MERCEDES-BENZ
See also : Cars Cars II Germany II Cars 1920s Cars 1930s Cars 1934-36 Cars 1937-39 Post war cars Cars 1954-55
Chronology : 1927 1928 1929 1934 1935 1936 1937 1939 1954
Chronology : 1927 1928 1929 1934 1935 1936 1937 1939 1954
1927 Mercedes-Benz S 26/180
2011 SOLD for $ 5M including premium by Gooding
1928 A Best Of Show Mercedes-Benz
2013 SOLD 8.3 M$ including premium
2017 UNSOLD
PRE 2017 SALE DISCUSSION
A very early Mercedes-Benz high end car was sold for $ 8.3M including premium by RM Auctions on August 17, 2013. It has been illustrated in the pre sale report by Sports Car Digest.
In perfect condition after a stunning restoration, it was awarded the highest honors : perfect with 100 points and Best of Show at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Restoration of the Year at the 2012 International Historic Motoring Awards and First in Class at the 2013 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.
This car is now estimated € 6.5M for sale by RM Sotheby's successor to RM Auctions on May 27 at Villa Erba, lot 144.
I discussed it as follows before the 2013 sale :
In the history of industry, the merger in 1926 of DMG (Daimler) and Benz is an exemplary case. Their product lines took benefit from the quality of their manufacturing but the German crisis could lead them to bankruptcy. Their combination, including the creation of a single Mercedes-Benz brand for the group, provided the new company with the critical size needed for a restart.
The ambition of Daimler Benz no longer had limits. Their high end models, S for sport and SSK for racing, bodied by the best craftsmen, could rightly appeal an international clientele. The Mercedes-Benz Type S is the successor to the Mercedes Model K.
Made in 1928 and sole survivor from three built with a low windshield, a Mercedes-Benz 680 S coachworked by Saoutchik as a Torpedo roadster is a great example of the perfection and modernism that could be achieved at that time.
Its mechanics are German but the elegance of its body is French. It is an early masterpiece by Jacques Saoutchik, a former cabinetmaker inspired by the Parisian Art Déco who knew to combine style and innovation. Made on order for an American businessman who failed to take it after a reversal of fortunes, it was exhibited at the New York Auto Salon in 1929.
A very early Mercedes-Benz high end car was sold for $ 8.3M including premium by RM Auctions on August 17, 2013. It has been illustrated in the pre sale report by Sports Car Digest.
In perfect condition after a stunning restoration, it was awarded the highest honors : perfect with 100 points and Best of Show at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Restoration of the Year at the 2012 International Historic Motoring Awards and First in Class at the 2013 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.
This car is now estimated € 6.5M for sale by RM Sotheby's successor to RM Auctions on May 27 at Villa Erba, lot 144.
I discussed it as follows before the 2013 sale :
In the history of industry, the merger in 1926 of DMG (Daimler) and Benz is an exemplary case. Their product lines took benefit from the quality of their manufacturing but the German crisis could lead them to bankruptcy. Their combination, including the creation of a single Mercedes-Benz brand for the group, provided the new company with the critical size needed for a restart.
The ambition of Daimler Benz no longer had limits. Their high end models, S for sport and SSK for racing, bodied by the best craftsmen, could rightly appeal an international clientele. The Mercedes-Benz Type S is the successor to the Mercedes Model K.
Made in 1928 and sole survivor from three built with a low windshield, a Mercedes-Benz 680 S coachworked by Saoutchik as a Torpedo roadster is a great example of the perfection and modernism that could be achieved at that time.
Its mechanics are German but the elegance of its body is French. It is an early masterpiece by Jacques Saoutchik, a former cabinetmaker inspired by the Parisian Art Déco who knew to combine style and innovation. Made on order for an American businessman who failed to take it after a reversal of fortunes, it was exhibited at the New York Auto Salon in 1929.
1928 From Daimler to Mercedes-Benz
2017 SOLD for $ 4.8M including premium
The merger of Daimler and Benz in 1926 does not interrupt the Mercedes product line. A specialty of Daimler was to equip their Mercedes cars with a Roots supercharger.
The high-end was offered since 1924 by the models 24/100/140 and 15/70/100. A sports variant 24/110/160 was introduced in 1926. This denomination which may now seem odd indicates successively the fiscal power and the real power in hp without and with compression.
