CONTENTS THE TREASURE TROVE 16 The vehicle collection of Mercedes-Benz Classic: 130 years of automobile history in twelve “Holy Halls”
SPACE AND TIME 22 Series production models up to 1945: From the “horseless carriage” to the supercharged sports cars. • Benz Patent Motor Car • Mercedes-Simplex 40 HP • Benz Spider • Mercedes-Knight 16/40 HP • Mercedes-Benz Super-Sport • Mercedes-Benz 8/38 HP Stuttgart 200 • Mercedes-Benz 770 “Grand Mercedes” • Mercedes-Benz 130 • Mercedes-Benz 500 K/540 K Special Roadster, Touring Car, Cabriolet B and Streamliner
38 40 44 46 48 54 56 60 64
THE SILVER COLLECTION 72 Racing and record-breaking cars: From the first Grand Prix cars to the Formula 1 championship car of 2018. • Benz “Prince Heinrich” Special Touring Car • Mercedes Grand Prix racing car • Mercedes-Benz W 25 Formula racing car • Mercedes-Benz Record-breakers W 25, W 125 and T 80 • Mercedes-Benz 300 SL • Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Formula One racing car • Sauber-Mercedes C 9 • Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 and 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II • McLaren-Mercedes MP 4-13 • Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 W09 EQ Power+
90 94 100 106 114 120 128 130 134 136
ROLLING RESERVE
138
Series production models from 1945: From the first convertible of post-war production to the twin headlamp design. • Mercedes-Benz 170 S Cabriolet B • Mercedes-Benz 300 “Popemobile” • Mercedes-Benz 190 SL • Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Landaulet • Mercedes-Benz 220 SE Coupé • Mercedes-Benz 500 SL • Mercedes-Benz 230 E • Mercedes-Benz 190 E 1.8 “Avantgarde Rosso” • Mercedes-Benz E-Class and SLK 200
162 166 170 172 178 182 184 186 190
SHOOTING STARS 194 Prototypes and rarities: From one-offs for motor racing to the self-driving S-Class. • Mercedes-Benz 150 Sport Roadster • Mercedes-Benz 300 SL W 194/11 and 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé • Mercedes-Benz Project SLX • Mercedes-Benz C 111-II to -IV • Mercedes-Benz 190 E “Compact Car” and Cabriolet • Mercedes-Benz A 190Twin and F-Cell • Mercedes-Benz S 500 Intelligent Drive
206 210 216 220 224 226 230
SHOW-TIME 232 More than 1,000 times each year, Mercedes-Benz sends its collection vehicles to major classic events or veteran car rallies.
CREDITS AND LITERATURE
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MOVING MOMENTS In secret places like this, Mercedes-Benz preserves its models for posterity. These are the treasure troves of the car brand – the “Holy Halls�. Here, more than 1,000 vehicles make the well-secured storage facilities truly moving places to be.
THE “VOLKSWAGEN” WITH A STAR Mercedes-Benz 130 of 1934: This model was the Mercedes-Benz answer to the demand for a people’s car – and the brand’s first large-scale production car with a rear engine.
