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Techno Classica 2014: more than 30 racing cars to celebrate 120 years of Mercedes-Benz motor racing history

Cars that were the heroes of magical moments put their stamp on this high-powered, most comprehensive show presentation With more than 30 vehicles, Mercedes-Benz Classic presents motor racing history in all its unique breadth and depth 120 years of Mercedes-Benz motor sport in the focus of the leading international classic motor show 120 years of … Continued

  • Cars that were the heroes of magical moments put their stamp on this high-powered, most comprehensive show presentation
  • With more than 30 vehicles, Mercedes-Benz Classic presents motor racing history in all its unique breadth and depth
  • 120 years of Mercedes-Benz motor sport in the focus of the leading international classic motor show
120 years of Mercedes-Benz motor racing history have produced a timeline of extraordinary victories which since 1894 also stand for outstanding innovations in racing technology. At this year’s Techno Classica show in Essen (26 to 30 March 2014) Mercedes-Benz Classic celebrates this incomparable string of magical moments in engineering history with a presentation encompassing more than 30 racing cars from all periods and disciplines of motor sport. This unique kaleidoscope of motor racing history will be an illustrious highlight of the 26th world show for vintage and classic motor cars. The 4,800 square-metre Mercedes-Benz exhibition stand will be supported by a strong showing of the official German Mercedes-Benz brand clubs. 
The 30-plus vehicles from 120 years of motor sport which Mercedes-Benz Classic is displaying at the 2014 Techno Classica range from the more than 110-year-old Mercedes-Simplex to the Grand Prix racing car of the last season. No classic motor show has ever before seen such an armada of racing cars from Mercedes-Benz brand history. “Techno Classica, as one of the most important venues for historical automotive culture in the entire world, is the befitting setting for this excellent presentation of original competition cars from twelve decades,” emphasises Michael Bock, Head of Mercedes-Benz Classic.

“For us the year 2014 is entirely devoted to the magic moments from 120 years of Mercedes-Benz motor racing history. For Techno Classica, on our architecturally superb stand, we are showing competition vehicles from our own collection covering all eras of our motor sport history. They are the protagonists of a unique – and uniquely diverse – automotive heritage,” says Michael Bock.

