Gaining a reputation for high quality conversions of
Mercedes-Benz vehicles before and after World War Two, German coachbuilder Binz
is now recognized as a manufacturer in its own right
The first half of the last century was the high time for automotive
coach building. The carrozzerie in Italy, the artisans in Britain, and small
and medium sized companies in Germany all chimed in with their delectable
offerings. Names like Pininfarina, Bertone, Brewster, Hooper and Mulliner
spring to mind, the usual suspects on the concourse lawns of the world.
When it comes to the German brands, however, you have to be
a bigger aficionado to have heard of Baur, Autcnrieth or Rometsch. While many
VWs, Opels and BMWs received new, mostly open coachwork for a considerably
higher price, Mercedes-Benz left very little to do for outside car body
building firms. From its very early beginnings, the Stuttgart manufacturer
offered aselection or body styles - cabriolets, phaetons, limousines - for
every taste. It would take until the mid-50s for German entrepreneur Michael
Binz to create a market niche the company bearing his name still occupies
almost 60 years later.
While many VWs,
Opels and BMWs received new, mostly open coachwork for a considerably higher
price, Mercedes-Benz left very little to do for outside car body building
firms.
And it wasn’t hedonistic open top motoring he had in mind
when he created his first bespoke Mercedes-Benz. Binz’s first product bearing
the three-pointed star was built before World War Two, in 1939 - his company
had started production of box bodies on 1.5- and 2.5-tonne Mercedes-Benz truck
chassis. But it was after the war, in 1955, when Binz introduced a
revolutionary product that made his company one of the leading manufacturers of
ambulances.
Based on the W120 Ponton, Binz created a five-door hatch
body with a surprisingly homogenous design for the task of transporting the
injured in comfort and safety, with state of the art medical equipment.
Basing his product on a standard saloon rather than a truck
granted Binz the opportunity to use the car’s much better suspension to its benefit,
offering a much smoother and therefore safer ride. A unique feature on those
early bespoke Binz models was the different design of the rear doors, giving
the resulting model much less of an ‘afterthought' look than many competitors’.
Based on the who fintail, Binz developed its first extended
wheelbase steel estate body, again for ambulance use. High roof models
followed, which allowed emergency crews to better attend to the injured during
transport. But it was the Wl 14 Stroke 8 model range that quickly became the example
of a modern day German ambulance. Extended wheelbase, high roofline, elongated
doors, one-picce rear hatch; what the cars might have lost in elegance, they
gained in usability and versatility. This model was also the first Binz estate
to gain moderate popularity as a utility offering for the private sector.
This model was
also the first Binz estate to gain moderate popularity as a utility offering
for the private sector.
While Mercedes-Benz’s model range comprised saloons, coupes,
convertibles and roadsters, the company still considered an estate version too
utilitarian and workman like. By the time Mercedes-Benz launched its first
factory estate, the Si23 T-model in 1977, Binz estates had been around in some
shape or form for two decades.
Reason enough for Mercedes Enthusiast to accept Binz CEO
Lorenz Dietsche’s invitation to visit the company’s headquarters in
Lorch/Baden-Wiirttemberg to gain a first-hand look at what the company is up to
now. Upon his arrival in late 2009, Dietsche had found the company in need of a
turnaround, both financially and with regard to its international outlook. The
ambulance sister company Binz Ambulance und Umwelttechnik was in trouble, which
ultimately led to a sale of that part of the company to a Thai investment firm.
Dietsche then concentrated on the production of limousines,
hearses and bespoke estate bodies on Mercedes-Benz E-Class models. “With the
launch of the 212-series Mercedes, we also changed our business model. Binz is
no longer sub-contracting to Mercedes-Benz but recognized as a manufacturer in
its own right”, says Dietsche. The company produces about 1,000 vehicles a
year, the backbone of the success being the Binz VI* 212, an extended chassis
with three types: six-door limousines, and four- and six-door estates and
hearses.
Dietsche then
concentrated on the production of limousines, hearses and bespoke estate bodies
on Mercedes-Benz E-Class models.
