The 401/402 update gave the Unimog its first Mercedes three-pointed star on the hood, replacing the ox-horn emblem the earliest models wore.
Median 63 hp across 5 similar cars
Lead trim: Unimog 401 1.7 OM 636 diesel (25 PS)
Mercedes-Benz Unimog 401 / 402401 · 1953–1956
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Mercedes-Benz Unimog 401 / 402 yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThe 401/402 update gave the Unimog its first Mercedes three-pointed star on the hood, replacing the ox-horn emblem the earliest models wore.
The Unimog 401 is an all-wheel-drive tractor and equipment carrier built by Daimler-Benz in Gaggenau from 1953 to 1956 (16,250 401s and 402s in all), the first Unimog to wear the Mercedes star on its grille and succeeding the original Boehringer-built Unimog (about 600 "70.200" cars to 1950, with an ox-head badge with U-shaped horns) and the Daimler-Benz series-2010 that began series production in Gaggenau in May 1951. The 401 was first sold only as a cabrio; the closed-cab "Froschauge" ("frog-eye") with a cab by Westfalia followed in September 1953, and a longer-wheelbase 402 (2,120 mm against 1,720 mm) was also built. It is a very compact 3.5 m vehicle with a U-shaped ladder frame, beam portal axles front and rear with built-in reduction gears, four same-sized tyres (6.5–20"), coil springs, hydraulic shock absorbers and hydraulic drum brakes. A water-cooled naturally aspirated 1.7-litre OM 636 four-cylinder pre-chamber diesel with overhead valves — the standard 40 PS car engine reduced to 25 PS at 2,350 rpm for the Unimog — drives a six-speed constant-mesh gearbox with two reverse gears, clutch-independent switchable all-wheel drive and differential locks, with an optional two-speed crawler gearbox; the flatbed measures 1,500 × 1,500 mm for a 1,000 kg payload, and front and rear PTOs and a belt pulley were available.
Collectors Spotted in the Mercedes-Benz Unimog Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Mercedes-Benz Unimog yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
One published trim in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unimog 401 1.7 OM 636 diesel (25 PS) | 1953–1956 | 1.8 L Inline-4 | 25 hp | — | — | AWD | — | — |
Owning one
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Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
The Unimog 435 wasn't built for farms or fire departments first — it was developed in 1975 specifically for West Germany's Bundeswehr, as the military successor to the Unimog S 404.
The Unimog's now-iconic 'edgy' bonnet wasn't always there — it debuted in 1974 on the first heavy-duty Unimog, the U 120 of the 425 series, and Mercedes-Benz has kept that same hard-edged look on Unimogs ever since.
The 406 was the first Unimog designed with a proper cab from the start — Daimler-Benz built an entirely new industrial press just to stamp its panels.
The 411 shipped with a crash gearbox (no synchro) even after Mercedes gave the smaller 404 a synchromesh box — drivers had to double-clutch until synchromesh became optional in 1957 and standard in 1959.
Of every Unimog variant ever built, the 404 S sold the most: 64,242 units between 1955 and 1980 — the best-selling Unimog in the whole lineage.
The 401/402 update gave the Unimog its first Mercedes three-pointed star on the hood, replacing the ox-horn emblem the earliest models wore.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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