Pushed by the prestige of the competitions, the power is gradually increased. The new Mercedes-Benz company introduces the Typ S (Sportwagen) in 1927 and the Typ SSK (Super Sport Kurz) for competition in 1928. The Typ S is usually equipped with the huge 6.8-liter engine.
In terms of bodywork the Sindelfingen factory offers the high-end but the customer may also buy the chassis and have the body realized by a craftsman.
A Typ S 26/120/180 of 1927 by Sindelfingen was sold for $ 5M including premium by Gooding in August 2011. A car of same power coachworked as a torpedo roadster by Saoutchik was sold for $ 8.3M including premium by RM Auctions on 17 August 2013.
On January 19 in Scottsdale, Bonhams sells a Mercedes-Benz Typ S 26/120/180 made in 1928 still fitted with its original engine. It was coachworked as a sports tourer in Berlin by Erdmann and Rossi. It is estimated $ 5M, lot 54.
The high-end was offered since 1924 by the models 24/100/140 and 15/70/100. A sports variant 24/110/160 was introduced in 1926. This denomination which may now seem odd indicates successively the fiscal power and the real power in hp without and with compression.
Pushed by the prestige of the competitions, the power is gradually increased. The new Mercedes-Benz company introduces the Typ S (Sportwagen) in 1927 and the Typ SSK (Super Sport Kurz) for competition in 1928. The Typ S is usually equipped with the huge 6.8-liter engine.
In terms of bodywork the Sindelfingen factory offers the high-end but the customer may also buy the chassis and have the body realized by a craftsman.
A Typ S 26/120/180 of 1927 by Sindelfingen was sold for $ 5M including premium by Gooding in August 2011. A car of same power coachworked as a torpedo roadster by Saoutchik was sold for $ 8.3M including premium by RM Auctions on 17 August 2013.
On January 19 in Scottsdale, Bonhams sells a Mercedes-Benz Typ S 26/120/180 made in 1928 still fitted with its original engine. It was coachworked as a sports tourer in Berlin by Erdmann and Rossi. It is estimated $ 5M, lot 54.
1929 Mercedes-Benz 38/250 SSK
2004 SOLD for £ 4.2M including premium by Bonhams
1934 500K/540K Spezial Roadster
2021 SOLD for $ 4.9M by Bonhams
In 1933, with their model 380, Mercedes-Benz want to capture the market of the grand touring car. Its 3.8-liter engine is too small and its maximum speed of 120 km/h does not differ sufficiently from its competitors. Adding a compressor with an optimized setting could push the speed up to 145 km/h.
Engineers quickly understood that an increase of the engine and an integrated compression are needed to dominate this market. The Mercedes-Benz 500K with a 5-liter engine was introduced at the Berlin Motor Show of 1934. K means Kompressor. It reaches 160 km/h on the road.
The bodywork becomes gorgeous. The high end is named Roadster, understood as a synonym for Grand Tourer.
Mercedes-Benz optimize their models by promoting a standardization at their assembly plant in Sindelfingen, but remain responsive to the specific needs of their clients. One of the first 500K bodied as a Roadster is embellished by an abundance of chrome.
Its client, a Berlin lawyer, wanted to have the best car. In 1936, when Mercedes-Benz launched the 540K model, the car returns to the factory to accommodate the new engine of 5.4 liters. Its modified chassis and new engine keep the serial numbers of the original equipment.
In the early 1970s, two fans make a tour of Europe in search of valuable old cars. They have the luck to find this 500K/540K Spezial in oblivion in a garage at Poznan, disassembled but complete.
The car was sold twice by Bonhams : on July 12, 2014 for € 3.1M for the benefit of Swedish medical research charities, and for $ 4.9M on May 20, 2021, lot 160.
Engineers quickly understood that an increase of the engine and an integrated compression are needed to dominate this market. The Mercedes-Benz 500K with a 5-liter engine was introduced at the Berlin Motor Show of 1934. K means Kompressor. It reaches 160 km/h on the road.
The bodywork becomes gorgeous. The high end is named Roadster, understood as a synonym for Grand Tourer.
Mercedes-Benz optimize their models by promoting a standardization at their assembly plant in Sindelfingen, but remain responsive to the specific needs of their clients. One of the first 500K bodied as a Roadster is embellished by an abundance of chrome.
