Mercedes-Benz Medium Sedan · Typ 170
W17
Compact Mercedes-Benz of the early 1930s.
- Production
- 1931–1932
- Built
- 12
- Body
- Sedan
- Chassis
- W17
The W17 Type 120 was a rear-engined experiment from the early 1930s — a Mercedes-Benz prototype that tested whether the firm's engineering could succeed with the engine behind the cabin, not in front of it.
Developed in 1931 and 1932, the Type 120 placed its powerplant at the rear in a compact package quite unlike the front-engined Mercedes-Benz mainstream of the period. It was an engineering study, not a production program — a response to contemporary European interest in rear-engined layout efficiency.
Only 12 W17 examples were built. The rear-engine approach did not enter series production at Mercedes-Benz, but the W17 documents a moment when Sindelfingen seriously explored an alternative to the orthodox layout that would define the marque.
Every model.
1 model designation across 1931–1932 — engines, chassis codes and production figures for the W17.
| Modello | Model year | Telaio | Motore | Cambio | Totale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type 120 | 1931–1932 | 17 | 17 | 12 |
* Il dato di produzione pubblicato copre tutte le serie di quel modello; la fonte non lo scompone ulteriormente.
