Mercedes-Benz Classic Club Management – Editor’s Newsletter 2022

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Mercedes-Benz Classic: 125 Years of Motorsports with Mercedes-Benz – Newsletter Issue 9

  • Quadruple victory with Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC 5.0 (C 107) at the 1979 Rallye Bandama
  • The success 40 years ago was the crowning glory of the V8 Coupé rally era from 1978 to 1980
  • Racing debut of the Silver Arrows in Formula E on 22 and 23 November in Diriyah
  • Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS celebrates the 6th double of the Formula 1 World Championship in 2019

Stuttgart. Mercedes-Benz celebrated the great “125 Years of Motorsport” anniversary in 2019. This brilliant year is ending with amazing moments: the Silver Arrows are at the top of the teams’ standings in their debut year in Formula E and Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS is celebrating the 6th World Championship double in a row at the end of the Formula 1 season. The memory of the time of the SLC Coupé from the C 107 model series with its victories in long-distance rallies four decades ago is particularly strong.

V8 quartet: After 5668 exhausting kilometres, Hannu Mikkola and Arne Hertz won the 11th Rallye Bandama–Côte d’Ivoire (9 to 14 December 1979) forty years ago. They began a quadruple victory of the Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC 5.0 (C 107) V8 Coupé. The winning quartet on this rally in the Ivory Coast was completed by Björn Waldegård and Hans Thorszelius (2nd place), Andrew Cowan and Klaus Kaiser (3rd place) and Vic Preston Jr. and Mike Doughty (4th place).

Luxury winners: The era of the successful SLC rally vehicles based on the sportily luxurious coupé began in 1978 and lasted until 1980. Alongside the crowning quadruple victory 40 years ago in Africa, there were also further spectacular successes: in 1978 Andrew Cowan / Colin Malkin and Sobiesław Zasada / Andrzej Zembrzuski celebrated a double victory in the “Vuelta a la América del Sud”, South American rally, for the Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC rally vehicles, ahead of three further cars by the Stuttgart brand in positions 3 to 5, including a further SLC Coupé. In 1980 Björn Waldegård  / Hans Thorszelius and Jorge Recalde / Nestor Straimel won the Rallye Bandama–Côte d’Ivoire with 500 SLC rally vehicles. The winning vehicle of 1980 can be experienced in the Mercedes-Benz Museum in the Legend 7: Silver Arrows – Races and Records exhibition area.

Close to series production: In the era of the V8 rally vehicles of the C 107 model series Mercedes-Benz continued the concept of close to series production of competitive vehicles. The powerful starting models were specifically optimised for tough use. The measures in the 450 SLC 5.0 for 1979 even included the engine: the performance grew from 177 kW (240 hp) to 213 kW (290 hp). At the same time the displacement was reduced from 5025 to 4973 cubic centimetres in order to keep to the displacement limit of 5 litres set by the regulations.

Rally regimen: Many changes to the details of the rally vehicles targeted conditions that the elegant, four-seater touring car based on the SL sports car of the R 107 model series were hardly likely to experience: from fording (switchable air supply for the engine) to the service stop in deep slush (securing of the cap for the engine oil and coolant filler opening with chains to prevent it from falling off). Then there was lightweight construction (fuel tank made from plastic) and a parking brake with a handbrake lever fitted to the transmission tunnel (for dynamic corner drifts).

Roadster legacy: After the great successes with the SLC Coupé, for the 1981 season Mercedes-Benz developed a rally vehicle based on the 500 SL of the R 107 model series: strong performance (235 kW/320 hp), consistently lightweight construction (1350 instead of 1586 kilograms) and a limited slip differential with 80 per cent barrier effect (for a spectacular drifting angle). One of the men behind the wheel of this rocket was to be the rally driver Walter Röhrl. However, the vehicle was never used because Mercedes-Benz ended its rally activities before the start of the 1981 season and concentrated on the development of series passenger vehicles.

Star guest: Today the 500 SL rally vehicle, with its fascinating history, is a sought-after guest at automotive classic events. Regardless of whether it is driven by Björn Waldegård at the 2013 ADAC Eifel Rallye Festival, or if it is to be experienced with Mercedes-Benz Classic brand ambassadors such as Roland Asch, Dieter Glemser, Klaus Ludwig and Karl Wendlinger at the Classic Days Schloss Dyck: this contemporary witness of the Mercedes-Benz V8 rally era inspires.

Golden final: Lewis Hamilton’s victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix brought to an end the current Formula 1 season on 1 December 2019. The Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula 1 team is celebrating an outstanding return for the season: 6th World Championship title for Lewis Hamilton, 6th Constructors’ title, 6th World Championship double in a row. Valtteri Bottas ended the year in 2nd place in the drivers’ standings. Britta Seeger, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, responsible for Mercedes-Benz Cars Sales, received the trophy for the victorious constructor on behalf of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Motorsport team.

Lightning start: At the Diriyah E-Prix on 22 and 23 November 2019 the Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrow 01 began a new era of motorsport with the Mercedes star. Stoffel Vandoorne finished both races in 3rd place and was therefore immediately in 2nd place in the drivers’ standings after his debut race. With both podium finishes, the Mercedes-Benz EQ Formula E team also leads the teams’ standings. The fully electric FIA Formula E racing series marks the start of a new era for the brand after 125 years of motorsport.