Whether Grand Prix races or rallies, sports car races or the DTM, speed records or truck racing: throughout all periods, an extraordinary variety of disciplines feature in the motor sport history of Mercedes-Benz. The vehicle designs, the technical solutions – and the stories behind each of the displayed racers – accordingly run a broad gamut.
Relating these stories will also be the Mercedes-Benz brand ambassadors and experts who are guests on the exhibition stand during the Techno Classica. They include racing drivers Dieter Glemser, Hans Herrmann, Ellen Lohr, Klaus Ludwig, Steve Parrish, Björn Waldegaard, and Karl Wendlinger. The successes they achieved behind the wheel of Mercedes-Benz racing cars are a part of the brand’s unparalleled motor racing heritage.
Grand Prix wins since 1914
As to the Grand Prix cars, the presentation in Essen traces a historical arc that begins with the Mercedes 4.5-litre Grand Prix racing car of 1914. Exactly 100 years ago, Mercedes achieved a spectacular sweep of the first three places with this car in the 1914 French Grand Prix in Lyon. Via the legendary Silver Arrows W 25, W 125, W 154, and W 165 of the 1930s and their successor, the W 196 R model of 1954 and 1955, the exhibition takes viewers to the car that won the Indianapolis 500 for the Penske-Mercedes team in 1994. Finally, the new Silver Arrows of the Formula 1 from McLaren Mercedes and Mercedes-AMG Petronas carry the fascinating glimpse of the premier league of motor racing further to the racing events of the very recent past.
The racing and touring sports cars take visitors to the Mercedes-Benz exhibition stand all the way back to the beginnings of the Mercedes brand: The Mercedes-Simplex of 1902 stands for the brilliant successes with which Mercedes already put its stamp on racing in the very early days. The Benz brand, still a competitor of the Stuttgart-based company in those days, is represented by a 1910 “Prinz Heinrich” special touring car. The equally glorious period following the merger between Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and Benz & Cie. is represented by the SSK. It is a member of the family of supercharged touring sports cars which dominated motor sport in the 1920s and early 1930s, and had the honour of being nicknamed “White Elephants” by enthusiastic spectators. The 300 SL (W 194, 1952) and 300 SLR (W 196 S, 1955) models tell the story of the extremely successful re-entry into motor racing after the Second World War. The Group C Sauber Mercedes C 9 racing sports car (1989) and the Mercedes-Benz CLK-LM (1998) continue the story, the latest chapter of which are the racing successes scored by customers with the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3.
Continual success in the DTM
Mercedes-Benz has written a special chapter in touring car racing with its DTM involvement since the late 1980s. Six racing touring cars in all, from the 190 E 2.3-16 (1988) through the CLK-DTM (2001) to the DTM cars of the C-Class, stand for the equally successful and continuous involvement of the Stuttgart-based brand in the German Touring Car Championship (1988 to 1996) and the German Touring Car Masters since that series was established in the year 2000.
The gallery of rally cars shows that Mercedes-Benz is successful not only on racing circuits, but in off-road competition as well. Along with the near-series Mercedes-Benz 300 SE (W 112), which scored major international wins for the Stuttgart-based brand in the 1960s, this section includes a 280 E (W 123) from 1977 and a 450 SLC (C 107) from 1978. The successes in the renowned Paris–Dakar Rally are recalled by a Mercedes-Benz 280 GE (overall winner in 1983) and a Unimog U 400.
More than classic racing cars
The unique heritage from 120 years of Mercedes-Benz motor racing not only includes victories in classic races and rallies. The Stuttgart-based brand is also a great performer in special racing disciplines such as truck racing. A Mercedes-Benz racing truck with its heavyweight presence at the exhibition brings that message home. And the fact that perfect organisation in a racing department goes a long way to ensuring victory is shown by the “Blue Miracle” racing car transporter, which was built as a one-off in 1954 and served to carry the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows at high speed between the factory and racetracks during the 1955 season. Speed in entirely different dimensions is exemplified by a record-breaking car configured on the basis of the W 25 Grand Prix car in the mid-1930s. A Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG configured as an official Formula 1 Safety Car is a reminder of the traditional role which cars from Mercedes-Benz play in ensuring safety on racing circuits throughout the world.
Excellent setting for an outstanding show
The unique motor sport tradition of the world’s oldest car manufacturer finds an outstanding forum at the 2014 Techno Classica 2014. The trade show in Essen sets international standards for classic automotive culture. This is evidenced by the fact that more than 1,250 exhibitors from 30 nations offer everything one might be looking for in the area of vintage and classic motor cars and modern classics. More than 2,500 collector vehicles from various eras will be offered for sale at Techno Classica. But the show also covers the complete range of topics in the area of restoration, replacement parts, and service.
There will be more than 220 clubs and interest groups in attendance as well. Their activities make the Techno Classica the biggest club meeting of the classic car and young classic scene. The official Mercedes-Benz brand clubs will be out in force as well, presenting themselves close to the Mercedes-Benz Classic stand in hall 1 – once again setting a genuine highlight at Techno Classica 2014. “Good partnership with the officially recognised brand clubs is a special concern of ours”, says Michael Bock, “because at Techno Classica we jointly convey the unique fascination of the brand history of Mercedes-Benz.”
The 26th Techno Classica begins on 26 March 2014 with a preview, press and trade visitors’ day. From 27 through 30 March, the 20 halls and 3 outdoor exhibition areas of Messe Essen are then open to all comers. The organisers expect that this year’s show will beat the 2013 attendance figure of 190,000 guests.
The vehicles from Mercedes-Benz Classic
at Techno Classica 2014
Mercedes-Simplex 40 hp racing car (1902)
The 29 kW (40 hp) Mercedes-Simplex 40 hp of 1902 was an advanced version of the first Mercedes – the 35-hp Mercedes that caused a huge stir during the Nice Racing Week of 1901 – featuring numerous innovations. In addition to the enlargement of the displacement to more than 6.5 litres, the technical highlights included encapsulated camshafts as well as the enclosed engine compartment, which, in conjunction with a flywheel designed to function as a fan and the improved honeycomb radiator, allowed a further reduction in coolant volume. Like its predecessor, the Mercedes-Simplex was extraordinarily successful during the Nice Week: Briton E.T. Stead won the Nice–La Turbie race in a new record time.
Technical data of the Mercedes-Simplex 40 hp racing car
Period of use:
1902
Period of use:
4/in-line
Displacement:
6,562 cubic centimetres
Output:
29 kW (40 hp)
29 kW (40 hp)
112 km/h
Benz Prinz Heinrich special touring car (1910)
The Benz Prinz Heinrich car of 1910 was a powerful special touring car entered by the Mannheim brand in the third Prinz Heinrich Rally. Inaugurated by the brother of German Emperor Wilhelm II and held for the first time in 1908, in 1910 this touring car competition traced a route of nearly 2,000 kilometres from Berlin to Bad Homburg via Kassel, Nuremberg, Strasbourg, and Metz. To this extremely popular motor racing event Benz & Cie sent ten fully redesigned, regulation-compliant four-seater racing touring cars featuring a propeller shaft drive and aerodynamically enhanced body with a characteristic, pointed rear end. The large-displacement four-cylinder engines – 5.7-litre and 7.3-litre variants found use – were equipped with power and efficiency boosting four-valve-per-cylinder technology. The best Benz touring car was driven by Fritz Erle, who finished in 5th place. Just three weeks later the car successfully competed in the Russian Czar Nicholas Touring Trial over a 3,000-kilometre route from St. Petersburg via Kiev and Moscow back to St. Petersburg.
Technical data of the Benz Prinz Heinrich special touring car
Year built:
1910
Cylinders:
4/in-line
Displacement:
5,715 cubic centimetres
Output:
59 kW (80 hp)
Top speed:
126 km/h
Mercedes Grand Prix racing car (1914)
On 4 July 1914, Mercedes celebrated a triumphant one-two-three victory in the French Grand Prix by Christian Lautenschlager, Louis Wagner and Otto Salzer. The vehicle entered by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft in the race on the 37.6-kilometre circuit south of Lyon was its newly developed Grand Prix racing car. Some 20 laps over the tricky course, or a good 750 kilometres, were the order of the day, and Mercedes was up against apparently almost unassailable competition – above all from Peugeot and Delage from France, Sunbeam from England and Fiat from Italy. Theodor Pilette and Max Sailer were forced to retire with technical problems, but Christian Lautenschlager, Louis Wagner and Otto Salzer took the remaining cars on to finish the race at the front of the field after more than seven hours: the first one-two-three victory in the history of motor sport had been achieved. As the regulations for the first time limited engine displacement to 4.5 litres, Mercedes developed an entirely new four-cylinder engine with an overhead camshaft and two inlet and two exhaust valves per cylinder – the first use of a four-valve-per-cylinder design in a Mercedes engine. The racing engine delivered a peak output of 78 kW (106 hp) at a – quite literally – revolutionary 3,100 rpm.
