“Timeless – 60 Years of the Mercedes-Benz SL” shows this sports car family for the first time and gathers no gaps, including the racing car 300 SL (W 194), the legendary winning car of the Carrera Panamericana in 1952, the 190 SL (W 121 ) of U.S. astronaut David R. Scott in 1958, the 1963 230 SL (W 113) Liege-Sofia-Liege rally car driven by Eugen Böhringer, the 2001 Formula 1 season Safety Car SL 55 AMG (R 230) and also the newest SL (R 231).

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Pictures: MB Passion

The impressive racing successes of the “gullwing” became the basis for the worldwide fascination for the SL model series from Mercedes-Benz which has continued undiminished to the present day. The trade fair presentation is organised in coordination with Mercedes-Benz France.

“At the Rétromobile in Paris we are showing three original vehicles from our collection, cars that achieved success at Le Mans” says Michael Bock, head of Mercedes-Benz Classic and manager of Mercedes-Benz Museum GmbH. “The race is one of the most gruelling in the world. Winning the race was a great distinction.” Next to an original 1952 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (W 194 series), the brand is showing a 1931model SSK and a Sauber-Mercedes C9 from 1989 at its 400-square metre fair stand in Hall 3.

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Famous vehicles at the Rétromobile
300 SL – that was the designation of the competition vehicle with which in 1952 Mercedes-Benz returned to international motor sports for the first time since WW II. The development of the 300 SL can be traced back to the year 1950: the engineers pushed forward the development of the new racing car, some of whose components came from the Mercedes-Benz 300 representative saloon, the so-called “Adenauer Mercedes”. In June 1951 the Board decided to renew participation in racing sports, starting in 1952, and commissioned the construction of the 300 SL. The letters in its designation stand for “Super Light”.

In 1952 the Hermann Lang/Fritz Rieß team won the 20th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in their Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (W 194 series), ahead of Theo Helfrich and Helmut Niedermayr. The entire 1952 racing season was exceptionally successful for Mercedes-Benz. The other racing results reaped by the 300 SL that year: second and fourth places in the Mille Miglia rally, a triple victory at the Bern Sports Car Grand Prix, a fourfold triumph at the Great Jubilee prize at Nürburgring and a double victory in the third Carrera Panamericana in Mexico. Thus, the brand made its comeback to motor sports – and through the publicity effect generated, to the international markets – with a mighty fanfare.

The 300 SL (W 194 series) on show at the Rétromobile 2012 is an original vehicle with chassis number 06. In all, 10 racing vehicles were made. The first 300 SL, the premiere car from 1952, no longer exists; it remained in company ownership and was eventually scrapped. The second car still exists and was painstakingly restored at the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in Fellbach in 2011. It is the oldest extant SL and, together with two other W 194s, belongs to the Mercedes-Benz Classic collection.

Racing sports as a driving force of innovation
The other Mercedes-Benz vehicles on exhibition at the Rétromobile 2012 underscore the innovation capacity of the brand as well as its competitive zest: the silver-coloured 1989 Sauber-Mercedes C9 was specially developed for the Group C series. Because, after more than 30 years’ abstinence from racing, Mercedes-Benz officially resumed its position at the starting line in 1988. Under the carbon-aramide-fibre reinforced synthetic bodywork, throbbed the heart of the featherweight 870 kilo Sauber-Mercedes C9: a water-cooled V8 engine delivering 720 bhp (520 kW). The 24-hour race that took place at Le Mans on 10-11 June 1989 was won by Mercedes drivers Jochen Mass/Manuel Reuter/Stanley Dickens and Mauro Baldi/Kenny Acheson/Gianfranco Brancatelli with a double victory – 37 years after the first– and until then, only – victory on that legendary racetrack.

The Mercedes-Benz SSK also on show at the Rétromobile 2012 is considered the summit of a six-cylinder series which debuted in the 1920s, in the times of the DMG (Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft or Daimler Engine Company). For many years the S, SS, SSK models and the lightweight variant SSKL dominated international racing – often with Rudolf Caracciola at the wheel. On 13 and 14 June 1931 the duo Boris Iwanowski/Henri Stoffel drove the fastest lap at Le Mans, 7 : 03 minutes (139.2 km/h), going on to reach the second place in the overall result of the 24-hour race.

Source: Daimler AG

Dutch supermodel, Lara Stone plays the update on the Hitchcock blonde, a strong protagonist who overcomes loneliness and fear. This inner strength is underscored by a timeless and elegant dress worn by Lara Stone and designed by Calvin Klein Collection’s Women’s Creative Director, Francisco Costa.

The SL Roadster featured in the latest Mercedes-Benz Icon of Style campaign, combines technical innovation with sleek sportiness and classic luxury and reinterprets the legendary Mercedes-Benz classic of the 1950s for today.

Lara Stone commented, “It’s an honor to work with Mercedes-Benz on a project like this. Both Mercedes-Benz and Calvin Klein Collection brands represent great luxury and timeless elegance and it was a really unique experience.”

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The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Collaboration, Icons of Style, is making its US debut at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2012 from February 9-15, 2012.

The 2012 Icons of Style key visual is the latest in a stunning series of outstanding visuals celebrating the unique combination of design and style that is Mercedes-Benz. Nick Knight has posed Julia Stegner in Gareth Pugh with the SLS AMG; Miles Aldridge photographed Milla Jovovich wearing a spectacular hat from Philip Treacy next to the Mercedes E-Class Convertible; Craig McDean and David James staged Karolina Kurkova next to the new CLS and last season, Terry Richardson captured Jessica Stam on the roof of the A-Class concept car.

The protagonists:
Mercedes-Benz SL Roadster
The designers have presented the most recent generation of SL icons in an unmistakeable way, by combining a deep sense tradition with new perspectives and visions. The result is a stylish, sporty and elegant luxury sport’s car with the classic, SL-typical well-balanced proportions: the long bonnet is followed by a compact passenger compartment and the wide, sleek rear perfects the look. Understated, artistically designed lines define the powerfully modelled yet smooth surfaces ofits silhouette. Finely engineered details from the dynamic, traditional form repertoire of Mercedes-Benz visually underline the legend of the SL. From a technological perspective, the SL presents itself as a spectacular trendsetter. Manufactured almost completely from aluminium, it weighs a lot less than its predecessor. Innovations like the unique FrontBass system, which turns the SL into a concert hall, whether open or closed, or the adaptive MAGIC VISION CONTROL System are all pioneering developments with an eye to the future.

Alex Prager
Self-taught Alex Prager from Los Angeles is a rising star in the photographer sky. On a visit to a William Egglestone exhibition, Alex Prager made the decision to start taking photos herself. Since then, the 32-year-old photographic artist and filmmaker has impressed with her unconventional photography at several solo and group exhibitions. Her productions are inspired by the style of the sixties, as well as by the films by great directors like Alfred Hitchcock, David Lynch and Frederico Fellini. Alex Prager describes her photography as a documentation of a world that at the same time exists and yet does not exist. In addition to her well-received trilogy with the series “Polyester”, “The Big Valley” and “Week-end”, Alex Prager has also made a name for herself as a fashion photographer. Her “Lofty Ambitions” editorial featured in the September issue of US Vogue and she also shot the spring/summer 2011 campaign by Bottega Veneta with Karolina Kurkova.

Lara Stone
The native Dutch model is currently top of the worldwide rankings on Models.com. Since her breakthrough in 2006 she has been the campaign face for top labels like Givenchy, Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss, Max Mara and Versace, has worked with star photographers including Mario Testino, Steven Meisel, Craig McDean, Mario Sorrenti and Terry Richardson and has modelled on the catwalk for all major, international fashion houses. The gap between her two front teeth has become one of her trademark features.

She is currently the face of Calvin Klein and has been linked to the brand for quite some time. French Vogue dedicated a whole issue to Lara Stone in February 2009, and fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld shot a short film with her.

Calvin Klein Collection’s Francisco Costa
Francisco Costa is the critically acclaimed Women’s Creative Director of Calvin Klein Collection. Mr. Costa assumed this role in 2003 after working directly with Calvin Klein and other top design houses of Gucci, Balmain Couture, and Oscar de la Renta. Mr. Costa’s first collection for Calvin Klein Collection debuted for Spring 2004. Known for his timeless, elegant designs, Mr. Costa has received numerous awards for his work, including being twice named the Womenswear Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), and is a recipient of the Cooper-Hewitt National Fashion Design Award. A graduate of F.I.T., Mr. Costa was born into a family with deep roots in fashion, and grew up in the small Brazilian town of Guarani near Rio de Janiero, where his mother and father owned a successful apparel business.

Source: MBUSA

And so consumer electronics and the automobile have become more and more tightly interlinked in recent years, because the objective of the two respective industries was and is the same: independence for the customer. Mercedes-Benz realizes this independence not only through the automobile itself. Rather, innovative telematics and infotainment systems in the vehicle and new mobility concepts afford still greater flexibility and freedom. Mercedes-Benz provides a visionary perspective with the “DICE” (Dynamic & Intuitive Control Experience) sculpture.

“Here at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas there are some people who view the automobile as an accessory to consumer electronics. Conversely, at the auto show in Detroit there are many people who view consumer electronics as mere trimmings for the car. Both points of view miss the point: as much as a smartphone can be far more than just a tool for communication, a smart car can be more than just a means of transportation. Precisely at the interfaces between communication and mobility, vast potential for innovation lies dormant, and we intend to tap it,” says Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars.

Mercedes-Benz satisfies the growing customer need for independence with its telematics strategy @yourCOMAND: the car becomes a mobile communications center that enables driver and passengers to access all modern media and services at any time. Uncoupling from the conventional vehicle development cycles is achieved on the one hand through secure and comfortable integration of the smartphone in the vehicle, and on the other hand through the use of a consistently Cloud-based solution. This ensures that one is always in close touch with the rapid developments in the smartphone and computer world. Mercedes-Benz customers consequently always have access to the latest applications for comprehensive connectivity in their automobiles.

@yourCOMAND builds on four strategic pillars:
- holistic experience,
- natural interaction,
- sensory perfection and
- convenient remote control.

Digital Premium through Augmented Reality
With the DICE (Dynamic & Intuitive Control Experience) sculpture, at the CES Mercedes-Benz provides a vision of the interactive, intuitive and simultaneously safe operating experience in premium automobiles of the future. DICE impressively demonstrates how the vehicle becomes an intelligent mobility partner through bidirectional interaction.

“The intelligent car communicates not only with the driver, but also with other transportation modes and its entire environment in order to be able to assess all relevant information for a trip and make practical use of it immediately,” says Zetsche.

The complete windshield becomes a brilliant head-up display; the dashboard, a display band. Digital information about the actual vehicle surroundings, points of interest, friends, pedestrians and other vehicles is presented there and a natural interaction by means of gestures is made possible. For this Mercedes-Benz uses a combination of Augmented Reality and natural gesture control to realize a completely new, exciting form of communication between people and their environment.

The interactive logic of the novel control concept is very imitative of intuitive human behavior. Along with functional aspects it now also involves emotional and social aspects and so creates a unique operating and driving experience. For example, when one drives past a club, by a simple movement of the hand one can transmit the music playing there by live stream into one’s car. In the same way, local news from social networks, about points of interest, buildings or localities can be retrieved, or news can be left for others.
Vehicles approaching intersections will be virtually superimposed on the windshield to help avoid possibly hazardous situations. To simplify the search for a parking space, mobility concepts like car2go or network information, can be used to proactively identify spaces which will become vacant soon. These are virtually displayed on the windshield, showing the actual environment.

A world first is the context-dependent, place-related presentation of the menu contents “Media”, “Social” and “Places” of the infotainment system as information swarm. Under “Social”, for example, friends from one’s social networks are shown in the 3-D city arranged underneath. The same goes for “Places”, where the personal points of interest like restaurants or movie theaters can be stored. 3-D gestures and the swarm permit dynamic and intuitive control.

“Always on” with COMAND Online
Secure and comfortable internet access in the car already is offered by Mercedes-Benz today in numerous models: the multimedia system COMAND Online was introduced last year in Europe. It offers new functions like the innovative Mercedes-Benz Apps, for example Google Local Search including Google Street View and Panoramio, or Facebook. With mbrace2 in future they are available in the USA as well.

And for a sound experience on the highest level, Mercedes-Benz has introduced the new FrontBass system. The automaker thus revolutionizes the reproduction of bass sounds in the automobile – specifically in open roadsters. The unique FrontBass system which is premiering in the new SL and is being presented at the CES uses cavities in the aluminum bodyshell structures in front of the footwell as resonance volume for the bass loudspeakers. The result: crisp basses make a concert hall atmosphere possible even in an open-top car.

Independent, flexible and spontaneous with car2go
Tremendous technological advances and the stronger interlinkage of consumer electronics and the automobile have also made new mobility concepts possible. In particular, the introduction of mobile internet access exploits independence in the area of mobile services for new mobility concepts like car2go, which meet with correspondingly high demand and extend the urban transportation spectrum.

Thanks to the smartphone, not only is constant access to information of all kinds a reality, but also the possibility of communicating at any time, be it through speech input, email or in social networks. Accordingly, car2go allows customers to get hold of a vehicle at any time, whenever they need it.

The vehicles can be located through the internet, can be rented on the spur of the moment, used as long as one likes, and afterwards simply parked again in any public parking space within the city limits. Urban mobility couldn’t be more spontaneous and flexible today.

car2go already is operating in seven cities worldwide and is scheduled to start in further cities. In North America car2go has taken up service in Austin, the capital of the State of Texas, in Vancouver, Canada, and in San Diego, California – in San Diego with a pure electric fleet consisting of 300 smart fortwo electric drive, making this America’s first and biggest purely electrically operated car sharing fleet.

Always up to date
To make optimum use of consumer electronics’ innovative power and fast time to market for the automobile industry, the company has been cooperating closely with this innovative sector for many years. This is because the market for infotainment and telematics systems is decisively influenced by developments in consumer electronics and the mobile telephony market. In 1995 Mercedes-Benz was thus the first carmaker to set up a research and development facility of its own in Palo Alto, California, and since then has a presence in Silicon Valley in the immediate vicinity of Apple, Google, Facebook, Twitter, Pandora, Yelp, Wikipedia and other important players. The collaboration with these companies is based on short communication channels and distinguished by close cooperation and joint product innovations with big customer benefits. The result, achieved in close cooperation with the Development units in Germany, is custom-tailored infotainment and telematics solutions which are optimally integrated into the overall vehicle design and enable customers to continue their digital lifestyle in the vehicle without interruption.

Source: Daimler AG

For the first time, the all-new SL Roadster is made almost entirely from aluminium and weighs up to 140 kg less than its predecessor thanks to intelligent lightweight design. The result is more agility and dynamic character combined with improved comfort and increased crash safety. The new BlueDIRECT engines are more powerful, yet up to 29 percent more fuel efficient than the engines in the outgoing model. More driving fun with even lower fuel consumption is also on offer from the two new E-Class hybrid models – the E 300 BlueTEC HYBRID is the world’s most fuel-efficient full-size car, consuming just 4.2 litres of diesel per 100 km (109 g CO2/km). The gasoline-powered E 400 HYBRID, which will be launched first in the USA, delivers fuel economy of 27 mpg (combined).

“In 2011 we sold more than 1.36 million cars worldwide – more than ever before. 2012 will see us push forward with our product offensive and repeat two things that worked extremely well last year – we will launch another six new models and we will set the bar even higher by making green cars cooler and cool cars greener,” said Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, at the NAIAS press conference. To back this up, Mercedes-Benz presented the sixth generation SL. Compared with its highly successful predecessor, the new model offers a considerable boost in sporting character and comfort and sets new benchmarks in the luxury roadster class. Plus, it comes with a full serving of everyday usability.