Contacts:

Frank Mühling, +49 176 3095 1412, frank.muehling@daimler.com
Ralph Wagenknecht, +49 160 865 8077, ralph.wagenknecht@daimler.com
Julia Höfel, +49 151 5861 0215, julia.hoefel@daimler.com
Enquiries by email to classic@mercedes-benz.com or online at www.mercedes-benz.com/classic
High-resolution photographs and more press releases: https://media.daimler.com/go/classic
Current video and photographic material: https://mercedes-benz-archive.com/marsMuseum
Have you heard of our multimedia archive and research system? https://mercedes-benz-publicarchive.com
Further information about Mercedes-Benz is available online: www.media.daimler.com and www.mercedes-benz.com
@MercedesBenzMuseum

Mercedes-Benz Classic: 125 Years of Motorsports with Mercedes-Benz – Newsletter Issue 8

  • Stars behind the star: Mercedes-Benz racing drivers in 125 years of motorsport history
  • Anniversaries in 2019 recall brilliant victories and legendary championships
  • Stellar moment: Sixth Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 double in succession
  • Passed away on 15 October 2019: Rally driver Andrew Cowan

Stuttgart. Lewis Hamilton, Mika Häkkinen, Juan Manuel Fangio, Rudolf Caracciola and many more besides: Mercedes-Benz racing drivers are celebrated as heroes in the history of motor racing by their fans. Their victories range from the latest double in the 2019 Formula 1 World Championship back to the birth of motorsport 125 years ago. Highlights include the Grand Prix Marathon 105 years ago as well as long-distance classics on the circuit and challenging rallies. The brand’s successful rally drivers also included Scotsman Andrew Cowan, who passed away on 15 October 2019 aged 82.

On the home straight: The sixth double title in Formula 1 is already in the bag for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas SILVER ARROWS. In the Constructors’ Championship, the team has already been uncatchable since the Japanese Grand Prix on 13 October 2019. The five-time Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton has provided the perfect complement to this achievement by taking his sixth title in the third-last race of the season, the USA Grand Prix on 3 November 2019, also rendering himself uncatchable at the top of the driver standings. By winning the same race, Valtteri Bottas also ensured that he is uncatchable in second place in the driver standings for 2019. Hamilton became World Champion for the first time in 2008 for McLaren-Mercedes. He took the Championship in 2014 and 2015 as well as in 2017 and 2018 with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas works team founded in 2010.

Reboot in the elite class: 20 years ago, Mika Häkkinen won the 1999 Formula 1 World Championship in the McLaren-Mercedes MP4/14. It was his second title in succession after 1998. The Championship vehicle from this year, the McLaren-Mercedes MP4/13, is on display in the permanent collection at the Mercedes-Benz Museum, in Legend Room 7: Silver Arrows – Races and Records. Häkkinen’s titles are among the early highlights of the Stuttgart brand’s return to the elite class of motorsport as of 1994. The new Silver Arrows took over where the major Mercedes-Benz successes left off in the 1950s: 65 years ago, Juan Manuel Fangio won the 1954 French Grand Prix in Reims, the premiere race for the new W 196 R Formula 1 racing car. Fangio became Formula 1 World Champion in the W 196 R in both 1954 and 1955.

Major roots: The tradition of big wins and championships in Grand Prix sport dates back more than 100 years in the history of motorsport. One of the outstanding successes was the triple Mercedes victory secured by Christian Lautenschlager in the French Grand Prix of 1914. In this era, too, Victor Hémery exceeded the magic limit of 200 km/h – for the first time in a car with a combustion engine: 110 years ago in the record-breaking drives in 1909 in Brooklands (England) at the wheel of the Benz 200 PS. And Christian Werner won the Targa Florio 95 years ago in 1924 with the Mercedes two-litre racing car.

Compressor triumphs: Rudolf Caracciola’s win 90 years ago in the International Tourist Trophy in 1929 near Belfast (Northern Ireland) in the Mercedes-Benz SS (W 06) is one of the triumphs of the Mercedes-Benz Compressor touring sports cars of the late 1920s and early 1930s. In 1931, Rudolf Caracciola also became the first non-Italian driver to win the Mille Miglia in the advanced SSKL. And Manfred von Brauchitsch won the Avus Race in 1932 in a pioneering, aerodynamically trimmed SSKL. Mercedes-Benz Classic won plaudits with the authentic reconstruction of this vehicle in 2019 – to mark the 125 Years of Motorsport anniversary.

Silver takes gold: The era of the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows was heralded in 85 years ago by Manfred von Brauchitsch’s victory at the International Eifel Race in 1934 at the Nürburgring with the new Mercedes-Benz W 25 Grand Prix racing car. The Stuttgart brand’s famous racing drivers of this time also included Hermann Lang and Richard Seaman. Rudolf Caracciola was the star. In 1935, 1937 and 1938, he became European Grand Prix Champion. A highlight of the first Silver Arrow era was Hermann Lang’s win at the Tripoli Grand Prix 80 years ago in 1939 in the 1.5-litre Mercedes-Benz W 165 racing car specially designed for this race.

Success on all terrain: After Mercedes-Benz withdrew from motor racing at the height of its success in 1955, the focus was on rallies. The victories secured by former Formula 1 racing driver Karl Kling 60 years ago include the Africa rally Méditerranée–Le Cap in 1959 in the Mercedes-Benz 190 D. The rally stars of the brand with the star included Eugen Böhringer, European Rally Champion in 1962. 55 years ago, together with Klaus Kaiser, he won the International Touring Grand Prix of Argentina in 1964 and also led Mercedes-Benz’s triple victory in this race. In the same year, rally driver Ewy Rosqvist along with Eva-Maria Falk took the class victory in the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally.

Farewell to Andrew Cowan: Mercedes-Benz Classic commemorates Scottish rally driver Andrew Cowan, who died at the age of 82 on 15 October 2019. Cowan celebrated his final success for the Stuttgart brand 40 years ago with third place in the 11th Bandama Rally (Ivory Coast, Africa) in December 1979 in the Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC 5.0 (C 107) together with Klaus Kaiser. Back in 1977, Cowan was victorious in the Rally-Marathon London-Sydney along with Colin Malkin and Mike Broad in the Mercedes-Benz 280 E (W 123). In 1978, he won the “Vuelta a la América del Sur” South America Rally in the Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC with Colin Malkin.