Technical data of the Mercedes Grand Prix racing car
Period of use:
1914-1924
Cylinders:
4/in-line
Displacement:
4,483 cubic centimetres
Output:
78 kW (106 hp)
Top speed:
180 km/h
Mercedes-Benz SSK 27/170/225 hp (W 06, 1928)
The SSK (model series W 06) is the most exclusive and fascinating of the six-cylinder supercharged sports cars belonging to the Mercedes-Benz S-Series. The model designation stands for “super-sports-short” (in German), alluding to both the car’s particularly sporty character and its shortened wheelbase. In the summer of 1928, works racing driver Rudolf Caracciola won the Gabelbach, Schauinsland and Mont Ventoux races in the brand-new SSK at the first attempt. In 1930 and 1931, he won the European Hillclimbing Championship at the wheel of the SSK. The lighter and yet more powerful version from 1931, which was also known as the SSKL (German abbreviation for “super-sports-short-light”), also scored some spectacular victories, one of the most outstanding being in the legendary 1,000-mile “Mille Miglia” race: The arduous road race from Brescia to Rome and back was won by Rudolf Caracciola driving an SSKL in April 1931. He thus became the first non-Italian driver ever to win the race.
Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz SSK (W 06, road version)
Production period:
1928-1930
Cylinders:
6/in-line
Displacement:
7,065 cubic centimetres
Output:
125 kW (170 hp), with supercharger 165 kW (225 hp)
Top speed:
192 km/h
Mercedes-Benz 750-kg W 25 racing car (1934)
The W 25 was the first Mercedes-Benz racing car for the new Grand Prix formula valid from 1934. This formula prescribed a maximum weight of 750 kilograms for the vehicle (without service fluids and tyres) – this way the organisers wanted to limit the power output of the racing cars and thus the top speeds that were possible. The designers at Mercedes-Benz opted for a classic vehicle architecture: the front engine drives the rear wheels via a transmission on the rear axle. The in-line eight-cylinder engine originally had a displacement of 3.4 litres and featured supercharging, which had fully proven its worth in racing. Painted in the German racing livery colour, white, the W 25 weighed in at Nürburgring one kilogram over the limit, just a day before its first deployment in the International Eifel race. The legend holds that the mechanics scraped the paint off, allowing the racer to shine in the silver colour of its unpainted bodywork. With Manfred von Brauchitsch at the wheel it won the race, founding the unique success story of the Silver Arrows. The W 25 raced between 1934 and 1936 and was continuously further developed and enhanced during this time. In 1935, it helped Rudolf Caracciola to win the title in the European Championship, and two Grand Prix victories in 1936: in Tunis (Algeria) and Monte Carlo (Monaco).
Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz 750-kg W 25 racing car
Period of use:
1934-1936
Cylinders:
8/in-line
Displacement:
3,360 to 4,740 cubic centimetres
Output:
260 kW (354 hp) to 363 kW (494 hp)
Top speed:
approx. 300 km/h
Mercedes-Benz 12-cylinder record car W 25 (1936)
In addition to the Grand Prix races, Mercedes-Benz used the Silver Arrows for speed records. After the first record runs of the W 25 in late 1934, in 1936 a completely new record car was created. It was equipped with a V12 engine with a displacement of 5.7 litres which was ineligible for use in Grand Prix races because of the weight limitations imposed by the rules. It delivered an output around 60 kW (82 hp) higher than the Grand Prix racing car straight-eight cylinder engine. Just as important for the record runs: the entirely redesigned fully streamlined body, developed in the wind tunnel. In October and November 1936, the vehicle was driven on the Frankfurt–Darmstadt motorway. On 26 October, Rudolf Caracciola set three international records in the “B” class (5 to 8 litres displacement) over a 1-kilometre run, a 1-mile run and a 5-mile run, each time with a flying start. He reached a top speed of 372.1 km/h. On 11 November, the record runs were resumed. Caracciola set two new class records for the 5-mile and the 10-kilometre runs. Topping off the record breaking attempts was a world record over 10 miles with a flying start: in it Caracciola reached a speed of 333.5 km/h as the average between two runs in both directions.
Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz 12-cylinder record car W 25
Period of use:
1936
Cylinders:
V12
Displacement:
5,577 cubic centimetres
Output:
435 kW (616 hp)
Top speed:
372 km/h
Mercedes-Benz 750-kg W 125 racing car (1937)
As it became increasingly clear that despite two Grand Prix victories, the W 25 was no longer competitive in the 1936 season, Rudolf Uhlenhaut came to the racing department as technical manager and immediately formed a team to begin the development of a fundamentally new racing car. This was an unusual step to take, since the days of the 750-kg formula were numbered and an entirely new regulation based on engine displacement was already due to be in place in 1938. After thoroughly testing the W 25 under racing conditions, Uhlenhaut chose a revolutionary chassis design principle for its successor, the W 125, one with soft spring characteristics and powerful damping. The engine also underwent thorough further development. After increasing the displacement to 5.7 litres, the in-line eight-cylinder with supercharger delivered up to 435 kW (592 hp), or around 73 kW (99 hp) more than the previous year’s model. This is an output that Grand Prix racing cars would only reach again in the late 1980s. The top speed of the W 125 was around 320 km/h. The three cooling vents in its front section give the W 125 an unmistakeable look. The new Silver Arrow started off by winning the very first race it entered, the Tripoli Grand Prix (Libya), piloted by Hermann Lang. With no less than seven victories, nine 2nd and six 3rd places it dominated the 1937 racing season, and Rudolf Caracciola went on to win the Grand Prix European Championship for the second time.
Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz 750-kg W 125 racing car
Period of use:
1937
Cylinders:
8/in-line
Displacement:
5,663 cubic centimetres
Output:
435 kW (592 hp)
Top speed:
320 km/h
Mercedes-Benz 3-litre racing car W 154 (1939)
The W 154 was Mercedes-Benz’s answer to the new regulations that came into force for Grand Prix races in 1938. The decisive technical factor was the displacement, which was now limited: naturally-aspirated engines were allowed to have a maximum displacement of 4.5 litres, while for supercharged engines the displacement was limited to 3 litres. The displacement limitation was because the International Motor Sports Association wanted to reduce engine output and thus the speed of the racers. For the new racing car, Mercedes-Benz once again relied on proven supercharging technology and developed a V12 engine that delivered 333 kW (453 hp) at 8,000 rpm. Despite the almost halved displacement the W 154 was hardly less swift than its predecessor. It dominated the 1938 racing season and helped Rudolf Caracciola to obtain his third European championship title driving a Mercedes-Benz. For the 1939 season, the W 154 was thoroughly redesigned. It was given an even more powerful engine, a lower front section and a modified tank that made a more balanced weight distribution possible throughout the entire race. In 1939, the W 154 thus continued the success story of the Silver Arrows that started in 1934: After the last race of the season, two days after the start of the Second World War, the success story of the W 154 included five victories, three 2nd places and three 3rd places in 1939 alone. With his four victories, Hermann Lang was the most successful driver of the season, while the fifth victory was thanks to three-times European champion Rudolf Caracciola.
Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix racing car W 154
Period of use:
1938-1939
Cylinders:
V12, with two single-stage superchargers
Displacement:
2,963 cubic centimetres
Output:
344 kW (468 hp)
Top speed:
approx. 300 km/h
Mercedes-Benz 1.5-litre racing car W 165 (1939)
The W 165 racing car with its 1.5-litre V8 engine was developed by Mercedes-Benz for a single race – the Tripoli Grand Prix in Mellaha (Libya), then a part of Italy, in 1939. The reason was the decision taken by the organisers to hold the race in the Italian colony only for vehicles of the so-called Voiturette formula with 1.5-litre engine. The intention behind this decision was to sideline the German competitors, because neither Mercedes-Benz (Tripoli winner in 1935, 1937 and 1938) nor Auto Union (winner in 1936) could present a racing car for this class. However, the racing department in Stuttgart accepted the challenge and in less than eight months built an entirely new “monoposto” for the 1.5-litre formula. In many design details this W 165 was based on the then current 3-litre W 154 Grand Prix car. The mechanically supercharged V8 engine with a displacement of 1,493 cubic centimetres delivered 187 kW (254 hp) at 8,000 rpm, and reached a top speed of 272 km/h. The efforts of the developers in Rudolf Uhlenhaut’s team proved successful: The two cars that started in the race in Tripoli on 7 May 1939 against an overwhelming number of competitors – 28 red-painted voiturette Alfa Romeo and Maserati racing cars – achieved a triumphant double victory. Hermann Lang won the spectacular desert race for the third time, incumbent European Champion Rudolf Caracciola finished second, while the fastest Italian car Alfa Romeo piloted by Emilio Villoresi crossed the line third, a good 4 minutes later.
Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz 1.5-litre racing car W 165
Period of use:
1939
Cylinders:
V8
Displacement:
1,493 cubic centimetres
Output:
187 kW (254 hp)
Top speed:
272 km/h
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL racing sports car (W 194, 1952)
When Mercedes-Benz planned to return to motor racing after the Second World War, this comeback was initially only contemplated for sports car races. The reason was that a new set of rules was to come into effect for Formula 1 in 1954, and before then limited resources prevented the development of a Grand Prix vehicle according to the previous formula. The new 300 SL racing sports car (W 194) made use of many existing components: axles, transmission, and the basic engine were taken from the Mercedes-Benz 300 (W 186) prestige saloon. Entirely new was an extremely lightweight yet highly torsionally rigid spaceframe, clad in an elegantly curved, streamlined bodywork made from aluminium-magnesium sheet metal. Since the spaceframe extends quite far up the sides, the W 194 could not be equipped with conventional doors  – this is how the racing sports car got its characteristic gullwing doors, hinged at the roof. The car is powered by an M 194 125 kW (170 hp) in-line six-cylinder engine with a displacement of 2,996 cubic centimetres. The great successes it enjoyed included its triple victory in the Berne Grand Prix in Switzerland, the spectacular double victories in the 24-hour race of Le Mans (France) and in the Carrera Panamericana in Mexico, as well as the quadruple victory at the “Nürburgring Jubilee Grand Prix for sports cars”, in which an open-top version of the 300 SL was entered.
Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL racing sports car (W 194)
Period of use:
1952
Cylinders:
6/in-line
Displacement:
2,996 cubic centimetres
Output:
125 kW (170 hp)
Top speed:
240 km/h
Mercedes-Benz 2.5-litre streamlined racing car W 196 R (1955)
In 1954, Mercedes-Benz returned to Grand Prix with a completely newly developed racing car. The W 196 R complied with all the conditions of the new Grand Prix formula of the CSI (Commission Sportive Internationale): 750 cubic centimetres displacement with supercharger or 2,500 cubic centimetres without, no restrictions on fuel composition. From its 2,496 cubic centimetres displacement the W 196 R delivered 188 kW (256 hp) at 8,260 rpm in 1954 and 213 kW (290 hp) at 8,500 rpm in 1955. For 1954, a streamlined version was initially built because the opening race in Reims (France) allowed very high speeds. After this a second variant with exposed wheels followed. The spaceframe of the W 196 R was light and sturdy; the chassis had a torsion-rod suspension and a new single-joint swing rear axle as well as turbo-cooled Duplex drum brakes. For its power plant the engineers chose an eight-cylinder in-line engine with direct injection and desmodromic (positively opened and closed) springless valves, which make high engine speeds above 8,000 rpm possible. In the opening race, the French Grand Prix on 4 July 1954, Juan Manuel Fangio and Karl Kling drove W 196 R streamlined racing cars to a double victory. Fangio finished the season as World Champion. With a further improved version of the streamlined car he won the Italian Grand Prix in 1955 and by the end of the season he was again World Champion.
Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz 2.5-litre streamlined racing car W 196 R
Period of use:
1954-1955
Cylinders:
8/in-line
Displacement:
2,497 cubic centimetres
Output:
188 kW (256 hp) to 213 kW (290 hp)
Top speed:
more than 300 km/h
Mercedes-Benz 2.5-litre racing car W 196 R with exposed wheels (1955)
In most of the Formula 1 races of 1954 and 1955, it was not the streamlined car that was driven, but the classic monoposto with exposed wheels. This variant is significantly better suited to racetracks with numerous bends, because it allows the driver to take the measure of bends much better. Like the streamlined car, the classic version started with flying colours, winning the very first competition it entered, the European Grand Prix at Nürburgring. The victor was Juan Manuel Fangio, who had already won the opening race in Reims and – with a 4th place in the British Grand Prix – learned that the streamlined car’s capability of handling very winding racetracks was limited. The W 196 R was re-worked for its second season: The straight intake manifold, which allowed an increase in engine output to 213 kW (290 hp), and the additional dome on the left side of the bonnet became the outward distinctive features of the 1955 version of the vehicle. In addition, Mercedes-Benz deployed the W 196 R with different wheelbases, and the arrangement of the drum brakes was varied. The result was a superior racing car that also dominated the 1955 season, and helped Juan Manuel Fangio to win his second World Champion title with Mercedes-Benz.
Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz 2.5-litre racing car W 196 R with exposed wheels
Period of use:
1954-1955
Cylinders:
8/in-line
Displacement:
2,497 cubic centimetres
Output:
188 kW (256 hp) to 213 kW (290 hp)
Top speed:
up to 300 km/h
Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR racing sports car (W 196 S, 1955)
With the 300 SLR (W 196 S) Mercedes-Benz won the Sports Car World Championship in 1955. The vehicle is basically a type W 196 R Formula 1 racing car with a two-seater sports car body. The main technical difference is to be found in the engine: The racing sports car, not being bound by the Formula 1 regulations limiting the engine’s displacement, is powered by a three-litre version of the eight cylinder in-line engine and features cylinder blocks made not from steel, but from light-alloy. Apart from this the 300 SLR is not powered by special methanol-based racing fuel but by premium petrol. Its output, 222 kW (302 hp), and its durability and reliability made the 300 SLR far superior to its competitors of 1955, a fact it went on to prove with its double victories at the Mille Miglia, in the Eifel race, the Swedish Grand Prix, and the Targa Florio (Sicily). At the 1955 Mille Miglia, Stirling Moss and his co-driver Denis Jenkinson (start number 722) came in first with the average speed, unequalled to this day, of 157.65 km/h. The track record of this sports car remains unique: the W 196 S won every single race the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR entered and finished.
Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR racing sports car (W 196 S)
Period of use:
1955
Cylinders:
8/in-line
Displacement:
2,982 cubic centimetres
Output:
222 kW (302 hp)
Top speed:
over 300 km/h
Mercedes-Benz “Blue Miracle” high-speed racing car transporter (1955)
Not only the Silver Arrows caused a sensation in 1955. In the “baggage train” of the Mercedes-Benz racing department, one of the vehicles used to transport the Silver Arrows also did: the high-speed racing car transporter, built as a one-off in 1954 on the basis of a 300 S, served in 1955 to carry out special high-speed transport assignments between racetrack and factory. For example, it found use when one of the racing cars had to be modified at the last moment, or when one of the Silver Arrows had an accident and needed to be repaired as quickly as possible by the time of the next race. In such cases the fast blue truck sprinted across Europe with its silver cargo riding piggyback. This racy utility vehicle with sports car genes was dubbed the “Blue Miracle”. The chassis of the 300 S carries a cab which is placed far forward; its flowing lines were partly created using parts from the 180 “Ponton” model. From the cab to the fully panelled rear end the racing car transporter appears to be all of one piece – the usual separation between cab and load area is hardly noticeable. The fast car transporter is powered by the 3-litre six-cylinder direct-injection engine that also drives the 300 SL sports cars. Following its active period of use, the original of this transporter was used for road tests and finally scrapped in 1967. In 2001, Mercedes-Benz Classic presented the racing car transporter, which had been recreated in seven years of work, as an authentic one-of-a-kind replica.
Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz high-speed racing car transporter
Period of use:
1955
Cylinders:
6/in-line
Displacement:
2,982 cubic centimetres
Output:
141 kW (192 hp)
Top speed:
170 km/h
Mercedes-Benz 300 SE rally car (W 112, 1963)
As a rally car the Mercedes-Benz 300 SE dominated the long-distance competitions from Argentina to Europe in 1963 and 1964. Like all Mercedes-Benz cars used in rallies in this era, the large “Tailfin” saloons were very closely based on the respective series production vehicles. Daimler-Benz AG highlighted this fact at the time as a selling point for the series production models. The saloons did undergo modifications, however, according to their intended form of use: measures here included reinforcing chassis elements, enlargement of the fuel tank and adaptation of the engine characteristics, for example with a different fuel injection system or by lowering the compression ratio in the interests of a longer engine life. The transmission and final-drive ratios were also varied.
Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SE rally car (W 112)
Period of use:
1963-1964
Cylinders:
6/in-line
Displacement:
2,996 cubic centimetres
Output:
143 kW (195 hp)
Top speed:
over 200 km/h
Mercedes-Benz 280 E rally car (W 123, 1977)
