The Mercedes-Benz N1300 is a light commercial vehicle designed and manufactured by the Spanish subsidiary IMOSA (Industrias del Motor SA) based in Vitoria-Gasteiz, in the Basque Country, north of Spain. Its body had its roots in the Fissore-designed DKW F1000 L (or DKW-IMOSA F1000) van of 1963.
DKW F 1000
The original Auto Union F 1000-L was presented in 1963. It was also marketed as a DKW, sometimes with both badges, and later also as the IMOSA-DKW. It was originally available in three different versions: cargo van, passenger van with windows, and chassis with cab. A variety of other bodystyles also appeared over the years, including a double-cab truck and a thirteen-seat microbus. The name was derived from the maximum load permitted: 1,000 kilos plus a driver. The maximum speed in optimal conditions was 100 km/h. The DKW F 1000 was the modern successor of the DKW F89 L and used the Auto Union 1000's 40 PS 1-liter two-stroke three-cylinder engine, mounted between the front seats and driving the front wheels. The four-speed manual transmission had an unsynchronized first gear.[2]
In 1964 the DKW F 1000-D was introduced, with a 1.8-liter Mercedes-Benz diesel four-cylinder engine built by ENMASA in Barcelona (the earliest cars received engines imported from Germany).