The Mercedes-Benz T2 commercials were launched in January 1967 as the L406D and L408, plus the O309 Minibus, with an angular, semi-bonneted body, replacing the curvier, snub-nosed Mercedes L319/O319 range. They were built in Daimler-Benz’s Düsseldorf factory, hence being nicknamed the Düsseldorf Transporter.
Described by Mercedes as, “Larger and more powerful than a delivery van, more easily manoeuvrable and lighter than a truck,” size-wise, they were indeed somewhere between a typical van and a truck, pretty much creating a new class of vehicle at the time. Visibility from the cab was good, with very slim windscreen pillars, and decent ride comfort by the standards of the day.
Various body types were offered, including panel vans, with or without additional side windows and doors, minibuses, dropside trucks, double-cab pickups, tippers and insulated box vans. Chassis cab versions were available for bodying by outsidewere popular with the German postal service and as fire trucks. You could also find mobile shops and even travelling banks in their native Germany.