Back on the circuit: 30 years ago, Jochen Mass won the Le Mans 24 Hours Race in 1989 in a Sauber-Mercedes C 9 together with Manuel Reuter and Stanley Dickens. This was a highlight of Mercedes-Benz’s involvement in Group C. In this racing series, the brand returned to the circuit as a strategic partner and engine supplier as of 1985. There were major successes in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) in particular. This is where Klaus Ludwig became DTM Champion 25 years ago in 1994. It was his second championship title for Mercedes-Benz after 1992.

Contacts:

Frank Mühling, +49 176 3095 1412, frank.muehling@daimler.com
Ralph Wagenknecht, +49 160 865 8077, ralph.wagenknecht@daimler.com
Julia Höfel, +49 151 5861 0215, julia.hoefel@daimler.com
Enquiries by email to classic@mercedes-benz.com or online at www.mercedes-benz.com/classic
High-resolution photographs and more press releases: https://media.daimler.com/go/classic
Current video and photographic material: https://mercedes-benz-archive.com/marsMuseum
Have you heard of our multimedia archive and research system? https://mercedes-benz-publicarchive.com
Further information about Mercedes-Benz is available online: www.media.daimler.com and www.mercedes-benz.com
@MercedesBenzMuseum

Mercedes-Benz Classic: 125 Years of Motorsports with Mercedes-Benz – Newsletter Issue 7

Open to alternatives since 1894: an innovative force and an open mind towards what is new have formed part of Mercedes-Benz’s motorsports history from the outset. History’s first ever automotive competition 125 years ago was already a battle of drive systems. Back then, vehicles featuring Daimler combustion engines prevailed against their steam-powered counterparts that had been dominating up to this point. In the 21st century, the brand with the star is celebrating five consecutive double world championship titles in Formula 1 with hybrid engines. At the end of 2019, the brand will also launch in Formula E.

Stuttgart. Victories in motorsports require a willingness to compete. This not only applies to the competition between drivers and racing teams, but also to the rivalry between technological concepts. For this reason, alternative drives have continued to form part of the unique motorsport history spanning 125 years at Mercedes-Benz.

Consecutive winner: In 2014, a new 1.6-litre V6 power unit featuring turbocharging and enhanced hybrid functions premièred in the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport Formula 1 Silver Arrows. Since that particular season, the racing team has won five consecutive Formula 1 constructors’ and drivers’ world championship titles. The development of new Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicles is also benefiting from the experience gained in motorsports. Applications range from electrical brake energy recuperation to high-voltage technology for electric drives.

Electrical: On 22 November 2019, Mercedes-Benz will première in the fully electric Formula E racing series. The Mercedes-Benz EQ Formula E team is heading to the starting grid with two Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrows 01. Their development also involves expertise gained as part of working on drives in current Formula 1 racing cars.

Big bang: Steam engine or high-speed combustion engine – which system would prevail in history’s first ever automotive competition? Spectators and experts alike asked themselves this question on 22 July 1894 at the start of the run from Paris to Rouen. By the end, the decision was clear: Peugeot and Panhard & Levassor won joint first prize. Both manufacturers’ vehicles were driven by Daimler two-cylinder V-engines generating around 2.6 kW (3.5 hp). Panhard & Levassor built the assembly on licence. The first prize was simultaneously a victory for the combustion engine, a technology that was still new in automotive engineering. An alternative drive system technology so to speak, compared with the tried-and-tested steam engine and the still very common modes of transport involving horse-drawn carts or teams of oxen.

Transformation: Developments that have proven their worth in motorsports also have an effect on series-production technology in automotive engineering. This had already become obvious as part of the race from Paris to Rouen. History’s first automotive competition was not only a race for the best time, but mainly focussed on reliability and everyday suitability. The two French manufacturers relying on Daimler engines won because their vehicles fulfilled these criteria in the best possible way as they were “safe to use, easy to operate and not too expensive to run” (“être sans danger, aisément maniable pour les voyageurs et de ne pas coûter trop cher sur la route”). These were criteria that the “Le Petit Journal” tabloid newspaper had specified as the organiser of the competition.

Mixture: The combustion engine had only just started prevailing as the preferred automotive power source when clever engineers already started developing alternative drives. A vehicle with electric drive already started at the second ever race ─ the Paris–Bordeaux–Paris long-distance competition in June 1895 ─ but it did not finish. Ferdinand Porsche, who would become Technical Director at Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) in Austria from 1906 and was then to take over this position at DMG in Untertürkheim from 1923, was already working on a hybrid drive at the start of the 20th century: a Daimler engine used an alternator to generate electrical energy and drive the electric wheel hub motors. On 7 May 1902, Porsche won the race to the top of Exelberg mountain near Vienna in such a so-called Mixte racing car on the basis of the Mercedes-Simplex generating 28 hp.

Compression ignition engine: The four-stroke petrol engine had been dominating racing cars since the start of the 20th century. Mercedes-Benz was very successful with it. However, the Stuttgart-based brand was also looking at the diesel engine, most of all for rally cars and vehicles attempting to break records. The milestones included:

  • Class victory at Mille Miglia 1955 with the Mercedes-Benz 180 D (W 120)
  • Overall victory at the 1959 Méditerranée-Le Cap Africa Rally with the Mercedes-Benz 190 D (W 121)
  • Diesel world records with the Mercedes-Benz C 111-II D and C 111-III (1976 and 1978)
  • 30-day world record drive with the Mercedes-Benz E 320 CDI (W 211) in 2005
  • Class victory at 2015 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb race with the Mercedes-Benz C 300 d 4MATIC (W 205)

Solar-powered winner: In 1985, apprentices at Mercedes-Benz factories in Sindelfingen and Untertürkheim designed and built the Mercedes-Benz Alpha-Real solar-powered car. Photovoltaic panels with a total of 432 cells jointly supply its two electric motors generating 1.8 kW (2.4 hp) with power. The solar-powered racing car came out top at the “Tour de Sol” rally from Lake Constance to Lake Geneva with 21-year-old Peter Bauer at the wheel. Its top speed is 71 km/h. Today, the solar-powered car forms part of the permanent exhibition at Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart in Legends 7 entitled “Silver Arrows – Races & Records”.