Classic proportions and outstanding aerodynamics
The stylish luxury sports car has classic proportions with a long hood and a compact cockpit set well back. Finely honed details and air vents with chromed fins from the dynamic tradition of Mercedes-Benz Design add visual emphasis to the SL legend.

Dr. Dieter Zetsche: “There are around 900 million cars on this earth and thousands of models. But there is but a handful of automotive icons. Our SL is one of them – it has class, it has style, it is the embodiment of comfort and luxury. But it combines all of that with an unbelievably sporty and dynamic character.”
Moreover, the new SL boasts outstanding aerodynamics. Alongside the lowest drag coefficient (cd = 0.27 in the SL 350), it also offers the lowest level of wind noise – almost on par with a closed saloon – as well as the very best airflow and noise characteristics with the top down.

“The new SL offers everything that defines an absolutely top-class premium roadster,” said Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Mercedes-Benz Cars, Sales and Marketing. “It is two things rolled into one – a dynamic sports roadster and a luxurious coupé. Or, as we say, it is both athlete and connoisseur.”

Mercedes-Benz hybrid offensive with the E-Class
With its two new E-Class hybrid models, Mercedes-Benz is turning a new chapter in the brand’s core segment and thereby setting new benchmarks for full-size business saloons. The E 300 BlueTEC HYBRID, which is available as both a saloon and estate, sets new records with its efficiency. The world’s most fuel-efficient full-size model boasts exceptional fuel consumption figures (4.2 l/100 km) and outstanding performance. The four-cylinder diesel in the E 300 BlueTEC HYBRID delivers 150 kW (204 hp) and generates 500 Nm of torque. The electric motor develops 20 kW and 250 Nm.

The V6 spark-ignition engine in the E 400 HYBRID delivers 225 kW (306 hp) and generates 370 Nm of torque, plus a further 20 kW and 250 Nm from the electric motor. The fuel economy in accordance with American CAFE standards stands at 24 mpg city, 31 mpg highway and 27 mpg combined.

“This modular hybrid technology opens the way for us to add hybrid models to other model ranges in the near future,” said Prof. Dr. Thomas Weber, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development.“With a clear focus on the varying needs of the global markets, we can offer precisely those models that our customers are demanding. Alongside a considerable reduction in fuel consumption, the E‑Class hybrids are very impressive to drive – this is hybrid driving on a premium level.”

The E 300 BlueTEC HYBRID is initially planned for the European market, while the E 400 HYBRID will be launched first on the American market and later offered in further countries such as Japan and China.

Source: Daimler AG

Daimler CEO Dr. Dieter Zetsche presents the 6th Generation of luxury convertible at a Media-Preview in the “The Westin Book Cadillac” Hotel in Detroit.

Pictures: Daimler AG

Concept A-Class
The Mercedes Concept A-Class is the first heartbeat of a new generation whose expressive design stands for concentrated dynamism.

One major characteristic of the new design idiom at Mercedes-Benz is the expressive interplay between lines and surfaces – which the designers refer to as a “clean” Concept. Thanks to concave and convex surfaces with the resulting light modulation, this creates a unique sculpture-like presence. The Concept A‑Class emphatically continues this theme of defined edges and interacting surfaces, which Mercedes-Benz first showed in the F 800 Style.

The new C 63 AMG coupé
The new C 63 AMG Coupé, a stand-alone, high-performance car that appeals to all the senses: unmistakable design is teamed up with a high-performance drive system and dynamic handling.

The new Coupé rounds off the successful C-Class AMG model range, which includes the classic Saloon as well as the practical Estate models. The design of the C 63 AMG Coupé fits seamlessly into the C 63 AMG model family, which includes the classic Saloon as well as the practical Estate. The top-of-the-range AMG model differentiates itself from the Coupé in the C-Class model series through specific modifications to its appearance.

The SLS AMG Roadster
AMG, the high-performance brand within Mercedes-Benz Cars, is presenting a new dream car: the SLS AMG Roadster. Two years after the sensational launch of the gullwing model, the open-top variant of this super sports car is now set to follow.

Perfect proportions and purist lines for an exciting presence: the design of the SLS AMG Roadster stirs the emotions. Whether with the soft top open or closed, the Roadster exudes passionate sportiness and sheer exclusivity. The new super-sports car reinterprets the breathtaking lines of the iconic Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster from the 1950s, and continues the legend of exciting sports cars bearing the Mercedes star.

Finale – F-CELL World Drive reaches Stuttgart after circling the globe
The “Mercedes-Benz F-CELL World Drive” – the first round-the-world drive with fuel-cell vehicles – reaches successfully in Stuttgart.

After more than 30,000 kilometers, three Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL vehicles with zero local emissions drivelines crossed the finish line in front of the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. The hydrogen-powered B-Classes and their support vehicles set off from Stuttgart at the end of January on the occasion of the official 125th birthday of the automobile, and on their way have crossed through 14 countries on four continents.

The new M-Class
The vehicle body design for this third-generation model, with the very typical shape of its C-pillars, is full of character and immediately recognisable as an M-Class. Its styling, high-quality appeal and excellent ease of operation combine to give it a forceful presence.

The interior in particular is even more impressive than in the predecessor models and combines the best of both worlds, boasting a strong off-road heritage at the same time as making its passengers feel as if they are travelling in a luxury premium saloon. Ground aluminium or exquisite woods as well as the finely detailed switches and trim highlights blend with electrifying surfaces and powerful, harmonious lines to create a high-class interior ambience and a tremendous sense of wellbeing.

The new Mercedes-Benz Actros
The main rival to the new Actros is its predecessor, which has set a very high benchmark over the course of 15 years and several stages of development, with more than 700,000 units sold during this time.

The new Actros is following in illustrious footsteps, but its new concept signals a different approach: all versions of the new premium truck are uncompromisingly designed for long-distance transport. Yet for all these superlatives, the most important aspect for those responsible at Mercedes-Benz and for customers is the fact that it has been tested like no other truck generation before it. It is the first all-new truck to have been developed uncompromisingly under the “Trucks you can trust” premise. Among other things, this means that the new Actros has undergone 2600 hours of fine-tuning in the wind tunnel, 50 million kilometres of engine testing on test rigs and in real-life operation, and 20 million kilometres on the road.

Source: Daimler AG

The new-generation C-Class
The new C-Class is a comprehensive modernisation. The front and rear sections of this bestselling model have a more striking design.

Together with the optional high-resolution colour display in the instrument cluster, the new dashboard with its elegant, grained surface and prominent decorative trim emphasises the premium character of the interior. A total of more than 2000 new components distinguish the latest generation of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class from its predecessor.

The new Mercedes-Benz SLK Roadster
With the completely newly developed SLK, one of the most exciting and successful sports cars ever built is entering its third generation. The new roadster uncompromisingly takes driving pleasure and open-air enjoyment to a new level.

It blends light-footed sportiness with stylish comfort, a striking sports-car design with total suitability for everyday use, top performance with exemplary ecology. What’s more, the SLK is proud to present the world premiere of the panoramic vario-roof with MAGIC SKY CONTROL, which switches to light or dark at the touch of a button.

Daimler Celebrates the 125th Anniversary
Exactly 125 years to the day after Carl Benz registered his “vehicle with gas-engine drive” under patent number 37435 with the Berlin Patent Office in 1886, Daimler AG has celebrated the anniversary of the automobile.

Approximately 1,400 invited guests were hosted by the inventor of the automobile at the Mercedes-Benz World in Stuttgart. The evening was moderated by Desirée Nosbusch with guests of honor including the German Federal Chancellor, Dr. Angela Merkel, and the Prime Minister of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, Stefan Mappus. They mixed with international guests from the automotive industry and the fields of politics, business, sports, society and the media, as well as members of Daimler’s Board of Management, Supervisory Board and many Daimler employees.

Around the world in 125 days – Mercedes-Benz F-CELL World Drive
As part of the ceremony to mark the 125th birthday of the invention of the motor car on 29 January in Stuttgart, German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel and Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, fired the symbolic starting shot for the Mercedes-Benz F-CELL World Drive.

Setting out from Stuttgart on 30 January, three Mercedes-Benz B-Class vehicles featuring local zero-emission fuel cell drives are undertaking a 125-day circumnavigation of the world. Travelling across four continents and through 14 countries, the three B-Class F-CELL vehicles will head around the globe once, finishing their “world tour” back in Stuttgart where they started.

The C-Class Coupé
What more dynamic way to celebrate the invention of the automobile? The expressive C-Class Coupé sees Mercedes-Benz, now in its 125th year of corporate history, entering a new market segment and for the first time offering a compact coupé with classic proportions.

From the side, the new coupé beguiles the onlooker with its flat silhouette with powerful shoulders and narrow C-pillar in a classic three-box design. A highlight in the interior is the coupé seats with integral head restraints and single seats in the rear, thereby demonstrating the car’s sporty credentials to the driver. The dashboard reveals a strong, sporty and high-quality design including three tube rings with a galvanised finish. A large section of trim is a high-quality part of the dashboard instrument panel.

Source: Daimler AG

The winter training of Mercedes-Benz Driving Events prepares drivers specifically for the cold time of the year and practices intuitive, skilful reaction at the wheel. With the confidence that comes from being in the hands of experienced instructors, the participants explore their personal limits in the breathtaking winter scenery of Austria or Sweden with the vehicles from the Mercedes-Benz model range.

Here a survey of the various handling safety training and driving events of Mercedes-Benz Driving Events in winter 2012:

• Winter Training: In this two-day course in the Fahrtechnik Zentrum in Saalfelden, Austria, the participants learn in exciting exercises on the ice track (slaloming, braking during cornering, or sudden lane changes) to gain full control of their vehicles in typical hazardous wintertime situations. The drifting exercises convey even more driving pleasure and dynamism.
• Winter Training Perfection: Building on the Winter Training, in the two-day Winter Training Perfection course the participants approach the physical limits of driving. They go through the different drills at much higher speeds. Performing sudden lane changes or emergency braking during cornering again is designed to prepare the drivers for everyday hazards, such as when they encounter obstacles in the roadway or suddenly come upon the end of a tailback. Finally, driving enjoyment is the emphasis on the new 2.5 km handling course on ice: with spiked tyres the participants learn how to keep the car permanently drifting. Venue: the Fahrtechnik Zentrum in Saalfelden, Austria.
• Winter Drift Event: This one-day training course takes place on the ice track of the Fahrtechnik Zentrum in Saalfelden, Austria. With spiked tyres the participants learn how to keep the car permanently drifting.
• On- and Off-road Winter Training: 70% gradient, traversing ice and snow – in the quarry near Kitzbühel the participants in this two-day course learn to properly control a vehicle. The on-road exercises take place in the Fahrtechnik Zentrum in Saalfelden, Austria.
• Professional Driver Winter Training: On the ice track in Saalfelden professional drivers find ideal conditions for practicing the way they handle winter hazards. Emergency braking on road surfaces with patches of differing slipperiness, evasive manoeuvres to avoid hitting suddenly appearing obstacles, and regaining control of skidding vehicles on snow and ice are some of the training exercises, in which the participants simulate as realistically as possible the stress situations occurring in their everyday work. In addition, they can expect to be coached by police psychologists and special trainers with interesting occupation-specific theoretical contents and exercises.
• Winter Driving Event Perfection: During the five-day training event in Sorsele, Sweden, the participants spend more than 26 hours on the training grounds, partly even in individually occupied vehicles and with individual coaching by instructors. The various snow and ice tracks have many new challenges and surprises in store for them. The participants can look forward especially to practice driving in the darkness and the rally test. The driving data is recorded to help improve the participants’ driving skills. The lap timer, for instance, automatically determines the lap times, and instructors and participants jointly analyse the progress by means of in-board cameras.

Further information is available at www.mercedes-benz.de/driving-events and at www.facebook.com/MercedeBenzDrivingEvents

Source: Daimler AG

This meant that smart won the prestigious design contest, which takes place every year within the framework of the Los Angeles Auto Show, for the second year running.

This year’s Los Angeles Design Challenge was not just about developing the Hollywood car of the future, but also about inventing a story worthy of Hollywood. “With the 341 Parkour smart hit the nail on the head: the design combines innovation and functionality with an exciting film plot” is how the jury consisting of multi-discipline design professionals justified their decision.

With the smart 341 Parkour the Mercedes-Benz designers created a revolutionary super all-rounder with a completely transparent passenger cell for maximum all-round visibility. It can drive normally on the roads, climb up the façade of skyscrapers and even fly! This is the vehicle that reporter Annie Angle sets off in to research her first title story which she hopes will kick-start her career. She has read in the newspaper that the incredible “smart Granny Robots” have gone missing and sets off to find them.

For the film story the designers took up the visionary smart concept which won them first place in the Los Angeles Design Challenge last year. Then the smart 454 was knitted from carbon fibre by “smart Granny Robots”.

The film for Mercedes-Benz “Silver Lightning” has been awarded as “Best Animation”.

Source: Daimler AG

Their efforts have borne fruit in the form of three visionary “hero cars” – a Mercedes-Benz and a smart, each perfectly cast in an action thriller, and a Maybach luxury carriage starring in a modern-day fairytale. The futuristic Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow teams up with two crash test dummies to battle it out with the forces of evil. The smart 341 Parkour, which is able to climb sheer faces and take to the air, helps a young reporter to scoop the story of her life. The Maybach Berline brings a touch of magic into the life of a hapless Cinderella.

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Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow and crash test dummies
The designers at the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studio in Carlsbad, California have created a Hollywood-style homage for Mercedes-Benz to 125 years of innovation in automotive technology and design. The leading roles are played by two high-tech characters which have been instrumental in reconciling safety and stylish design in automobiles: the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow cult racing car and crash test dummies.
The film ”Silver Lightning“ is set in the near future, in an age of artificial intelligence. Two crash test dummies by the names of Hans05 and Franz02 take on evil ruler Dr. Crash-Barrier to save their beloved Mercedes Silver Arrow. They engage in an action-packed, nerve-jangling duel with the ruthless battering ram before finally outfoxing him. The Silver Arrow is a low-lying sculpture on wheels. A feat of technical innovation is the diagonal, hubless roller which allows steering in all directions. The futuristic Silver Arrow’s proportions are reminiscent of the legendary sports car from the late 1930s and the Uhlenhaut SLR from the 1950s.

”Annie get the Grannies“ with the smart 341 Parkour
For smart, the designers at the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studio in Sindelfingen have created a revolutionary all-rounder. The smart 341 Parkour is equally at home driving along the road, climbing up the facades of skyscrapers or even taking to the air. The occupant cell is completely transparent and offers the very best all-round visibility – the perfect vehicle for a fast-paced reporter story.

For the plot of the film ”Annie get the Grannies“, the designers have taken the visionary smart concept with which they won the Los Angeles Design Challenge last year as their starting point. Last year, the smart 454 was knitted from carbon fibres by so-called ”smart granny robots“. These high-tech robots equipped with knitting needles have now been revived. On reading in a newspaper that the incredible robots have disappeared, the young reporter Annie Angle from Cantpark City scents the story of her life. Armed with a professional camera, she sets off to investigate in her smart 341 Parkour.

Cinderella and the Maybach Berline
For Maybach, Mercedes-Benz’s interior designers in Sindelfingen have created a modern reinterpretation of the classic ”Berline” a luxury carriage with full suspension from the 17th century, for a remake of the Cinderella fairytale. Hapless Cindy toils day-in, day-out helping her father to develop the Maybach Berline, while her step-sister enjoys the party life. On her birthday her father allows her to travel into town in the prototype of the luxury carriage. She goes to a dance, where she meets an attractive man and loses all sense of time. As she has to be home by midnight, she suddenly dashes off, losing one of her red stilettos in the process. Her dancing partner runs after her with the shoe. Overjoyed, Cindy boards the Maybach Berline and is driven home by a virtual chauffeur.

