44th ADAC Zurich 24h Race Results

Mercedes-AMG won the memorable 44th ADAC Zurich 24h Race with a heartbeat finale. AMG celebrated a quadruple triumph. The AMG team Black Falcon with drivers  Bernd Schneider, Maro Engel, Adam Christodoulou and Manuel Metzger triumphed with a margin of 5.697 seconds.

In a famous final spurt Maro Engel overtook only in the last round the leader Christian Hohenadel in a HTP-Mercedes-AMG GT3 number 29 with a hard maneuver on the GP circuit. 

The 'Green Hell' has made ​​her name again suggests: Torrential rain and hail had provided on Saturday afternoon for a race interruption.

Cars & Parts Mega Swap Meet and Car Show, Springfield, OH, May 27, 2016

Hi folks -- spent sometime at the Swap Meet today, although all I bought was a lemon and cream fried pie from Amish folks.  Hot today (up to between 87 and 89), but since tomorrow's forecast includes the possibility of thunderstorms, I decided to attend opening day. Since my knees are giving me so much trouble, I had a hard time getting around and then concentrating on the various vender tables. One thing I noticed is that there are lots of folks in their sixties and above who have trouble walking. Plenty of people using electric scooters.

ONE TIP FOR  THOSE FROM OUT OF TOWN -- INSTEAD OF EATING AT THE FAIRGROUNDS, GO ONE EXIST WEST ON I-70 TO OH 72.  GO RIGHT AND WITHIN .2 MILES THERE IS RUDY'S. BEST BARBECUE EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI ( SO THEY SAY!)

A couple of photos from todays event:

A Car Museum in the Cotswalds

Todd Uhlman just sent me this photo from his travels. Anyone know anything about this museum and its exhibits?

One Woman's Experience with a Fiat 500

The Sun: ‘I f***ing hate the thing’: This woman’s eBay listing for her Fiat 500 is the most honest thing you’ll read today

A WOMAN has written a refreshingly genuine eBay advert for her TLC-needing Fiat 500, which she admits has caused her a lot trouble since she bought it. 

Unlike many people who are trying to sell a used car online, eBay user sphlchwns posted a hilariously honest account of her troubled past with her vehicle. 

The opening line of her description about the 2008 Fiat 500 reads: "This is a real bargain to be honest. Even though this car has genuinely ruined my life."

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/7172036/I-fg-hate-the-thing-This-womans-eBay-advert-for-her-Fiat-500-is-the-most-honest-thing-youll-read-today.html

ADAC 24 HOUR CLASSIC at the Nurburgring -- May 27, 2016

DTM, Hockenheim I. Mercedes-AMG DTM Team, Mercedes-Benz, DTM, Daniel Juncadella, UBFS invest Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM.

They're racing again: On 27 May 2016, Mercedes-AMG DTM racing driver Daniel Juncadella will again start in the Youngtimer Trophy at the Nürburgring driving an EVO II constructed by Mercedes-Benz Classic. As in the past year, he will compete in the Three-Hour Race of the ADAC 24h Classic. Juncadella will share the cockpit with TV moderator Matthias Malmedie ("Grip – Das Motormagazin", RTL II). The Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5 Evolution II is one of the most famous and successful racing sports cars in DTM history. Mercedes-Benz Classic constructed the car as an authentic copy of the Group A racing cars of the early 1990s and has been using it in the Youngtimer Trophy since 2013.

Stuttgart. More than 160 vehicles will start as part of the ADAC 24h Classic event. The 190 E 2.5 Evolution II from Mercedes-Benz Classic is in direct competition with other EVO IIs in the Group A vehicles of the years 1989 to 1991. The starter field of the event comprises vehicles of the mid-1960s and newer. The race starts at 4:20 pm on Friday, 27 May, following the qualifying on Thursday, 26 May. The ADAC 24h Classic race is run on the legendary Nordschleife and on the Grand Prix track. It is the second race of the season of the Youngtimer Trophy and of the FHR racing series.

Photos of the qualifying and race will be available for download at this link starting on 27 May 2016:https://mercedes-benz-archive.com/marsMuseum/de/instance/ko/24h-Classic-2016.xhtml?oid=10865144

Youngtimer motor racing as a journey through time

The Youngtimer Trophy is an extraordinary journey through time to the recent past of circuit motor racing. The racing series is characterised by a high degree of authenticity. Mercedes-Benz Classic set standards in this regard with the construction of the second works racing car of the Stuttgart-based brand for historic motor racing: Like all competing vehicles, the 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II works racing car complies with Appendix J of the International Sporting Code of the FIA (Féderation Internationale de l’Automobile) and the homologation requirements of the particular era.