Hybrid première: The year 2009 marked the first time that the kinetic energy recuperation system KERS was permitted to be installed in Formula 1 racing car drive trains as a hybrid component. That particular season, Lewis Hamilton won the Hungarian Grand Prix and the Singapore Grand Prix in the McLaren-Mercedes MP4-24. In 2010, Mercedes-Benz returned to Formula 1 with the company’s own racing team, and since 2014, the company has once more been at the forefront of motorsports history with a unique series of victories. The racing cars’ hybrid drive is being continuously evolved and improved to this day. For instance, compared to 2009, the weight of the battery system has been cut by over 80 percent, while the energy storage unit’s efficiency has increased from 70 percent to 96 percent.

Born in hell: In 2013 the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive set a new record at Nürburgring Nordschleife. It completed a lap around the so-called “Green Hell” circuit in 7:56.234 minutes and is thus the first series-production electric vehicle to race around the legendary race track in under eight minutes. In Legends 6, entitled “New Start – The Road to Emission-free Mobility, 1982 to Present” at Mercedes-Benz Museum, the SLS AMG Electric Drive represents the development of alternative drives in top-class series-production sports cars.

Contacts:

Frank Mühling, +49 176 3095 1412, frank.muehling@daimler.com
Ralph Wagenknecht, +49 160 865 8077, ralph.wagenknecht@daimler.com
Julia Höfel, +49 151 5861 0215, julia.hoefel@daimler.com
Enquiries by email to classic@mercedes-benz.com or online at www.mercedes-benz.com/classic
High-resolution photographs and more press releases: https://media.daimler.com/go/classic
Current video and photographic material: https://mercedes-benz-archive.com/marsMuseum
Have you heard of our multimedia archive and research system? https://mercedes-benz-publicarchive.com
Further information about Mercedes-Benz is available online: www.media.daimler.com and www.mercedes-benz.com
@MercedesBenzMuseum

Mercedes-Benz Classic: 125 Years of Motorsports with Mercedes-Benz – Newsletter Issue 6

22 July 1894 was the birth date of competitive motorcar racing when the world’s first race took place from Paris to Rouen over 126 kilometres. This was also the beginning of the unique motorsports history of Mercedes-Benz, because the winners were two cars with Daimler engines, and a Benz car came 5th. The brand with the star is celebrating its anniversary in 2019 at numerous events, including the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England (4 to 7 July 2019) and the German Grand Prix at Hockenheimring (26 to 28 July 2019).

Stuttgart. The auspicious start 125 years ago has spawned repeated victories for cars sporting the Mercedes star right through to today. These include, in particular, five consecutive Formula One World Championships from 2014 to 2018, the triple championship in the DTM in 2018 and Mercedes-AMG’s continuing success in customer sport.

First ever one-two win The first competitive motorcar race ever was won by two cars sporting Daimler two-cylinder V-engines (“système Daimler”) that had been built by Panhard & Levassor and Peugeot under licence. The engine can be seen at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in the transition zone from the “Legend 1: Pioneers – The invention of the motorcar” to the rest of the museum.

Top representative Fifth place went to engineer Émile Roger, who was driving a 3.7 kW (5 hp) Benz Vis-à-Vis. Since 1888, by this point, Roger had been the sole authorised representative for vehicles and engines bearing the name Benz in France.

New sport The Paris-Rouen motorcar race was the first of its kind and laid the foundations for future motorsports. At the same time, cars with combustion engines won the competition over cars driven by steam and other sources of motive power.

A clear message In 1894, the characteristics required of participating vehicles were that they were “safe to use, easy to operate and not too expensive to operate” (“être sans danger, aisément maniable pour les voyageurs et de ne pas coûter trop cher sur la route”).

Living memory This summer, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England (4 to 7 July 2019) and at the German Grand Prix 2019 at Hockenheimring (26 to 28 July 2019), as well as on many other occasions, Mercedes-Benz Classic will be celebrating “125 Years of Mercedes-Benz Motorsports”.

From a competitive event to motor racing The first motorcar race based on time, which is the basis for modern racing, took place in 1895, and ran from Paris to Bordeaux and back. The first vehicle to cross the finishing line was a two-seater Panhard & Levassor with a Daimler engine.

The lady wins in Argentina In its anniversary year, Mercedes-Benz is also celebrating the birthdays of famous racing drivers. Ewy Rosqvist, for example: she was born on 3 August 1929 in Sweden and celebrates her 90th birthday this year. From 1962, she took part in rallies and road races for Mercedes-Benz. One of her most important victories was the overall victory at the Argentinian Touring Car Grand Prix of 1962. Since that time, Ewy Rosqvist has maintained close ties to Mercedes-Benz and is, to this day, a brand ambassador.

Stirling silver Stirling Moss, born on 17 September 1929 in London, was extremely successful at the wheel of the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows in 1955 – and is also 90 years old this year. He won the British Grand Prix in Formula One in Aintree and, driving a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR racing sports car (W 196 S), also won the Mille Miglia, the Tourist Trophy in Dundrod and the Targa Florio in Sicily. The winning car in the Mille Miglia, starting number 722, is today one of the highlights of the permanent exhibition at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in the Legend 7: Silver Arrows – Races and Records exhibition area. As a Mercedes-Benz brand ambassador and representative of those far-off times, Stirling Moss keeps the fascination of 1955 alive.