Its client, a Berlin lawyer, wanted to have the best car. In 1936, when Mercedes-Benz launched the 540K model, the car returns to the factory to accommodate the new engine of 5.4 liters. Its modified chassis and new engine keep the serial numbers of the original equipment.
In the early 1970s, two fans make a tour of Europe in search of valuable old cars. They have the luck to find this 500K/540K Spezial in oblivion in a garage at Poznan, disassembled but complete.
The car was sold twice by Bonhams : on July 12, 2014 for € 3.1M for the benefit of Swedish medical research charities, and for $ 4.9M on May 20, 2021, lot 160.
1935 Luxury and Sport by Mercedes-Benz
2016 SOLD for € 5.3M including premium
After an early great period around 1928 with its prestigious 680 S, Mercedes-Benz is positioning more firmly in the luxury car market in 1933 with the 380 and its variant named 380 K to indicate that it is super-compressed.
The German brand endeavors to appeal the elite. It will of course be lucky to meet the luxury trends of the new German regime but even in terms of an international perspective its initiative is timely. The Cord group fails to balance the budget of Duesenberg, Bugatti's La Royale is an almost total commercial failure and Bentley went bankrupt.
The Mercedes-Benz 380 can be bodied in limousine, coupe, cabriolet or roadster. It is heavy and sluggish. With a high intelligence Mercedes-Benz appreciates that the wealthiest customers shall prefer a bigger and more powerful car even if it is much more expensive. The 380 is terminated in mid-1934 to be replaced by the 500 and 500 K.
On September 3 in Chantilly, Bonhams sells a 500 K Roadster coachworked in Sindelfingen according to the practice of the company that unlike its competitors did not like subcontracting the body. Completed in February 1935, this car is then the high-end of the brand and is immediately exhibited at the Auto Show in Berlin. Remaining in very good condition with its matching number engine, it is estimated € 5M, lot 16.
I already met it in this column in 2011 when it was part of a tantalizing set of five vehicles demonstrating the dramatic progress of Mercedes-Benz into the later 1930s, with the 540 K introduced at the Salon de l'Auto of Paris in 1936 and the ultimate luxury, the 540 K Spezial launched in the same year, which will delight Göring.
In that sale made by RM Auctions on August 20, 2011, the 500 K Roadster was the earliest built of these five prestigious Mercedes-Benz and the only example in 500 K, the four others being 540 K. It was sold for $ 3.8M.
The other results were : $ 3M for a 1936 Cabriolet A, $ 3.1M for a 1936 Spezial Coupe, $ 9.7M for a 1937 Spezial Roadster and $ 4.6M for a Spezial Roadster from 1939 that was sold again for $ 7.5M by the same auction house in August 2013. These prices include the premium. The five cars were shown on the article shared by Sports Car Digest.
The German brand endeavors to appeal the elite. It will of course be lucky to meet the luxury trends of the new German regime but even in terms of an international perspective its initiative is timely. The Cord group fails to balance the budget of Duesenberg, Bugatti's La Royale is an almost total commercial failure and Bentley went bankrupt.
The Mercedes-Benz 380 can be bodied in limousine, coupe, cabriolet or roadster. It is heavy and sluggish. With a high intelligence Mercedes-Benz appreciates that the wealthiest customers shall prefer a bigger and more powerful car even if it is much more expensive. The 380 is terminated in mid-1934 to be replaced by the 500 and 500 K.
On September 3 in Chantilly, Bonhams sells a 500 K Roadster coachworked in Sindelfingen according to the practice of the company that unlike its competitors did not like subcontracting the body. Completed in February 1935, this car is then the high-end of the brand and is immediately exhibited at the Auto Show in Berlin. Remaining in very good condition with its matching number engine, it is estimated € 5M, lot 16.
I already met it in this column in 2011 when it was part of a tantalizing set of five vehicles demonstrating the dramatic progress of Mercedes-Benz into the later 1930s, with the 540 K introduced at the Salon de l'Auto of Paris in 1936 and the ultimate luxury, the 540 K Spezial launched in the same year, which will delight Göring.
In that sale made by RM Auctions on August 20, 2011, the 500 K Roadster was the earliest built of these five prestigious Mercedes-Benz and the only example in 500 K, the four others being 540 K. It was sold for $ 3.8M.
