M118
Inline-4- 118 H 1.7 L · 1,697 cc
98 PS
72 kW · 97 hp à 5,000 tr/min
127 N·m
94 lb·ft à 2,800 tr/min
Mercedes-Benz Compact Sedan · 170 Prototype
W119
The prototype whose engine built modern Audi.
- Built
- 1961–1962
- Prototypes
- 2
- Engine
- 1.7 L inline-four
- Drive
- Front-wheel drive
The W119 was the second act of Stuttgart’s secret compact saloon — the front-wheel-drive W118 re-engined with a new high-compression 1.7-liter four whose greatest success would come wearing Audi badges.
Where the W118 had used a 1.5-liter boxer, the W119 carried a newly developed 1.7-liter in-line four running an unusually high compression ratio, fitted to the same low-slung, grille-less body in 170 Sedan and 170 Coupé form. The car was unveiled internally around 1960–1961 and briefly looked destined for production at Auto Union, the small-car maker Daimler-Benz had just acquired — until Ingolstadt’s own F102 and the sale of the whole subsidiary to Volkswagen in 1964 closed the door.
The engine outlived the car. Ludwig Kraus, who had led the program, moved to Ingolstadt as technical director in 1963 and mounted the W119’s 1.7-liter four longitudinally in the DKW F102. Relaunched in August 1965 as the F103, the four-stroke car revived a badge dormant since 1939: Audi. Mercedes-Benz itself would not field a compact saloon until the W201 190 of 1982.
Every model.
Two prototype designations, 1961–1962 — the 170 Sedan and 170 Coupé built on the front-wheel-drive W119 chassis.
| Modèle | Millésimes | Châssis | Moteur | Boîte | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 170 Coupé | 1961–1962 | 119 | 118 H | 1 | |
| 170 Sedan | 1961–1962 | 119 | 118 H | 1 |
* Le chiffre de production publié couvre toutes les séries de ce modèle ; la source ne le détaille pas davantage.
Engines.
The high-compression 1.7-liter M118 H four — the engine that went on to power the first Audi F103.