In the late 1970s, Mercedes-Benz again became involved in rally racing, on which the Stuttgart brand had left a deep imprint in the first half of the 1960s. It began with the factory providing support for W 123 model series cars competing in the London–Sydney and South America marathon races. As in the decade before, the saloons used for the rally were based to a large extent on the production models. Successes in races made this a strong selling point. In all, six 280 E saloons took the start in 1977 in what was then the longest motor rally in history, taking the contestants a distance of 30,000 kilometres across three continents. Among other things the cars had reinforced chassis, larger fuel tanks, engines that were adapted to the fuels that could be supplied along the route, optimised S-Class transmissions, modified final-drive ratios, and weight-reducing elements. The London–Sydney Rally ended in a one-two win for Mercedes-Benz.
Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz 280 E rally car (W 123)
Period of use:
1977-1978
Cylinders:
6/in-line
Displacement:
2,746 cubic centimetres
Output:
151 kW (205 hp)
Top speed:
200 km/h
Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC rally car (C 107, 1978)
Following the overwhelming victory in the London–Sydney Rally in 1977, Mercedes-Benz continued to focus in the year after on participating in particularly demanding long-distance competitions. For the nearly 29,000 kilometre long South America rally (Rallye Vuelta a la América del Sud) in 1978, exclusive Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC Coupé models were readied in addition to the proven saloons of the 123 model series. As the rally rules precluded changes to the engine, transmission and body, the competing cars were for the greatest part equivalent to the production versions. Only auxiliary headlamps and raised bodies provided an external indication that these were competition vehicles. The rally ended with Mercedes-Benz holding the first five positions. The 450 SLC took 1st, 2nd and 4th places, while the Mercedes-Benz 280 E finished 3rd and 5th.
Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC rally car
Period of use:
1978
Cylinders:
V8
Displacement:
4,520 cubic centimetres
Output:
165 kW (225 hp)
Top speed:
approx. 220 km/h
Mercedes-Benz 280 GE rally car (1983)
Sporting achievements enhanced the image of the robust Mercedes-Benz cross-country vehicle. For instance in 1982, driving a 280 GE, Jacky Ickx and Claude Brasseur took 2nd place in the Paris–Dakar Rally while Jean-Pierre Jaussaud, also piloting a 280 GE, came in 3rd. A year later, Ickx/Brasseur won the rally. The body of their 280 GE was optimised in the wind tunnel. It was also lighter than the regular production vehicle thanks to several aluminium parts. Under the bonnet an engine uprated to 170 kW (230 hp) delivered the power. The years that followed repeatedly brought the cross-country vehicle new sporting successes.
Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz 280 GE rally car
Period of use:
from 1982
Cylinders:
6/in-line
Displacement:
2,746 cubic centimetres
Output:
170 kW (230 hp)
Top speed:
158 km/h (series-production version)
Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 racing touring car, Group A (W 201, 1988)
Following initial DTM successes by private teams with the 190 E 2.3-16, Mercedes-Benz officially took part in touring car racing as a manufacturer beginning in the 1988 season. The teams supported by the company competed in the DTM with the Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 racing touring car configured according to the Group A race rules. The four-valve engine M 102 was derived from the engine of the production car, though in the racing version it developed around 221 kW (300 hp) at 9,000 rpm. In 1988 and 1989, the Mercedes-Benz teams competed with the 190 E 2.3-16, but it was already replaced in the 1989 season by its successor, the 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution, in the DTM.
Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz racing touring car 190 E 2.3-16 (W 201)
Period of use:
1988-1989
Cylinders:
4/in-line
Displacement:
2,299 cubic centimetres
Output:
221 kW (300 hp)
Top speed:
über 260 km/h
Sauber-Mercedes Group C racing sports car C 9 (1989)
The late 1980s and the 1990s marked the return of Mercedes-Benz to the racetrack: the first vehicles to sport the three-pointed star were Group C racing sports cars. The 530 kW (720 hp) Sauber-Mercedes C 9 used since 1987 also underwent visual modification for the 1989 season: the hitherto virtually all-black livery gave way to a silver paint finish, clearly identifying the cars as Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows. Between 1989 and 1990, the new racing cars brought home 16 victories from a total of 18 races. These included the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which took place on 10 and 11 June 1989, in which the Mercedes-Benz drivers Jochen Mass/Manuel Reuter/Stanley Dickens, and Mauro Baldi/Kenny Acheson/Gianfranco Brancatelli secured a double victory with Silver Arrows in their C 9 guise – 37 years after that outstanding win with the first Silver Arrow of the post-war period, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL racing sports car (W 194). Up until 1988, the M 117 engine from the previous C 8 model was used in the C 9; as of the 1989 season, the new four-valve engine M 119 did service in the racing car. Both engines were souped up developments of production car engines of the type used in the S-Class and in the SL.
Technical data of the Sauber-Mercedes Group C racing sports car C 9
Period of use:
1989-1990
Cylinders:
V8
Displacement:
4,973 cubic centimetres
Output:
530 kW (720 hp)
Top speed:
400 km/h
Penske-Mercedes PC 23 IndyCar (1994)
In 1994, the Penske-Mercedes PC 23 won the legendary Indianapolis 500 (Indy 500), in the oval racetrack. The last time a Mercedes racing car had won this prestigious race was in 1915, when Ralph de Palma took the honours in a Mercedes 4.5-litre Grand Prix racing car of 1914. The winning car of 1994 was equipped with the 754 kW (1,026 hp) Mercedes-Benz 500I V8 engine developed by the British engine makers Ilmor, one of the original companies that formed the racing engine manufacturer of today, Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains. Of all-new design, the turbocharged eight-cylinder engine, whose valves were controlled via pushrods by a camshaft in the engine block, capitalised on a gap in the rules: engines employing this antiquated design principle were allowed operation with higher charging pressures. This gave the Penske-Mercedes team an output advantage of some 147 kW (200 hp) over the competition. Al Unser jr. won the 1994 Indianapolis 500 posting an average speed of 258.9 km/h in the PC 23, which weighed in at a light 703 kilograms. Following this spectacular win, the rules were promptly changed, and the Indy 500 of 1994 remained the only occasion on which the V8 engine was used in a race.
Technical data of the Penske-Mercedes PC 23 IndyCar
Period of use:
1994
Cylinders:
V8
Displacement:
3,429 cubic centimetres
Output:
754 kW (1.026 hp)
Top speed:
412 km/h
AMG Mercedes C-Class racing touring car (W 202, 1994)
In 1994, Mercedes-Benz competed in the DTM with a new racing touring car based on the W 202 C-Class Saloon. However it was thoroughbred racing technology that lay concealed beneath the vehicle’s bodyshell: as the power unit the AMG engineers opted for a V6 engine derived from the 4.2-litre V8 of the M 119 series. The result was the M 106 engine, which featured a likewise newly developed crankshaft and was able to comply with the displacement limit of 2,500 cubic centimetres prescribed by the Class 1 rules. Capable of engine speeds up to 13,000 rpm, the engine transferred its power via a transmission with sequential gearshifting. It was with this powerpack from the 202 model series that Klaus Ludwig became German Touring Car Champion in 1994, with Bernd Schneider capturing the title in the 1995 season.
Technical data of the AMG Mercedes C-Class racing touring car (W 202)
Period of use:
1994-1996
Cylinders:
V6
Displacement:
2,499 cubic centimetres
Output:
324 kW (440 hp)
Top speed:
300 km/h
Mercedes-Benz 1834 S race truck (1996)
The 1834 S racing truck belongs to the second generation of Mercedes-Benz vehicles used for truck racing. From 1994 to 1996 it was the most successful vehicle of its type in the European championships. Steve Parrish, who had already captured the title in the elite class “C” in 1990, 1992 and 1993 driving the previous model, the 1450 S, won two more European championships for Super Race Trucks (1994 and 1996) in an 1834 S. In 1995, he was runner-up, and Slim Borgudd – likewise piloting an 1834 S – captured the title. Truck racing as a sport developed in the 1980s in France and soon became a popular motor racing discipline – with an official European championship being held starting in 1989. The engine and cab (protective cage, bucket seats and sports steering wheel) of the Mercedes-Benz racing trucks developed for truck racing were optimised for sports use. The V6 engine of the 1834 S, featuring high-pressure fuel injection as well as two turbochargers with a high-pressure compressor and charge air cooler, has engine electronics with an Electronic Diesel Control that prevents exceeding the permissible top speed of 160 km/h. In the period of active participation from 1989 to 2001, with eight driver’s titles Mercedes-Benz was the most successful brand in the European Truck Racing Championship.
Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz 1834 S race truck
Period of use:
1994-1997
Cylinders:
V6
Displacement:
11,946 cubic centimetres
Output:
1.100 kW (1.496 hp)
Top speed:
160 km/h (limited)