The other results were : $ 3M for a 1936 Cabriolet A, $ 3.1M for a 1936 Spezial Coupe, $ 9.7M for a 1937 Spezial Roadster and $ 4.6M for a Spezial Roadster from 1939 that was sold again for $ 7.5M by the same auction house in August 2013. These prices include the premium. The five cars were shown on the article shared by Sports Car Digest.
1936 The Von Krieger Mercedes
2012 SOLD 11.8 M$ including premium
In the sale of 18 and 19 August in Pebble Beach, Gooding has a wonder: a car from the most beautiful German model of the 1930s, owned and driven by one of the most elegant young ladies of the time, retaining its original equipment.
In 1936, Mercedes-Benz unveil their new high-end model, the 540K, offered with a variety of bodywork according to the custom of the time.
The 540K Spezial Roadster, a two-seater convertible, was then the supreme elegance regarding automobiles. It can still claim the title: the specimen of the Mann collection was sold $ 9.7 million including premium by RM Auctions on August 20, 2011, an exceptional price for a road car.
This variant is the masterpiece of the designer Hermann Ahrens. Its tapered shape, with the door in alignment of the covers, gives an illusion of lightness that fully compensates the large dimensions of its 5.15 m long chassis.
Known as a lover of beautiful cars, a Prussian aristocrat named von Krieger bought this Spezial Roadster as early as 1936 to his two children, but it was to his daughter Gisela, 23, to monopolize it for supporting her social life.
Then came the war. Baroness Gisela hid her car and then went to a reclusive life. After her death in 1989, her wonderful car was retrieved intact, with driving maps, lipstick-stained cigarette butts and silk gloves used by its owner four decades earlier.
The car is illustrated in the article shared by Sports Car Digest.
POST SALE COMMENT
In recent years, the Mercedes 540K Spezial Roadsters prance at the highest level of pre-war cars at auction. On October 31, 2007, at a time when the pound was strong, one of them was sold £ 3.9 million including premium by RM Auctions and Sotheby's.
I already mentioned above the unit sold for $ 9.7 million last year.
The Mercedes of the Baroness had been a time capsule during four decades, and benefited of a careful pre-sale presentation to the media. It had all the qualities to become the best. It is done: $ 11.8 million including premium.
In 1936, Mercedes-Benz unveil their new high-end model, the 540K, offered with a variety of bodywork according to the custom of the time.
The 540K Spezial Roadster, a two-seater convertible, was then the supreme elegance regarding automobiles. It can still claim the title: the specimen of the Mann collection was sold $ 9.7 million including premium by RM Auctions on August 20, 2011, an exceptional price for a road car.
This variant is the masterpiece of the designer Hermann Ahrens. Its tapered shape, with the door in alignment of the covers, gives an illusion of lightness that fully compensates the large dimensions of its 5.15 m long chassis.
Known as a lover of beautiful cars, a Prussian aristocrat named von Krieger bought this Spezial Roadster as early as 1936 to his two children, but it was to his daughter Gisela, 23, to monopolize it for supporting her social life.
Then came the war. Baroness Gisela hid her car and then went to a reclusive life. After her death in 1989, her wonderful car was retrieved intact, with driving maps, lipstick-stained cigarette butts and silk gloves used by its owner four decades earlier.
The car is illustrated in the article shared by Sports Car Digest.
POST SALE COMMENT
In recent years, the Mercedes 540K Spezial Roadsters prance at the highest level of pre-war cars at auction. On October 31, 2007, at a time when the pound was strong, one of them was sold £ 3.9 million including premium by RM Auctions and Sotheby's.
I already mentioned above the unit sold for $ 9.7 million last year.
The Mercedes of the Baroness had been a time capsule during four decades, and benefited of a careful pre-sale presentation to the media. It had all the qualities to become the best. It is done: $ 11.8 million including premium.
1937 The Hypercar of the 1930s
2016 SOLD for $ 9.9M including premium
Mercedes-Benz designed and produced the automotive masterpiece of the 1930s, the 540K Special Roadster. It is not an isolated element in the catalog but really the top of a range. It is the biggest, the most powerful, the fastest, the most beautiful and the most expensive.
Its engine 5.4 liter with compressor is the achievement of a technical evolution that will have no following. The project of a 580K with an increase to 5.8 liters aborted.
It is the biggest, 5.10 m long, but its open cabin as a two-seater convertible is light. The weight gain enables a top speed at 185 km / h which is 25 km / h more than a 540K in a closed bodywork.
