Mercedes-Benz T2

Mercedes-Benz T2 at a glance

The T2 belongs to our Mercedes-Benz catalogue. Mercedes' smaller vans of today are covered in our guides to the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and the Mercedes-Benz Vito.

Mercedes-Benz T2 production timeline

Development and production history

Daimler-Benz introduced the T2 in 1967 as the successor to the L 319 and L 406 vans. The launch models weighed between 3.5 and 4.6 tonnes gross, only a little more than their predecessors. Like them, the T2 was a semi-bonneted design, with the engine in front of the cab under a short bonnet. The name T2 came later, after Mercedes introduced the smaller T1, and placed the range between the T1 and the light forward-control trucks.

The first generation stayed in production for 19 years. Wikipedia counts 496,447 vehicles; German Wikipedia gives about 540,000 vans and pickups up to 1986. In the early 1970s, after Daimler-Benz had taken over the truck business of Hanomag-Henschel, the T2 was also sold for a few years under the Hanomag-Henschel brand, differing only in grille and headlamps.

In 1986 a completely new second generation arrived, with a longer bonnet and a more angular shape. It was built in Düsseldorf until 1991 and then in Ludwigsfelde, where the East German IFA W50 and L60 trucks had been built until 1990. In 1996 the third generation took the name Vario, and the Vario was built in Ludwigsfelde until 2013. Because the second-generation T2 and the Vario look alike, enthusiasts often call both "Vario".

Design and engineering

At launch the T2 had two wheelbases, 2,950 mm and 3,500 mm, a fully synchronised four-speed gearbox and long, relatively soft leaf springs, with an anti-roll bar at the front. Up to three rear-axle ratios were used per model over the years. Later versions grew to wheelbases of up to 4,100 mm and lengths of up to 6,996 mm.

The body range covered almost every light commercial need: a panel or glazed van, a better-equipped minibus, a single- or double-cab light truck and a chassis cab for outside body builders. From the factory, drop-side and tipper beds and standard or insulated box bodies, with or without refrigeration, were available. From 1977 the van and minibus could be ordered with a wider body, nicknamed "Breitmaul".

The 1977 update modernised the cab with a new dashboard, a padded steering wheel, wind-down windows instead of sliding ones and hinged quarter-lights. The 1981 facelift added the black plastic grille and a wide plastic bumper; it also made key ignition standard, replacing the old cylindrical pin key that also switched the lights.

Engine and drivetrain

The petrol engines came from contemporary Mercedes cars, as did the early diesels; the OM 314 became the standard engine of most first-generation T2s. In Brazil and other South American markets a turbodiesel was used. The second generation was sold mainly with diesel engines; the petrol 510 was popular when diesel was expensive, because it could be converted to run on LPG.

Mercedes-Benz T2 specifications

Mercedes-Benz T2 variants and derivatives

Related vehicles include the Tata 407 in India and the Steyr 590, 591, 690 and 691 in Austria.

In service: from parcel van to minibus

The T2 became one of the standard working vehicles of West Germany. The Deutsche Bundespost used it for parcels, usually with sliding doors on both sides of the cab. Fire brigades, ambulance services (a Malteser rescue vehicle entered service in 1973), the Bundeswehr and the police all ran T2s; the Berlin police troop carriers became known as the "Berliner Wanne". Councils used it for street cleaning, and many old vans were converted into motorhomes.

Abroad, second-generation chassis were sold in large numbers as minibuses in the UK and Ireland during the so-called minibus revolution. In Australia the LO 812 bus was sold from the early 1990s: Westbus bought 26 in 1992, and the National Bus Company 45 in 1994–1995.

Preservation and collecting today

Original first-generation vans and minibuses have become rare, and many survivors are motorhome conversions. Buyers should check the condition of the chassis frame, the cab floor and the body mountings under the camper box, and confirm which engine is fitted, since several diesel and petrol families were used over the years. Period vehicles of all kinds are collected in our classic car section.

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