The first ever diesel car - the 1936 Mercedes 260 D

By Thomas Geiger Nov 16, 2011, 3:06 GMT

Stuttgart - Only 50 years after the invention of the motor car, the very first diesel-engined automobile, the Mercedes 260 D, took to the road with the qualities that still apply today - low fuel consumption and durability.

The diesel engine itself is much older and first made its appearance at the end of the 19th century, mainly in trucks, ships and locomotives. It was a long road from there for Mercedes in persuading motorists to switch to diesel.

It was a mammoth task for engineers to implant a heavy six-cylinder truck engine into a motor car. The heavy vibrations often led to breaking frames. They then designed a completely new four cylinder 2.6 litre engine with an output of 33 kW/45 hp, using taxi drivers a testers.

The taxi drivers were thrilled with the economy of the diesel and it was their enthusiasm that led to the decision to build the 260 D, which celebrated its debut at the 1936 international motor show in Berlin.

Petrol engines at the time had a fuel consumption of between 13 and 14 litres per 100 kilometres. In contrast the diesel used 9.5 litres and in a later version not more than 9 litres of diesel. A bigger tank gave it a range of more than 500 kilometres.

'At a time where you seldom found a filling station around the next corner, this was a crucial advantage,' according to classic car expert Michael Plag.

Taxi license holders at the time paid 17 German pfennigs for a litre of diesel while petrol cost twice as much.

Advertising for the Mercedes took the cue, arguing that for the price of a petrol trip from Berlin to Paris you could make a detour to Milan in Italy with a Mercedes 260 D.

Its huge spaciousness made up for the sluggish performance with a top speed of at the most 90 kilometres per hour. Apart from that the pre-war Mercedes was a sturdy workhorse that would just not break. Many of the cars had more than a million kilometres on the clock before ending up in vintage car museums.