The driving licence at last: Lauritz Harms can now drive his LPS 2232

Classic vehicle

Next generation.

LPS instead of Actros: Lauritz Harms acquired his father’s passion for classic trucks from Mercedes‑Benz. Now – at last – he can drive himself.


The model series.

The V10 OM 403 engine started its life in the cubic truck series in 1970. When the engine was introduced, the cab was also redesigned and could be tipped for servicing. A year after the tipper and the platform truck, the truck with the ten-cylinder engine was also available in three-axle vehicle combinations. For easy off-road operation there was a version with the 6×4 axle constellation, with both rear axles being driven axles.

The vehicle.

Lauritz Harms puts all his effort into it. It’s not that easy turning the LPS 2232 together with its three-axle semitrailer. The semitrailer truck, built in 1973, has power steering but it is still really hard work – particularly with the exterior mirrors which by today’s standards are tiny.

It’s surprising to see a twenty-one-year-old sitting at the wheel of a truck that is almost fifty years old. After all, the LP was already a classic truck when Lauritz was born. But when you know the Harms family you understand him better. His father Uwe has had a passion for historic trucks for decades, and Lauritz was there right from the beginning. “When it was time to go off on a trip, the child seat was on the co-driver’s seat,” Uwe Harms reminisces.



Photos: Christoph Börries
Video: Alexander Tempel

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