The Mercedes-Benz 260D is the first model that was introduced with a diesel engine from the company from the year 1936 to 1940. It was available with a 2545 cc overhead-valve, 4-cylinder inline engine along with Bosch diesel injection system that was capable of producing about 45 bhp at 3000 rpm. The vehicle was able to reach a top speed of around 59 mph and it also weighed about 3,373 lb. The chassis of the vehicle was based on the contemporary Mercedes technology. The Mercedes-Benz 260D had a wheelbase of 3,050 mm, length of 4,390 mm and a width of 1,630 mm. It was also available with a transverse leaf spring independent front suspension along with swing axles at the rear and the brakes of the vehicle were hydraulic. The vehicle was introduced with different body types which include saloons, cabriolets and landaulettes. The Mercedes-Benz 260D was available in 2 different series such as 170 pullman-landaulets also known as Nullserie which was used as taxis which was based on the W21 chassis in the beginning and the middle with a 3-speed plus overdrive transmission without the syncromesh and finally a standard model 260D that based on the W143 chassis along with a 4-speed fully synchronized transmission. About 2,000 vehicles were developed till the year 1940 before the production was stopped by the company. Even today, some of the remaining vehicles can be seen at the Mercedes-Benz museum which is located in Germany.
