1938 Mercedes-Benz Gelandesport 170VS Alpine Racer

The 1938 Mercedes-Benz 170 VS is known as the 'Alpine Racer'. This car was the first built of a very limited production run of the 170 VS. It is the only 170 VS left with all of its original numbers matching body panels. It was used in the Alpine Racing Circuit extensively and was highly decorated. The car was brought to the United States in the 1950s and acquired by the current owner in the mid-1980s. It sat until 2018 at which time it underwent a restoration.

This Mercedes-Benz Gelandesport (Ground Sport) 170VS was one of ten specially built by the factory to compete in the 1938 Duetsche Alpenfahrt three-day race spanning 38 mountain passes through the Alps. Beginning in Munich, Germany, the course spanned 1,600 kilometers and finished in Vienna, Austria.

The 170 Series of Mercedes-Benz was conceived as medium-size, medium price vehicles with a lightweight, all-independently suspended chassis first displayed at the 1931 Paris Auto Salon. The steel box section frame had a deeply arched rear section with double rear coil springs, bracketing swing axles and dual transverse parallel front leaf springs. This was the first all-independent suspension setup used in a passenger car.

The suspension setup of the 170 chassis made it suitable for the popular Alpine races of the period. The ten 170VS Gelandesport 'Alpine Racers' were given aluminum and magnesium coachwork with low-cut doors, minimalist fenders and a sloping trunk designed to accommodate two spare tires and a tool roll, rope, cable, hooks and pulleys. The 1.9-liter inline 4-cylinder engine was fitted with twin-Solex carburetors and offered 65 horsepower. The engine was backed by a ZF 4-speed gearbox.

This particular example, the first 170VS Alpine Racer built, won many models during its brief racing career before the onset of war in 1939.

Descriptions & Pictures by conceptcarz & mecum & vintageracecar & Ohter