Mercedes-Benz Large Sedan · Typ 170 V

W136

The car that carried Mercedes through war and into the postwar boom.

Production: 1936–1943
Built: 92,037
Body: Sedan
Chassis: W136

The ordinary Mercedes that kept a great company alive — the Typ 170 V was the volume car of the late 1930s, the sensible four-cylinder saloon families bought while Kompressor roadsters graced concours lawns.

Mercedes-Benz engineered the W136 as a conventional front-engine, rear-drive platform: a 1.7-liter side-valve four, robust ladder-frame chassis, and simple saloon or cabriolet bodies that could be built in quantity without Sindelfingen's coachbuilding overhead. As rearmament and war approached, the same chassis served Kübelwagen and VK military variants — the 170 V's sturdy simplicity made it adaptable when glamour became irrelevant.

From 1936 to 1943 the wartime-era archive tables record 92,037 examples on the W136 chassis — a figure that dwarfs every other pre-war Mercedes passenger line. Postwar production continued on related tooling as a separate chapter; what the W136 achieved in these years was nothing less than carrying Daimler-Benz through crisis.

W136 interior — Cabin details of the W136, as preserved in period photography.

Every model.

5 distinct series across 1936–1943 — each identified by its chassis and engine numbers from period factory data.

Model	Model years	Chassis	Engine	Total
Type 170 V Sedan	1936–1942	136	136	71,973
Type 170 VG Sedan	1939–1943	136 G	136 G	included above
Type 170 VK Sedan	1938–1942	136 K	136	19,075
Type 170 VS Sedan	1938–1939	136 S	149	included above
L301 Van	1937–1942	136	136	989

* The published production figure covers every series of that model; the source does not break it down further.

Studio profile of the W136 — the proportions that defined this chassis.

W136 rear three-quarter view — Rear three-quarter view of the W136.

Engines.

The M136 and M149 as fitted to the W136.

M136

Inline-4

136 1.7 L · 1,697 cc
38 PS
28 kW · 38 hp at 3,400 rpm
100 N·m
74 lb·ft at 1,800 rpm
136 G 1.7 L · 1,697 cc
22 PS
16 kW · 21 hp at 3,200 rpm

M149

Inline-4

149 1.9 L · 1,912 cc
50 PS
37 kW · 50 hp at 3,600 rpm