Aesthetically, it is a marvel due to the skill of the team of Hermann Ahrens and the engineers in Sindelfingen : its tapered shape makes forget its huge size. It has a long tail, which allows to state that it anticipates by eight decades the hypercars of today with the cockpit centered on the chassis.
It is the most expensive: 28,000 Reichsmarks, which is 6,000 Reichsmarks more than any other model. This is an advantage because it appeals the elite as a car for prestige and parade, although nothing prevents pushing the performance of this roadster on an Autobahn.
The political events in Germany did not prevent Mercedes-Benz to maintain an international clientele. The 540K Special Roadster for sale by RM Sotheby's in Phoenix on January 29 had been delivered in April 1937 to an American dealer who sold it immediately to a collector, happy heir of one of the largest industrial fortunes.
This original collector car was rarely driven. It is estimated $ 10M,lot 242. Keep in mind that the car from the same model that had been found intact in 1989 in the estate of the Baroness von Krieger was sold for $ 11,8M including premium by Gooding on August 18, 2012, a very high price for a car at that time.
I invite you to watch the video shared by the auction house.
Its engine 5.4 liter with compressor is the achievement of a technical evolution that will have no following. The project of a 580K with an increase to 5.8 liters aborted.
It is the biggest, 5.10 m long, but its open cabin as a two-seater convertible is light. The weight gain enables a top speed at 185 km / h which is 25 km / h more than a 540K in a closed bodywork.
Aesthetically, it is a marvel due to the skill of the team of Hermann Ahrens and the engineers in Sindelfingen : its tapered shape makes forget its huge size. It has a long tail, which allows to state that it anticipates by eight decades the hypercars of today with the cockpit centered on the chassis.
It is the most expensive: 28,000 Reichsmarks, which is 6,000 Reichsmarks more than any other model. This is an advantage because it appeals the elite as a car for prestige and parade, although nothing prevents pushing the performance of this roadster on an Autobahn.
The political events in Germany did not prevent Mercedes-Benz to maintain an international clientele. The 540K Special Roadster for sale by RM Sotheby's in Phoenix on January 29 had been delivered in April 1937 to an American dealer who sold it immediately to a collector, happy heir of one of the largest industrial fortunes.
This original collector car was rarely driven. It is estimated $ 10M,lot 242. Keep in mind that the car from the same model that had been found intact in 1989 in the estate of the Baroness von Krieger was sold for $ 11,8M including premium by Gooding on August 18, 2012, a very high price for a car at that time.
I invite you to watch the video shared by the auction house.
1937 The High-End Car by Mercedes-Benz
2011 SOLD 9.7 M$ including premium
The political rivalry between France and Germany in the late 1930's is well known. With regard to the cars, it has resulted in fierce competition for both racing and high-end models.
The Mercedes-Benz 540K was contemporary with the Bugatti 57S. The brand of Sindelfingen equipped a small number of 540K chassis as roadsters, while the brand of Molsheim assembled the Atlantic coupe on the chassis 57S. While the Atlantic has an extraordinary futuristic shape, the 540K roadster, which is a two-seater convertible, has an extraordinary classical beauty.
A metallic gray specimen of 540K Spezial Roadster, made in 1937 with high doors and a long tail, is for sale on August 20 by RM Auctions in Monterey. The press release indicated that there are only three surviving examples of this type, and that this one will go into history as one of the most expensive cars ever sold at auction.
It is illustrated on the top of the page in the article shared by Sports Car Digest.
POST SALE COMMENT
It is always nice to have a great price on an exceptional vehicle: $ 8.8 million before fees, 9.7 million including premium.
The Mercedes-Benz 540K was contemporary with the Bugatti 57S. The brand of Sindelfingen equipped a small number of 540K chassis as roadsters, while the brand of Molsheim assembled the Atlantic coupe on the chassis 57S. While the Atlantic has an extraordinary futuristic shape, the 540K roadster, which is a two-seater convertible, has an extraordinary classical beauty.
A metallic gray specimen of 540K Spezial Roadster, made in 1937 with high doors and a long tail, is for sale on August 20 by RM Auctions in Monterey. The press release indicated that there are only three surviving examples of this type, and that this one will go into history as one of the most expensive cars ever sold at auction.
It is illustrated on the top of the page in the article shared by Sports Car Digest.
POST SALE COMMENT
It is always nice to have a great price on an exceptional vehicle: $ 8.8 million before fees, 9.7 million including premium.
