Year
1937
Sindelfingen · 1937
170 V
Cabriolet A
An exercise in Art Deco elegance.
The Model
A pivotal machine
for Daimler-Benz
The Mercedes-Benz 170 V (W136) was introduced in February 1936 at the Berlin International Motor and Motorcycle Show.
Unlike the four-seater Cabriolet B, the Cabriolet A was a dedicated two-seater — the most expensive, sporting, and elegant variant offered. A longer, sweeping hood line, distinctively raked windshield, and flowing fender curves masked the car's compact dimensions, lending it the presence of a far larger roadster.
Beneath the hood lay the robust M136 — a 1.7-litre inline-four producing 38 horsepower. Modest on paper, yet legendary for a smoothness and reliability that would go on to power Mercedes' post-war reconstruction.
The car abandoned the heavy box-frames of the past for a revolutionary X-shaped oval tubular frame: lighter, stiffer, and paired with four-wheel independent suspension that rode decades ahead of its stiff-axle rivals.
Re-creation from a photograph of the restored car
