Mercedes-Benz MB 100 D: Rarer than a fat AMG

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Purchasing classics there

Mercedes is of course famous for many classics. But when was the last time you saw a Mercedes-Benz MB 100 D? And that while whole masses of vans are used as campers or food trucks? The MB 100s were available from 1988 to 1995 as the smallest commercial vehicles from Mercedes-Benz. They were delivered in various versions, such as van, van (with windows all around), light truck and camper.

Characteristic of the Ecosprinter Mercedes-Benz MB 100 D was the economical diesel version with a five-speed gearbox, the front-wheel drive, the compact external dimensions and a low loading floor. The delivery program for the Netherlands consisted of panel vans with wheelbases of 2450 mm and 2675 mm, and two roof heights. Their maximum payload was about 1000 kilos and the Mercedes came from… Spain.

Mercedesses from Spain

The production was done at Mercedes-Benz Espana SA and the MBs were sold in Germany, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Italy.

The combination of the front-wheel drive and the tubular chassis made the Mercedes-Benz MB 100 D very suitable as a basis for special bodies. For example, sales cars, often with a considerably extended chassis and double rear axle, were manufactured city buses, but car ambulances.

Although the Mercedes look like boxes, the aerodynamics had been thought through. Boarding the MB was a party. The footboards sat low in front of large, wide-opening doors. The driver had a spacious place, the adjustable seats were comfortable and the vans were equipped with an attractive and practical dashboard. Due to the use of sound-damping materials, it was pleasantly quiet in these brave workhorses.

Diesel with five-speed

As standard, such a Mercedes-Benz MB 100 D was delivered with an OM616 four-cylinder front-chamber diesel of 72 hp. Those horses went through a five-speed gearbox to the front wheels. The chassis frame provided a high level of active safety and the steering behavior (power steering was standard) was neutral in all conditions. This was also due to the independent wheel suspension with friction-free parabolic leaf springs in rubber tubes at the rear, the wide track and the low profile tires.

At the front the Benz braked with discs, rear drums

The braking force control was load-dependent and the system had a vacuum-operated braking power amplifier. Because the superstructure and the chassis were separate, there was minimal transmission of vibrations and noise. The maintenance costs were kept to a minimum because all control points were placed centrally and easily accessible.

For the 1992 model year, the MB 100 was thoroughly revised

External features were an extended front with a sloping grille from then on. The extended front would increase the aerodynamics and passive safety of the vehicle. After production of the Mercedes-Benz MB 100 D in Vitória ended, the tools from the MB 100 cab were used to produce the MB 550/700 truck in Indonesia using a modified MB 100 cab.

The Mercedes-Benz MB 100 D with a new Asian body was further built in Korea by Ssangyong until 2004 and sold under the brand names Ssangyong and Mercedes-Benz.

The first generation copies, which were simply bought as work easels, have largely disappeared. Used until the final 'run out'. But there are still MB 100s. These are usually the ones that were once newly converted into a camper by companies such as Westfalia and so on and vans that have been converted into a camper (or nowadays: food truck) in various degrees of skill by do-it-yourselfers before their final end.

All in all, driving an MB 100 D is the most frugal way to drive a Mercedes-Benz. Think of purchase prices from a few grand for a project, something from four-five grand for a neat copy that is ready to travel and habitable to fantasy prices that are not about anything.

But days can pass before you see such a MB 100D. The chance that it is a Brabus or AMG tuned copy is even smaller.

MB 100
It is very rare
MB 100
Also nice: a scale model of Hum3d. for only 75 euros

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12 comments

  1. Correct. Did you drive the mopf yourself? Above 90 km, you could no longer speak to each other. You had to keep lubricating the front axle. Otherwise, the hinge points of the suspension points would wear out quickly. Very scanty dashboard. But hey, what's not on it won't break.
    positive; lots of cargo space, indestructible engine and box.
    Were known for rusting. But mine was nice and without rust. Always kept indoors.
    The writer is very positive.

  2. They still suffer from that rust problem today, they should be ashamed of themselves there at Mercedes, I don't understand why so many of those rust buckets are still sold, you also pay the top price for them.. Ford transit could do it used to be quite a bit, but they are holding up much better at the moment than those Mercedes..

  3. It is not a descendant of Ebro, which later became Nissan Iberica. The MB 100 is a follow-up to the Spanish ((IMOSA) built successor to the DKW Schnellaster, the DKW 1000, later called Mercedes 1300 order. IMOSA was the Spanish Auto-Union branch that remained in the hands of Mercedes when it was sold to VW. .

  4. I have that feeling too. Thing could not be burned, was a rocking horse and indeed rusted quite a bit.
    I can't remember noise level.

  5. Drove half of the country for courier service Rail & Road of the NS. Only if the Hyundai H100 was in the garage.
    They were good but what a stiff baking!
    I also liked the Transit and especially the vw T4 much better at that time.('98) The H100 had bad seats.

  6. The company I work for had 1 in the late 80's to try out. It stayed with that one, because it was an even worse driving car than the VW T3 we also had. By the way, as said here, just a re-catted Ebro. Don't get the hosanna in the story. The writer of this article has absolutely never driven it, even before that it was a mop on the road and within 2 years rust here and there, but more Mercedes buses have suffered from that until the last sprinter.

  7. Was a real dragon of a bus to drive! Not to burn the windshield and very noisy (now German buses already had the World Cup in there anyway until the Sprinter came). I really don't understand why they dared to put a star on it.
    As far as rusting is concerned, strangely enough, it is still a problem with Mercedes vans. All the French, Italians and Japanese have managed to get rid of the rust ghost, but a Sprinter or Vito that has not been painted Metallic still requires more than average warranty repair work within the paint warranty. But at least the new buses drive well, that could not be said of the MB 100 (even by the standards of the time).

  8. Hasn't this been posted before?

    And do these vans rust as hard as the Sprinters / LT vans of that time?
    Because at that time passenger cars were already reasonably protected against rust, you could almost hear the vans rusting.

  9. Do you know how to operate the fog lamp in the meantime?
    Just like all the Mercedes of that time:
    remove the (turn) knob from the lights.
    Of course first set your lights on (no high beam).
    The red light on the dial should now light up.

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