The Maybach Berline is remote controlled via satellite like a drone, allowing the occupants maximum space and absolute privacy. The chauffeur is based at the Maybach Virtual Chauffeur Center and can be spoken to at any time by means of a glass screen suspended from the roof lining. Every conceivable entertainment feature can also be activated via this screen. Copiously appointed with wood, the interior is designed in the manner of a royal lounge in which the passengers face one another on two comfortable individual seats. Similarly to on a business jet, the passengers board and alight from the vehicle by means of a two-piece swing-wing door with a horizontal split, whereby the lower section folds out to form a step unit. The sides of the carriage have extra-large windows which can be set such that they can only be looked through from inside the vehicle. They can additionally be used as interfaces.

Los Angeles Design Challenge
The Los Angeles Design Challenge is part of the Los Angeles Design Conference, which is to take place from 16 to 17 November 2011 at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The winners of the competition will be announced on 17 November 2011.

Source: Daimler AG

Its participation in this race reflects the commitment of Mercedes-Benz Classic to upholding the traditions of the brand, which itself has a remarkable history in motor racing, and encouraging private drivers to take part in historical motorsport events. Mercedes-Benz Classic is a partner of the FHR race series. The ‘Fintail’ will be driven by British journalist Andrew Frankel and former touring car driver Klaus Ludwig. The vehicle has been built by the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in accordance with the regulations laid down in Appendix K of the international sports regulations of the FIA (Féderation Internationale de l’Automobile).

Founded in 1983, the FHR has been promoting historical motor racing for almost 30 years and has made a significant contribution to boosting the popularity of the current race series with historical competition cars. The FHR, which has been under the auspices of ADAC Nordrhein since 2000, currently has around 600 active members.

Events taking place during the 2011 season include the ‘FHR HTGT for the Dunlop Trophy’ held as a series of sprint races for pre-1971 GT and touring cars, and the ‘Dunlop FHR Long Distance Cup’, a series of long-distance races for pre-1971 GT vehicles and touring cars built before 1976. In addition, there will be two series for formula vehicles.

Through its involvement in this fascinating sport, Mercedes-Benz is not only demonstrating its commitment to the active historical motorsport scene, but is also paying tribute to an exciting chapter in its own history. When the era of Mercedes victories in Formula One World Championships and racing cars ended in 1955, Mercedes-Benz enjoyed great success for a number of years in international long-distance races and rallies. This period was characterised in particular in the early 1960s by the ‘‘Fintail’ saloons with six-cylinder engines (220 SE and 300 SE models), which also served as a model for the new Mercedes-Benz 220 SE.

Typically, there was not much difference technically between competition cars and production models in the 1960s. The usual modifications included reinforcement of chassis elements and body components, a bigger fuel tank and adjustment of the engine characteristics to suit the specific purpose.

The principle of designing a powerful competition car that is closely based on stock technology is one that Mercedes-Benz Classic followed closely when building the 220 SE for the FHR Long Distance Cup. The modifications made to the production vehicle by the specialists at the Classic Center included equipping the interior with a safety cage with a safety quick-release lock for side impact protection elements such as cross door bars and protective side moulding (Fix Opening and Closure Security System, or FO-CS for short). In addition, the tail fin has been fitted with a fire extinguishing system and a 100-litre FT3 safety tank. In future, the car will also boast 5.5 x 15 wheels fitted with 6 x 15 tyres. Naturally, the W 111 also features the same classic light grey paint finish (shade DB 140) as used on vehicles between 1961 and 1964.

Mercedes-Benz 220 SE vehicle data
Engine: six-cylinder (in-line)
Bore x stroke: 80 x 72.8 mm
Cubic capacity: 2195 cc
Output: 120 bhp (88 kW) at 4800 rpm
Maximum torque: 19.3 mkg (189 Nm) at 3900 rpm
Front axle: double wishbone, coil springs, anti-roll bar, telescopic shock absorbers
Power transmission: via propshaft on rear axle
Rear axle: single-joint swing axle with compensating spring, coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers
Brakes: hydraulic braking system with brake booster
Front brakes: disk brakes, diameter: 253 mm
Rear brakes: Duplex drum brakes with turbo-cooled Alfin drums, diameter:
230 mm
Transmission: 4-speed manual transmission with floor shift
Clutch: single-plate dry clutch
Top speed: approx. 170 km/h

Source: Daimler AG

Juan Manuel Fangio was the driver who best embodied the racing outfit’s strength after the Second World War. The Goodwood Revival 2011, near Chichester/West Sussex, in September will be reliving this heyday as it marks the centenary of Fangio’s birth.

The prestigious British festival, held over three days every autumn (16 to 18 September 2011), recreates an epoch that stretched from the 1940s to the 1960s. It offers an exclusive, atmospheric setting for Mercedes-Benz Classic’s tribute to Juan Manuel Fangio (born 24 June 1911, died 17 July 1995), who would have turned 100 this year.

The highlights of the Revival will include demonstration laps by famous racing drivers in the Mercedes-Benz vehicles with which Fangio wrote motor sport history in the 1954 and 1955 seasons. Besides notching up major success in various sports car races, the Argentine became Formula 1 world champion in both those years.

Mercedes-Benz Classic has put together an illustrious field of drivers and vehicles for the event. Among the drivers taking to the classic track, where races were held between 1948 and 1966, will be Juan Manuel Fangio II. The nephew of the legendary world champion will be driving the Mercedes-Benz W 196 R, a Formula 1 racing car with a streamlined body from 1954.

Sir Stirling Moss and Hans Herrmann, team mates of Fangio during the Silver Arrows’ post-war era, will also be remembering the five-time Formula 1 champion, two times on Mercedes-Benz. At the Revival, Moss will take the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR (W 196 S) racing car from 1955. It was in this vehicle that Fangio won the Eifelrennen and the Swedish Grand Prix in 1955 as well as achieving second place in the Mille Miglia (without a co-driver) and in the Tourist Trophy and Targa Florio (both with Karl Kling). Stirling Moss won the 1955 Mille Miglia together with co-driver Denis Jenkinson also in a W 196 S, in a minimum time unbeaten until today.

Herrmann will be driving a 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R with open wheels. In 1954 and 1955, Fangio raced to nine victories in both versions of the W 196 R (including the Grand Prix of Buenos Aires with a three-litre engine), came second twice and took one third place, enabling him to win the world championship in both years.
The Goodwood Revival is the ideal occasion for Mercedes-Benz Classic to commemorate the charismatic driver Fangio. Charles Gordon-Lennox, Earl of March and Kinrara, has been hosting the Goodwood Revival since 1998 – as ‘A time capsule of the golden era of motor racing’. According to British racing legend Sir Stirling Moss: ‘The Revival is an event which is unique in the world.’

The Revival naturally centres on the races, such as the celebrity races featuring well-known racing drivers from various classes of motor sport who will be driving various two- and four-wheeled vehicles. This category is made up of the St Mary’s Trophy, the Royal Automobile Club TT Celebration and the Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy. The sports car races consist of the Whitsun Trophy, the Fordwater Trophy, the Madgwick Cup, the Freddie March Memorial Trophy and the Sussex Trophy. Classic single seaters will line up for the Goodwood Trophy, the Earl of March Trophy, the Chichester Cup, the Richmond Trophy and the Glover Trophy.

An extensive, wide-ranging programme of accompanying events enables visitors to imagine themselves in the 1940s to 1960s. These include classic car auctions and exhibitions, an air show, a supermarket selling products harking back to decades long gone plus a traditional fairground. Race participants and most of the visitors to the Revival dress in period clothing, contributing to the extraordinary atmosphere of the weekend.

Goodwood Revival 2011: Driver Portrayals
Juan Manuel Fangio
born: 24 June 1911
died: 17 July 1995
Juan Manuel Fangio was the most important Mercedes-Benz racing driver in 1954 and 1955. Born in 1911 in Balcarce, the Argentinian’s initial experience of long-distance racing was in his home country and it was not until 1951 that he first sat at the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz grand prix racing car. Yet his success was not confined to Formula 1 (world champion in 1951 and from 1954 to 1957 in succession), for Fangio also helped Mercedes-Benz to win the 1955 World Sportscar Championship, in which, driving a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR, he finished second in the 1955 Mille Miglia behind his team colleague Stirling Moss. The exceptional thing about it was that Fangio drove the 1000 miles without a co-driver. Having ended his racing career, he became president of Mercedes-Benz Argentina S.A. He died in 1995 in Buenos Aires.

Juan Manuel Fangio II
born: 19 September 1956
Juan Manuel Fangio II bears a famous name. The nephew of five- time Formula 1 world champion Juan Manuel Fangio, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday in 2011, he inherited his uncle’s passion for motor sports. Fangio II grew up in close contact with several world-famous motor sports legends. Unlike his uncle, Fangio II spent the majority of his active racing career in North America. His successes included two wins in the 12 Hours of Sebring and victory in the IMSA GT Championship in 1992 and 1993, in the course of which he also set the record of 19 individual victories and won two manufacturers’ titles. In addition, Fangio raced in Formula 3000, the CART Championship and the American Le Mans Series. Juan Manuel Fangio II, whose career as a professional racing driver spanned the years from 1985 to 1997, lives in Balcarce (Argentina), the birthplace of his uncle. In 2011, he drove the Mille Miglia for Mercedes-Benz Classic, in team with Mika Häkkinen and in a type 300 SLR (W 196 S) in which his uncle in 1955 came on second place in that road race.

Hans Herrmann
born: 23 February 1928 in Stuttgart
After his motor sport debut, Mercedes-Benz racing manager Alfred Neubauer brought 25-year-old Hans Herrmann to the works team of Daimler-Benz AG at the start of the 1954 season. Herrmann finished in third place in the Swiss Grand Prix on 22 August 1954. Driving three W 196 Streamline racing cars, the Mercedes drivers finished the Avus race in Berlin on 19 September 1954 with a triple victory in the order Karl Kling, Juan Manuel Fangio, Hans Herrmann. During the 1955 racing season, Herrmann started a total of eight sports car races and ten Formula 1 races. In the Monaco Grand Prix he sat in for Kling and suffered serious injuries in an accident. Despite a full recovery he did not race for Mercedes-Benz again because the company withdrew from motor sport in October 1955. This marked the end of Herrmann’s engagement for Mercedes-Benz. In the following years he returned to racing car and sports car competitions. After racing in Formula 2 and Formula 1 he retired from racing in 1970 with a victory in the 24-hour race of Le Mans driving a Porsche. Herrmann continues to start for Mercedes-Benz in events with historical character to the present day.

Sir Stirling Moss
born: 17 September 1929 in London/England
His racing colleagues liked to refer to Sir Stirling Moss as an exceptional talent. Motor racing seems to have been something he was born with because motor cars accompanied him from his early childhood days through his parents, motor sport enthusiasts and themselves actively engaged in motor sport. At age 19 he won his first race, a few years later he was already racing in Formula 1. In 1955, he joined the Mercedes-Benz team and competed in all important events. Driving a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR (W 196 S) he won the Mille Miglia in May 1955 in a fabulous record time of 10 hours, 7 minutes and 48 seconds, a record no one was ever able to break. He also won the Targa Florio driving the 300 SLR. In July he won the British Grand Prix in Aintree/England, just edging out Juan Manuel Fangio. It was his first Formula 1 victory and it was to remain his only one driving a Silver Arrow because Mercedes-Benz withdrew from motor sport at the end of the season. His string of successes continued in subsequent years, several times missing the world championship title by a hair’s breadth. A severe accident forced him to retire from racing in 1962. He still, however, has a connection with Mercedes-Benz because he repeatedly participates for the brand in classic events. Stirling Moss’s name at the same time stands for a move of the racing industry toward more professionalism: he was the first driver to have his own manager as far back as the early 1950s.

The vehicles from Mercedes-Benz at the Goodwood Revival 2011
Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR (W 196 S), 1955
Mercedes-Benz won the sports car world championship with the 300 SLR in 1955. This sports car is essentially a Formula 1 W 196 racing car provided with a two-seater racing car body – but with a three-litre eight-cylinder in-line engine in light alloy instead of the 2.5-litre Formula 1 engine with steel cylinders. Rated at 300 hp (221 kW), the 300 SLR outperformed its rivals, scooping double victories in the Mille Miglia, the Eifel Race, the Swedish Grand Prix and the Targa Florio. In winning the Mille Miglia, Stirling Moss and co-driver Denis Jenkinson clocked up an average speed of 157.65 km/h (97.96 mph) – a feat that remains unsurpassed to this day. A useful aid in this race was the ‘prayer book’ – a new type of itinerary with crucial notes which Jenkinson drew up to guide driver Moss around the course. Juan Manuel Fangio, competing without a co-driver, came in second. In Sweden and in the 24-hour Le Mans race, the 300 SLRs caused a surprise with the so-called air brake – a panel measuring 0.7 square metres in size which the driver could open up over the rear axle to boost the braking effect. In Le Mans, Mercedes-Benz withdrew the 300 SLR following an accident suffered by Belgian driver Pierre Levegh through no fault of his own while he was in the leading position.

Mercedes-Benz W 196 R, 1954/1955
The Mer­ce­des-Benz W 196 R Formula 1 racing car built for the 1954 season met all the requirements of the new Grand Prix formula defined by the CSI (Commission Spor­tive Inter­na­ti­o­na­le): displacement 750 cc with or 2500 cc without compressor, any fuel composition, racing distance 300 kilometres but at least three hours. The streamlined version was the first to be produced, as the opening race in Reims permitted very high speeds. A variant with free-standing wheels was subsequently produced. For its second season in 1955, this classic grand prix car was also available with shorter wheelbases: in addition to the 2350 millimetre long car from 1954, there were also variants with a wheelbase of 2150 and 2210 millimetres. The shortest variant was ideal for the narrow, winding circuit through Monaco. The space frame was light and robust, the chassis with torsion bar suspension and a new single-joint swing axle at the rear plus giant turbo-cooled duplex disc brakes which were initially fitted in an inside central position was as accomplished as it was unconventional. The car was powered by an eight-cylinder in-line engine (2496 cc) with direct injection and desmodromic (positive-controlled, without valve springs) valves (1954: 256 hp/188 kW at 8260 rpm, 1955: 290 hp/213 kW at 8500 rpm). The engine unit was mounted in the latticework frame at an incline of 53 degrees to the right, in order to lower the centre of gravity and to reduce the size of the frontal area. The top speed was over 300 km/h (186.42 mph).

Source: Daimler AG

Under the motto “Mercedes Next”, the inventor of the automobile is presenting no less than six world premieres in Frankfurt. Every single one of them confirms the innovative power of the brand – in particular, the revolutionary F 125! research vehicle, which offers a glimpse of the zero-emission luxury sedan of tomorrow. Also celebrating world premieres, are the new B-Class, the Concept B-Class E-CELL PLUS – a close-to-production electric concept with very long range – and three roadsters, SLS AMG, SLK 55 AMG and SLK 250 CDI. A further show highlight from Mercedes-Benz is the new M-Class, which is also being seen by the broader public for the first time at the IAA.

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“We have a clear leadership assertion in the premium segment. We will do everything we can to ensure that the decade ahead will be a new Mercedes decade,” says Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars at the start of the world’s largest auto show. Just how well the brand with the three-pointed star is equipped for that is impressively demonstrated in Frankfurt by the inventor of the automobile at the end of the 125th anniversary year.

