La pick-up precursor to the X-class

Forerunner of the X class

This year, Mercedes-Benz wants to bring its X class on the market. The pick-up is to fill a gap in the offer of the brand with the star. There not always was this gap because the new model has some quite if also rather unknown precursors.

In Germany, four-wheel-drive pickup with up to one ton payload in the class are not a great racer. Pick-ups make it in this country in the year when the new cars just five-digit sales figures. The first number is one. So, Mercedes-Benz has the local driver in the eye with the X-class of less. The audience sit in the markets of Asia, South America or Australia. The X-class as a product of cooperation with Renault-Nissan in the Spanish Barcelona by the same band as the Nissan Navara will roll for Europe.

Already in the years 1972 to 1976 Mercedes in Argentina offered a pickup truck on the basis of the 220 D ("bar Backstay", series W 115). He was sold as a single or double cab. By the Argentines affectionately ' La pick-up "called car had to still without all-wheel and rear-wheel drive range. Under the hood of the pick-ups, the OM was 615 diesel. He just get 60 horsepower from 2197 cubic centimeters of displacement, bringing it to a maximum torque of 125 nm and was coupled to an automatic transmission.

At the time, the import of vehicles was still banned in Argentina. But the import restrictions allowed the import of mechanical parts and body components. It was an Assembly of vehicles - mainly, no car - were possible. The Stuttgart take advantage of this gap. You transported so-called CKD vehicles (complete knocked down = CKD) to South America. There, they then built the Pickup on the chassis of the W 115 in the Argentine plant of Gonzalez Catan in Buenos Aires.

Today many of the starred pick-ups from this time on Argentine streets roll. It has ended up some cars even to Europe. So the railway company Stuttgart SSB brought Germany a stroke eight vices. The vehicle was used as service car to the lubrication of points. Some time ago Mercedes-Benz was discovered mobile that: it had gone after his stand the Stuttgart traffic operated by several private hands. It was also with a camping attachment on the road, what could explain the modified rear.

But the 220 D Pick-Up was not the only pickup truck with star certainly. As vehicles such as the Mercedes-Benz marked the new beginning of Mercedes vehicles of the Middle series 170 V pickup (built from 1946 to 1949) after the second world war. And the W series 120 (called popularly "Pontoon") from the 1950s there as a chassis with two-door part body, emerged on the several pickup.

BINZ light truck as custom-made were built a few years later. Other chassis for special superstructures of the type Mercedes-Benz 220 D were based.

Pickup truck were also on the series 123 (1975-1985). And in some countries also four-wheel drive pick-ups on the basis of the G-class (construction number 461) were officially sold through dealers. (ampnet/gp)

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