The Mercedes-Benz EVO II works racing car as a high-performance vehicle based on the Mercedes-Benz W 201 compact class continues a brilliant and multifaceted history in its race starts of the present day. The inaugural race of the new Nürburgring in May 1984 featured 20 vehicles of the Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 model with Ayrton Senna emerging as the eventual victor. In 1988, Mercedes-Benz entered the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) with a motor racing touring car developed on this basis.

The 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution had its début in 1989, followed finally 26 years ago in the 1990 season by the successful EVO II with an output of 274 kW (373 hp). It competed in the DTM for the first time at the Nürburgring in June 1990. In 1992, Klaus Ludwig won the DTM championship driving an EVO II, with his team-mates Kurt Thiim and Bernd Schneider finishing as the runner-ups. Ludwig also won the DTM race on the legendary track in the Eifel in 1992.

The driver of Mercedes-Benz Classic at the ADAC 24h Classic 2016

Daniel Juncadella
born 7 May 1991 in Barcelona, Spain

In 2004 Daniel Juncadella began his motor racing career in kart racing at the age of 13. In 2007, he switched to formula racing. After winning the legendary Macao GP in his Formula 3 car in 2011, he made 2012 his year: Juncadella won the title in the Formula 3 Euro Series and the FIA Formula 3 European Championship while also winning the Masters of Formula 3 race in Zandvoort. The highly promising racing talent switched to the DTM and Team Mücke Motorsport for the 2013 season. The successful collaboration was continued in 2014. In addition, Juncadella is a reserve driver for the Force India Formula 1 Team, which uses Mercedes-Benz engines. 2016 is the fourth DTM season for Daniel Juncadella. His personal choice of start number: number 12.

The vehicle from Mercedes-Benz Classic at the ADAC 24h Classic 2016

Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II (W 201)

In August 1989, work began in the in-house Mercedes-Benz sport technik (st) department on the second stage of development of a DTM racing car based on the compact class W 201. The Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II made its racing début on 16 June 1990. Mercedes-Benz Classic constructed the vehicle used in the Youngtimer Trophy since 2013 with utmost authenticity for historic motor sport races. The first works racing car, a Mercedes-Benz 220 SE (W111) affectionately referred to as the "Racing Fintail" by fans, celebrated its première in the Dunlop FHR Long-Distance Cup in the 2011 season.

Technical data Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II
Year of production: 1990
Cylinders: 4/in-line
Displacement: 2463 cc
Output: 173 kW (235 hp) at 7200 rpm
Top speed: about 250 km/h.

Cruise-In at Lofino's Beavercreek, May 13, 2016: A BMW 2002

Hi folks -- got there late last night and really didn't see very much that interested me.  This event has turned into almost exclusively American Muscle, Corvettes, and Hot Rods with a smattering of pre-WWII cars.  One car I have seen there before and I always liked was this BMW 2002.  the owner bought this car while in the Air Force -- actually has two "Wolfgang" (for Mozart) and "Ludwig" (for Beethoven). A very original car that had its engine rebuilt at 2014,00 miles, one respray 25 years ago. Optional fog lights and Minilite wheels. this one is for all intents and purposes a survivor.

 

The Roberta Cowell Story -- Auto Racing, Spitfire Pilot, and the first known British Transsexual Woman to Undergo Reassignment Surgery

Hi folks -- this is a story that while well publicized in Britain, may well be a topic of further historical work. I ran across the Roberta (formerly Bob) Cowell (1918-2011) story while glancing through a 1958 Speed Age magazine last night. (January, 1958), p. 39. the story reports "Roberta Cowell sets new ladies' fastest time at Britain's National Speed Hill Climb. Known 10 years ago as Bob Cowell, tracing driver and ex-fighter pilot, she registered formal sex change six years ago."

Just doing a bit of research, I discovered Bob Cowell caught the racing bug at Brooklands in 1936, raced a Riley at the Lands End Speed Trial. In 1939 he competed at the Antwerp Grand Prix, and later became an RAF Spitfire and test pilot during WWII. After WWII and his sex change he won the 1957 Shelsley Walsh Speed Trial Hill Climb, and was active in motorsports to the 1970s despite having financial difficulties.