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Mercedes-Benz F 125! – a glimpse of the S-Class of tomorrow
With the groundbreaking F 125! research vehicle, Mercedes-Benz is delivering its first sustainable IAA accent in keeping with the final highlight of this automotive anniversary year. Reflecting the birthday motto “125! Years of Innovation”, the technology showcase demonstrates the potential of the fuel cell for complete zero-emissions mobility also in large and comfortable luxury sedans. With the F 125!, Mercedes-Benz is systematically implementing its vision of zero-emissions driving, underscoring the potential of H2 as the fuel of the future. The F 125! is driven by an F-CELL plug-in HYBRID, consisting of a further-developed fuel cell and a high-performance lithium-sulfur high-voltage battery. Energy storage is provided by a completely new kind of hydrogen tank that is integrated directly into the bodyshell structure.

1,000 kilometers range, zero emissions
“When it comes to the drive, there is one figure to note – one thousand. That is the distance in kilometers that you can drive on electricity alone without stopping to refuel,” says Dr. Dieter Zetsche. “And with four electric motors close to the wheels and a peak output of 313 hp, there’s no shortage of fun.” Thanks to intelligent lightweight design with a high proportion of carbon-fiber, the four-seater offers refined performance coupled with exceptional comfort. The display, control and communication concepts are also completely new developments. Dr. Dieter Zetsche once more, “You could say that the F 125! is a smartphone you can sit in.”

The new B-Class – a new start in the compact class
Mercedes-Benz is now launching its model offensive in the compact car segment with the new B-Class. “Our second generation of the sports tourer is now more versatile and, at the same time, more dynamic, efficient and safe – the ideal car for everyone in this class of car who would like to drive a true Mercedes. Or, as we say – perfect space in its most beautiful form,” says Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Member of Mercedes-Benz Cars Management responsible for Sales and Marketing.
“With the first model in our all-new generation of compact cars, we are launching a new era in this segment,” continues Dr. Schmidt. “Never before in the history of Mercedes-Benz have there been so many new features in a model changeover.” The new B-Class sets many new benchmarks, including the four highly efficient engines that will be available at market launch. All boast state-of-the-art direct injection, are equipped with the ECO start/stop function as standard and can be combined with the new 7G-DCT dual-clutch transmission. The new diesel-powered B-Class delivers refined driving fun with fuel consumption that starts at just 4.4 l/100 km.

Premium materials, fine details and precise workmanship also set new benchmarks in the class. “Moreover”, says Dr. Schmidt, “we placed a great deal of emphasis on safety equipment. COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST is standard equipment, marking a world first in the compact segment.” The radar‑based system offers protection from rear-end collisions at speeds over 30 km/h. There are also a host of safety features that were previously the reserve of larger Mercedes models, including ATTENTION ASSIST drowsiness detection, which is also standard equipment.

Concept B-Class E-CELL PLUS – electric car with 600 kilometer range
That the future is already built into the new B-Class is also clearly evident with the B-Class E-CELL PLUS concept – the first Mercedes electric car with a range extender. “E-CELL stands for battery-electric drive, the PLUS for the additional gasoline engine. The combination ensures the best possible everyday and long-distance capability with a range of up to 600 kilometers, up to 100 of which are under battery power alone and thus emissions free,” says Prof. Dr. Thomas Weber, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development.

The energy storage medium is a lithium-ion battery from Deutsche Accumotive. The powerful electricity storage unit is built safely into a specially developed, space-saving intermediate floor in front of the rear axle – known as the Energy Space. Prof. Dr. Weber again: “This means that the B-Class is prepared for all kinds of alternative drive – right through to fuel cell electric drive.”

SLS AMG Roadster – open-top driving in its sportiest form
Mercedes-Benz is continuing its sports car tradition with the new, fascinating SLS AMG Roadster, which celebrates its public debut at the IAA and delivers the potential to stay well out in front in the dream car stakes. Prof. Dr. Weber: “This unique open-air athlete offers perfection in roadster performance.”

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Its technology highlights read like the beginners’ guide to high-end sports car design – aluminum spaceframe with carbon-fiber components, AMG 6.3-liter V8 front-mid engine with 571 hp, seven-speed dual-clutch transmission in a transaxle arrangement and a sports suspension with aluminum double wishbone suspension for maximum impact among sports car enthusiasts.

New SLK variants – efficient open-air driving fun
Also celebrating its world premiere in Frankfurt are the SLK 250 CDI and SLK 55 AMG Roadsters. The 150 kW (204 hp) four-cylinder diesel in the SLK 250 CDI puts the two-seater at the top of its class in the key disciplines of fuel economy and torque. Available for the very first time in the SLK, the compression-ignition engine delivers refined driving fun on both winding country roads and longer autobahn stretches.
This also applies to the SLK 55 AMG, the most powerful SLK ever. Its all-new AMG 5.5-liter V8 engine with cylinder deactivation combines top performance with the lowest fuel consumption figures. With a peak output of 310 kW (422 hp) and a maximum torque of 540 Newton meters, the SLK 55 AMG betters all of its direct competitors. At the same time, its fuel consumption is around 30 percent lower than that of its predecessor.

The new M-Class – cultivated efficiency champion
New benchmarks are also set by the third generation of the M-Class – in comfort, as well as in safety, on- and off-road dynamics and, of course, in efficiency. The entire lineup of the new M-class consumes an average of 25 percent less fuel in comparison to the preceding model. The efficiency champion in its class is the ML 250 BlueTec 4MATIC, which makes do with an NEDC fuel consumption of just 6.0 l/100 km.

Source: Daimler AG / Pictures: MB Passion

from 9 to 11 September 2011, drivers and fans will be joining together to celebrate a festival of historical motor racing, which is now in its fourth year in this format.The event will commemorate high points in the motorsport history of Mercedes-Benz: for example, when Rudolf Caracciola won the first Eifelrennen on 19 June 1927 in the category for sports cars with five-litre-plus engines, driving a Mercedes-Benz S-Type – a supercharged touring sports car. Or the birth of the Silver Arrows legend in 1934, when the Mercedes-Benz racing cars appeared at the Eifelrennen not in the usual white livery, but with their shiny aluminium bodywork exposed.

In 2008, the Eifelrennen was relaunched as a premium event for vintage vehicles. It is the perfect stage for showcasing some of the racing cars and sports cars in the Mercedes-Benz Classic stable. In 2011, the choice of classic vehicles has been guided largely by the triumphs of Juan Manuel Fangio at the Nürburgring.

The occasion for this special theme is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Fangio – Argentine-born and once the number one driver for Mercedes-Benz: at the Nürburgring, Fangio won the 1954 European Grand Prix in an open-wheel W 196 R racing car and also the 1955 Eifelrennen in a 300 SLR sports car. Besides that W 196 R with open-wheels one race transporter will be representing at this year’s Eifelrennen. Former Mercedes-Benz drivers Roland Asch, Dieter Glemser and Jochen Mass have also been lined up to appear as brand ambassadors.

Brand ambassadors Mercedes-Benz Classic at the 2011 Eifelrennen
Roland Asch
Born in Ammerbuch-Altingen, Germany, on 12 October 1950
A qualified car mechanic with his own successful car dealership in Ammerbuch near Tübingen, Asch has a passion not only for motorsport, but for the technology that makes motorsport possible in the first place. But he is no die-hard driver. Motorsport has always remained a hobby for him, albeit a time-consuming one.
Roland Asch began his career in slalom racing and hillclimbs (1976-1982), securing the title of German Hillclimbing Champion in 1981 before achieving further success as the overall winner of three Porsche 944 Turbo Cups (1987/88/89) and one Carrera Cup (1989), and as runner-up after moving to the German Touring Car Championship.

After starring in the German Racing Championship, he made his debut in the 1985 German Touring Car Championship. This was followed by engagements for the MS-Mercedes team in 1989, for the Snobeck-Mercedes team in 1990, for Zakspeed-Mercedes in 1991 and 1992, and for AMG-Mercedes in 1993. In 1992 (Eifelrennen, Hockenheim) and 1993 (Diepholz and twice at the Avus race in Berlin), he recorded five victories and a string of high-placed finishes. And in 1988 (Mercedes 190 E 2.3-16 for the BMK motorsport team) and 1993 (Mercedes 190 E 2.5-16 Evo II Class 1), he finished as runner-up with Mercedes-Benz in the German Touring Car Championship.

Since 1995 – after moving to the Super Touring Car Cup – he has driven for a wide range of other racing teams.

Dieter Glemser
Born in Kirchheim/Teck on 28 June 1938
Dieter Glemser’s career in the fast lane began with the Schorndorf Hill Climb race in 1960. Many classic racing triumphs followed in various mountain and circuit races on the Nürburgring.

Glemser began racing for Daimler-Benz AG in 1963, winning overall in a Mercedes 220 SE at the Poland Rally and taking second place in both the Germany Rally (including a class victory) and the Argentine Grand Prix. In the following year, too, Glemser participated in the triple victory of the teams Böhringer/Kaiser, Glemser/Braungart and Rosqvist/Falk at the Argentine Grand Prix.

Glemser celebrated victory once again in 1971 with a European Champion title with Ford in the touring car championships and a win at the 24-hour Spa-Francorchamps event, and also held the title of German Motor Sport Champion in 1973 and 1974. However, following a severe accident caused by tyre damage at the Macau Touring Car Race, Southeast China, in November 1974, he decided to end his active motorsport career.

For ten years from 1990, Dieter Glemser was a member of the Mercedes-Benz Motorsport team, and as department manager was responsible for organisation. From 2001 to 2008, he worked on a freelance basis for Mercedes-AMG and Daimler AG for sport and driver safety training and at classic events. He continues to drive at Mercedes-Benz classic events to this day.

Jochen Mass
Born in Dorfen near Wolfratshausen/Munich on 30 September 1946
Jochen Mass, originally a trained seaman, began his richly varied motorsport career in 1968 racing touring cars for Alfa-Romeo and as a works team driver for Ford between 1970 and 1975. During this time, he won the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (1972). At the same time, he drove in Formula 2 (1973) and in 105 Formula 1 Grands Prix (1973/74 for Surtees; 1975-1977 for McLaren; 1978 for ATS; 1979/80 for Arrows; 1982 for March). With the 1985 German Sportscar Championship title and a stint as works driver at Porsche until 1987 under his belt, he was recruited for the Sauber-Mercedes team, also as a works driver.

He drove in Group C for this team until 1991. In the new Silver Arrow, the Sauber-Mercedes C 9, Jochen Mass won the 24 Hours of Le Mans together with Manuel Reuter and Stanley Dickens and finished runner-up in the 1989 World Championship. Three years later, Mass became involved in team management for the German Touring Car Championship.

Jochen Mass still represents Mercedes-Benz at historical racing events and at vintage super sports car events. Whether it’s a 40-horsepower Simplex from 1902 or a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR from 1955 – Jochen Mass knows them all and drives them all.

Vehicles of Mercedes-Benz Classic at the 2011 Eifelrennen
Mercedes-Benz W 196 R (version with open wheels), 1955
In 1954, the Silver Arrows returned as Mercedes-Benz entered the Formula 1 fray with the W 196. The first race for this new 2.5-litre racing car, the French Grand Prix in July 1954, ended with a double victory for Juan Manuel Fangio and Karl Kling. The eye-catching ‘Streamliner’ proved to be the right choice for the high-speed track in Reims.

In most races in the 1954 and 1955 seasons, however, a classic open-wheel monoposto was used, which was better suited for race circuits with lots of bends. Three other victories were secured in the W 196 R in 1954; in the following season it was five; and in both years Fangio became the world champion.

Vehicle
Year of construction: 1955
Cylinder: R8
Engine size: 2496 cc
Performance: 290 hp (213 kW)
Maximum speed: approx. 300 km/h

Mercedes-Benz high-speed transporter, 1955
In 1955, Mercedes-Benz’s racing division created a high-speed transporter which incorporated the direct-injection, six-cylinder in-line engine of the 300 SL super sports car. Its job was to speedily transport broken-down racing cars to the workshop for repair, to bring in replacement cars as quickly as possible, and to transport others to test tracks with a minimum of fuss.

The 192 hp (141 kW) three-litre engine was fitted into the extended frame of a Mercedes-Benz 300 S luxury sports car. It could move the cab-over-engine truck, which weighed in at 2,100 kilograms, at an impressive 165 km/h. The range of the ‘express’ was around 600 kilometres, with fuel consumption of 25 litres per 100 kilometres – thanks to a 150-litre tank.

On the instruction of Rudolf Uhlenhaut, then head of passenger car development at Daimler-Benz AG, this one-off model was scrapped in December 1967. The Mercedes-Benz Classic Center spent several years building a replica of the transporter with its steel and aluminium body. This new edition of the express race transporter was finished in April 2001.

Vehicle
Year of construction: 1955
Cylinder: R6
Engine size: 2998 cc
Performance: 192 hp (141 kW)
Maximum speed: 170 km/h

Source: Daimler AG

Dr Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management at Daimler AG, and Norbert Haug, Vice-President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, will also be present on the Mercedes-Benz stand in the IAA’s Festival Hall, Frankfurt.

Now available for download: Mercedes-Benz DTM driver Gary Paffett offers a tantalizing glimpse of the new DTM car in a sneak preview video, and explains the key differences between the 2012 DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé and the current DTM AMG Mercedes C-Class.
Download the video in English (with or without German subtitles) at: www.news2use.tv
Press information and photos will be available on 13.09.2011 at 12.00 CET by visiting media.daimler.com. The first video clips of the new DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé will be available for download at the same time from: www.news2use.tv.
Michael Schumacher: “The IAA, the world’s most important show for the automotive industry, is the perfect setting for the première of our new 2012 DTM car.”
Nico Rosberg: “I can’t wait to see how the new DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé has turned out, which is why I’m so pleased to be there as we show it off to the world for the first time. It’s going to be a moment to remember.”
Gary Paffett: “I was at the film and photo shoot for the new AMG Mercedes C-Coupé recently and was seriously impressed by my ‘company car’ for next season. I can’t wait to begin testing very soon.”
Norbert Haug: “This new-generation vehicle, based on our Mercedes-Benz C- Coupé, will mark the introduction of an even more spectacular racing car from the start of 2012. I am certain that the spectators will get their money’s worth from the three-way fight between Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz in the DTM next year.”

In the anniversary year celebrating “125 years of the automobile”, Mercedes-Benz, as a primary sponsor, will be entering two vehicles in the event on 5 and 6 November 2011: a 1902 two-seater Mercedes-Simplex racing car, and a 1904 four-seater Mercedes-Simplex touring car.

“It’s an honour for Mercedes-Benz to support the event in this year of the anniversary of the automobile”, says Michael Bock, head of Mercedes-Benz Classic and director of the Mercedes-Benz Museum. “We invented the automobile, and the ‘London to Brighton Veteran Car Run’ is the oldest classic car event worldwide. That represents the basis for an ideal collaboration.”

The “London to Brighton Veteran Car Run”, held in the anniversary year of the automobile, will be symbolically opened by Jutta Benz, the great-granddaughter of Carl Benz, inventor of the automobile. She will be driving a replica of the 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen. This is the 63rd year since 1948 that Mercedes-Benz will have attended the Veteran Car Run, which is an annual highlight of the Mercedes-Benz Classic calendar.

The two participating Mercedes-Simplex cars are outstanding vehicles considering the automotive technology of their time. Following the invention of the automobile in 1886, the Mercedes-Simplex model, introduced in 1901 by the former Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft, is regarded by today’s experts as the first modern automobile. For the first time, it showed important features which can still be found in passenger cars today, such as the low centre of gravity, the honeycomb radiator and an inclined steering column.

