As the little sister of the twin-engine V200, the DB developed the single-engine V100 for light route service. What both had in common was diesel-hydraulic power transmission. The 1955 model range included the V100, which, with its retracted front end, promised simplified maintenance, a safe stay for shunters and, with 1,100 hp, sufficient reserves in branch line service. The mechanical system and transmission had already been tested in the series V200.0, which was built from 1956, and teething problems were partially eliminated when the six pre-series V100s were ready for test drives in 1958. The DB procured 364 examples of the 1100 hp locomotive, later known as V100.10. In V100 006, the Maybach MD 650 diesel engine with 1100 hp had been replaced by the 1350 hp Mercedes twelve-cylinder en.