In terms of automotive classics, 2023 once again sees the three-pointed star leading the way:
Mercedes-Benz Classic will be present at numerous high-profile events over the coming months. The Heritage division of the world’s oldest car manufacturer kicks off the new season by taking part in the two leading German trade fairs: Retro Classics (23 to 26 February 2023 in Stuttgart) and Techno Classica (12 to 16 April 2023 in Essen).
“At Retro Classics, the focus for us will be on our dialogue with the officially recognised Mercedes-Benz brand clubs. 80 clubs worldwide, with around 100,000 members, are at the heart of our active Classic community. Their dedication helps to keep our brand history alive and build awareness for it in the public eye. The location of this year’s trade fair stand, immediately adjacent to the German brand clubs, also encourages this close and cooperative interaction.”
Marcus Breitschwerdt, Head of Mercedes-Benz Heritage
A selection of further Mercedes-Benz Classic 2023 dates:
“The I.C.E.” St. Moritz (Switzerland), 24 to 25 February 2023
At the International Concours of Elegance in the elegant winter sports resort, classic cars from Mercedes-Benz will be demonstrating their prowess in fast laps on the frozen and snow-covered Lake St. Moritz.
1000 Miglia (Italy), 13 to 17 June 2023
This year, the historic regularity race on the trail of the legendary Mille Miglia road race will run through Italy over a five-day period. Mercedes-Benz Classic commemorates highlights of motorsport history.
Goodwood Festival of Speed (UK), 13 to 16 July 2023
The “world’s largest automotive garden party” at the British country estate Goodwood House is a special event both for the public and for participants. Highlights include racing on the Hillclimb track and the Rally Stage, as well as vehicle presentations.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance (USA), 20 August 2023
(Climax of the Monterey Car Week from 17 to 20 August 2023)
Mercedes-Benz Classic presents highlight vehicles from the brand’s history in Pebble Beach. Activities will include a spectacular appearance from two of this year’s anniversary vehicles: the Mercedes-Benz 600 (W 100) and the “Pagoda” (W 113). With a display of the latest top-of-the-range models, the Mercedes-Benz Group brands will bring the many facets of automotive elegance to life in Pebble Beach.
The Monterey Car Week will be followed by another high-class event: Mercedes-Benz Classic is taking part with two vehicles in the largest gathering of pre-war Mercedes-Benz sports cars in Sonoma, California.
London to Brighton Veteran Car Run (UK), 5 November 2023
A driving event that brings to life the exciting early days of motoring history. The LBVCR commemorates the so-called “Emancipation Run” of 1896. British car owners of the time celebrated the liberalisation of the speed limit by driving from London to the seaside resort of Brighton, 60 miles (96 kilometres) away.
Important anniversaries in the history of the Mercedes-Benz brand in 2023:
60 years of the Mercedes-Benz 600 (W 100)
This vehicle was a sensation at the 1963 International Motor Show. The brand advertised the new top model as “The ‘Grand Mercedes’ 600 – The exclusive vehicle of great prestige”. With luxury, comfort and driving safety, the “600” took the lead among the small group of exquisite, high-prestige cars. The Mercedes-Benz 600 was available as a Saloon, Pullman Saloon and Landaulet. It was produced in Sindelfingen in a hand-finished production process until 1981.
60 years of the Mercedes-Benz SL “Pagoda” (W 113)
In March 1963, the Mercedes-Benz 230 SL of the W 113 series replaced both the 300 SL Roadster (W 198) and the 190 SL (W 121) at the same time. It was the world’s first sports car with a safety body shell. This was a principle developed by Béla Barényi, featuring a strong passenger compartment and crumple zones. The W 113 series was given the nickname “Pagoda” because of the concave hardtop: the silhouette of the roof is reminiscent of the Asian temples of the same name. Over the years until 1971, the W 113 was offered successively as the 230 SL, 250 SL and 280 SL.
30 years of the 500 GE V8 of the 463 series
The first G-Class model with V8 engine made its début in March 1993 at the Geneva Motor Show. The 500 GE V8 was the forerunner for the powerful and luxurious versions of the G-Class in the years that followed. The M 117 V8 engine with two-valve technology developed 177 kW (240 hp) and 375 Newton-metres of torque from a displacement of 4,973 cubic centimetres. The top speed was 180 km/h, while acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h was achieved in 11.4 seconds.
30 years of the C-Class of the 202 series
In May 1993, Mercedes-Benz presented the second generation of the compact class. The successor to the successful “190” (201 series) established a new nomenclature in the brand’s model range: from that point on, the compact class was called the “C-Class”, in alignment with the familiar designation “S-Class”. In the 1990s, this logic was also applied to the E-Class and G-Class, as well as to new model series such as the A, B and M-Class. Among other things, the first Mercedes-Benz C-Class introduced the concept of different design and equipment lines as well as additional active and passive safety systems to this vehicle segment.
Vehicles from Mercedes-Benz Classic at the Retro Classics 2023
Benz Patent Motor Car, 1886.
On 29 January 1886, Carl Benz’s dream came true: the designer from Mannheim applied for a patent for his “vehicle with gas engine operation”. Patent number DRP 37435 is considered the birth certificate of the motor car, and gave its name to the Patent Motor Car. The world’s first automobile was a completely independent design, with an organic unit comprising engine and chassis. Benz designed it as a three-wheeler, as he was not convinced by the drawbar steering used for carriages. Carl Benz’s decisive achievement was the systematic implementation of his vision of the “horseless carriage”: he had the idea of a motor car, patented it, designed, built and tested it. He launched the vehicle on the market; he mass-produced it, developed it further and so made his invention usable. The Benz Patent Motor Car ushered in a new era of personal mobility. Visitors to the Retro Classics can embark on a journey through time and experience this milestone in the history of technology up close. On the Mercedes-Benz Classic stand, there is a faithful replica of the vehicle as a photo point. The Patent Motor Car is accompanied by an actress dressed as Bertha Benz. Carl Benz’s wife supported her husband’s development with great vigour and influence, and in August 1888 even undertook the first long-distance trip in an automobile, from Mannheim to Pforzheim and back.
Technical data of the Benz Patent Motor Car
Year of construction: 1886 (faithful reconstruction)
Cylinders: 1
Displacement: 954 cc
Output: 0.55 kW (0.75 hp) at 400 rpm
Top speed: 16 km/h
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupé “Rolling Chassis” (W 198), 1954
In February 1954, the 300 SL Coupé (W 198) production sports car was presented in New York. Its gullwing doors were not an aesthetic end in themselves, but a technical necessity. This was because the vehicle was based on a lightweight and extremely torsion-resistant tubular frame. It was built so high at the sides that conventional door designs could not be realised. Even in 1954, the year of its première, the brand used a chassis with visible technology as a fascinating exhibit at the major motor shows. The tubular frame, which weighed around 75 kilograms, was welded from tubes that were assembled into triangles and thus only under tensile and compressive loads. The exhibit clearly shows the angled installation of the six-cylinder engine, as well as the entire drive train with gearbox, axles and drive shaft.
Technical data Mercedes-Benz 300 SL “Rolling Chassis” (W 198)
Year of construction: 1954
Cylinders: 6/inline
Displacement: 2,996 cc
Output: 158 kW (215 hp) at 5,800 rpm
Top speed: up to 260 km/h
