Mercedes-Benz
Type K (24/100/140 PS)

Why it matters

The Model K was the short-wheelbase, supercharged sports version of the 6.2-litre Mercedes 24/100/140 PS, introduced in 1926 just after the Daimler and Benz merger. It was the starting point of the line that continued through the S, SS and SSK, and its "K" stands for kurz (short), not Kompressor. It won the touring-car class in major races from its debut and was among the fastest road cars of its time.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

The first Model K cars were delivered in May 1926. Compared with the long-wheelbase 24/100/140 PS the frame was shortened by 350 mm, saving about 50 kg, but the car still weighed well over two tonnes. The 6.2-litre six kept the silumin block and vertical-shaft overhead camshaft and added dual ignition, in which battery and magneto ignition fed one plug each per cylinder. Output with the Roots blower engaged was 140 hp at first and was probably raised to 160 hp at 3100 rpm, with a larger blower and a higher compression ratio, for the first race.

It made its competition debut in the 12-hour Spanish Grand Prix for touring cars near San Sebastian on 22 July 1926, where Mercedes crews took the first three places. Once the S series arrived in 1927, only private entrants ran the Model K, and their results continued into the 1929 season. Bonhams states that production of the 24/100/140 PS family, all versions included, came to no more than 572 chassis; the factory archive gives 150 for the Model K itself.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

A genuine Model K has the 3400 mm short chassis; the standard 630 chassis in the same family used a wheelbase of 3.75 metres. Only the Model K carried the dual (battery plus magneto) ignition with two plugs per cylinder, and the radiator fan has six blades rather than four. The engine block is cast in silumin aluminium alloy with a vertical-shaft overhead camshaft and an engageable Roots supercharger. Factory commission numbers and build sheets document individual cars, and auction cases show that engines were sometimes swapped: chassis 35426 carries a replacement 630 engine converted to Model K dual-ignition specification, so it is not numbers matching.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   Model K 24/100/140 hp, from 1928: Model K 24/110/160 hp, 1926 - 1929 (Classic M@RS) Level A Mercedes-Benz Group AG (Classic M@RS, Mercedes-Benz Public Archive)

   • Units produced : 150
   • front, longitudinal; vertical ... 6 / in-line (Technical data)
   • Number of cylinders / arrangement : 6 / in-line (Technical data)
   • Total displacement : 6240 cc (tax classification: 6202 cc) (Technical data)
   • Bore x Stroke : 94 x 150 mm (Technical data)
   • Compression ratio : 5.0 (Technical data)
   • 1 intake, 1 exhaust / overhead ... vertical shaft (Technical data)
   • 1 Mercedes or Mercedes-Benz throttle carburettor with annular float (Technical data)
   • carburettor engine with engageable Roots supercharger (Technical data)
   • with supercharger 160 hp at 3100 rpm (Technical data)
   • Rated torque : 44 mkg at 1400 rpm (Technical data)
   • 4-speed manual transmission ... dry multi-disc clutch (Technical data)
   • Gearing : 4-speed manual transmission (Technical data)
   • Gear ratios : I. 3.82; II. 2.25; III. 1.44; IV. 1.0 (Technical data)
   • Final drive ratio : 3.28 (also 3.00 or 3.50) (Technical data)
   • Driven wheels : rear wheels (Technical data)
   • Frame design : U-section pressed-steel frame (Technical data)
   • rigid axle; semi-elliptical springs (Technical data)
   • underslung semi-elliptical springs (Technical data)
   • from 1928/29 with Bosch-Dewandre vacuum booster (Technical data)
   • worm-and-nut steering, right or left-hand (Technical data)
   • Wheelbase : 3400 mm (Technical data)
   • Length : 4735 mm (Technical data)
   • Width : 1760 mm (Technical data)
   • Height : 1850 mm (Technical data)
   • Front / rear track : 1430 / 1430 mm (Technical data)
   • Kerb weight : tourer: 2000 kg (Technical data)
   • Maximum speed : 145 km/h (rear-axle 3.28) (Technical data)
   • Fuel tank: position / capacity : in the rear / 140 l (Technical data)
   • Fuel consumption : 25 l (Technical data)

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   Conceptcarz – Mercedes-Benz 630K (Model K) Level C

   • 267 Model K examples produced ('just 267 examples produced'); the page gives the run as 1926–1932

   Accessed 2026-11-12
3. 3
   Mercedes-Benz Model K, 1926 - 1927 (Classic M@RS) Level A Mercedes-Benz Group AG (Classic M@RS, Mercedes-Benz Public Archive)

   • compression ratio that had been increased from 4.7:1 to 5:1

   Accessed 2026-11-12