{"id":47500,"date":"2020-09-24T13:47:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-24T13:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.secret-classics.com\/?p=47500"},"modified":"2020-10-06T14:56:11","modified_gmt":"2020-10-06T14:56:11","slug":"65-years-of-the-mercedes-benz-l-319-o-319","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.secret-classics.com\/en\/65-years-of-the-mercedes-benz-l-319-o-319\/","title":{"rendered":"65 Years of the Mercedes-Benz L 319 & O 319"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With the L 319 and O 319, Mercedes-Benz opened up the category of commercial vehicles with a payload of one to two tons and diesel engines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diesel-powered vans such as the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter are now a typical part of urban street scene. Have you ever wondered how it all came about? Probably not. While before World War 2, there were only large trucks and at best some flatbed trucks or closed box vans on car chassis, after the war some manufacturers worked on independent concepts to meet the needs of their customers. At Mercedes-Benz, the topic of a “1-ton diesel truck” was first put on the agenda in August 1949 by the then General Director Dr. Wilhelm Haspel. He saw the possibilities of using the diesel engine from the 170 D to develop a van series that would appeal to craftsmen as well as municipal and charitable organizations with various bodies. It was to take almost two years before a first prototype was handed over to the test department under Dr. Fritz Nallinger on July 19, 1951. Pictures can be found in our second gallery, which also shows the further development of the design process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Premiere was delayed a few times<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In contrast to the later production vehicle, rigid axles with coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers at the front and rear were still used here. However, the findings from the test drives were promptly implemented and led to a complete redesign of the van. For this reason, the planned world premiere had to be postponed from the IAA 1951 to the IAA 1955. Fittingly, however, this was also the strongest economic year in the Federal Republic of Germany up to that time, when the economic miracle was in full swing. Wages rose by an average of six percent, foreign travel became fashionable and the first guest workers from Italy arrived in the country. For Mercedes-Benz, too, 1955 could hardly have been a better year. The 300 SLR racing car won the World Sports Car Championship, the W 196 R won the Formula 1 World Championship, and the sales figures for cars and trucks helped the company achieve sales of more than DM 1 billion for the first time. Only the bad accident at the 24 Hours of Le Mans put a shadow over this year.<\/p>\n\n\n

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