Contacts:

Frank Mühling, +49 176 3095 1412, frank.muehling@daimler.com
Ralph Wagenknecht, +49 160 865 8077, ralph.wagenknecht@daimler.com
Julia Höfel, +49 151 5861 0215, julia.hoefel@daimler.com
Enquiries by email to classic@mercedes-benz.com or online at www.mercedes-benz.com/classic
High-resolution photographs and more press releases: https://media.daimler.com/go/classic
Current video and photographic material: https://mercedes-benz-archive.com/marsMuseum
Have you heard of our multimedia archive and research system? https://mercedes-benz-publicarchive.com
Further information about Mercedes-Benz is available online: www.media.daimler.com and www.mercedes-benz.com
@MercedesBenzMuseum

Mercedes-Benz Classic: 125 Years of Motorsports with Mercedes-Benz – Newsletter Edition 5

Fantastic rally successes are an exciting chapter in 125 years of Mercedes-Benz motorsports. Every rally is a real adventure – sometimes on surfaced roads, sometimes on gravel, sometimes in the desert, on ice or through the jungle, often through different countries and even across several continents. In running these original vehicles with popular drivers in renowned classic motorcar regularity rallies, Mercedes-Benz today commemorates the rally successes of the 1950s to 1980s under the sign of the star. The permanent exhibition at the Mercedes-Benz Museum, showing victorious rally vehicles, brings the brand’s motorsport chapter to life.

Stuttgart. From Monte-Carlo to Solitude, from Dakar to the Silvretta High Alpine Road: these and other locations reflect the diversity of Mercedes-Benz rally history, especially since the brand’s return to motorsports after the end of the Second World War.

Monte team: In 1952, Mercedes-Benz returned to the motorsports scene. In January of that year, Karl Kling, Rudolf Caracciola, and Hermann Lang competed in the Rally Monte-Carlo in three Mercedes-Benz 220 (W 187) cars. In 1960, Walter Schock and Rolf Moll achieved a successful win at the “Monte” in a Mercedes-Benz 220 SE “fintail” saloon car (W 111) and led a triple victory for the Stuttgart brand. A modern echo of the successes of that time: in 2019, the Mercedes-Benz 280 S (W 108), rebuilt during the “Project Retro Rally”, took part in the AvD Histo Monte.

European successes: In 1954, Walter Schock set a benchmark for his career with his victory in the first Rally Solitude in a Mercedes-Benz 220 (W 180). Together with Rolf Moll, he won numerous rallies throughout Europe in the following years with near-production Mercedes-Benz vehicles, in particular the 300 SL “Gullwing” (W 198) as well as “Ponton” and “fintail” saloon cars. The private team won the European Rally Championship in 1956 and 1960. A Mercedes-Benz 300 SE (W 112) rally car in the permanent exhibition at the Mercedes-Benz Museum is a constant reminder of the successes of the “fintail” saloon cars. It is part of the Legend 7: Silver Arrows – Races and Records exhibition area.

Argentinian ace: Ewy Rosqvist also started on a “fintail” for Mercedes-Benz on rallys and road races from 1962 onwards. In the same year, she achieves one of her greatest trimphs with the overall win of the VI Touring Car Grand Prix of Argentina together with Ursula Wirth. Born on 3 August 1929, Ewy Rosqvist celebrates her 90th birthday this year.

African adventure: After the end of the 1955 season, Mercedes-Benz, at the height of its success, withdrew from Formula One and sports car racing. Racing driver Karl Kling became Sports Director, but continued to participate in rallies himself. With Rainer Günzler, he won the Rallye Mediterranée-Le Cap from the Mediterranean to South Africa in 1959 in a Mercedes-Benz 190 D (W 121). In 1961, he won the Algiers-Lagos-Algiers Rally in a Mercedes-Benz 220 SE (W 111).

Pagoda driver: Eugen Böhringer wrote rally history in Mercedes-Benz cars in the 1960s. The 1962 European Rally Champion was the first driver ever to win the Liège-Sofia-Liège Rally twice in succession. In 1963 he won driving a Mercedes-Benz 230 SL “Pagoda” (W 113).

Marathon men: In 1977, the teams headed by Andrew Cowan and Anthony Fowkes won the London-Sydney Marathon rally in Mercedes-Benz 280 E (W 123) cars. At the time, this was considered the most gruelling of all rallies worldwide. A total of four Mercedes-Benz saloon cars were among the top ten (1, 2, 6 and 8). The winning car is now part of the Mercedes-Benz Museum’s permanent exhibition.

Eight-cylinder action: With their powerful V8 engines, the fast Mercedes-Benz SLC (C 107) shaped the rally victories of the late 1970s: the 450 SLC at the “Vuelta a la América del Sur” 1978, the 450 SLC 5.0 at the Bandama Rally on the Ivory Coast in Africa in 1979 (quadruple victory), and the 500 SLC at the Bandama Rally in 1980 (one-two victory). The Mercedes-Benz Museum now houses the winning car driven by Björn Waldegaard and Hans Thorszelius from 1980 in its permanent exhibition.

The G wins: Jacky Ickx and Claude Brasseur won the legendary Paris-Dakar Rally in 1983 in a Mercedes-Benz 280 GE. The year before, they took second place, also with the G-model.

Rally rebel: At the 1000 Miglia 2019, “urban outlaw” Magnus Walker again triggered tremendous enthusiasm among the fans in a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL “Gullwing” (W 198). That was just one of the many highlights offered today by Mercedes-Benz Classic through its presence at high-class rallies with vintage and modern cars. The artist, fashion designer, author and car collector already said after his first encounter with the “ Gullwing” at the Silvretta Classic Rallye Montafon 2018: “Every kilometre driven puts a smile on your face. I had so many unbelievably memorable moments with the car.”

