A Mercedes-Benz TN 410 minibus, seen in Hebei Province east of the Chinese capital Beijing, fitted with yellow Shandong Province license plates. The TN was used for storage and it was in a pretty sad shape. Still, it was a great find because the TN is ultra rare in China.
The Mercedes-Benz TN, aka T1N, was a transporter made from 1977 until 1995. It was available in many body styles, including cargo box, cargo flat bed, panel van, van, and as a minibus like the one we have here. The designation ‘410’ refers to the engine, in this case a 2.3 liter four-cylinder petrol unit with an output of 95 hp and 170 Nm. The sticker is interesting. Pucher Gmbh & Co is a transportation company based in the city of Linz in Austria, perhaps they were the original owner of this TN.
It was a long-cabin car, normally big enough for up to 18 seats, with a step board below the rear doors. The colors are very 1990’s, white with blue and orange-brown striping. There was a notice from local authorities on the rear window warning the car had to be removed or it would be impounded.
The interior was dusty but the dashboard was in a good shape. The radio-cassette unit seems to be period-original.
The comfortable trucking seat is made by Grammer, a German automotive seat maker. The Bremshey was a seat model. The company has since changed its logo but it still exists.
The minibus even had curtains installed on the side windows.
Mercedes-Benz logo still on the steering wheel.
The Mercedes-Benz TN was not officially sold in China, and this example is the first oneI have ever seen in China myself. But I have seen photos of others; mainly fire engines and ambulances that were imported by local governments. This, however, seems a private or company import. It is a beautiful Benz and I really hope it is still around, because when the authorities impound a car it usually means it goes down to the scrapyard.
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