- Clcompany is delighted to feature the facts about Vintage Mercedes-Benz L 312.
- It’s a two-axle truck from Mercedes-Benz that was built in Mannheim from 1953 to 1969.
- To begin with, the truck had a payload capacity of 4.5tons and had a 90 HP OM312 engine.
- This was one of the most successful truck platform from Mercedes Benz and it was sold in various configurations in various countries- L 312: basic model, rear-wheel drive, flatbed LK 312: rear-wheel drive, tipping bridge LA 312: all-wheel drive, flatbed LAK 312: all-wheel drive, tipping bridge LS 312: road tractor, rear-wheel drive LAS 312: road tractor, all-wheel drive LP 312: Front control chassis without body, rear-wheel drive Fondly known as the long nose truck, L312 was pretty popular in India too.
- Mercedes-Benz had tied up with Tata motors in 1954 and their JV was called Tata Mercedes-Benz(TMB).
Clcompany is delighted to feature the facts about Vintage Mercedes-Benz L 312. It’s a two-axle truck from Mercedes-Benz that was built in Mannheim from 1953 to 1969. To begin with, the truck had a payload capacity of 4.5tons and had a 90 HP OM312 engine. This was one of the most successful truck platform from Mercedes Benz and it was sold in various configurations in various countries-
L 312: basic model, rear-wheel drive, flatbed
LK 312: rear-wheel drive, tipping bridge
LA 312: all-wheel drive, flatbed
LAK 312: all-wheel drive, tipping bridge
LS 312: road tractor, rear-wheel drive
LAS 312: road tractor, all-wheel drive
LP 312: Front control chassis without body, rear-wheel drive
Fondly known as the long nose truck, L312 was pretty popular in India too. Mercedes-Benz had tied up with Tata motors in 1954 and their JV was called Tata Mercedes-Benz(TMB). The truck carried the Mercedes logo. The JV lasted for 15 years and ended in 1969. From there on, even till date one can see heavy influence of classic Mercedes Truck design on Tata trucks till date. Even the original Tata Sumo had loose styling inspiration from the legendary G wagon.
LA 312 also later known as TATA 1210 D served the Indian trucking industry for decades. They were the nation builder and few of them are going strong to this date in tough applications. Some images for you below –
Tech specs
1. Engine type – OM312 6 cylinder diesel
2. Cubic capacity – 4580cc
3. Power out- 90 to 100Bhp@ 2800 Rpm
4. Gearbox- 5 forward and 1 reverse. Transfer case for 4×4
5. Wheel base -3600-4680mm
6. Payload – 4.8 to 5.8 tons
7. Top speed – 75kph
Here are some related videos of this Iconic machine –
Fun facts-
1. Three L312 participated in Geneva-Bombay rally in 1955 covering over 8, 000 miles without a single breakdown.
2. Pay load improvements were done to 7 tons by TMB to suit Indian requirements
3. TMB L312 A trucks formed the backbone of Indian army before Shaktiman.
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