1939 The Last Spezial Roadster
2013 SOLD 7.5 M$ including premium
2017 SOLD for $ 6.6M including premium
PRE 2017 SALE DISCUSSION
The luxury car began to adopt a more modern look in 1939, with Alfa Romeo and Mercedes-Benz. The war interrupted this great trend.
On January 20 in Phoenix, RM Sotheby's sells a Mercedes-Benz 540K Spezial Roadster. Completed in August 1939 on a special order and delivered to its owner in Berlin, this car appears as the ultimate car of the most prestigious pre-war lineage.
It is equipped with the latest developments offered by Mercedes-Benz including the new five-speed transmission. Its one-off bodywork made in Sindelfingen marks the culmination of the aesthetic research aiming to bring to this massive two-seater roadster the same elegance as a sports car.
After the war it was used for a few years in East Berlin by Soviet diplomats and then transferred to Russia. It had become old-fashioned and was likely to be abandoned when an amateur managed to smuggle it into Sweden in 1967. After these adventures, its condition remains remarkably authentic with its original body and equipment including chassis and engine in matching numbers.
This car has already been discussed twice in this column.
On August 20, 2011, RM Auctions had gathered five Mercedes-Benz demonstrating masterfully the evolution of the high-end of this brand from 1935 to 1939. In the shadow of the dazzling 540K Spezial Roadster of 1937 from the Mann collection that fetched $ 9.7M including premium, the 1939 car was sold for $ 4.6M including premium over a lower estimate of $ 3.5M. The pre sale release shared by Sports Car Digest illustrates these five wonders.
Its specific importance was further enhanced later. Sold for $ 7.5M including premium by RM Auctions on August 16, 2013, it then began a prestigious career in the concours d'elegance. It is estimated $ 7.4M in the next sale, lot 258.
The luxury car began to adopt a more modern look in 1939, with Alfa Romeo and Mercedes-Benz. The war interrupted this great trend.
On January 20 in Phoenix, RM Sotheby's sells a Mercedes-Benz 540K Spezial Roadster. Completed in August 1939 on a special order and delivered to its owner in Berlin, this car appears as the ultimate car of the most prestigious pre-war lineage.
It is equipped with the latest developments offered by Mercedes-Benz including the new five-speed transmission. Its one-off bodywork made in Sindelfingen marks the culmination of the aesthetic research aiming to bring to this massive two-seater roadster the same elegance as a sports car.
After the war it was used for a few years in East Berlin by Soviet diplomats and then transferred to Russia. It had become old-fashioned and was likely to be abandoned when an amateur managed to smuggle it into Sweden in 1967. After these adventures, its condition remains remarkably authentic with its original body and equipment including chassis and engine in matching numbers.
This car has already been discussed twice in this column.
On August 20, 2011, RM Auctions had gathered five Mercedes-Benz demonstrating masterfully the evolution of the high-end of this brand from 1935 to 1939. In the shadow of the dazzling 540K Spezial Roadster of 1937 from the Mann collection that fetched $ 9.7M including premium, the 1939 car was sold for $ 4.6M including premium over a lower estimate of $ 3.5M. The pre sale release shared by Sports Car Digest illustrates these five wonders.
Its specific importance was further enhanced later. Sold for $ 7.5M including premium by RM Auctions on August 16, 2013, it then began a prestigious career in the concours d'elegance. It is estimated $ 7.4M in the next sale, lot 258.
1954 The Open-Wheeled Champion
2013 SOLD 19.6 M£ including premium
Everything goes very fast, in any meaning of the word, for Mercedes-Benz at the beginning of 1954. Technology is the best asset to win competitions. For coming back to racing, the German brand aligns the 300SL model for endurance and the W196 single-seater model for Formula 1.
They must win. Mercedes managed to take the best driver, Juan Manuel Fangio, world champion in 1951 with Alfa Romeo, who had just won the first two grand prix of the season on a Maserati.
For their first collaboration, Mercedes and Fangio win the Reims grand prix on a W196 with enclosed wheels. Surrounding the wheel by a piece of bodywork is a theoretical advantage because it limits the impact of air friction. The top speed exceeds 200 km / h.
At that time, the skill of the pilot is prevailing on theories. The next grand prix, at Silverstone, is sinuous. Powerless against Ferrari, Fangio requires the withdrawal of the enclosing to improve his freedom of action. This is the right decision.