McLaren Mercedes MP4-12 Formula 1 racing car (1997)

Four years after Mercedes-Benz re-entered Formula 1 (initially in partnership with Sauber, from 1995 on together with McLaren), a Silver Arrow finally joined the starting lineup in a race in 1997: the McLaren Mercedes MP4-12 Formula 1 racing car was painted mainly in silver, white and black after the main sponsor was changed. This was reminiscent of the legendary silver colour of the Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix racing cars of the 1930s and 1950s. Driving the McLaren Mercedes MP4-12, David Coulthard won the Grand Prix races in Melbourne (Australia) and Monza (Italy); Mika Häkkinen crossed the finishing line in first place at the European Grand Prix in Jerez (Spain). The vehicle’s design was influenced among other things by the new safety standards in Formula 1. The body and engine were continually further developed in the course of the season.
Technical data of the McLaren Mercedes MP4-12 Formula 1 racing car
Period of use:
1997
Cylinders:
V10
Displacement:
2,998 cubic centimetres
Output:
566 kW (770 hp)
Top speed:
343 km/h
McLaren Mercedes MP4/13 Formula 1 racing car (1998)
With the McLaren Mercedes MP4-13, McLaren-Mercedes managed to win both championships in the 1998 season: Mika Häkkinen won the drivers’ championship, the McLaren-Mercedes team the constructors’ championship. While the basic concept of the MP4-13 world championship car was derived from the MP4-12 model of the previous year, substantial modifications were made in many details – also in order to comply with the changes to the regulations for the 1998 racing season. For example, track width and overall width of the vehicle were reduced by 20 centimetres, while the wheelbase was slightly longer. The monocoque gave the driver more room, and the aerodynamics were greatly modified. Characteristic of the MP4-13, which was again powered by a 3-litre V10 engine, is the low nose ending just above the front wing.
Technical data of the McLaren Mercedes MP4-13 Formula 1 racing car
Period of use:
1998
Cylinders:
V10
Displacement:
2,998 cubic centimetres
Output:
574 kW (780 hp)
Top speed:
352 km/h
Mercedes-Benz CLK-LM racing touring car (C 298, 1998)
In the 1997 season, Mercedes-Benz in cooperation with AMG entered GT racing and competed in the FIA GT championship. The CLK-GTR developed for this purpose was the first production racing car from Mercedes-Benz with a mid-engine. Externally the vehicle was inspired by the CLK Coupé of the C 208 model series, but it featured advanced racing technology and its V12 engine developed around 441 kW (600 hp) with a displacement of six litres. Bernd Schneider won the driver’s title of the 1997 FIA GT championship in the CLK-GTR, while the brand championship went to AMG-Mercedes. From June in the following year, the further developed CLK-LM equipped with a V8 engine entered the lists. The CLK-LM won every championship race in which it competed, and by season’s end Klaus Ludwig and Ricardo Zonta had captured the driver’s title, while AMG-Mercedes again won the manufacturer’s title.
Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz CLK-LM racing touring car (C 298)
Period of use:
1998
Cylinders:
V8
Displacement:
4,986 cubic centimetres
Output:
about 441 kW (600 hp)
Top speed:
360 km/h
Mercedes-Benz CLK-DTM racing touring car (C 208, 2001)
Following the championship win in 2000 – the first season of the new German Touring Car Masters (DTM) – in the 2001 season a more advanced variant of the CLK-DTM saw service. It differed in many small details from its successful predecessor: the flared rear wings were shaped differently, and there were visible changes to the wheel arch ventilation and the front apron. The further developed engine had new intake ducts. Output and engine speed of the 4-litre V8 engine were limited by two air restrictors – one for each cylinder bank of the V-engine – as specified by the regulations. Two races before the season finale, Bernd Schneider secured the title of DTM champion, making him the first driver in DTM history to successfully defend his title.
Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz CLK-DTM racing touring car (C 208)
Period of use:
2000-2001
Cylinders:
V8
Displacement:
4,000 cubic centimetres
Output:
331 kW (450 hp)
Top speed:
275 km/h
AMG Mercedes C-Class racing touring car (W 203, 2005)
When the new DTM with the title “German Touring Car Masters” came into being in the 2000 season, the teams initially competed with silhouette cars based on two-door coupés. Four-door saloons were used again from 2004, and the AMG-Mercedes C-Class racing touring car based on the W 203 model series entered the lists. The racing car featured a structural spaceframe with a steel roof and side walls incorporating the driver’s safety cell. The outer skin and detachable parts were of lightweight, highly resistant carbon-fibre reinforced plastic. The new racing touring car was powered by the V8 engine that had already proven its worth since 2000 in the DTM car based on the CLK. The C-Class racing touring car was improved further for the 2005 season, including a reduction in overall weight by 30 kilograms and an increase in both body length and wheelbase. It was with this car that Gary Paffett won the DTM driver’s title in 2005, and in the year after, Bernd Schneider became five-time German Touring Car Champion.
Technical data of the AMG Mercedes C-Class racing touring car (W 203)
Period of use:
2004-2007
Cylinders:
V8
Displacement:
4,000 cubic centimetres
Output:
346 kW (470 hp)
Top speed:
280 km/h
Mercedes-Benz Unimog U 400 Paris–Dakar (2006)
The Unimog U 400 saw action in the 2006 Paris–Dakar Rally as a service truck. Configured for racing by the Mercedes-Benz Gaggenau plant, it served the team of racing driver Ellen Lohr as a service vehicle and also competed in the service truck category. The Unimog retired on the 15th stage after salvaging a competitor, a truck that had met with an accident, which caused the Unimog to exceed the time limit for the stage. The U 400 reached Dakar, the destination of the rally, after 16 days and 9,000 kilometres in all. The entire vehicle fleet of the Kwikpower Mercedes-Benz team thus arrived safely in the Senegalese capital. The 4th Paris–Dakar Rally in 1982 ended with a spectacular success for the Unimog: in the truck competition a team driving a U 1700 L was the winner, with a U 1300 L as runner-up. Three years later a Unimog, this time a U 1300 L, again took 1st place in the truck competition.
Technical data
Period of use:
2006
Cylinders:
6/in-line
Displacement:
6,374 cubic centimetres
Output:
205 kW (279 hp)
Top speed:
150 km/h
McLaren Mercedes MP4-23 Formula 1 racing car (2008)
After just missing out on the drivers’ world championship in 2007, Lewis Hamilton won his first Formula 1 championship in the McLaren Mercedes MP4-23 with an overtaking manœuvre on the last bend in the last race of the 2008 season. Standardised engine control units were used for the first time in this season, and 5.75 per cent ethanol was admixed to the fuel. The designers extended the wheelbase and gave the racing car its characteristic front wing, which curved downwards in the middle. The result was a well-rounded vehicle in which Lewis Hamilton started from the pole position in eight races and won five of them.
Technical data of the McLaren Mercedes MP4-23 Formula 1 racing car
Period of use:
2008
Cylinders:
V8
Displacement:
2,398 cubic centimetres
Output:
610 kW (830 hp)
Top speed:
340 km/h
AMG Mercedes C-Class racing touring car (W 204, 2010)
In 2007, Mercedes-Benz presented the corresponding racing touring car for the DTM together with the new 204 model series C-Class. Even though there were no changes to the DTM race rules versus the 2006 season, the development effort for the new DTM car was very substantial. The vehicle was continually further improved in the ensuing years, however the close constraints of the race rules only allowed detailed refinements. In the 2010 season too, Mercedes-Benz competed with cars that were technically substantially the same as in the previous year. However in that season, in achieving the first three places in the driver rating headed by Gary Paffett, Mercedes-Benz showed that the highly precise coordination of even the finest parameters is decisive for success.
Technical data of the AMG Mercedes C-Class racing touring car (W 204)
Period of use:
2007-2011
Cylinders:
V8
Displacement:
4,000 cubic centimetres
Output:
368 kW (500 hp)
Top speed:
over 280 km/h
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG – Official F1 Safety Car (C 197, 2010)
The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG has been serving as official Formula 1 Safety Car since the 2010 season. The sports car thus carries on an uninterrupted tradition inaugurated in 1996. The originally used C 36 AMG was followed by many other AMG models starting in 1997. The Safety Car, driven since the year 2000 by Mercedes-Benz racing driver Bernd Mayländer, is used by the race stewards whenever poor weather or unusual incidents endanger the safe progress of a race. The Safety Car then places itself at the head of the field and must set a fast pace for the racing cars: too low a speed could lead to overheating of the sensitive high-tech engines of the F1 racers, while the tyres would cool and lose grip. Fast lap times with speeds up to 280 km/h are therefore routine for the Safety Cars, which are usually driven at the limit. For communication with the race stewards, the Safety Car features sophisticated equipment including two-way radio and several TV cameras mounted inside and outside. An independent electric circuit with a second alternator and battery is provided to operate the extensive additional equipment. Chassis, engine and transmission of the high-performance sports car are much the same as in the series; the Safety Car is distinguished chiefly by the light bar on the roof and strobe lights at the front and rear.
Technical Data of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG – Official F1 Safety Car (C 197)
Period of use:
since 2010
Cylinders:
V8
Displacement:
6,208 cubic centimetres
Output:
435 kW (591 hp)
Top speed:
over 320 km/h
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 (C 197, since 2010)
The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 was introduced in autumn 2010 as an exclusive customer sports car for sprint and long-distance races. The racing car was developed according to the GT3 regulations of the FIA (Fedération Internationale de l’Automobile), which require among other things a near-series engine. The 6.2-litre V8 engine of the GT3 is almost the same as that of the series-production car, however owing to its lower weight the race car has even more outstanding acceleration than the production car (3.8-second sprint from 0 to 100 km/h). The V8 engine of the racing car also has dry-sump lubrication in order to ensure reliable lubrication under high lateral acceleration such as occurs on racetracks. The SLS AMG GT3 has a six-speed racing transmission with a sequential gearbox, which is operated by the driver using two shift paddles on the steering wheel. From the 2010 season on, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 competed successfully in a variety of races. In 2013 alone, the SLS AMG GT3 scored a total of 38 wins and captured four championships: the Blancpain Endurance Series, the FIA GT Series, the Super Taikyu Series and the Race Trophy Austria.
Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 (C 197)
Period of use:
since 2010
Cylinders:
V8
Displacement:
6,208 cubic centimetres
Output:
420 kW (571 hp)
Top speed:
over 300 km/h (depends on final-drive ratio)

