This 1951 Mercedes-Benz Type 170 DA OTP Police Special is car #506 of the 531 Police Specials built between 1948 and 1951. Finished in Black (040) over Red leather interior, it was ordered on August 9, 1951 by the German Federal Border Guard (Bundesgrenzschutz/”BGS”) as Police Special #6362300506 for 10,650 DM ($5,810) and delivered to Group K of the Bonn-Duisdorf BGS department on November 20, 1951. The Federal Border Guard later sold the car to the Mexican Ambassador and it remained with him in Mexico until being acquired by a US serviceman in 1989 and shipped to his home in South Carolina. In 1990, he sold it to a fellow serviceman in West Virginia. During his ownership from 1990-2022, he performed a full restoration on the vehicle including a full repaint and mechanical upgrades to make the convertible more drivable. Powered by a 1.7-L four-cylinder M136 mated to a 4-speed manual transmission, this four-owner, post-war Mercedes-Benz is now offered by the selling dealer in Missouri with 52k KM (32,000 miles), a copy of the original Daimler AG Archive Museum Certificate, pre-restoration photographic history, as well as receipts and documentation of the restoration.
Originally finished in the industrial green shade of the Federal Border Guard fleet, the car was repainted in Cream/Brown during the 1970s. During its US restoration, the car was refinished in Black (040) as it sits today. The paint and trim appear in excellent condition with straight bodywork and a tidy engine bay. The chrome is reportedly in excellent condition and features two pairs of fog lights up front: the factory set as well as a pair of aftermarket lights added after it left the factory. This cabriolet’s black, manual folding top is free of any tears or holes and includes side curtain windows for all four doors. The car features front-hinged, “coach-style” front doors from the factory that open from the B-Pillar with traditional rear-hinged doors in the back. Additional exterior features include a "vee-d" hood with hinged openings at each side, a chrome driver’s side cowl light and a rear-mounted spare tire.
The black-painted steel OEM wheels feature chrome center caps and are fitted with wide-whitewall BF Goodrich Silvertown tires measuring 6.00-6 all around. Both the wheels and tires are reportedly in good condition with close-up photos viewable in the gallery. The rear-mounted spare tire is a BG Goodrich Silvertown tire sized 6.70-15.
The cabin is now finished in Red leather interior; changing from the original brown leather interior as equipped from the factory and features center stacked, chrome-ringed gauges, a floor mounted shifter, red leather door cards with map pockets, and storage/glove boxes for both front occupants. The selling dealer reports the interior to be in very good condition with all components functioning as intended and no rips, tears or stains to the leather or carpeting.
The three-spoke steering wheel is mounted for left hand driving and abuts the trio of gauges including a speedometer, clock and oil pressure gauges. Two aftermarket gauges are mounted beneath the dash to monitor the battery and coolant. The original odometer shows 52,264 km (32k miles).
The original diesel powerplant was replaced by a period-correct 1951 gasoline aluminum head 1.7L inline side valve four-cylinder (code M136) with a Rochester Monojet carburetor and upgraded Hooker header. The engine was reportedly sourced form a 1951 Mercedes-Benz 170S. The inline-four is buttoned to the original 4-speed manual transmission and backed by a 4.375:1 rear end. The electrical system was also upgraded to a 12-volt system during the full restoration.
This rare piece of Mercedes-Benz history is now being offered by the selling dealer in Minnesota with a copy of the original Daimler AG Archive Museum Certificate, pre-restoration photographic history, as well as receipts and documentation of the restoration.
A walkaround, running and driving video is viewable below.
Beginning in 1946, Mercedes-Benz adopted a single-model policy out of necessity, as the pre-war 170 V was the only model for which usable tooling had survived World War II. Thus, it was upon the backbone of this hardy and versatile chassis that Mercedes-Benz rebuilt itself and its sales. The standard model was a four-door sedan, but as the post-war years went on, numerous other versions were developed, including everything from attractive cabriolets to open-top parade vehicles and trucks. One of the scarcest 170 variants was the 170 Da OTP, also known as the Police Special, which was a four-door open tourer with a folding windshield. This model, as its name suggests, was intended directly for police agencies and other official organizations, including the newly formed Bundegrenzschutz (German federal border patrol) as this particular car was. It was the first 170 model to have an outside trunk lid, a feature that was immediately seen as so useful that it was adopted for the civilian market as well. The majority of these cars were painted Police Green, with blue adopted on later OTPs.
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3 Comments
$43,000 bid placed by @M1174v
$42,500 bid placed by @Mjmonn
$42,000 bid placed by @JP49
$41,500 bid placed by @Mjmonn
$41,000 bid placed by @JP49
$40,500 bid placed by @Mjmonn
$40,000 bid placed by @M1174v
$39,500 bid placed by @Mjmonn
$39,000 bid placed by @M1174v
$38,500 bid placed by @Mjmonn
$38,000 bid placed by @JP49
$36,555 bid placed by @RustyShackleford
$36,055 bid placed by @M1174v
$35,555 bid placed by @RustyShackleford
$33,000 bid placed by @ziptie
$32,000 bid placed by @M1174v
Now this is a Benz! Old old school here and man do these look great. Just need a mafia style suite and top hat when you’re driving it$30,170 bid placed by @RustyShackleford
$22,000 bid placed by @ziptie
I received a question that I thought I would answer all to see: "Everything works as it should? Starts without issues? No leaks? No smoke or exhaust issues? Thank-you" The car runs really well and actually has some pretty good pep... I have another 1951 170 V Sedan and with the exact same engine and this one definitely has more notable power than the other. I also know the previous owner rebuilt the engine sometime in his ownership because I have found a lot of parts catalogs with hand written engine rebuild notes and electric wiring diagrams from him. He actually rebuilt the original diesel engine in 1991 and then sometime later he rebuilt 1951 petrol engine and placed it in the car. I actually believe that he had no idea that the car was a Police Car and maybe thought the diesel engine was incorrect as this is one of the only times Mercedes put a diesel from the factory in a sedan roadster body. The car drives well and brakes good. The electric wipers work but they are little slow but the fuel gauge, oil pressure, temp, amp gauges work as with the speedometer and odometer.$20,170 bid placed by @MBdriver
$11,000 bid placed by @RustyShackleford
$10,750 bid placed by @parsaie72
Really interesting! Can't say that I've seen another one like this before!$10,500 bid placed by @beaver307