T
he situation was dire. One year after the “Black Friday” of October 1929 that ushered in the Great Depression, the German automobile industry was heading for one of its most severe crises. Sales collapsed, and a good twenty percent of new car production remained unsold. Driving a car became more of a luxury than ever. By mid-1931 almost one in three car owners had deregistered their vehicles because they could no longer afford the upkeep. In that year the German car manufacturers only produced a total of around 62,500 vehicles, more than 43 percent fewer than in 1928. The poor economic climate in the industry was also reflected in the reaction of the German Automobile Industry Association, which cancelled the Berlin Automobile and Motorcycle Exhibition planned for spring 1932. Daimler-Benz was especially affected by this sales crisis, as it was above all large, expensive sports and luxury cars that stood in the parking lots. The Board of Management referred to the situation as “continuing impoverishment”, and recognised that “buying interest has moved more strongly towards vehicles in the medium and cheaper price category”. A rethink was therefore required. There had long been plans for a “cheaper and smaller car” in the 1.3-litre class, but nobody thought that the subject would become such a top priority so quickly. Spring 1931: The W 17 prototype was built under the aegis of Chief Engineer Hans Nibel – a car that had never been seen before at Mercedes-Benz: the power unit – a horizontally opposed engine – was not installed in the front but in the rear, and for the first time the chassis was not a heavy ladder-type frame, but a much lighter tubular
“backbone” chassis with cross struts to carry the engine and swing axles. With it came a completely new appearance, without the typical Mercedes radiator. A radical break with the corporate style. The verdict of the Board of Management was correspondingly negative: too primitive, too uncomfortable, not a Mercedes, they thundered, and withheld production approval. Instead all hopes rested on the new 170 model, which Nibel had meanwhile brought to production maturity. This was the smallest Mercedes-Benz to date, a four-door car with time-honoured specifications, with a six-cylinder engine, swing axles and modern hydraulic brakes at a price of 4,300 reichsmarks. In the meantime, however, the political scene in Germany had changed radically. The Nazi regime had risen to power, and its “Führer” Adolf Hitler had identified the problems of the car industry as a topic for his propaganda. “Motoring is necessary” was the emphatic motto of the automobile show in 1933, where Hitler demanded the “motorisation of Germany” and promised car-buyers lower prices, tax concessions and better roads. Daimler-Benz chairman Wilhelm Kissel had an inkling of what lay in store for the company. “The situation has arisen in which our plans for a 1.3-litre car may take on greater importance,” he declared during a meeting with senior managers. Kissel thought that “there is a tendency towards a small, more economical and less expensive car”, and clearly already had the NS-regime’s plans for mass motorisation in mind. In June 1933, when the term “Volkswagen” (People’s Car) was to be heard increasingly often in government circles, Kissel’s mind was made up: “The 1.3-litre has to come.”
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It was with these prototypes that development of the first Mercedes-Benz with a rear-mounted engine began in 1931, appearing as the 130 model in 1934.
So earlier plans were put back on the table – apart from the W 17, an experimental prototype with a three-cylinder diesel engine at the rear had been built – improved and refined, and the end result was a new model of production maturity which Daimler-Benz presented in March at the Berlin Motor Show: the 130 model. With a newly developed 26 hp (19 kW) four-cylinder inline engine at the rear, the two-door saloon had a top speed of 92 km/h and was therefore “autobahn-capable”, a criterion frequently cited as a basic precondition for a “Volkswagen”. The backbone chassis and independent wheel suspension also put the Mercedes-Benz ahead of other models in its class. However, the 130 model was not the 1,000 marks car that the Nazi government was demanding. As a two-door saloon it was priced at 3,425 reichsmarks. Nonetheless, Hitler was clearly impressed with the small Mercedes: when he met Ferdinand Porsche at the Hotel Kaiserhof in Berlin in May 1934 and discussed his ideas for the “German people’s car” with him, Hitler grabbed a pencil and sketched such a car as he imagined it. The sketch showed a car that looked almost exactly like the Mercedes-Benz 130. The “Volkswagen” designed by Ferdinand Porsche only entered the market twelve years later.
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POWER FROM THE REAR Despite favourable prices and modern technology, only 4,297 units of the rear-engined 130 model were produced between 1934 and 1936. The Mercedes-Benz Classic collection has both the convertible saloon (photo) and the regular saloon versions.
CLASSICS OF TOMORROW The 129-series SL remained in the Mercedes-Benz model range for twelve years. The vehicle collection has this example from the last series which ended in July 2001.
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SALON AND ANTE-ROOM While the normal version of the Mercedes-Benz 600 (left) measured “only” 5.54 metres in length, the Pullman Landaulet at 6.24 metres did full justice to the title “Grand Mercedes”. While there was certainly no shortage of space in the rear, the personnel in the “ante-room” (top) had little scope to make themselves comfortable.
