Mercedes-Benz 150 (W30)
The Mercedes-Benz 150H was a prototype sports racing automobile built in Germany in the 1930s. It was derived in 1935 from the 130 with only two seats and a more powerful engine, with 1498 cc and a power of 55 PS (40 kW). The top speed of the car was 125 km/h.
Conceived by Hans Nibel, chief engineer of Mercedes-Benz, the 150H was inspired by Edmund Rumpler's Tropfen-Auto. It followed on the Rumpler-chassis Tropfenwagen racers, which ran between 1923 and 1926, and was based on the backbone chassis of earlier 130H.
Created in 1934 by Nibel and chassis engineer Max Wagner. the 150H was a two-seat sports roadster. It featured transverse leaf spring front and coil-sprung swing axle rear suspension. A water-cooled 1,498 cc (91.4 cu in) OHC four-cylinder engine, producing 55 hp (41 kW), was mounted in back, hence the "H", from German heck (rear). The radiator was behind that, above the transaxle, with a squirrel-cage blower (reminiscent of the VW Type 1) feeding both radiator and carburetor. The roadster featured disc wheels, DuVal-style windshield, side-mounted spare (fastened with straps), and three headlights, the third mounted at the lip of the hood above the bumper.
The car was only offered as a Sport Roadster. The gas tank, which in the case of the Mercedes-Benz 130 was installed over the engine, was transferred to the front compartment, and therefore there was no room for luggage there. The practicality of the 150 was therefore very limited, and the price of the car was quite high at 6600 RM ; as a comparison the Mercedes-Benz 170 V had a price of 5500 RM. The car was discontinued in 1936 due to poor sales.
Six 150Hs were built as coupes, "with low-drag lines that eerily presaged the VW Beetle". They were raced in several rallys, demonstrating much better handling than the 130H, before Nibel and Wagner turned to Grand Prix cars. Only twenty were produced before the 150H was abandoned in 1936.
The last remaining 150 Sport Roadster has been fully restored mechanically by the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center USA in Irvine, California in 2010.
Read more about this topic: Rear-engine Mercedes-Benz