Sounds like a nice topic, even though the Brits have written him up.  Go deeper into the story?

Anyone Know Anything about the Value of a Rutenber Engine from the Early 1900s?

Good morning Mr. Heitmann, 

I have recently acquired a defunct early 1900s horse drawn fire apparatus.  On this apparatus is a Rutenber 4 cylinder engine.  I'm interested in any information you may be able to share about this engine and or apparatus and would like to sell it, preferably to a museum or collector that will restore and preserve the engine for future generations.

From my research, I've found that the Rutenber engines were used in Howe Fire Apparatus in the early 1900s.  The serial number on the engine is 7663 so I'm thinking it's an earlier version but again, can find very little about these engines online.  

The block appears to be aluminum with steel exterior cylinder heads.  The heads are pretty well worn.  There is lots of brass accessories and fittings on the engine that are still good.  I haven't done anything with it since I got it so I'm not sure if it's locked up or anything. 

I haven't been able to find any Rutenber engines on the market at all.  I do know that one was donated to the smithsonian back in 1973.  Any info, including an approximate value would be greatly appreciated.  I know value is going to be very subjective due to the lack of past sales information as well as the condition of the engine, but I do know it's extremely rare.

If you prefer to speak about this over the phone, feel free to call me at 336 317-0504.

Thanks,

Rick

How Baby Boomer Boys Developed Their Interests in Cars

Their interest in the automobile (and mine!)  started at a very young age, well before one could acquire an operator’s license.   For example, as a 5 year old in 1953, I was fascinated by a colorful Golden Book of Automobiles that featured stamps of cars. My task (and that for thousands of other little boys) was to match the stamps with blank spaces contained on pages that described specific cars. Undoubtedly, along with comic books, it was one of the first books that I read.  I routinely played with metal cast cars, made in mass quantities by companies like National Products of Chicago where plaster replicas were cast into molds and then painted in infrared ovens. It was not long thereafter that I built the first plastic model of an automobile, coincidentally also first marketed in large quantities in 1953.

Until the early 1950s, the hobby of scale modeling had a very small following, not surprising, given the high degree of skill and patience and the ability to work with wood or metal.  Beginning in the mid1940s, however, the technique of injection molding had been developed. Soon thereafter, the Revell Company, founded in Venice, California in 1943, used the designs of Gowland & Gowland from Santa Barbara, California in a series called “Highway Pioneers.”  Previously Gowland & Gowland had partnered with Revell in making toy cars called “Action Miniatures,” strange little models that bucked when one pressed in a protruding front cable. But sales of the “Action Miniatures” indicated that there was a large potential market for plastic cars, and thus “Highway Pioneers came to be. These sixteen early plastic models were made in large quantities, and shortly thereafter Revell began making its own models, followed by Monogram and Aurora.  Model building became the number one pastime of young boys by the early 1960s, and to further empty young boys’ pockets, by the1962 Aurora began marketing their extremely popular slot cars and track. With organized club events and the support of the Ford motor Company, Aurora, Strombecker and the A.C. Gilbert Company marketed a variety of cars and tracks to more than a million competitive “drivers” in 1962. It was a short jump for boys to go from toy cars to their own cars, with the family car as only a temporary set of wheels from which to learn to drive.  And in time full scale cars would become toys for bigger boys.

The future of the automobile

Peking, China, 2016 (Porsche)

Hi  folks – an interesting interview to say the least.  After reading this, do you agree that in the future automobiles will no longer be status symbols? What will be the status symbols of those living in 2030? What kind of events might flip this entire projection upside down? Is this view one centered on the U.S., Europe, Asia or is it global?

Interview with Lars Thomsen, futurologist:  Courtesy Porsche.

Mr. Thomsen, will automobiles even exist in future?

Yes, but several basic aspects related to automobiles and individual mobility will change fundamentally over the next ten years. This will particularly be the case with regard to drive systems and autonomous capability, or "intelligence". However, there will also be a change in the way we view the concept of individual urban mobility. In other words, we're on the verge of several upheavals.

Some people are predicting that the significance of the automobile as a status symbol will decline rapidly.