Contacts:

Frank Mühling, +49 176 3095 1412, frank.muehling@daimler.com
Ralph Wagenknecht, +49 160 865 8077, ralph.wagenknecht@daimler.com
Julia Höfel, +49 151 5861 0215, julia.hoefel@daimler.com
Enquiries by email to classic@mercedes-benz.com or online at www.mercedes-benz.com/classic
High-resolution photographs and more press releases: https://media.daimler.com/go/classic
Current video and photographic material: https://mercedes-benz-archive.com/marsMuseum
Have you heard of our multimedia archive and research system? https://mercedes-benz-publicarchive.com
Further information about Mercedes-Benz is available online: www.media.daimler.com and www.mercedes-benz.com
@MercedesBenzMuseum

Mercedes-Benz Classic: 125 Years of Motorsport with Mercedes-Benz – Newsletter Edition 4

Defining moments in races and records: 125 years of Mercedes-Benz motorsport history include many surprising and special successes, whereby world speed records are just as much a part of this tradition as unparalleled racing victories. Such fantastic moments are born out of the will to compete. And right from the start, they serve as proof of the outstanding sporting and technical competence of the famous brand with the star.

Stuttgart. The combination of technical perfection, performance and speed has made racing cars so fascinating ever since the birth of motorsport 125 years ago. This applies in equal measure to record vehicles whose victories also draw a fair amount of attention.

200 km/h for the first time: The Benz 200 hp record car with a 21.5-litre, four-cylinder engine does just this. With it, Victor Hémery cracks this speed barrier for the first time in Europe in Brooklands, England in 1909. More records are to follow in North America, where the fastest land-based vehicle of the day, which is even faster than the aeroplanes of that era, is given the honorary title of “Lightning Benz”.

-looking concept: In 1922, the aerodynamically optimised Benz teardrop-shaped racing cars become the world’s first mid-engined racing machines. They finish their racing debut performance in the Grand Prix of Europe in 1923, securing fourth and fifth places.

Silver Arrow records: The successful racing cars of the 1930s give rise to equally successful record cars. At the top of the tree is the W 125 twelve-cylinder vehicle driven by Rudolf Caracciola, who on 28 January 1938 achieves the absolute speed record for vehicles driven on public roads at 432.7 km/h. The record stands for almost 80 years.

Record giant: The tri-axle T 80 record car fitted with a Mercedes-Benz DB 603 aircraft engine aims even higher. Sadly, the T 80 is never actually used. In 2018, Mercedes-Benz Classic showcases the original chassis with authentic reconstruction of the tubular lattice frame and a cutaway model of the DB 603 in a unique exhibit.

Surprise winner: To be used in just one race the 1939 Tripoli Grand Prix in Libya Mercedes-Benz develops the 1.5-litre W 165 racing car in just eight months. It was worth it: the Stuttgart-based brand takes a spectacular double victory with Hermann Lang ahead of Rudolf Caracciola.

Experimental records: In the 1970s, the fascinating Mercedes-Benz C 111 experimental vehicle (1969/70). The C 111-II D (1976), C 111-III (1978, both with a diesel engine) and C 111-IV (1979, with a V8 petrol engine) set multiple world records on the high-speed circuit in Nardò, Italy.

Long-distance athlete: The Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 (W 201) celebrates a string of record-breaking runs in 1983 in Nardò. The compact, high-performance saloon car sets world records over 25,000 kilometres, 25,000 miles and 50,000 kilometres, simultaneously marking the start of a great racing career in the DTM.

Solar power: In 1985, trainees from the Mercedes-Benz plants in Sindelfingen and Untertürkheim, Germany driving the Mercedes-Benz Alpha Real solar-powered vehicle win the first “Tour de Sol” in Switzerland, a rally for cars powered by electricity harnessed from sunlight.

Indy star: From 1993 onwards and under the utmost secrecy, the 3.4-litre Mercedes-Benz 500I V8 engine is developed from scratch for the Penske-Mercedes PC 23 IndyCar and features the classic pushrod design principle. Al Unser Jr goes on to win the Indy 500 in 1994. Due to a subsequent change in racing regulations, however, this is the 500I’s only outing.

Endurance test: During a 30-day endurance test staged in Laredo, Texas in 2005, three standard Mercedes-Benz E 320 CDI (W 211) models set several world records over distances of up to 100,000 miles, once again proving the reliability of the Stuttgart-based brand.

Electric athlete: In 2013, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive circles the North Loop of the Nürburgring (nicknamed the “green hell”) in a record-breaking time of 7:56:234 minutes. The super sports car is the first production electric car to complete a circuit of the legendary race track in less than eight minutes.

High-flyer: In 2015, Mercedes-Benz marks a spectacular class victory in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb (USA). A dedicated racing car is not used, however, but instead an almost completely standard C 300 d 4MATIC (W 205). Uwe Nittel finishes the mountainous 19.99-kilometre route, overcoming a difference in altitude of over 1,400 metres, in just 11:37 minutes –  a new record for diesel-powered vehicles.

Record partners: High-performance automobiles bearing the famous star also contribute to other sporting records. In 1962, for example, racing cyclist José Meiffret becomes the first person to reach 200 km/h on a bicycle trailing in the slipstream of a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL “Gullwing” (W 198), a good half a century after the Benz 200 hp record car becomes the first petrol-powered vehicle to cross this magical threshold.

Contacts:

Frank Mühling, +49 176 3095 1412, frank.muehling@daimler.com
Ralph Wagenknecht, +49 160 865 8077, ralph.wagenknecht@daimler.com
Julia Höfel, +49 151 5861 0215, julia.hoefel@daimler.com
Enquiries by email to classic@mercedes-benz.com or online at www.mercedes-benz.com/classic
High-resolution photographs and more press releases: https://media.daimler.com/go/classic
Current video and photographic material: https://mercedes-benz-archive.com/marsMuseum
Have you heard of our multimedia archive and research system? https://mercedes-benz-publicarchive.com
Further information about Mercedes-Benz is available online: www.media.daimler.com and www.mercedes-benz.com
@MercedesBenzMuseum

Mercedes-Benz Classic: 125 years of motorsport with Mercedes-Benz – Newsletter edition 3

Glorious victories in endurance races, road races and sports car competitions have characterised 125 years of motorsport with Mercedes-Benz just as much as the countless Grand Prix successes. These “star” moments include the victories in the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1952 and 1989, in the 1931 and 1955 Mille Miglia as well as the successes of the GT3- and GT4 racing cars by Mercedes-AMG. Such races make equally high demands of the reliability and the performance of cars as they do the driver and team.

