Mercedes-Benz Classic: A Story of Passion (Part 1)

[cawimmer430]

Scanned and translated this from this months Mercedes-Benz Classic magazine. I have another story coming up but I need to translate it first. 

Man this brought a tear to my eye. I hope one day I will be in this magazine and it will talk about me finding an abandoned W123 and restoring it to its former glory! 


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The year is 1968. Hartmut Stache was six years old and whenever possible always accompanied his father on his journeys delivering heating oil around the region of Ransbach-Baumbach in the middle of the Westerwald in an old white Mercedes-Benz LS 338 truck.

A replacement truck is already on its way, being furnished by a company called Wackenhut deep inside the Black Forest in a town called Nagold. The new Mercedes-Benz LS 1620 "Kurzhauber" is going to be picked up in a few weeks, and young Hartmut is of course thrilled to come along. Hartmut is sleepless and excited. Finally the big day arrives and Hartmut's school teacher has even given him a day off for this special occasion.



Father and son arrive in Nagold and visit the production grounds of Wackenhut to pick up the truck his father's employer ordered. The first smells that greet them are those of rubber and diesel and a freshly painted and smelling Mercedes-Benz LS 1620. Wackenhut is a firm that specializes in the customization of "Kurzhauber" trucks who's customers have special wishes that the Mercedes-Benz factory doesn't peform. In this case, Hartmut's father requested an extended driver's cabin, a rare option.

The "Kurzhaubers" are a common sighting in 1960s and 1970s Germany. They're affordable, reliable and come with a variety of engine and drivetrain layout options ranging from simple RWD to AWD. They are also easy to drive as the engine infront makes driving a "Kurzhauber" almost as easy as driving an average passenger sedan.

From then on, Hartmut accompanies his father as often as possible as the LS 1620 has already made an impression on him. Twelve years later, Hans Stache's career as a truck driver ends and with it the journey's in the LS 1620. Yet the truck lives on in Hartmut's memories.

Hartmut enters the Bundeswehr and this allows him to make a truckers license. After leaving the army he becomes an electrician but soon decides to become a trucker. For eight years Hartmut drives goods around Germany, mostly in trucks with the three-pointed-star on the hood. At the end of the 1980s Hartmut starts his own business: buying and selling damaged cars, and eventually this leads him to opening up a truck dealership in the early 1990s.

Three years later Hartmut sees something that brings back fond memories. On the grassy grounds of a bankrupt trucking company in Limburg, Hartmut spots a familiar shape situated in knee-high grass and partially covered by a leather canvas covering. Hartmut immediately knows what he's looking at: a Mercedes-Benz "Kurzhauber" - with the ultra rare Wackenhut extended driver's cabin. "1624" says the badge on the side, which informas Hartmut that this "Kurzhauber" has a 240-horsepower 11.5-l 6-cylinder inline diesel engine under the hood. Fond memories of his father's LS 1620 return to Hartmut. The owner of the bankrupt trucking business, an older gentleman, however, refuses to sell the Mercedes to Hartmut indicating that he himself has also fond memories of this 1971 model which he bought for 57,000 Deutschmarks.

Over the next few years Hartmut passes by Limburg over and over again in the hopes of purchasing the LS 1624. The two men become friends in this fashion, but the old man still refuses to sell his LS 1624 with a friendly shaking of the head.

By 1997 Hartmut has given up on his dream of owning his very own Mercedes-Benz "Kurzhauber" truck when one day the phone rings and the widow of the old man tells him that it was her husbands last will that the "young man who keeps visiting" shall get his "Kurzhauber" LS 1624. Hartmut is ecstatic and instantly organizes the picking up of the truck. Having been exposed for over eight years to the elements, the truck is in poor condition. The extended driver's cabin has been virtually consumed by rust and restoration seems hopeless. The rear axle and the 11.5-l 6-cylinder diesel engine have seen better days. On the positive side, the truck is complete, the transmission works and the majority of the chassis is free from cracks and surprisngly rust-free.

Another surprise awaits Hartmut. His friend Dieter Hauser, an equally enthusiastic Mercedes-Benz truck fan, has connections to the still existing firm named Wackenhut. Wackenhut still have the original tools, machinery and even Mercedes parts that were used to create extended cabins for the the Mercedes "Kurzhaubers". This opportunity is too good to be true.

While Wackenhut is creating a new cabin, Hartmut sends the OM 335 diesel engine to Fetz & Schmidt, a company specializing in the restoration and production of engines. An old and experienced mechanic with experience on older Mercedes' engines examines the engine, which incidentally has travelled over 1.4 million kilometers (!!!).

Despite its reputation for reliability and longlivity, the years of being exposed to the elements have adversely affected the OM 335 engine. The crankshaft and pistons are in poor condition and need to be replaced. This is no problem for the experienced Fetz & Schmidt mechanic. A new 6-speed manual transmission from ZF is installed along the way.

Finally the truck can be completed. The restored chassis, engine and the newly constructed driver's cabin are all mated together to produce an LS 1624 that appears factory fresh. In 2000, Hartmut proudly presents his LS 1624 at a Truck Grand Prix event at the N?rburgring.

The only thing that's missing is a suitable trailer, preferably a tanker trailer like Hartmut's father used to pull with his LS 1620. The only problem is finding one. An original trailer from the 1960s and 1970s is something that is virtually non-existent in today's world. After years of searching, Hartmut finally discovers a 1971 T&A Schwietert tanker trailer in poor condition. But this doesn't the stop the passionate Hartmut of restoring it. Finally in the Summer of 2007, the red Mercedes LS 1624 is on the road towing a tanker trailer behind it. Hartmut's passion takes him to Sweden where the 240-horsepower of the OM 335 manage to pull the trailer with ease.

Hartmut recalls how he feels like he's back in 1968, when he was at his father's side riding in the LS 1620 "Kurzhauber" and how these fond memories return to him whenever he looks at his very own LS 1624. Except this time he's at the wheel...

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