Thus are born the chassis 005 and 006 of the W196. With the open wheeled 006, Fangio wins the next two grand prix, in Germany at the Nürburgring and in Switzerland at Bremgarten.
The 006 has no rival for the title of most prestigious single-seater car of all time, formerly driven by the most skilful driver of all time. It is for sale on July 12 by Bonhams at Goodwood.
POST SALE COMMENT
006 is not far from being the most prestigious car of all time in all categories. Its result at auction is the highest of all time: £ 19.6 million including premium.
An open wheeled W196 (perhaps the 006) is driven by Fangio himself during a demonstration at the Nürburgring in 1986. The image below is licensed under Creative Commons with attribution By Lothar Spurzem [CC-BY-SA-2.0-de (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/de/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons.
They must win. Mercedes managed to take the best driver, Juan Manuel Fangio, world champion in 1951 with Alfa Romeo, who had just won the first two grand prix of the season on a Maserati.
For their first collaboration, Mercedes and Fangio win the Reims grand prix on a W196 with enclosed wheels. Surrounding the wheel by a piece of bodywork is a theoretical advantage because it limits the impact of air friction. The top speed exceeds 200 km / h.
At that time, the skill of the pilot is prevailing on theories. The next grand prix, at Silverstone, is sinuous. Powerless against Ferrari, Fangio requires the withdrawal of the enclosing to improve his freedom of action. This is the right decision.
Thus are born the chassis 005 and 006 of the W196. With the open wheeled 006, Fangio wins the next two grand prix, in Germany at the Nürburgring and in Switzerland at Bremgarten.
The 006 has no rival for the title of most prestigious single-seater car of all time, formerly driven by the most skilful driver of all time. It is for sale on July 12 by Bonhams at Goodwood.
POST SALE COMMENT
006 is not far from being the most prestigious car of all time in all categories. Its result at auction is the highest of all time: £ 19.6 million including premium.
An open wheeled W196 (perhaps the 006) is driven by Fangio himself during a demonstration at the Nürburgring in 1986. The image below is licensed under Creative Commons with attribution By Lothar Spurzem [CC-BY-SA-2.0-de (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/de/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons.
1955 New Technologies for Mercedes-Benz
2012 SOLD 4.6 M$ including premium
1955 started well for Mercedes-Benz. Introduced in the previous year, the 300SL model included innovative solutions, the most spectacular being the gullwing doors opening at the roof. They still had to achieve this ambition by results in competition.
Produced in 29 copies only, the 300SL Alloy version was intended for both road and racing. Its alloy body, lighter, was conducive to speed and endurance.
A 300SL Alloy retaining its matching-number equipment is estimated $ 2.5 million, in the sale organized by Gooding in Scottsdale on 20 and 21 January. It is pictured with its doors in open position (of course) on the release shared by Sports Car Market.
But it was also the year of the disaster: 83 dead in the accident of the 24 hours of Le Mans by the fault of a Mercedes-Benz 300SLR. This car was very different from the 300SL model, but the similarity of the two references was a marketing mistake which probably slowered the production of high-end Mercedes-Benz cars.
The way was now open to the overwhelming dominance of Ferrari.
POST SALE COMMENT
The remarkable price, $ 4.62 million including premium, draws the attention to the Mercedes-Benz top productions of the 1950s. It is not very common for high-end vehicles to exceed estimates in such an extent.
Produced in 29 copies only, the 300SL Alloy version was intended for both road and racing. Its alloy body, lighter, was conducive to speed and endurance.
A 300SL Alloy retaining its matching-number equipment is estimated $ 2.5 million, in the sale organized by Gooding in Scottsdale on 20 and 21 January. It is pictured with its doors in open position (of course) on the release shared by Sports Car Market.
But it was also the year of the disaster: 83 dead in the accident of the 24 hours of Le Mans by the fault of a Mercedes-Benz 300SLR. This car was very different from the 300SL model, but the similarity of the two references was a marketing mistake which probably slowered the production of high-end Mercedes-Benz cars.
The way was now open to the overwhelming dominance of Ferrari.
POST SALE COMMENT
The remarkable price, $ 4.62 million including premium, draws the attention to the Mercedes-Benz top productions of the 1950s. It is not very common for high-end vehicles to exceed estimates in such an extent.