The Mercedes-Benz vehicles will once again be piloted by celebrity drivers this year: one will be driven by Nigel Mansell, 1992 British Formula 1 World Champion. Doug Nye, well-known British motor journalist, and Bernd Ostman, editor-in-chief of the professional journal “Auto Motor und Sport”, will be driving the second vehicle.

Remembering the emancipation of the automobile
The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run is held exclusively for vehicles built before 1904. The annual event marks the “Emancipation Run” of 14 November 1896. That event was organised by Harry J. Lawson in celebration of a then new law in Britain that raised the maximum permitted speed for automobiles with an internal combustion engine, from a walking pace of 6.4 km/h (4 miles per hour) to 22.4 km/h (16 miles per hour). The new law also abolished the requirement that vehicles be preceded by a man walking ahead of the vehicle, for the safety of other road users, as previously required by the 1865 “Locomotive Act”, also known as the “Red Flag Act”. The first event was started by the symbolic tearing up of a red flag, since, up until 1878, the man walking ahead of the vehicle had to also carry a red flag as a warning.

The first official commemorative repeat of the London to Brighton Run took place in 1927, and since then it has been organised annually, with the exception of the years 1940 to 1947. The 77th event will take place this year. This makes the Run the oldest existing motoring event in the world, and, at the same time, the largest gathering of veteran cars from the early days of automotive history. In addition to four-wheeled cars with internal combustion engines, three-wheelers and also steam cars and electric cars will also take part. The British Royal Automobile Club has been organising the Run since 1930.

In the 2011 Run, 550 vehicles from 20 countries are expected to take part. They will set out on 6 November 2011, on the approximately 96-kilometre (60-mile) course, which mainly follows the A23 road. The oldest vehicle is expected to be a Benz Victoria from 1894. As many as 500,000 spectators are expected to line the route. The start is at Apsley Gate, at London’s Hyde Park, where the first vehicles will depart at the official sunrise time of 7.02 a.m. From there, the cars will head to a checkpoint at Market Square, Crawley, before the event comes to an official end in Preston Park, a suburb of the seaside resort of Brighton. The unofficial, but actual finish is subsequently also celebrated by the public on the grand promenade, Madeira Drive. Only cars that arrive in Brighton by sunset will be counted.

Around 100 vehicles will take part in an eve-of-event concours d’elegance, on London’s Regent Street, on Saturday, 5 November 2011. Each car will be individually introduced, and spectators will have an opportunity for closer inspection. Before that event, on 4 November 2011, Bonhams on New Bond Street will host an auction of vehicles and automobilia from the early days.

Mercedes-Simplex: the modern automobile
The two Mercedes-Benz Classic cars which are to take part are from the company’s own collection. Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft produced a range of automobiles bearing the Simplex designation at Stuttgart-Untertürkheim, from 1901 to 1905, all of which had two things in common: they were designed by Wilhelm Maybach, and they were superior to all other cars at the time. The Simplex represented the pivotal transition from motorised carriage to purpose-built car.

The most striking technical features of the Mercedes-Simplex were its four-cylinder, front-mounted engine with cylinders cast in pairs, the U-section pressed steel frame, a low centre of gravity, honeycomb radiator and inclined steering column. These features are what provided the typical car-like appearance that distinguished it from contemporary carriage-type automobiles. Next to the 38/40 PS Mercedes-Simplex, the 28/32 PS was the more compact automobile.

Technical data for the 38/40 PS Mercedes-Simplex racing car
Year of construction: 1902
Cylinders: 4 (in-line) Displacement: 6558 ccm
Output: 40 hp (29 kW) at 1050 rpm
Maximum speed: approx. 75 km/h
Vehicle weight: 1250 kg

Technical data for the 28/32 PS Mercedes-Simplex touring car
Year of construction: 1904
Cylinders: 4 (in-line)
Displacement: 5315 ccm
Output: 32 hp (24 kW) at 1200 rpm
Maximum speed: approx. 60 km/h
Vehicle weight: 1250 kg

Technical data for the Benz Patent-Motorwagen Model I
Year of construction: 1886
Cylinders: Single-cylinder four-stroke engine with buzzer ignition
Displacement: 954 ccm
Output: 0.75 hp (0.55 kW) at 400 rpm
Fuel consumption: approx. 10 litres per 100 km
Maximum speed: 16 km/h
Vehicle weight: 265 kg

Nigel Mansell
Born on 8 August 1953 in Upton-on-Severn, Worcestershire, England.
The rise of Mansell’s sporting career proceeded in a straight line from karting 1968–75, the Formula Ford 1976–77 and the British Formula 3 Championship 1978–80, all the way to his Formula 1 début in 1980 in a Lotus Ford.

A long series with successful races in Formula 1 followed, crowned by three second-place titles and finally, in 1992, the World Champion title. After a brief interlude in the IndyCar Series (he won the Champion title on his first attempt in 1993), he returned to Formula 1 in 1994, and won the Grand Prix in Australia.

In 1995, he started twice in the Formula 1 for Team McLaren-Mercedes, but left the team before the end of the season.

Source: Daimler AG

Another highlight will be the F 125! The research car demonstrates how in the long term entirely emission-free individual mobility can be made possible in the luxury segment. Roadster performance in perfection is shown by the new SLS AMG Roadster, which also is making its first public appearance at the show. Two roadsters also have their world premieres, the SLK 250 CDI and SLK 55 AMG.

As a highlight marking 125 years of the automobile, Mercedes-Benz is presenting a visionary outlook on future technical developments in the luxury segment. The F 125! research vehicle anticipates future trends and prepares the way for implementation of an innovative premium concept for large, luxurious automobiles.

The new B-Class: new era in compact cars
Featuring a new four-cylinder petrol engine with direct injection and turbocharger, a new diesel engine, a new dual clutch transmission and a new manual transmission along with new assistance systems, technologically the second generation of the B-Class ushers in a new compact car era at Mercedes-Benz. High-grade materials and finely structured surfaces, fine details, precision workmanship plus safety equipment unique to the segment raise the standard for comparison in the compact car segment. In addition, Mercedes-Benz is showing a variant of the new B-Class with an alternative drive.

The new M-Class: refined efficiency champion
The entire model range of the new M-Class consumes 25 percent less fuel on average compared with the previous models. Outstanding, the ML 250 BlueTEC 4MATIC, which is content with an NEDC consumption of 6.0 l/100 km (158 g CO2/km) and can travel 1500 kilometres on a single tankful. Efficiency notwithstanding, the fascination of the M-Class with its unique synthesis of agility, driving pleasure and comfort is fully preserved.

SLK 250 CDI: first Mercedes Roadster with a diesel engine
For the first time, Mercedes-Benz is offering the sporty SLK Roadster with a diesel engine. The 150 kW (204 hp) four-cylinder power unit of the SLK 250 CDI puts the two-seater at the top of its class in numerous respects. The SLK delivers top figures for fuel consumption and torque. The result is superior driving enjoyment both on winding country roads and on long motorway stretches. Like the other models in the latest SLK family, which were presented in January this year, it combines lively sportiness with high-quality appointments and excellent comfort.

Show car Viano Vision Pearl: yacht on four wheels
With the show car Viano Vision Pearl Mercedes-Benz shows what’s possible in the van category. All white-and-grey leather appointments, a genuine wood floor, brushed aluminium trim, chromatic window tinting, and the Bang & Olufsen high-end sound system “BeoSound Viano” make travelling in the Viano Vision Pearl a fine experience for up to six occupants. The design concept draws on the looks of state-of-the-art sport yachts and takes up the theme “travel as an adventure”.

SLS AMG Roadster: open-top driving in its sportiest form
The technological highlights of the SLS AMG Roadster read like an A-B-C of modern sports car engineering: the combination of an aluminium spaceframe body, an AMG 6.3-litre V8 front-mid engine with a peak output of 420 kW (571 hp) and 650 newton metres of torque, a seven-speed dual clutch transmission in a transaxle arrangement and a sports suspension with aluminium double wishbones is guaranteed to make the hearts of sports car enthusiasts beat faster – while ensuring outstanding driving dynamics and roadster motoring pleasure.

SLK 55 AMG: top figures in all areas
The Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG is the most powerful SLK of all time. Its newly developed AMG 5.5-litre V8 with cylinder shutoff system combines highest performance with lowest consumption. With a maximum output of 310 kW (422 hp) and maximum toque of 540 Newton metres, the SLK 55 AMG surpasses all direct competitors. Its fuel consumption is some 30 percent lower than the previous model’s. The AMG sports suspension with Direct-Steer system, Torque Vectoring Brake and 3-stage ESP plus the AMG high-performance braking system ensure very dynamic handling.

C 63 AMG Coupé Black Series: unadulterated performance
Spectacular design, technology transfer from the world of motorsport and driving dynamics at the highest level. The new Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG Coupé Black Series embodies the new AMG brand claim Driving Performance like no other AMG model. With a maximum output of 380 kW (517 hp) and a maximum torque of 620 Newton metres, the new high-performance vehicle is the most powerful C-Class of all time. The AMG 6.3-litre-V8 engine impresses with its hefty torque, tremendous pulling power and responsiveness, and ensures high-calibre performance: the C 63 AMG Coupé Black Series accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds.

Source: Daimler AG

The Concours climaxes a weekend with a great many items on the agenda, including a drive and an auction, all dedicated to the most elegant, most outstanding automobiles. Mercedes-Benz Classic will be represented by several vehicles. The American subsidiary Mercedes-Benz USA additionally is presenting a special exhibition on the topic “125 years inventor of the automobile” in a separate pavilion.

The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California, USA, is since 1950 the most distinguished showcase for automotive elegance internationally – unparalleled the enthusiasm and passion of collectors from all over the world who strive to be successful here with their cars. Since the event was initiated, automobiles of the Mercedes-Benz brand have had a regular spot on the lawn in front of the lodge. In addition to more than 120 class victories and special prizes, vehicles from Mercedes-Benz have won the “Best of Show” award several times.

This year, during the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance a number of outstanding vehicles will be presented to the international audience. The Mercedes racing car designed by Wilhelm Maybach in 1906 was one of the most advanced vehicles of its day and features forward-looking details: for instance its six-cylinder engine has overhead camshafts, overhead valves and a dual high-voltage spark plug ignition. Because of its frame design the vehicle has a very low centre of gravity.

The 200 hp Benz of 1909 was given the byname “Blitzen Benz” – Lightning Benz – because of its outstanding performance. Among other things it was the first petrol-powered automobile in the world to post speeds over 200 km/h. The vehicle shown in Pebble Beach is a faithful reproduction using an authentic engine.

Of the supercharged six-cylinder sports cars of the Mercedes-Benz S series, the SSK (W 06 series) is the most exclusive and fascinating model. The model designation stands for “Super-Sport-Kurz” (super-sport-short) and besides emphasising the car’s special sportiness also indicates its shortened wheelbase. The SSK dominated the international motorsport scene in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Special exhibition “125 years inventor of the automobile”
In addition, Mercedes-Benz USA is organising an exhibition in its pavilion at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance to mark the “125 years inventor of the automobile” anniversary. A replica of the Benz Patent Motor Car of 1886 will be on display there, a so-called American Mercedes (1905), a Silver Arrow W 154 Grand Prix racing car (1939), a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL “Gullwing” (W 198, 1954), a Mercedes-Benz 220 SE (W 180, 1958) and a Mercedes-Benz 600 (W 100, 1969). The “Aesthetics 125!” sculpture created by Mercedes-Benz Design opens a window on the future of the brand. Concept car versions of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster and the next generation of the A-Class represent the more immediate future. And the F-Cell Roadster shows how Carl Benz perhaps would have built his Patent Motor Car today – with an environment-friendly electric drive using a fuel cell.

Source: Daimler AG

Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR (W 196 S), 1955 (mobile)
Mercedes-Benz won the sports car world championship with the 300 SLR in 1955. This sports car is essentially a Formula 1 W 196 racing car provided with a two-seater racing car body – but with a three-litre eight-cylinder in-line engine in light alloy instead of the 2.5-litre Formula 1 engine with steel cylinders. Rated at 300 hp (221 kW), the 300 SLR outperformed its rivals, scooping double victories in the Mille Miglia, the Eifel Race, the Swedish Grand Prix and the Targa Florio. In winning the Mille Miglia, Stirling Moss and co-driver Denis Jenkinson clocked up an average speed of 157.65 km/h – a feat that remains unsurpassed to this day. A useful aid in this race was the “prayer book” – a new type of itinerary with crucial notes which Jenkinson drew up to guide driver Moss around the course. Juan Manuel Fangio, competing without a co-driver, came in second. In Sweden and in the 24-hour Le Mans race the 300 SLRs caused a surprise with the so-called air brake – a panel measuring 0.7 square metres in size which the driver could open up over the rear axle to boost the braking effect. In Le Mans, Mercedes-Benz withdrew the 300 SLR following an accident suffered by Belgian driver Pierre Levegh through no fault of his own while he was in the leading position.

Mercedes-Benz racing transporter, 1955
It was not only the legendary Silver Arrows that caused a stir in the early 1950s. Mercedes-Benz also made its mark away from the actual race track with the “world’s fastest racing transporter”. Race manager Alfred Neubauer was inspired to develop this special-purpose vehicle by the racing car transporter based on a large Mercedes touring car which was built in 1924. The racing transporter was required to be fast – very fast, together with its load, in the form of a Grand Prix racing car or an SLR racing sports car.

The X-type tubular frame forming the basis of the vehicle originated from the 300 S model, while the powerful engine came from the 300 SL. The racing transporter’s designers also used parts from the 180 model. The end result was a technically unique vehicle sporting a correspondingly distinctive appearance, with a wheelbase of 3050 mm and a top speed of 160 to 170 km/h, according to payload.

The high-speed transporter was ready for service in 1955. The racing department deployed the vehicle first and foremost for special tasks – when a car needed to be transported to the race track quickly after final tuning or adjustments, or returned to the factory swiftly after a race in order to gain more time for repairs. The racing transporter became something of a sensation on Europe’s roads, attracting great popularity as it darted from race track to race track.

With the original vehicle no longer surviving, it was decided in 1993 to rebuild the one-off vehicle. Following seven years of meticulous work by the experts, the racing transporter was unveiled in all its former glory once again in 2001. It is on show at the Mercedes-Benz Museum with a 300 SLR (W 196 S) on its load surface.

Mercedes-Benz W 196 R, 1954/1955 (on racing transporter)
The Mer­ce­des-Benz W 196 R Formula 1 racing car built for the 1954 season met all the requirements of the new Grand Prix formula defined by the CSI (Commission Spor­tive Inter­na­ti­o­na­le): displacement 750 cc with or 2500 cc without compressor, any fuel composition, racing distance 300 kilometres but at least three hours. The streamlined version was the first to be produced, as the opening race in Reims permitted very high speeds. A variant with free-standing wheels was subsequently produced. For its second season in 1955, this classic grand prix car was also available with shorter wheelbases: in addition to the 2350 millimetre long car from 1954, there were also variants with a wheelbase of 2150 and 2210 millimetres. The shortest variant was ideal for the narrow, winding circuit through Monaco. The space frame was light and robust, the chassis with torsion bar suspension and a new single-joint swing axle at the rear plus giant turbo-cooled duplex disc brakes which were initially fitted in an inside central position was as accomplished as it was unconventional. The car was powered by an eight-cylinder in-line engine (2496 cc) with direct injection and desmodromic (positive-controlled, without valve springs) valves (1954: 256 hp/188 kW at 8260 rpm, 1955: 290 hp/213 kW at 8500 rpm). The engine unit was mounted in the latticework frame at an incline of 53 degrees to the right, in order to lower the centre of gravity and to reduce the size of the frontal area. The top speed was over 300 km/h.

