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| L 1 panel van variant |
In 1927 the recently merged Daimler-Benz concern presented a new range of truck models at the Cologne international commercial vehicle show under the Mercedes-Benz name. The most notable of which was the five tonne
L 5 model, the world’s first mass produced diesel truck. The other two models still retained traditional petrol engines, and these were the L 1 and L 2. As diesel power had only first been used in a truck five years prior, and it was a brand new technology, it was reserved for the heavy-duty L 5 model. It would be 1932 with the introduction of the
Lo 2000 that diesel became commonplace in light and medium duty trucks.
The L 1 was a light-duty model available as either a panel van with a payload of 1.2 tonnes, or a flatbed truck with a 1.5 tonne payload, both having a wheelbase of 3.5 metres. The vehicle could be specified as an N 1 with a low-frame chassis, which was primarily used for buses, but flatbeds and panel vans were also available as the N 1. Power came from a 3.9 litre six-cylinder M 16 petrol engine which produced around 55 hp, and this was connected to the rear axle by a 3-speed manual gearbox. In 1930 the Mercedes commercial vehicle naming system was changed to a number indicating the vehicle type (L for truck, O for bus) followed by four numbers representing the payload capacity in kilogrammes. The L 1 was renamed to L 2000 which implies the payload was uprated to 2.0 tonnes, although there is little documentation online to confirm this.
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| L 2 flatbed |
The L 2, on the other hand, was a medium-duty truck with a payload capacity of 4 tonnes, and a wheelbase of 4.2 metres and a total overall length of 6.5. It was driven by a 7.0 litre six-cylinder petrol M 26 engine which produced around 70 horsepower, and was coupled to a 4-speed manual transmission. L 2 Production ceased in 1929 after two years.