Stuttgart. Be it 24 hours or 1,000 miles: races over particularly long distances are an extreme challenge in motorsport. After all, the performance of the competition vehicles is just as decisive here as their reliability under constant maximum stress.

Mercedes-Benz has been impressive in these areas since the beginning of the motorsport history of the brand. One of the first highlights was the Paris – Bordeaux – Paris road race, which was carried out from 11 to 14 June 1895 over a distance of 1,192 kilometres. Of the first eight vehicles to finish, there were six cars equipped with engines according to a Daimler licence and two Benz vehicles.

In the tradition of the great European road races, in the mid-20th century, the Italian Mille Miglia stands out in particular. Mercedes-Benz was twice able to attain outstanding victories there. In 1931, Rudolf Caracciola and co-driver Wilhelm Sebastian in the Mercedes-Benz SKKL were the first to take overall victory as drivers not from Italy. In 1955, the masterpiece of the British team of Stirling Moss/Denis Jenkinson in the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR (W 196 S) racing car followed: Moss with the best time ever achieved at a Mille Miglia, ahead of team colleague Juan Manuel Fangio.

In 1957, the Mille Miglia was carried out as a classic road race for the last time. Mercedes-Benz, however, also continued to be very successful in such long-distance competitions outside of Europe in the following years. For example, the Argentine Touring Car Grand Prix, a strenuous race over almost 5,000 kilometres, was won by the brand from Stuttgart four times in a row with saloons of the W 111/112 model series: 1961 (one-two win), 1962 (win by Ewy Rosqvist/Ursula Wirth), 1963 (quadruple win) and 1964 (triple win).

Endurance races

The return of Mercedes-Benz to racing after the end of the Second World War was also connected to the Mille Miglia: the new 300 SL (W 194) racing car premiered on the Brescia to Rome and back endurance classic on 3 to 4 May 1952. Karl Kling and Hans Klenk came flying in with a respectable second place in the overall standings.

The 300 SL celebrated one of its greatest triumphs in an endurance race on the racetrack: Mercedes-Benz attained a one-two win at the Le Mans 24-hour race from 13 to 14 June 1952. The overall standings were led by Hermann Lang and Fritz Rieß ahead of their team colleagues Theo Helfrich and Helmut Niedermayr. Three years later in 1955, Mercedes-Benz was in the lead at Le Mans with its 300 SLR racing car. After the very tragic accident involving the Silver Arrow of Pierre Levegh, for which nobody was at fault, Mercedes-Benz withdrew its remaining vehicles out of respect for the victims of the accident.

Thirty years ago, the Silver Arrows once again won in Le Mans: the Sauber-Mercedes C 9 Group C racing car attained a one-two win at the 24-hour race from 10 to 11 June 1989. The teams of Jochen Mass/Stanley Dickens/Manuel Reuter as well as Mauro Baldi/Kenny Acheson/Gianfranco Brancatelli led the overall standings. This was a highlight of the return of Mercedes-Benz to racing on a racetrack.

Thirty years ago, Jean Louis Schlesser won the World Sportscar Championship in the Sauber-Mercedes C 9. The team title of the World Championship went to Sauber-Mercedes in 1989. Both title wins were repeated the following year with the Sauber-Mercedes C 11.

Successes in customer sport

Fascinating sports car races inspired the fans of the FIA GT Championship at the end of the 1990s. Mercedes-Benz dominated the first two years of this international racing series with the Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR (1997, championship title for Bernd Schneider) and CLK-LM (1998, championship title for Klaus Ludwig and Ricardo Zonta) GT racing cars.

Modern day successes with the sign of the Mercedes star by the Mercedes-AMG customer sport teams are reminiscent of those triumphs. Amongst others, the BLACK FALCON team has already won the Dubai 24-hour race four times (2012, 2013, 2015, 2018). Maro Engel won in 2015 at the first FIA GT World Cup in Macau in the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3; Edoardo Mortara won in the same race in 2017 in the Mercedes-AMG GT3. The 2016 ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24-hour race was completed by the Mercedes-AMG GT3 with an incomparable quadruple victory. Since 2018, alongside the GT3 racing cars, the near-production Mercedes-AMG GT4 customer sport racing cars have been used. With over 130 wins and more than 40 titles, the past year was the most successful season of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing to date.

In every win and in every championship, there is the desire for competition – this is the theme for 125 years of motorsport with Mercedes-Benz.

Contacts:

Frank Mühling, +49 176 3095 1412, frank.muehling@daimler.com
Ralph Wagenknecht, +49 160 865 8077, ralph.wagenknecht@daimler.com
Julia Höfel, +49 151 5861 0215, julia.hoefel@daimler.com
Enquiries by email to classic@mercedes-benz.com or online at www.mercedes-benz.com/classic
High-resolution photographs and more press releases: https://media.daimler.com/go/classic
Current video and photographic material: https://mercedes-benz-archive.com/marsMuseum
Have you heard of our multimedia archive and research system? https://mercedes-benz-publicarchive.com
Further information about Mercedes-Benz is available online: www.media.daimler.com and www.mercedes-benz.com
@MercedesBenzMuseum

Mercedes-Benz Classic: 125 Years of Motorsports with Mercedes-Benz – Newsletter Edition 2

Formula 1 is regarded as the premier class of motorsport. Mercedes-Benz is one of the most successful brands ever in this racing series, most recently in 2018 with the fourth World Championship going to Lewis Hamilton with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport as well as the fifth consecutive constructor’s title and driver’s title. This anniversary newsletter summarizes the history of the involvement.

