Classic Days 2022: Mercedes-Benz Classic Presents Its Classics In Düsseldorf

Classic Days 2022 will be showcasing an outstanding line-up of vehicles by Mercedes-Benz Classic at the ‘Festival of Culture & Motoring Lifestyle’ event in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Taking place this 5 to 7 August, the line-up of five classics will represent Mercedes’ history of automotive sportiness from more than 120 years.

The vehicles are: 1886 Benz Patent Motor Car, 1902 Mercedes-Simplex 40 HP, 1932 Mercedes-Benz SSKL Avus (W 06), 1952 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (W 194) and 2019 Vision Mercedes Simplex.

Benz Patent Motor Car, 1886

On 29 January, 1886 was when Carl Benz, the Mannheim designer applied for a patent for his ‘vehicle with gas engine operation’. 

Patent number DRP 37435 is regarded as the birth certificate of the automobile, and the name Patent Motor Car was given. 

Built to replace the old horse carriages, this three-wheeler carriage-like vehicle has a distinctive design in which the engine and chassis formed an organic unit. 

Powering it is a 954-cm3 (1.0-litre), one-cylinder engine. It has an output of 0.55-kW (0.5 HP) at 400 rpm and a top speed of 16 km/h.

Being the world’s first automobile, the Benz Patent Motor Car ushered in a new era of personal mobility and the one Mercedes-Benz Classic will be presenting is a faithful replica of it.

Mercedes-Simplex 40 HP, 1902

120 years ago, no car was faster or more successful during the motor sport event ‘Nice Week’ back in April of 1902. 

Driving the 40 HP in the Nice-La Turbie hill climb, racers E. T. Stead set a new course record with an average of 55.2 km/h, followed by Albert Lemaître and Wilhelm Werner in second and third place. 

Weighing in at 1,000 kg, it sports a 6,785-cc (6.9-litre), inline four-cylinder engine that produces 29-kW (40 HP) at 1,050 rpm and a top speed of 75 km/h.

Said engine features two fully enclosed bottom-mounted camshafts, where the flywheel is designed as a fan wheel with suction effects that amplifies the airstream flowing through the engine’s cooler.

A historic racer, the Mercedes-Simplex 40 HP proved far superior to its competition, and only had a short production run from 1902 to 1905. 

Mercedes-Benz SSKL Avus racing car (W 06), 1932

May 1932, the victory of the Mercedes-Benz SSKL with streamlined body at the International Avus race in Berlin permanently changed the design principles for racing cars. 

Spectators in Berlin nicknamed it the ‘Gurke’ meaning cucumber, while radio reporter Paul Laven called this SSKL at the Avus Race the ‘Silver Arrow’. 

Made of light alloy, this particular machine carries an aerodynamic body on an SSKL chassis that covers the entire frame including the underbody. 

Under its hood, the standard 7,065-cc (7.1-litre), inline six-cylinder, 177-kW (240 HP) engine comes with a supercharger that juices it up to 221-kW (300 HP).

Via said setup, this unusual racing car reaches a top speed of 235 km/h, and that’s 20 km/h more than a normal SSKL.

To be featured at Classic Days is the anniversary year ‘125 Years of Motorsport’ edition, which was rebuilt by Mercedes-Benz Classic in 2019 with a high degree of authenticity.

Mercedes-Benz 300 SL racing sports car (W 194), 1952

Mercedes-Benz re-entered motor racing in 1952 with the 300 SL (W 194). Amongst its major racing victories were the one-two-three victory at the Grand Prix of Bern in Switzerland.

Remarkable one-two finishes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France, the Carrera Panamericana in Mexico and the top four positions in the Nürburgring Jubilee Grand Prix.

At its core is a 2,996-cc (3.0-litre), inline six-cylinder engine that has an output of 125-kW (170 HP) at 5,200 rpm and a top speed of 240 km/h.

Axles, transmission and engine of the new racing car were developed from components stemming from the Mercedes-Benz 300 (W 186) representation vehicle. 

Though it comes with a brand-new feature. An extremely lightweight, yet very torsionally stiff tubular frame, which is enclosed by a streamlined light-alloy body. 

As a result of the elevated tubular frame around the doors, the racing car was equipped with the characteristic roof-hinged gullwing doors the model is famous for today.

Vision Mercedes Simplex, 2019

Lastly, a concept car. The Vision Mercedes Simplex reinterprets the historic Mercedes Simplex as a two-seater with free-standing wheels, alternative drive, unique user interface and modern design. 

Its horizontally aligned body sits as a monocoque in the middle of the four large wheels, and the vertical colour parting from a white front car to a black rear car follows the historical model.

Transparent wheel trims reflect lightness and efficiency, as do the aerodynamic guiding surfaces between the front wheels and the vehicle’s body. 

Vision Mercedes Simplex’s chief design officer, Gorden Wagener, expressed, “Only a brand that is as strong as Mercedes-Benz is capable of the physical symbiosis of history and future. The Vision Mercedes Simplex symbolises the transformation of Mercedes-Benz’s brand-specific luxury.”

All in all, other notable highlights from Mercedes-Benz Classic at the Classic Days 2022 will be the SSKL Avus race car tackling the 1.8 km track in the middle of the event grounds. 

Along with a current Mercedes-AMG SL 63 4MATIC+, flanking the 300 SL racing sports car (W 194) to bring the anniversary of ‘70 years of the SL’ display to life.