Benz’s patented motor car, 1886
Carl Benz filed a patent application for his “gas engine-powered vehicle” on 29 January 1886. Patent no.DRP 37.435 has since come to be regarded as the automobile’s ‘birth certificate’. The world’s first automobile was an original construction incorporating engine and chassis as an organic entity. Benz designed it as a three-wheel vehicle, as he was dubious about the drawbar steering which was customary on horse-drawn coaches. Carl Benz’s crucial contribution was the determination with which he realised his vision of a “carriage without horses”: he had the idea of a motor car, designed it, built it, had it patented, tested it, marketed it, put it into production and pursued its further development, thus rendering his invention usable. Benz’s patented motor car rang in a new era of individual mobility.

Mercedes-Benz SSK (model series 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 is an abbreviated form of ‘super-sports-short’ in German, alluding to both the car’s special sportiness and its shortened wheelbase. In the summer of 1928, works racing driver Rudolf Caracciola won the Gabelbach, the Schauinsland and the 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 1000-mile “Mille Miglia” race: driving the SSKL, Rudolf Caracciola was the first non-Italian to win the gruelling road race from Brescia to Rome and back in April 1931.

Mercedes-Benz 500 K Special Roadster (model series W 29), 1934
Mercedes-Benz’s eight-cylinder supercharged cars were positioned in the international luxury class in the 1930s. The “Model 500 with compressor”, or 500 K (model series W 29) appeared in 1934 in eight different body variants: as a streamlined saloon described as a “Motorway Courier Car”, as a 4-door saloon which sold as a “Sedan”, as a cabriolet in three variants, as a 2-door open touring car and as a Roadster. The ultimate variant was the particularly elegant and luxurious Special Roadster, only 29 of which were ever built. The 500 K and its successor, the 540 K, acquired legendary status not only on account of their superlative power and performance, but also by virtue of their beguilingly attractive and high-quality bodies. With its tailor-made form and elegant flowing lines, the Sindelfingen-built body rose to benchmark status in the 1930s.

Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (model series W 198), 1954
The 300 SL “Gullwing” was unveiled in February 1954 at the International Motor Sport Show in New York. The high-performance sports car was based on the legendary racing sports car of the 1952 season. Engine, transmission and axles are mounted on a light, torsionally rigid space frame. As on the motor racing version, there is no room for conventional doors, and the gull-wing doors duly became the distinguishing feature of the 300 SL (model series W 198). The gull-wing model was an innovation flagship in other respects, too: it was the first standard production passenger car to be powered by a four-stroke engine with petrol injection. This boosted not only efficiency, but engine power, too. 215 hp (158 kW), 20 percent more than on the motor racing version fitted with carburettors, enabled a top speed of up to 250 km/h. This made the 300 SL the fastest production car of its day and the dream sports car of the 1950s.

Mercedes-Benz 180 “Pontoon” (model series W 120/121), 1955
The model 180 (W 120) from the Mercedes-Benz upper mid-range car programme set cutting-edge standards in terms of engineering and style when it was premiered in the autumn of 1953. A totally new development, this saloon was the first passenger car from the brand to feature a self-supporting body. The new model’s exterior design also reflected this structural design principle, the model 180 making its mark with its modern “pontoon” shape featuring a rectangular plan view and fully integrated wings. This body design entailed new advantages, including exemplary safety, reduced drag and a spacious interior – strengths which remain defining characteristics of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class to this day. Following the successful introduction of the petrol-engined model, Mercedes-Benz was quick to launch the 180 D diesel variant at the beginning of 1954. The more powerful model 190 was adopted into the programme as the third variant in 1956, with the 190 D making its appearance in 1958 (both model series W 121).

Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 6.9 (model series W 116), 1980
The luxury segment series with which Mercedes-Benz had been setting automobile standards for decades acquired a name of its own in 1972. The new S-Class (model series W 116) boasted a comprehensive safety concept, along the same lines as the 350 SL sports car which had been presented in 1971. This concept included a tank installed above the rear axle to afford protection in the event of a collision, a four-spoke safety steering wheel, soiling-resistant side windows, large headlamps, striking indicator lamps and dirt-repellent ribbed tail lights. In 1975 the powerful and particularly comfortable 450 SEL 6.9 appeared as the new top-of-the-range model, featuring a large-displacement, high-output V8 engine (286 hp/210 kW) and hyropneumatic suspension. In 1978 the S-Class was the first production vehicle worldwide to be available with the ABS anti-lock brake system, ensuring that steering control was retained even during emergency braking. A global sensation at the time, thanks to Mercedes-Benz’s pioneering work ABS is now a standard feature of present-day automobiles.

Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL (model series T 245), 2010
In 2020, the Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL demonstrated that local emission-free mobility is already possible in day-to-day motoring. This vehicle produced in a small series is equipped with a fuel cell system of the very latest generation which converts hydrogen into electrical energy. A full tank of the gas compressed at 700 bar offers a range of around 400 kilometres. This range, good cold-start capability, short filling times at the hydrogen filling station and the impressive performance of the 100 kW (136 hp) electric motor offering 290 Newton metres of torque make the Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL fully suitable for everyday use. The vehicle also offers exemplary safety and fuel consumption, the latter corresponding to only 3.3 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres. Customers in Germany and the USA began taking delivery of these environmentally friendly vehicles in 2010, initially on full service rental terms.

Mercedes-Benz sculpture “Aesthetics 125”, 2011
Dynamically flowing lines and bold, dynamic contours: the sculpture “Aesthetics 125” embodies the Mercedes-Benz design philosophy in abstract form. It was unveiled to the public at the ceremony held by Daimler AG on 29 January 2011 to mark the 125th birthday of the automobile. This work of art created by Mercedes-Benz designers incorporates elements of the brand’s signature design idiom from the exterior and the interior and projects them into the future. As such, “Aesthetics 125” stands for the maxim “Mercedes-Benz design is art” – similarly to the previously presented sculptures “Aesthetics No. 1” and “Aesthetics No. 2”. On a technical level, the imposing sculpture is firmly rooted in the present-day world of leading-edge automotive development at Mercedes-Benz, having been produced by means of “rapid prototyping”. This technology is employed by designers and development engineers to create three-dimensional models directly from digital designs produced on computers.

Source: Daimler AF

“Mercedes-Benz Classic is marking what was a defining moment in the both the history of engineering and the broader social context. An invention that continues to influence the world to this day – as demonstrated at the Schloss Dyck Classic Days 2011”, notes Michael Bock, head of Mercedes-Benz Classic and Mercedes-Benz Museum GmbH.“I am particularly delighted that Jutta Benz, great-granddaughter of Bertha and Carl Benz will be attending the event in this anniversary year.” The event will take place in Jüchen in the Rhine district of Neuss on 6 and 7 August 2011.

Mercedes-Benz Classic will be celebrating the invention of the automobile at this event with an exhibition of automotive milestones from the company’s own collection. Another focus of the event is Juan Manuel Fangio, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday this year.

Born in Balcarce (Argentina) on 24 June 1911, racing driver and record world champion Juan Manuel Fangio shaped the era of the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows in 1954 and 1955. He won the Formula 1 world championship on both years, and was also successful in sports car racing.

Mercedes-Benz Classic will be reviving this era at Schloss Dyck with a presentation of Fangio’s two legendary Silver Arrows: the W 196 Grand Prix racing car, which will be exhibited on the famous Mercedes-Benz racing transporter that is also known as the “Blue Wonder”, and the 300 SLR racing sports car (model series W 196 S) with the starting number 658, which will also be doing the rounds on the circuit at Schloss Dyck.

Fangio contested the 1955 Mille Miglia in this vehicle. In contrast to most other drivers, he completed the race without a co-pilot, nevertheless taking second place behind his team-mate, Stirling Moss. The ‘658’ derives from his starting time of 6.58 a.m.

Mercedes-Benz Classic has also invited racing drivers Hans Herrmann and Jochen Mass to this top-class weekend devoted to automobile culture. The two will take turns driving this historic car at the Schloss Dyck Classic Days.

As part of the “125! years of the automobile” exhibition, Mercedes-Benz Classic will be showing milestones of automobile history at the Schlosspark which illustrate the brand’s unflagging innovative drive since 1886. The centrepiece will be Benz’s patented motor car from 1886 – the world’s first automobile. Also on show will be an SSK supercharged touring sports car, a Mercedes-Benz 500 K luxury roadster, a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupé with its characteristic gull-wing doors, a pontoon-style saloon from the era of the ‘economic miracle’ and the stunning Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 6.9. Finally, the cutting-edge B-Class F-CELL, recently returned from its circumnavigation of the globe on the “F-CELL World Drive” in June 2011, provides an insight into the future of automotive engineering and technology as a state-of-the-art automobile running on zero emissions.

Mercedes-Benz Rhine-Ruhr will be providing an exclusive chauffeur service for the Classic Days from the branches in Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Krefeld, Mönchengladbach and Neuss, enabling classic car enthusiasts to arrive at one of the world’s leading classic car events in consummate style. To underscore the character of the Classic Days as a family occasion, Mercedes-Benz Rhine-Ruhr director Jürgen Herrmann has been keen to assist the Schloss Dyck foundation in organising the event by providing an additional shuttle service. “Organising such a festival calls for mobility. We are happy to help the foundation by providing eight Mercedes-Benz vehicles from our branch,” he says.

Launched in 2006, the Schloss Dyck Classic Days provide a perfect setting in which to present the fascinating history of Mercedes-Benz and its predecessor companies. The brand clubs will once again help to boost the event’s special appeal, presenting more than 200 vehicles at the Classic Days Schloss Dyck. The actual level of interest among the clubs was even greater – the number of inquiries in 2011 once again exceeded the capacity of the historical site surrounding the moated castle.

The Classic Days Schloss Dyck came into being in 2006 to commemorate racing driver Wolfgang Alexander Reichsgraf Berghe von Trips, who suffered a fatal accident in Monza in 1961. Von Trips contested sports car races in cars from Mercedes-Benz, while in Formula 1 he raced for Ferrari and Porsche. The “Count Trips Sculpture” by Pierre Habets also commemorates the legendary driver and is awarded to the overall winner of the Schloss Dyck Classic Days.

The Classic Days, which draw enthusiasts and collectors from all over Europe to the Rhineland with their exclusive vehicles, boasts a rich and varied agenda. The “Racing Legends” offer circuit races for historical competition vehicles built up to 1961. Motorcycles and car/trailer combinations dating from 1940 and earlier also race against the clock. These circuits combine with the demonstration trips on the almost three kilometre-long circuit around the moated castle and the 1/4-mile sprint competition over 402.36 metres to produce a kaleidoscope focusing on the highlights of classic motor racing which truly brings this special variant of automotive engineering to life.

The action kicks off with racing and sports cars in the categories “Classic” (1910 to 1925), “Historic” (1926 to 1949) and “Modern” (1950 to 1961). There will also be special races under the banner “125 years of the automobile” for large-displacement, sporty vehicles from the beginnings of motorsport spanning the period from 1905 to 1920, for monoposti used in Formula racing which date from the years between 1930 and 1961 and “Great British Marques” for vehicles from Riley, Lagonda, Bentley, Alvis, Invicta and Sunbeam built between 1925 and 1950.

The second dazzling highlight of the festival will once again be the “Concours d’Elegance at Schloss Dyck – “Jewels in the Park”. This presentation of vehicles has received a category A rating as a top event from FIVA once again – on a par with the Villa d’Este and Pebble Beach. The presentation in front of the moated castle and at other unusual locations around the grounds of this site dating back to the 11th century is expected to draw a crowd of more than 40,000.

Various special exhibitions and themed presentations will round off the programme of events at the Schloss Dyck Classic Days. One such special item on the agenda will be the presentation of classic vehicles at the Miscanthus Field – named after the decorative Chinese reed grass which grows there – which will be transformed for two days into a vast open-air museum presenting the history of the automobile, with many hundreds of vehicles on show.

Source: Daimler AG

The gull-wing with start number 35 has been given the same look as the Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.8 AMG with which Hans Heyer and Clemens Schickentanz achieved a class victory and overall second place 40 years ago. Among the drivers of the SLS AMG GT3 will be Kenneth Heyer, Hans Heyer’s son. A total of seven gull-wings will compete in this classic Belgian long-distance race.

The 40th anniversary on the occasion of the 63rd 24-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps celebrates the astonishing success achieved in 1971, when the Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.8 AMG won a class victory and second place in the overall ranking on its first outing. The SLS AMG GT3 is being entered by the private team Black Falcon, and is visually reminiscent of the legendary racing touring car that made AMG world-famous overnight. The red paint finish, the start number 35 and the sponsor stickers keep the memory alive, and almost give the two AMG racing cars the appearance of twins.

During the 24-hour race this very special gull-wing car will be driven by Kenneth Heyer (31, Wegberg), Thomas Jäger (34, Munich) and Stéphane Lémeret (37, Ophain-Bois-Seigneur-Isaac, Belgium). Kenneth Heyer has been an active racing driver since 2000, and on this 40th anniversary he is following in the footsteps of his father Hans Heyer, who achieved the sensational 1971 success for AMG with his team colleague Clemens Schickentanz on the same racetrack.

Kenneth Heyer: “It’s a great honour, exactly 40 years after my father’s success, for me to be bringing the Black Falcon SLS AMG GT3 to the starting line of the 24-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps. Together with my team colleagues, I will be trying to achieve at least second place. The car will no doubt attract plenty of attention in the line-up with its look reminiscent of the legendary Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.8 AMG, but naturally the focus will be on a good racing performance. The SLS AMG GT3 has the potential for a place on the winner’s rostrum, but as we all know, a 24-hour race obeys laws of its own.”

Hans Heyer: “40 years after our class victory and second overall place, I think it is a great idea to enter the Spa-Francorchamps race with the SLS AMG GT3 in the same look as “my” 300 SEL 6.8 AMG. Naturally I wish the Black Falcon team and my son Kenneth every success – and will be delighted if he wins at least second place!”

Ola Källenius, Chairman of Mercedes-AMG GmbH: “This project of entering an SLS AMG GT3 in the 24-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps with the same look as the Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.8 AMG of 1971 deserves a round of applause. I wish Kenneth Heyer, his team colleagues and the Black Falcon customer team every success. Naturally we at Mercedes-AMG also have our fingers firmly crossed for the other private teams who are competing in the race with the SLS AMG GT3. The customer sport programme for the gull-wing, which commenced in 2010, has made a good start, and the SLS AMG GT3 has immediately shown itself to be a racing car with great potential. To date we have sold 35 examples to private teams all over the world.”

Hans Werner Aufrecht, founder of AMG and Chairman of the Supervisory Board at HWA AG: “For me this project is an outstanding example of how passionate commitment to motorsports can manifest itself. It is also impressive to see how AMG has developed 40 years after our second place in the 24-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps in 1971. I have my fingers crossed for Kenneth Heyer, and of course also the other teams who will at the starting line with the SLS AMG GT3.”

