The Mercedes-Benz 170 V (W136) was introduced in February 1936 at the Berlin International Motor and Motorcycle Show. Unlike the four-seater Cabriolet B, the Cabriolet A was a dedicated two-seater — the most expensive, sporting, and elegant variant offered.
A longer, sweeping hood line, distinctively raked windshield, and flowing fender curves masked the car's compact dimensions, lending it the presence of a far larger roadster.
Beneath the hood lay the robust M136 — a 1.7-litre inline-four producing 38 horsepower. Modest on paper, yet legendary for a smoothness and reliability that would go on to power Mercedes' post-war reconstruction.
The car abandoned the heavy box-frames of the past for a revolutionary X-shaped oval tubular frame: lighter, stiffer, and paired with four-wheel independent suspension that rode decades ahead of its stiff-axle rivals. The example offered here has benefited from a comprehensive, documented, frame-off restoration and presents in exceptional order throughout.
Hand-built at the Sindelfingen works in strictly limited numbers, with many lost to the war. One of the rarest survivors of the pre-war era — welcome at high-tier concours where a standard sedan would not be.
Independent front suspension and a swing-axle rear mean it does not "drive like a truck," the common complaint of 1930s American cars. It tracks straight and rides comfortably — a genuinely usable classic for touring.
The lineage of the Silver Arrows. From the solid "thunk" of the doors to the heavy chrome switchgear, the build quality feels unmistakably Mercedes-Benz.
"The original bill of sale informs us that the car was purchased in the summer of 1937 by a German Luftwaffe officer in Mannheim." — From the accompanying documentation
This Cabriolet A was coachbuilt by hand at the Mercedes-Benz works in Sindelfingen — the very same coachbuilding house responsible for the legendary supercharged 540K.
It shares that birthplace, the same hand-built coachwork tradition, and the unmistakable pre-war Mercedes design language penned under design chief Hermann Ahrens.
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This documented, frame-off restored 1937 Mercedes-Benz 170 V Cabriolet A is now available to a discerning collector by private treaty.
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