L 409 2.3

STORY

The line opened at the Brussels Motor Show between 18 and 29 January 1967, when Daimler-Benz showed the L 406, the L 408 and the O 309 minibus as replacements for the 319 series that had been in production since 1956. Düsseldorf assembled them and gave the family its nickname; a facelift in 1981 brought a black plastic grille. An entirely new series, coded T 2 or LN 1 at the works, went to the international press in Rome from 17 to 22 March 1986, covering the 507 D to 811 D and gross weights of 3.5 to 7.5 tonnes. Assembly passed to Ludwigsfelde in 1991, and in 1996 the restyled van was renamed Vario.