In addition to Black Falcon with start number 35, six more SLS AMG GT3s will be competing in Spa-Francorchamps. The teams and drivers are as follows:

• Koen Wauters (B)/Anthony Kumpen (B)/Mike Hezemans (NL), start number 15, KRK Racing Team Holland (Belgium). The driver duo Kumpen/Hezemans won the 24-hour race in 2009.
• Raf Vanthoor (B)/Marius Ritskes (NL)/Bernhard Van Oranje (NL)/Dennis Retra (NL), start number 16, KRK-Racing Team Holland (Belgium)
• Kenneth Heyer (D)/Thomas Jäger (D)/Stéphane Lémeret (B), start number 35, Black Falcon (Germany)
• David Jones (GB)/Godfrey Jones (GB)/Mike Jordan (GB), start number 90, Preci Spark team (Great Britain)
• Andrii Lebed (UA)/Bret Curtis (USA)/Peter van de Kolk (NL)/Jeroen van de Heuvel (NL), start number 46, Black Falcon (Germany)
• Olivier Panis (F)/Nicolas Lapierre (F)/Eric Debard (F)/Grégoire Demoustier (F), start number 54, Graff Racing (France)
• Philippe Haezebrouck (F)/Massimo Vignali (I)/Gilles Vannelet (F)/Mike Parisy (F), start number 55, Graff Racing (France)

The 24-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps is one of the classic events in the international long-distance racing calendar. The race was first held in 1924, and until 1978 the 14.8-kilometre course was used. Since 1979 the race has been held on the shorter, 7.0-kilometre course. This tradition-laden circuit in the Belgian Ardennes is the favourite racetrack of many drivers. 70 cars have been entered in this year’s 24-hour race, which comes under the FIA’s GT3 and GT4 rules. 250 drivers will be competing. The race starts at 4 p.m. on 30 July 2011.

Three show cars commemorate the historic 1971 success
AMG will commemorate the 1971 success with three show cars in the driver’s paddock in Spa-Francorchamps: the 300 SEL 6.8 AMG, the SLS AMG GT3 and, as an attraction, also the S 63 AMG “Thirty Five”. Right down to details, this high-performance saloon is modelled on the historic racing touring car of 1971, but under the bonnet is the AMG 5.5-litre V8 biturbo with direct petrol injection, spray-guided combustion and piezo injectors, which was introduced in 2010. In standard configuration in the S 63 AMG, this AMG powerpack develops up to 420 kW (571 hp) and is regarded as the most efficient engine in its segment.

Historic second place for AMG in 1971
In 1971 the 24-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps was the first race that AMG, founded in 1967, had ever entered. Alternating behind the wheel of the AMG touring car were the two experienced drivers Hans Heyer and Clemens Schickentanz. AMG was anything but the favourite in this classic Belgian long-distance race: mighty opponents at the time included the Ford Capri RS, BMW 2800 CS, Chevrolet Camaro, Opel Commodore and Alfa Romeo GTA. Nobody expected the large saloon from provincial Affalterbach in Swabia to hold its own against the well-established teams.

Surprising 5th place in the starting lineup for AMG
However, the red four-door saloon already demonstrated its potential in training, when Clemens Schickentanz delivered a surprise with the fifth-fastest training time. Nobody at AMG had expected 5th starting position in a field of 60 cars. 80,000 spectators were intrigued by the fast, red saloon with the long wheelbase – which was incidentally also the only Mercedes in the race. Pole position was occupied by the favourite, the Chevrolet Camaro driven by Ivo Grauls and Peter Hoffmann, followed by the Alpina-BMW 2800 CS of Niki Lauda/Gérard Larousse and next to it the first works Ford Capri with Dieter Glemser and Alex Soler-Roig plus the Schnitzer-BMW 2800 CS driven by Rauno Aaltonen and Helmut Kelleners. A total of 60 racing touring cars raced against the stopwatch on the then still 14.1-kilometre long course in the Ardennes, with illustrious names such as Hans-Joachim-Stuck, Jochen Mass, Toine Hezemans, Willy Kauhsen, Achim Warmbold and Rainer Braun behind the wheel.

On the first lap Hans Heyer, who was first to take the wheel of the 300 SEL 6.8 AMG, was able to position himself in third place right behind the Ford Capri (Glemser/Soler-Roig) and the Chevrolet Camaro (Grauls/Hoffmann). After a dramatic race which included a sudden rainstorm at midnight and numerous contestants withdrawing, the “35″ crossed the finishing line in second place directly behind the works Capri driven by Glemser/Soler-Roig. In 24 hours the AMG saloon had absolved precisely 308 laps. Technical problems? None whatsoever. An absolute sensation.

Contrasts: 265 km/h and exotic wood trim in the cockpit
Hans Heyer has fond memories of this race: “We knew we could win, but the others didn’t know it yet!” The AMG saloon was unbeatable on the straight, but the braking system substantially adopted from the series production car was slightly underpowered for the weight of the car (1635 kilograms). “But on the old Spa course the brake discs had plenty of time to cool down, and nobody could catch us on the long straights,” the now 68 year-old reminisces. With a top speed of 265 km/h the 300 SEL 6.8 AMG was tailor-made for the fast Belgian circuit. The atmosphere in the interior was luxurious, with standard features such a power steering, air suspension, carpets, door panelling and a dashboard with exotic wood trim. The spectators lining the track loved this large car with its thrilling V8 sound. “The outsider quickly became the absolute darling of the public,” says Hans Heyer.

Luxury: the Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3 as the basis for a racing car
The AMG racing saloon was technically based on the Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3. With an output of 184 kW (250 hp) at 4000 rpm and a top speed of 220 km/h, this saloon was Germany’s fastest series-production car in its day. It was not only an increase in the overall displacement from 6330 to 6835 cc that raised the output to 315 kW (428 hp) at 5500 rpm and torque from 500 to 608 newton metres. AMG co-founder Erhard Melcher “tweaked” the eight-cylinder engine using classic methods: Precision-honed camshafts and modified rocker arms, lightweight connecting rods, new Mahle pistons, larger intake valves, modified combustion chambers, polished intake and exhaust ducts, a new intake tract with two throttle flaps and a racing exhaust system ensured an improved gasflow and allowed higher engine speeds. Durability was improved by installing an auxiliary oil cooler and a finely balanced crankshaft.

The wheel arches were flared to make room for the lightweight 10 x 15 and 12 x 15-inch magnesium wheels adopted from a C 111 test car. Aluminium doors helped to reduce weight from the original 1830 to 1635 kilograms. Larger control arms at the front axle, a more robust rear axle with a reinforced differential and smaller air suspension bellows with a harder setup made the saloon fit for the racetrack.

German TV news reports on the sensational achievement
The unexpected class victory and second overall place in the 24-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps made AMG, founded in 1967, a household name overnight – and marked the start of an impressive success story. Even the German television news reported on this surprise achievement. “It was certainly a sensation at the time,” AMG founder Hans Werner Aufrecht remembers. The courage shown by Aufrecht and his partner Melcher in entering a modified luxury saloon for this classic 24-hour race paid off in full.

On 11 and 12 September 1971 the 300 SEL 6.8 AMG subsequently competed in the 2×6-hour Paul Ricard race, accompanied by a privately entered 300 SEL 6.3 with an AMG engine. Now repainted in yellow, the 300 SEL 6.8 AMG took part in the pre-trials for the Le Mans 24-hour race in March 1972, but was not at the starting line for the race itself in June. However it competed in the 24-hour race in Nürburgring in June 1972, and in the Nuremberg 200-mile race held at Norisring on 6 August 1972. Here Hans Heyer achieved victory with the four-door saloon – once again painted red – in the “Series and special touring cars above 2000 cc” class.

The 300 SEL 6.8 AMG was not to enjoy any further successes: a change in the race rules by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) put an end to its career, as only cars with an overall displacement of up to five litres were now allowed for the European Touring Car Trophy. AMG sold its racing saloon to the French conglomerate Matra, where it was converted for high-speed tests on aircraft tyres. Its subsequent fate is unknown. In spring 2006 Mercedes-AMG built a replica of the 300 SEL 6.8 AMG based on the original documentation, so that this unique success story would live on.

Source: Daimler AG

Stations in the environmental tour
The sustainability tour at Stuttgart airport has been given the title Fairport STR. It concerns itself with nine different environmental and social topics related to the airport. Various stations distributed around the public areas of the airport invite visitors to take a tour and learn how Baden-Württemberg’s principal airport addresses environmental and sustainability questions.

Emission-free mobility with the Vito E-CELL
The “Emission-free Mobility” station on the subject of e-mobility in the environmental tour was created by Mercedes-Benz. One guiding theme is: Driving into the future with the electric car – is that possible? At this station, a Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL and other displays directly, informatively and interactively make the future of emission-free mobility tangible for the visitor. Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL project manager Andreas Pohl: “Further development of the electric car is the right way to reach the goal of sustainable mobility. The Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL is the perfect answer in the van sector. We are very pleased to be part of this sustainability tour.”

The latest drive technology, powerful lithium-ion batteries in the Vito E-CELL
The Vito E-CELL is the world’s first locally emission-free, electric motor powered van available as standard ex factory. It combines the advantages of a classic van with a modern and environmentally friendly drive concept.

The electric motor of the Vito E-CELL generates an output of 60 kW and 280 Nm of torque. As the full torque is already available from start-off with an electric motor, the Vito E-CELL is capable of dynamic performance on a par with the familiar, high level of modern diesel engines. With a view to the typical operating profile of the Vito E-CELL, and in the interests of achieving the greatest possible battery range, the top speed of the van is limited to 80 km/h.

The batteries of the Vito E-CELL are housed under the load compartment floor, which saves space. These are ultra- modern, particularly powerful and durable lithium-ion batteries. Their total capaci­ty is 36 kWh, enough for an operating range of around 130 kilometres. This means that the Vito E-CELL meets the average customer requirements for van operations, with an average daily distance of 50-80 kilometres plus a generous reserve.

Source: Daimler AG

With this event, Mercedes-Benz is providing a creative platform for the discussion of social and contemporary issues relating to art, fashion, music, innovation, trends, culture and the automobile.

“As the inventor of the motor car, Mercedes-Benz has continually honed safety, comfort and driving pleasure through a whole series of innovations, and has created numerous new categories of vehicles in the premium segment. And our new generation of compact cars will be setting new standards in this segment as well,” commented Anders Sundt Jensen, Vice President Brand Communications Mercedes-Benz Cars, at the event’s opening.

Raf Simons added: “Mercedes-Benz means a great deal to me personally. The brand has been an influence on me since childhood.”

Avantgarde setting for the Concept A-CLASS
One highlight of the ‘Avantgarde Diaries – Transmission1′ festival in Berlin is the artistic setting for the Concept A-CLASS. Joining forces here with the French lighting specialist Thierry Dreyfus and the German product designer Konstantin Grcic, the Dutch conceptual and multimedia artist Germaine Kruip combines the consummate purism of Raf Simons with the pioneering spirit of the Mercedes-Benz brand. Creating a complete experience through the use of space, light, lasers and furniture, visitors are encouraged to discover the new. The installation thus provides impressive evidence that interest and excitement about going beyond existing frontiers – not just at Mercedes-Benz – are key drivers of innovation and progress.

Staged in such an inspiring way, the showcar provides a taster of what is to come with the new A-Class, and is sure to arouse curiosity about the new generation of compact cars from Mercedes-Benz, which is due to be launched in four variants over the next four years. The brand with the three-pointed star is thereby underlining its ambition to lead and demonstrating that it will continue to point the way forward in future.

“First we take Berlin …”
As the venue for the first ‘Avantgarde Diaries’ festival, the Berlin Congress Centre on Alexanderplatz provides a building that ties in perfectly with the event: a potent symbol of the best in German avantgarde architecture. For three days, this impressive building designed by Bauhaus-influenced architect Hermann Henselmann will become the focal point for leading thinkers from both home and abroad. Exhibitions, discussions and performances will be held on the stage, in the lounge and studio as well as in the Showcar Suite.

The Berlin ‘Avantgarde Diaries – Transmission1′ kicks off an outstanding series of events that will also take in other major international cities.

The ‘Avantgarde Diaries – Transmission1′ festival at the Berlin Congress Centre on Alexanderplatz is open to the public on 16 and 17 July 2011 from 12 noon until midnight. Admission is free.

Digital interview magazine
Anyone unable to attend the events in person can get to meet the protagonists at www.theavantgardediaries.com. To coincide with the eventin Berlin, Mercedes-Benz is launching a digital interview magazine, which will take a personal look at innovations, remarkable ideas and people who are influencing style and setting trends. The online format, produced in the heart of New York, will present fascinating stories about inspirational individuals from the worlds of fashion, design, music, film and mobility. Renowned designers, editors in chief, gallery owners, art directors or pop icons will use this space in future to introduce people from their lives whose ideas and work inspire them. For example, gallery owner Johann König encounters the artist Tue Greenfort, and art director Eddie Brennan presents the New York-based contemporary artist Dustin Yellin.

Ahead of its time for the last 125 years
With the ‘Avantgarde Diaries’, Mercedes-Benz is demonstrating the sustainability of its ambition to lead in automotive culture. Since the days of Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler, the Mercedes-Benz brand has constantly been looking to reinvent the car, to further its development in technological terms and to and to create icons that set benchmarks. The 540 K from 1936, the 300 SL gullwing model from 1955, and future classics such as the latest CLS and, from 2012, the sporty new A-Class are just a few examples. The brand with the three-pointed star held Europe’s wealthy and aristocratic society in thrall towards the end of the 19th century, and still to this day excites people all over the world. Film directors such as Alfred Hitchcock, renowned artists like Andy Warhol and musicians such as Ringo Starr took inspiration from the Mercedes-Benz star and the vehicles it adorned to create modern-day classics in their respective genres.

Over the course of the company’s history, Mercedes-Benz has been able to demonstrate time and time again, in a way that no other automotive brand can, that this is a company that is ahead of its time. Groundbreaking automotive development has, however, always gone hand in hand with the democratisation of technical innovations. With innovations such as the airbag, ABS and ESP, Mercedes-Benz has always shown the way forward and shaped the entire automotive industry. Although they will have made their debut in luxury-class vehicles, most such safety, comfort and convenience features are now part of the standard specification across all vehicle segments.

Mercedes-Benz picks up on this tradition with the ‘Avantgarde Diaries’ – a response to the major challenges facing the automotive industry. With enthralling vehicles, new mobility concepts and innovative drive technologies, Mercedes-Benz is already rising to these challenges, showing itself at the same time to be a responsible brand that is well prepared for the future.

The curator and the artists
The artists were picked by Raf Simons, the curator of the Berlin ‘Avantgarde Diaries – Transmission1′. Each artist will be given the opportunity to stage an exhibition, performance, concert, installation or even unveil a work of art.

Raf Simonsis a Belgian industrial and fashion designer. In 1995 he launched his own menswear label ‘Raf Simons’ and became head designer at Jil Sander AG in 2005. He lives and works in Antwerp, Milan and Paris. His function for the Avantgarde Diaries as a highly profiled designer is to form the festival ‘Transmission 1′ in Berlin with his creative input.

Peter Saville is a British art director from Manchester, best known for his album covers for Joy Division, OMD, New Order and other bands signed with the Factory Records label. His work – for instance the legendary cover for the New Order single Blue Monday in the form of an 8-inch floppy disk or the cover for the Joy Division album Unknown Pleasures – stands out with its quintessential, minimalist style. He runs his own company Peter Saville Associates. Apart from his work with the music industry, he has also worked for customers such as CNN, Adobe Systems, Givenchy and Stella McCartney. Peter Saville stages his own Mercedes-Benz SL 500 built in 1998 in the foyer of the first floor. Out of the car the song ’Transmission’ by Joy Division is playing which is a link to Peter Saville’s famous work for the band’s album artwork. The installation is therefore a personal commitment of the artist and his relation to the brand.