Mercedes AMG F1 W 03 Formula 1 racing car (2012)

When Nico Rosberg won the Chinese Grand Prix in 2012, this marked the first time since 1955 that a Mercedes-Benz works racing driver stood in top place on the winners’ rostrum. In the Mercedes-AMG F1 W 03, the third vehicle of the Formula 1 works team established in 2010, Rosberg came in 7th overall in the 2012 season, and his team-mate Michael Schumacher took 8th place. Made up of 4,500 individual parts, the vehicle with the slim, tapering front end was lighter and more balanced than its predecessor from the previous year, the Mercedes MGP W 02; the wheelbase of the 4.80 metre long racing car was longer than that of the W 02.
Technical data of the Mercedes AMG F1 W 03 Formula 1 racing car
Period of use:
2012
Cylinders:
V8
Displacement:
2,400 cubic centimetres

Mercedes AMG F1 W 04 Formula 1 racing car (2013)

The Mercedes AMG F1 W 04 was the fourth Grand Prix racer of the Mercedes Formula 1 works team established in 2010. Nico Rosberg and the new works driver Lewis Hamilton – world champion in a McLaren-Mercedes in 2008 – scored three racing victories and took nine spots on the podium in all. The W 04 represents an intelligent further development of the basic Mercedes-AMG design of the 2012 season. Conspicuous exterior features of the new racing car were the five-part front wing and a departure from the heavily stepped nose of the W 03. This was the last car in which the FO 108 V8 engine model was used – from the 2014 season onwards a power unit featuring hybrid technology is compulsory in Formula 1. In addition to the electric drive component, it comprises a V6 engine with a displacement of 1.6 litres.
Technical data of the Mercedes AMG F1 W 04 Formula 1 racing car
Period of use:
2013
Cylinders:
V8
Displacement:
2,400 cubic centimetres

DTM Mercedes AMG C-Class Coupé racing touring car (C 204, 2014)

In the 2014 DTM season Mercedes-Benz is competing with a further developed version of the DTM Mercedes-AMG C-Coupé that premiered in competition in 2012. The familiar silhouette of the C 204 model series C-Class Coupé conceals the high technology of the C-Class racing touring car. The competition car with powerful V8 engine plus driver weighs only 1,100 kilograms. Compared with the previously used Mercedes-AMG touring car based on the C-Class Saloon, the design of the DTM car includes a further improved carbon-fibre monocoque with a high-strength steel roll cage and several crash structures. After notching up three wins in 2012 and two in the 2013 season, 2014 marks the third year in which the Stuttgart brand will compete with the two-door C-Class Coupé in the German Touring Car Masters.
Technical data of the DTM Mercedes AMG C-Class Coupé racing touring car (C 204)
Period of use:
since 2012
Cylinders:
V8
Displacement:
4,000 cubic centimetres
Output:
around 368 kW (500 hp)

