Mercedes-Benz W152

The Mercedes-Benz W 152, called the Type G5, was an off-road car that Daimler-Benz built for military and civilian use from 1937 to 1941. It developed the unsuccessful Type 170 VL, which had taken part in the army trials through the W 139 and W 149 series as a cross-country roadster. Its wheelbase was 2,530 millimetres and it took the side-valve four-cylinder inline engine of the Type 200 V, of 2,006 cubic centimetres and 45 PS, about 33 kilowatts, driving all four wheels through an unsynchronised five-speed gearbox, with three limited-slip differentials and four-wheel steering whose rear axle could be switched off. Normal top speed was 85 kilometres an hour, and 30 with four-wheel steering. Because it weighed over 600 kilograms more than its predecessors, payload fell to 270 kilograms. The army weapons office again showed no interest, so Daimler-Benz presented the car at the London motor show in October 1938, and 378 were sold in three years, almost all abroad.