f Lyons, Pete. "10 Best Ahead-of-Their-Time Machines", in Car and Driver, 1/88, p.73.
- ^ Wise, David Burgess. "Rumpler: One Aeroplane which Never Flew", in Northey, Tom, ed. World of Automobiles (London: Orbis, 1974), Vol. 17, p.1964.
- ^ a b c d e f g Setright, L. J. K. "Mercedes-Benz: The German Fountain-head", in Northey, Tom, ed. World of Automobiles (London: Orbis, 1974), Vol. 11, p.1311.
- ^ Setright, p.1311 photo.
- ^ Wise, David Burgess. "Cord: The Apex of a Triangle", in Northey, Tom, ed. World of Automobiles (London: Orbis, 1974), Vol. 4, p.436.
Categories:- Mercedes-Benz vehicles
- Rear-engined vehicles
- Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel drive vehicles
- Vehicles introduced in 1934
- Rear wheel drive vehicles
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