Konstantin Grcic is a German industrial designer. He is regarded as one of the most influential contemporary designers from Germany. In 1991, Grcic founded the KGID design agency (Konstantin Grcic Industrial Design) in Munich. He has subsequently designed furniture, lighting and accessories on behalf of numerous leading design companies. His seating furniture produced out of Osorom plastic in 2002 is perhaps his most well-known piece. Grcic has received numerous accolades for his work. His MAYDAY lamp was added to the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2001. In correspondence with the showcar installation Grcic’s chairs 360°/Margis will be supplied with an illuminant which results in a special art lounge experience for all guests.

Michael Clark is a Scottish dancer and choreographer. He studied at the Royal Ballet School in London. In 1984 he set up Michael Clark and Company. Since then he has been working with numerous prestigious artists and dance ensembles. Most recently his new creations were staged at the Biennale in Venice in 2009, and his work ‘Come, Been and Gone’, modern dance pieces set to music by David Bowie, Lou Reed and Iggy Pop, delighted audiences in October 2010. Michael Clark and his dance company will perform one of his famous pieces to the music of David Bowie at the Studio.

Jo-Ann Furnissis an editor, creative director and writer, and was editor in chief of Arena Homme+ between 2004 and 2011. She has worked on various publications including i-D, The Face, Sleazenation and Another Magazine. Jo‑Ann has also contributed features to The Independent newspaper, The New York Times, Style.com, Vogue Hommes International (Japan), Colors, Dazed and Confused and Love Magazine. She has also worked with various brands including Mugler, Giles, Emanuel Ungaro and Louis Vuitton. Jo-Ann Furniss’ writing has also been featured in various books including Raf Simons: Redux, Ghetto and FashionNow: i-D Selects the World’s 150 Most Important Designers. She is currently editing the Dazed and Confused 20th Anniversary book alongside Jefferson Hack. Together with her high-profile guests Tim Blanks and Paul Morley she will guide the audience through the symposium on the subject of ‘Pop Culture’ and give people an insight into the world of design, fashion and music.

These New Puritansis a British band from Southend-on-Sea. The band consists of singer Jack Barnett, his twin brother George Barnett, Thomas Hein and Sophie Sleigh-Johnson. They first came to prominence with their 2008 debut album, Beat Pyramid. Their second album Hidden is influenced by the later work of Steve Reich, Japanese percussion and in particular the compositions of Benjamin Britten. For this album they worked together with a unique ensemble consisting of a pianist with a minimalist approach as well as a 13-piece woodwind and brass band. With their musical piece they went on a live tour and took excellent credit for their work. These New Puritans play a one-hour live set at the Studio which will be accompanied by synthesizers and Mercedes car engines.

Peter De Potter is a Belgian artist. Since 1996 he has been contributing both as artist and writer for Belgian (including Weekend Knack) and international publications (including i-D). He was also involved in the exhibitions ‘The Fourth Sex’ (Pitti Immagine, Florence, 2003) and ‘Excess’ (Pitti Immagine, Florence, 2004). Furthermore, he was curator of NEO80 (Pitti Immagine, Florence, 2004) where his video sculpture ‘The Young Gods’ was also exhibited. Peter De Potter’s work has been published in various magazines including Arena Homme Plus and Atmosphere. Peter De Potter will do a photographic installation on the window façade of the first floor. The series shows pictures of a remarkable size from the artist’s personal archive.

Germaine Kruip is a Dutch artist. Her work has been shown in numerous international solo and group exhibitions. Raf Simons has been collecting her art for some time and teamed up with her to design the Jil Sander Flagship Store in New York. She lives in Amsterdam and Brussels. Germaine Kruip exposes two gigantic art installations in both of the stairways at BCC. The confrontation of the two pieces, one is made of marble, the other of light metal, results in a contrast of heaviness and lightness, brightness and darkness.

Begüm Sekendiz Boré is a French-Turkish journalist for fashion and art magazines. She writes her own Blog ‘Dandy Gum’ with a strong link to Raf Simons’ work. She lives and works in Paris.

Peter Hendersonis fashion writer for a large publication. In 2008, he often wore homemade Lego accessories, leading thecoolhunter.net to label him a “gen Y hipster who still nurtures happy memories of playing with the blocks as a kid”. Peter Henderson has his own Blog ‘Hapsical’ where he writes about his thoughts on fashion and art. He is a big fan of Raf Simons and his work.

Goose is a Belgian electro rock band consisting of members Mickael Karkousse, Dave Martijn, Tom Coghe and Bert Libeert, formed in 2000. They have made two albums and in 2002 they released their debut single ‘Audience’, which was used in commercials all over the world. Goose plays their electro rock sound live at the Studio. They will also play a DJ set to accompany the party after the live gigs on that night.

Fischerspooner is an electroclash band from New York City.

Source: Daimler AG

A first-time participant this year is the battery-electric A-Class E-CELL. The highlight of the rally is again the highly efficient super sports car SLS AMG E-CELL, whose market launch is scheduled for 2013.

Speed is not of the essence in the three-day rally that leads through the Vorarlberg mountain landscape, but regularity and skill. Covering a total distance of almost 300 kilometers and a total difference in altitude of 5500 meters, the electric car rally is almost twice as long as the premiere in 2010 and, as a comparison of the courses shows, far more demanding. Gradients of up to 14 percent must be negotiated with precision. The driver teams are put through various trials in which hundredths of seconds count in the scoring. But they will be rewarded with views of the picturesque Montafon mountains. The rally takes the locally emission-free, noiseless electric cars through the Austrian provinces Vorarlberg and Tyrol.

Vorarlberg province is one of the biggest model regions in Europe for the introduction and development of electric mobility. The Austrian energy supply company illwerke vkw, a partner of the Silvretta electric car rally, supports the model region under the name VLOTTE – an artificial coinage from Vorarlberg and Flotte, the German for fleet. Illwerke vkw is steadily expanding the necessary infrastructure for electrically powered vehicles in the region and in this way promotes the emergence of a proper electric mobility network.

Electric cars from Mercedes-Benz and smart
By taking part in the electric rally, Daimler demonstrates once again how practical and reliable its electric cars already are today. The higher demands of this year’s rally pose no obstacle to the competing vehicles.

The vehicles made available for the tour show just how varied the Daimler range of electric cars with battery or fuel cell already is today. With the smart fortwo electric drive, the ideal battery-electric urban car takes the start in the rally. With a range of 135 kilometers the electric smart delivers loads of driving pleasure in urban settings.

The Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL runs on hydrogen and has a locally emission-free range of about 400 kilometers. Just recently Mercedes-Benz demonstrated its workaday practicality and technical maturity in the F-CELL World Drive: from late January through early June, three Mercedes B-Class F-CELL cars drove round the world, covering more than 30,000 kilometers through 14 countries on four continents. The vehicle thus suggests itself especially for use over longer distances and can be completely refueled in less than three minutes. Also, for the first time the A-Class E-CELL is competing in the electric car rally. It offers lots of space, variability and utmost comfort – combined with zero emissions. With an operating range of over 200 kilometers it is well-suited for locally emission-free urban and interurban travel. All models are fully up to production standard and already are available to selected customers.

A highlight of the electric rally is the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-CELL. The development mule for the car that will come out on the market in 2013 proves on the winding Alpine course that dynamic driving pleasure in combination with an electric drive is not a contradiction at all. The fascinating gullwing car with the emission-free high-tech drive featuring a peak output of 392 kW and peak torque of 880 Newton meters clearly is the trendsetter in the super sports car market segment.

Source: Daimler AG

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Source: Mercedes-Benz Museum

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Source: Mercedes-Benz Museum

those are the strengths of the Mercedes-Benz brand. And they are facets that add up to pure automotive fascination, drawing thousands of visitors to the Festival of Speed year after year. Mercedes-Benz Classic is a regular at the Festival of Speed and will also be participating at this year’s event, which is scheduled to be held from 1–3 July 2011 under the theme “Racing Revolutions – Quantum leaps that shaped motor sport”.

Its line-up of landmark racing cars is set to negotiate the 1.86-kilometre-long hillclimb circuit. And in 2011 Mercedes-Benz Classic will also be presenting the exhibition “125! years inventor of the automobile” which celebrates milestones of the brand’s history, right back to its origins with Carl Benz’s Patent Motor Car from 1886.

Motorsport revolutions
The concerted will to innovate embraced by Mercedes-Benz and the predecessor brands is thus reflected on the racetrack as well as in the exhibition. After all, Mercedes-Benz “Racing Revolutions” are the brand’s racing cars with a string of victories to their name. And these successes were not just down to the drivers’ skill but essentially also fruit of the engineers’ tireless determination to come up with new solutions for the racing cars. Such developments have consistently been those “quantum leaps that shaped motor sport”, as echoed in the 2011 festival theme.

This year Goodwood will be host to legendary racing cars that are all set to tackle the hillclimb circuit. The line-up includes the W 165 Silver Arrow designed specifically for the Tripoli Grand Prix in 1939, the 300 SL (W 194) racing sports car from 1952 (claimed victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours) and the 190 2.5 16V EVO II touring car used in the DTM from 1990. The current Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3, which will line up on the starting grid in the FIA GT3 Championship, will represent contemporary high-performance cars.

In keeping with the Festival’s tradition, high-profile racing drivers such as Sir John Surtees, Paul Stewart, Klaus Ludwig and Bernd Schneider will take the cars around the hillclimb circuit.

The “125! years inventor of the automobile” exhibition starts with the foundation of automotive history – the Benz Patent Motor Car from 1886. Among the exhilarating engineering and style icons also on show in the exhibition will be the Mercedes Simplex 40 hp from 1902, a Mercedes-Benz 500 K Cabriolet B (W 29) from 1936, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Coupé (W 198), a Mercedes-Benz 250 SE Cabriolet (W 111), a Mercedes-Benz 280 SL Roadster (W 113) from the 1960s, a Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 6.9 (W 116) launched in 1975 and the very latest Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Coupé (C 197).

From art to the top flight of motorsport
The Festival of Speed, which was inaugurated in1993, was the brainchild of Charles Gordon-Lennox, Earl of March and Kinrara. The dedicated motorsport fan and Goodwood host bears the title Lord March. His grandfather, the former Earl of March and 9th Duke of Richmond, laid the foundation for the Festival. He was well-known in England as the car designer, engineer and racing driver Freddie March. In 1936 he organised the very first private hillclimb circuit in Goodwood Park. His grandson would rekindle this tradition more than 50 years later.

The Festival has developed from the inaugural event in 1993 into one of the unmissable highlights in the international cultural calendar for automotive fans. Racing and sports cars from across the ages play the symphonies of speed on the circuits for three whole days. Even the top flight of motorsport is represented: at least nine of this season’s Formula One teams are scheduled to participate in Goodwood in 2011, including Mercedes GP and McLaren-Mercedes. A 2.5-kilometre-long rally course was added in 2007 to supplement the hillclimb course.

Leisurely afternoon stroll and automotive fascination
The Festival of Speed is just as much an exhilarating motorsport event as it is an opportunity to stroll along in style and lap up some automotive culture: from the pits, open to all visitors, through vehicle exhibitions in the park grounds, to the automotive works of art created every year by British sculptor Gerry Judah. His temporary sculptures, which are located right in front of Goodwood House, always centre around a single brand and its particular vehicles. In 2001 the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL was the subject of the work of art at the then Festival of Speed.

Source: Daimler AG

The top-class field gathers on 17 June for the technical inspection at the Mercedes-Benz sales and service outlet in Freiburg, where the cars also will roll down the starting ramp on 18 June beginning at 8:30 a.m. The Paul Pietsch Classic finishes on the afternoon of 19 June at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. The first vehicles are expected from 4 p.m. onwards after the final stage also has taken them through the Daimler Untertürkheim plant over the last kilometres. Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Member of Mercedes-Benz Cars Management responsible for Sales and Marketing, who will be driving the Mercedes 170 DS, a landmark in diesel development, in the “Classic meets Future” category: “125 years ago our company founders invented the automobile – not the least of reasons making Mercedes-Benz the ideal host for a literally classic finish of the Paul Pietsch Classic. The drive through the plant grounds and the arrival at the museum will be a magnificent climax for the participants and many spectators.”

A special feature of the regularity run is the “Classic meets Future” part of the event – classic cars and research vehicles jointly compete here for the best times in the special trials. In the “Classic meets Future” category Mercedes-Benz starts with two perfectly matched pairings: the legendary Mercedes 300 SL “Gullwing” of 1955 and the up-to-the-minute Mercedes SLS AMG E-CELL with electric drive, as well as the diesel pioneer Mercedes 170 DS of 1952 and the production-standard fuel cell car Mercedes B-Class F-CELL.
Further gems with the star on the radiator enriching the field of the Paul Pietsch Classic will be the following ten Mercedes-Benz models from five decades: 170 S Cabriolet B (1950), 220 Cabriolet B (1951), 300d Cabriolet D (1958), 300 SL (1958), 190 SL (1959), 220 SEb Cabriolet (1964), 230 SL (1965), 280 SE 3.5 (1969), 500 SL (1985) and 300 CE-24 (1992).

Of course, a number of top people will take a seat behind the wheel: for Mercedes-Benz racing driver colleagues Hans Herrmann, Jochen Mass, Dieter Glemser and Bernd Schneider will compete in honour of Grand Prix legend Paul Pietsch.

Source: Daimler AG

In future smart times will take place in a different country each year. This reflects the continuously growing importance of the event for the smart brand. In the space of ten years smart times has evolved from a small gathering to a large European event. More than 4000 smart enthusiasts from 22 countries, some with individually designed vehicles, are expected in Riccione where they will celebrate their passion for smart cars together and connect with designers, tuners and industry experts.

“smart times is a fantastic event, where thousands of smart fans come every year from all over Europe to share their enthusiasm and love for the brand, experience road trips and concerts and present their wonderful, resourcefully designed cars at the smart parade” says Dr. Annette Winkler, Head of smart. “In future smart times will take place in a different country each year to increase the appeal of the get-together for the smart family.”

In Riccione attendees can look forward to a private beach with a stage and a varied programme comprising sport, fun and entertainment with a focus on the smart fortwo plus a very special highlight: the “smart meets Museo Ferrari” excursion to Maranello.

An overview of smart times 2011
1 – 3 August: smart times on vacation
To get into the mood for the event the community can congregate in Riccione three days before the official start of smart times. smart fans will have an opportunity to take part in outings to the hinterland and the Po delta where they can get to know each other and enjoy a holiday feeling as they cruise through the picturesque countryside of Emilia Romagna.

4 August: smart meets Museo Ferrari
To kick off the smart times weekend with its competitions, shows, action, innovations and exchange of information the participants will be able to enjoy a very special highlight in the form of a visit to the home of the famous red sports car: “smart meets Museo Ferrari”.

5 August: beach volleyball and smart times contest
On day two beach volleyball and the smart times contest will provide plenty of variety and excitement. At the smart times contest a jury will rate the tuning, design and performance of the various smart models. The programme will be rounded off by test drives and an “after party” every evening.

6 August: smart times parade
At 10 a.m. the starting signal will be given for the traditional smart times parade. In the afternoon smart experts will be available to answer all questions relating to the brand. In the evening smart will invite the fans to Piazzale Roma where the secret “smart times 12 goes to …” will be revealed.

7 August: smart flea market
The event will come to an end with the traditional “smart flea market”. Fan articles and all kinds of used parts will come under the hammer. Then it’s time to say goodbye and see you next year in …

smart times networking
A virtual get-together is already taking place in the run-up to the event at www.facebook.com/smarttimes For example, the regular live chat “smart times TechTalk” offers fans an opportunity to compare notes with smart experts and like-minded people and to become actively involved in the smart community.

All information on the event can be found on the website www.smart.com. Attendance at smart times is free of charge. However, accreditation is a prerequisite – also at www.smart.com.

Source: Daimler AG