The Mercedes-Benz Classic brand ambassadors at Techno Classica 2014

Dieter Glemser

Born 28 June 1938 in Kirchheim/Teck, Germany
His career in the fast lane kicked off in the 1960 Schorndorf Hill-Climb Race. Numerous class victories duly ensued in various hill-climb and circuit races at Nürburgring. After joining the Mercedes-Benz team in 1963 and taking to the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz 220 SE, he notched up a final win in the Polish rally and came 2nd in the German rally (including a class victory) and in the Argentinian Road Grand Prix. In the following year, he was involved in the triple victory by Eugen Böhringer/Klaus Kaiser, Dieter Glemser/Martin Braungart, and Ewy Rosqvist/Eva-Maria Falk in the Argentinian Road Grand Prix. With Ford, Dieter Glemser claimed a European Championship title for touring cars in 1971, a win in the Spa-Francorchamps 24-Hour Race and the German Racing Championship (DRM) in 1973 and 1974. He ended his active racing career in November 1974 after a serious crash resulting from tyre damage in the touring car race in Macao (South-East China). Dieter Glemser was a member of the Mercedes-Benz motor sport team for ten years from 1990, responsible for organisational matters as head of department. From 2001 to 2008, he worked as a freelancer for Mercedes-AMG and the parent company in Stuttgart in the area of sports and safety training as well as Classic events, in which he still is active today.
Hans Herrmann

Born 23 February 1928 in Stuttgart, Germany
Following his motorsport debut, 25-year-old Hans Herrmann was engaged by Mercedes-Benz racing manager Alfred Neubauer for the 1954 season with the Daimler-Benz AG works team. In the Swiss Grand Prix on 22 August 1954, Herrmann took third place. The Avus race on 19 September 1954 ended in a one-two-three victory for the Mercedes-Benz drivers in their W 196 R “Streamliner” vehicles, in the finishing order Karl Kling, Juan Manuel Fangio, Hans Herrmann. In the 1955 racing season, Herrmann competed in eight sports car races and ten Formula 1 races. At the Monaco Grand Prix he stood in for Kling and was badly injured in an accident. Despite making a full recovery Herrmann never raced for Mercedes-Benz again, owing to the company’s withdrawal from motor sport in October 1955. This marked the end of Herrmann’s time with Mercedes-Benz. In the years that followed, he would go on to compete once again in motor sport and sports car racing. After driving in Formula 2 and Formula 1, he ended his racing career in 1970, steering a Porsche to victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Even to this day, Herrmann is regularly to be found taking the wheel for Mercedes-Benz at classic events.
Ellen Lohr

Born 12 April 1965 in Mönchengladbach, Germany
Ellen Lohr came to motor sport from the kart racing scene, where she was active from 1979 to 1983. Her greatest successes were participation in the Junior Kart World Championships and a 1st place in the north-west German kart championships. After competing in the German Formula Ford 1600 series (German lady champion in 1987), and first participating in the DTM (BMW) and German Formula 3 Championships with VW in 1989/90, she was engaged for the German Touring Car Championships by the AMG-Mercedes team. For the 1995 season she moved to the Mercedes-Zakspeed team, and in 1996 drove for the AMG-Mercedes team Persson MS. Ellen Lohr is the only woman to date to have achieved a DTM victory, which she won in May 1992 at the motor racing festival in Hockenheim with an AMG-Mercedes 2.5-16 Evolution II. In 1997, she competed in the European Truck Racing Championships, driving a Mercedes-Benz racing truck. Subsequently Ellen Lohr was active in numerous other race series, including the Paris-Dakar Rally from 2005 and back in truck racing from 2012.
Klaus Ludwig

Born 5 October 1949 in Bonn, Germany
Honoured with the title of “King Ludwig” by his fans, the outstanding racing driver and three-time DTM Champion Klaus Ludwig began his motor racing career in the early 1970s, with slalom races, orientation rallies and touring car racing. His first major successes included the German Motor Racing Championship (DRM) title in 1979 and 1981, and victories in the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1979, 1984, and 1985. Ludwig came to the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) in 1985, where he first competed for Ford and won his first title in 1988. In 1989, he moved to the AMG-Mercedes team, for which he achieved two championship titles (1992 and 1994, vice-champion in 1991) with a total of 19 race victories in the years up to 1994. In 1995 and 1996, he competed in the ITC (International Touring Car Championship) for Opel Team Rosberg. He subsequently returned to AMG-Mercedes, winning the driver and team trophy in the International FIA GT Championship with Ricardo Zonta in 1998. He then announced his official retirement from motor sport, but in 2000 he once again competed in the new German Touring Car Masters (DTM), ending the season and his motor racing career with third place in the overall rating in a Mercedes-Benz CLK-DTM.
Steve Parrish

Born 24 February 1953 near Cambridge, England
Steve Parrish began his motor racing career on a motorcycle: in 1976, he won the ACU Solo class of the British Motor Cycle Championship; in 1978, he was British champion in the 500 cubic centimetre class. Parrish withdrew from motorcycle racing in 1986 to go in for truck racing. He won his first champion’s title in 1987 driving a Mercedes-Benz race truck in the British Open Truck Racing Championships. In 1990, the Englishman captured both the British and the European championships. He became European champion again in 1992-1994 and 1996, and was vice-champion in 1995. Parrish is regarded as truck racing’s most successful driver ever. In 2002, he concluded his active career and since then has worked among other things as a radio commentator and test driver.
Björn Waldegaard

Born 12 November 1943 in Rolshagen, Sweden
Waldegaard senior was an enthusiastic rally driver and supported his son’s career. Waldegaard junior’s first rally car was a VW Beetle, and he scored his first international win in 1968 in a Porsche 911 T in the Sweden Rally. He won this rally three times in all, as he did the Safari Rally in Africa. Two wins in the Monte Carlo Rally and, as climax, the 1979 world champion’s title complete Waldegaard’s track record. For Mercedes-Benz, in 1980, Waldegaard drove a 500 SLC rally car to victory in the gruelling Bandama Rally, which he had finished as runner-up a year earlier.
Karl Wendlinger

Born 20 December 1968 in Kufstein, Austria
Karl Wendlinger’s motor sport career began in go-karting at the age of 14. In 1989, he won the German Formula 3 Championship. In the years 1990 to 1991, the Austrian was a member of the Mercedes Junior Team, along with Michael Schumacher and Heinz-Harald Frentzen, and competed in the sports car world championship. In 1991, he moved on to Formula 1. From 1994 Wendlinger drove for the Sauber-Mercedes team together with Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Racing assignments in the DTM, the Formula 3000 and the Le Mans 24-Hour Race followed. His most outstanding successes on the racetrack include winning the FIA GT Championship (1999), 1st place in the 24-hour Le Mans race in the GTS Class (in the same year), overall victory in the 24-hour Daytona race in 2000 and a 2nd-place finish in the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring (2003). From 2004 to 2011, Karl Wendlinger competed for various teams in the FIA GT championship; with Jetalliance Racing he finished second overall in 2007.

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