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AUTOMOBILES AT THEIR FINEST Once a year the most beautiful and interesting models from the history of the automobile assemble for the “Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance”. The 500 K Special Roadster of 1935 has all been a star of this largest beauty competition for classic automobiles.
CREDITS AND LITERATURE
The author and the publisher thank Mercedes-Benz Classic for helpful assistance with research and the photographs in this book. Particular thanks are due to Christian Boucke, Gerhard Heidbrink, Holger Lützenkirchen and Jürgen E. Wittmann. Photos: Daimler AG (with photos by Igor Panitz and Proceda-Studios). Page 58: Getty Images/Bettmann. Page 163: Berlin State Archives/Bert Sass. Page 171: NASA/MSFC. Page 174: Ullstein Bild/Jung. Page 180: Deutsche Bank AG, Historical Institute. Pages 2, 111, 158-159, 170-171, 201: Christof Vieweg. Bibliographical information in the German National Library The German National Library has registered this publication in the German National Bibliography; detailed bibliographical data can be found online at http://dnb.d-nb.de. 1st edition ISBN 978-3-667-11667-3 (book trade edition) ISBN 978-3-667-11802-8 (club edition) © Delius, Klasing & Co. KG, Bielefeld Editing, design and text: Christof Vieweg Historical/publishing consultant: Gerhard Heidbrink Publisher project coordination: Edwin Baaske Lithography: Mohn Media, Güterloh Print and binding: Firmengruppe APPL, aprinta Druck, Wemding Printed in Germany 2019 All rights reserved. Without the express permission of the publisher, the contents of this book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, transmitted or copied, e.g. manually or with the help of electronic or mechanical systems including photocopying, recording and data storage. Delius Klasing Verlag, Siekerwall 21. D-33602 Bielefeld Telephone +49 (0)521/559-0, Telefax +49 (0)521/559-115 Email: info@delius-klasing.de www.delius-klasing.de
Literature Manfred von Brauchitsch: “Ohne Kampf kein Sieg”, Verlag der Nation, Berlin 1966. William A.M. Burden: “Peggy and I”, New York 1982. Rudolf Caracciola und Oskar Weller: „Rennen-Sieg-Rekorde!“, Union Deutsche Verlagsgesellschaft, Stuttgart 1943. Daimler AG (Publisher): “Magical Moments” (5 DVDs), Telepool GmbH, München 2013 “Mercedes-Benz SL”, Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 2016. „Chronicle“, Stuttgart 2011. Paul Frère und Julius Weitmann: “Mercedes-Benz C 111”, Edita-Verlag S.A., Lausanne 1981. Alfred Neubauer und Harvey T. Rowe: “Männer Frauen und Motoren”, Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1970. Max Kruk und Gerold Lingnau: “Daimler-Benz – Das Unternehmen”, Daimler-Benz Edition Hase & Koehler Verlag, Mainz 1986. Karl Ludvigsen: “Mercedes-Benz Renn- und Sportwagen”, Bleicher-Verlag, Gerlingen 1981. Werner Oswald: “Mercedes-Benz Personenwagen”, Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1986. Paul Simsa und Jürgen Lewandowski: “Sterne, Stars und Majestäten”, Verlag Stadler, Konstanz 1997. Louis Sugahara: “Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Race Cars 1934–1955”, Classique Car Library, 2004. Peter Vann (Publisher): “Mythos Mercedes”, Praetor & Rindlisbacher Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Reutlingen 1994. Christof Vieweg: “Mercedes-Benz Traumwagen”, Delius Klasing Verlag, Bielefeld 2009. “Silberpfeile und Siegertypen – Mercedes-Benz Motorsport 1894 bis 1955”, Edition SternZeit, Sipplingen 2015. “Mercedes-Benz – Das Buch”, Edition SternZeit, Sipplingen 2016. “Rekordwagen – Die schnellsten Mercedes-Modelle aller Zeiten”, Edition SternZeit, Sipplingen 2017.