The 323-series short-bonnet and forward control models were introduced in 1961 with a maximum permitted weight of 7.4 tonnes, making them the lightest in the Mercedes range, which could be driven on a standard car licence. The new short-nosed model was the successor to the popular L 3500 / L 311 which had been in production for a decade at the time of its replacement. They were powered by the 4.6 litre OM 312 six-cylinder diesel engine which produced 100 hp at 3000 rpm, and were available as flatbeds, tippers, articulated tractors, and all-wheel drive variants. A five-speed manual transmission was installed throughout the range.
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| Drawing of an LK 710 taken from a 1963 brochure |
The forward control variants, on the other hand, came with either a 3.2, 3.6, 4.2, and 4.8 metre wheelbase at 3.97 and 3.9 tonnes payload respectively, with the other two wheelbases having approximately the same payload capacity as the first two. The LS 323 tractor came with either a 3.2 or 3.6 metre wheelbase.
In 1963, in keeping with Mercedes new nomenclature system, the L 323 series was renamed to the L 710, which indicated the rounded 7.4 tonne GVW and the approximate horsepower figure divided by ten. Initially after the name change, the L 710 conventional, LA 710 all-wheel drive, LK 710 tipper, LS 710 tractor, LP 710 forward control, and LPS 710 forward control tractors kept the same OM 312 engine as described above, with wheelbases and payloads staying the same too. The LAK 710 all-wheel drive tipper model had a wheelbase of 3.6 metres and a payload of 3.27 tonnes.
At some point during the 710-series' production, the engine was changed to the OM 352. This too was a six-cylinder diesel which produced 100 hp, although the displacement was now at 5.6 litres. Production lasted until 1970, after 30,000 examples had been built since 1961. The LP 710 forward control variant was replaced in 1965 however with the introduction of the smaller cubic cab models.
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