Stuttgart. On 17 March 2019, the new Formula 1 season kicks off with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport will once again be competing with two cars and drivers ─ Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas ─ to continue an unprecedented series of successes. From 2014 to 2018, the team has won five drivers’ world championships and five constructors’ world championships in a row.

One could say that the will to compete is in the genes of the brand. Daimler engines lay the foundation for success at the world’s first automotive race held from Paris to Rouen in 1894. Other important triumphs soon follow. Even after the turn of the century, predecessor brands Benz and Mercedes and ─ as of 1926 ─ the Mercedes-Benz brand continue to dominate the international racing scene.

The years spanning from 1934 to 1939 are a brilliant epoch in European motorsport while also representing an outstanding era in the motorsport history of Mercedes-Benz as the silver arrows from Stuttgart keep on winning prominent European races. At this time, Mercedes-Benz wins three European Championship titles, which are comparable to today’s Formula 1 World Championship titles. Numerous other racing victories and sensational records are also racked up.

Formula 1 as defined by the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) is first held as an official sporting event in 1950 and continues the tradition of the European Grand Prix Championship. Mercedes-Benz is still busy trying to revitalize its business after the Second World War but follows the events very closely. The brand is looking to regain success in international motorsport as quickly as possible and tests the competitiveness of the pre-war W 154 at two races in Argentina in 1951. Securing two second places, it does quite well, although the fast, yet heavy vehicle is no longer capable of winning in the current racing environment. The Stuttgart-based firm chooses a pragmatic but very successful path toward launching a new beginning as the 300 SL racing sports car (W 194) is developed for the 1952 season based on the new 300 passenger car (W 186). It becomes the dominant vehicle of the season ─ the only one it ever participates in. In 1953, Mercedes-Benz is already focusing entirely on entering Formula 1 as of 1954, when the new regulations stipulating a maximum displacement of 2.5 litres go into force.

The return of the Silver Arrows

The new W 196 R racing car is created for this purpose. And it meets all expectations. In the car’s very first race ─ the French Grand Prix on 4 July 1954 in Rheims ─ Juan Manuel Fangio and Karl Kling take a one-two finish. The winning streak continues, and at the end of this premiere season, Fangio is Formula 1 World Champion.

With the more advanced Grand Prix car and the 300 SLR racer (W 196 S) based on it, the racing division embarks on a “double hunt” in 1955. After all, Mercedes-Benz is looking to repeat its title win in Grand Prix sport as well as score points in the World Sportscar Championship. And the work pays off as Fangio once again becomes Formula 1 World Champion, while Stirling Moss wins the runner-up title. The brand also wins the World Sportscar Championship as well as the European Rally Championship.

At the height of its racing success, Mercedes-Benz withdraws from motorsport at the end of 1955 in order to focus on expanding its range of production cars. Following numerous endurance race and rally wins, the brand does not return to the racetrack until the 1980s, when it hits the tarmac with racing and touring cars. The successes achieved in the World Sportscar Championship, German Touring Car Championship and German Touring Car Masters (DTM) from 1988 to 2018 are nothing short of outstanding.

In 1994, Mercedes-Benz returns to Formula 1 with its Sauber-Mercedes (1994) and McLaren-Mercedes (1995 and later) teams. During this time, Mika Häkkinen wins two (1998 and 1999) and Lewis Hamilton one world championship title (2008). The West-McLaren-Mercedes team also becomes the 1998 Constructors’ Champion. This is supplemented by being runners up ten times.

Embarking on a new era with its own works team

A new era comes into view in 2010, when Mercedes-Benz returns to Formula 1 with its own works team and signs on top driver Michael Schumacher, who is replaced by Lewis Hamilton after his retirement in the 2013 season, as well as Nico Rosberg. In 2008, Hamilton becomes the youngest world champion in Formula 1’s history at just 23 years of age. From 2010 to 2012, he stands centre stage on the podium of a Grand Prix race no fewer than ten times. Nico Rosberg celebrates his first GP victory with a Silver Arrow at the race in Shanghai in 2012 while also claiming the first victory for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport. As the 2013 season draws to a close, the works team second place in the Constructors’ Championship.

The 2014 season marks the beginning of another golden age for the Silver Arrows as the team goes on to win five World Championship one-two victories in a row: from 2014 to 2018, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport is the Formula 1 Constructors’ World Champion. The driver’s titles are won a total of four times by Lewis Hamilton (2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018) and once by Nico Rosberg (2016). This is added to by three runner-up titles in the Drivers’ Championship won by Nico Rosberg (2014 and 2015) and Lewis Hamilton (2016), and a third-place title won by Valtteri Bottas (2017).

With this brilliant record, Mercedes-Benz has become one of the most successful brands in Formula 1. Active involvement in the Formula E racing programme for battery-powered racing cars ─ which is scheduled to begin at the end of 2019 ─ also follows on from this. As such, this marks the beginning of a new era as motorsport forms an essential component of the Mercedes-Benz DNA.

Contacts:

Frank Mühling, +49 176 3095 1412, frank.muehling@daimler.com
Ralph Wagenknecht, +49 160 865 8077, ralph.wagenknecht@daimler.com
Julia Höfel, +49 151 5861 0215, julia.hoefel@daimler.com
Enquiries by email to classic@mercedes-benz.com or online at www.mercedes-benz.com/classic
High-resolution photographs and more press releases: https://media.daimler.com/go/classic
Current video and photographic material: https://mercedes-benz-archive.com/marsMuseum
Have you heard of our multimedia archive and research system? https://mercedes-benz-publicarchive.com
Further information about Mercedes-Benz is available online: www.media.daimler.com and www.mercedes-benz.com
@MercedesBenzMuseum