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"   The term &amp;quot;rear engine&amp;quot; usually isn&amp;#039;t associated with , but in fact I&amp;#039;ve just driven three Heckwagens (German: rear-engine cars), each featuring the three-pointed star. The opportunity came with full road-going restorations of a 130 H, 150 H and 170 H by specialists at our nearby Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in Irvine, California. Hitherto, the two sedans and 150 H Sport Roadster had been static displays at the company&amp;#039;s wonderful museum in Untert\u00FCrkheim, Stuttgart, Germany. Now, though, they&amp;#039;ve been made roadworthy and we&amp;#039;re driven them on the streets and roads of southern California.   Taken in chronological (as well as numerical) order, the 130 Heckmotor was introduced in March 1934. Note, the more familiar Beetle, also rear engine and likewise designed by Ferdinand Porsche, didn&amp;#039;t appear in prototype form until October of 1935. The diminutive Mercedes-Benz (in-house designation W23 Series) was offered 1934-1936 with &amp;quot;the ride comfort of a modern mid-size car and the running costs of a small car.&amp;quot; Its 1.3-liter 25-bhp inline-4 resides completely aft of the rear axle, though proportions of the car don&amp;#039;t give this away (cooling vents on the rear flanks do). This layout certainly leaves plenty of room between the axles for accommodations. Even I, admittedly larger than the average bear, fit just fine, thanks. It helped that our 130 was a Cabrio-Saloon, its top fabric stowed for an open-air drive.   Our 150 Sport Roadster is the only known surviving example of this W30 Series. Its split windshield and dual side-mounted spares certainly give the car a rakish appearance. With only a bit of overwrought imagination, I could see its proportions resonating with those of the era&amp;#039;s rear-engine Auto Union Grand Prix cars. Hailed as a &amp;quot;thoroughbred sports car&amp;quot; in a contemporary sales brochure, it promised &amp;quot;acceleration in every gear\u2014and virtually on a par with that of a supercharged car.&amp;quot; It was a kick to drive this rarest of Mercedes models; however, perhaps I wouldn&amp;#039;t go quite this far as to its performance. Its close-coupled cockpit was a tight fit for me, though Mercedes Classic&amp;#039;s Mike Kurz, sort of linebacker size, also fits. That&amp;#039;s the Center&amp;#039;s Nate Lander driving it in the photo.   My favorite of the classic trio was the 170 H Cabrio-Limousine (the two-tone beige car). This W28 Series was built between 1936 and 1939. As its name suggests, the 170 H has a 1.7-liter engine, like the others a water-cooled inline-4. Quite advanced for the era, all Mercedes Heckwagens featured hydraulic brakes and a 3-speed plus Overtop Gear-4th gearbox.   A long wiggly shift lever actuates the gearbox with particularly lengthy lateral throws. I found the Overtop Gear-4th, its highway gear, engaged only with some finesse. Once reaching around 65 km/h (say, 40 mph), you keep the revs constant and move the lever laterally, sans clutch, then leave off slightly. All of this artistry promotes engagement of a 4th-gear dog clutch and appropriate dropping of revs. To downshift, again sans clutch you move the lever to the left and blip the throttle. Get it right, and you&amp;#039;re ready to drive a Mercedes-Benz 540K, as this fabled classic has a similar Schnellgang (German, loosely: quick-gear) layout.   And, of course, the fun of driving old cars such as these is in this mechanical involvement\u2014something that&amp;#039;s missing all too often in today&amp;#039;s potentially drive-in-a-daze motoring. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a15922/rear-engine-mercedes-sports-car-hits-the-streets-in-california/>