Most people still view their cars as a very important and also emotional part of their lives and their culture of mobility. However, more and more people in big cities, and especially young people, want to be able to use cars but don't necessarily want to own one. The mobile Internet allows them to choose the most efficient form of mobility for a given situation, which in many cases is not an automobile. In general, these people no longer view cars as status symbols but instead as one mobility option among many. This trend is growing in line with the increasing availability of car-sharing services, and it will expand even further with the advent of fully automated urban vehicles in future.

What will the car of tomorrow actually be like – in terms of drive system technology, for example?

The combustion engine has been the dominant power source for cars and trucks for more than 100 years now, but like every other technology, it too will be replaced by something better at some point. Electric cars are much more dynamic, require less maintenance and consume fewer resources. Up until now, however, the lack of powerful and reasonably priced batteries has prevented electric vehicles from achieving a major breakthrough. Nevertheless, we will very soon reach the point where pure electric drives will be cheaper than combustion engines and hybrids. We will reach this point on a global scale before 2020 in fact. In around ten years, according to our calculations, we will rarely see vehicles equipped with combustion engines coming off the assembly lines anymore. However, this doesn't mean that such cars will lose their special appeal, especially since they'll then be viewed as classics. It's just that more and more cities will tighten restrictions on vehicles with combustion engines – and the autonomous city pods we expect to see starting around 2022 will all be electric.

Why is this development so important?

It's already the case that our children no longer accept the way we use energy and finite resources, or how we deal with climate change. In ten years, it will be difficult for us to explain to them why we didn't act differently, given our level of knowledge and our moral codes, and especially given the fact that we already knew there were effective solutions available. In Germany, for example, we already generate nearly twice as much electricity from renewable sources as all passenger cars in the country would need if they all ran on electricity. We're talking here about energy we produce ourselves and energy that does not harm the global climate. Moreover, providing such power for electric cars would be four times less expensive than the imported fossil fuels we use today. The large-scale use of electric cars would also offer a partial solution to the problem we currently face in terms of a lack of storage media for energy from renewable sources. In addition, I would point out that the raw materials used for the batteries in electric vehicles do not pose any problem. For example, more than 98 per cent of the materials used in lithium-ion batteries are recyclable and non-toxic. Moreover, when you consider that a car with a combustion engine consumes more than 20,000 kilograms of non-recyclable fossil hydrocarbons throughout its service life, and thus produces around 70,000 kilograms of greenhouse gases, then the roughly 300 kilograms of material in a battery doesn't really amount to much of an issue.

Vehicle electrification isn't the only mobility megatrend that people are talking about at the moment…

No, as I indicated, there are currently a whole range of megatrends that are changing our world. Megacities around the world with millions of residents are desperately looking to develop new urban mobility concepts that are not necessarily compatible with the products that are available today. Digitisation will also bring us to the point where computers will be able to carry out an increasing number of routine activities (and driving will be one of them) more effectively and in a more error-free manner than is the case with humans. In just five years, a computer will be driving us around in our new cars in most driving situations – and we will find this to be very cool and relaxing. At the same time, we will be able to enjoy and celebrate the old-style driving experience with traditional cars in our free time.

Does this mean automakers will become IT companies?

Yes, and IT companies will become automakers. What we're hearing now is that Apple plans to launch a vehicle as early as 2019. Google and other companies are working on autonomous vehicle systems that we might soon be able to use in major cities around the world. As a result, assistance systems and systems that connect vehicles with energy, traffic guidance and information networks will also become more and more important in the vehicle development process in future. The nature of expertise and value creation in the automotive industry will change and competition will become more intense. This will present tremendous challenges to the industry and related economic sectors.

Nevertheless, let's be honest: isn't all of this still a long way off?

A lot of things that appear normal to us today seemed like a dream of the future just ten years ago. Most developments follow a certain logic and are based on reliable data. Whenever there have been upheavals throughout history, you can always look back and retrace how it was that they came about. Our approach is to apply this principle to the future. Consider the following example: when you make popcorn, you heat up the corn kernels in a pot with hot oil (this is the trend) – and then nothing happens for a while. However, at a certain point the first kernel opens up because the water it contains turns to steam and this causes it to pop. The thing is that once this point is reached, nearly all the kernels pop within a few seconds. We refer to this as the tipping point, and it is relatively easy to calculate beforehand if you understand the basic principle. If you look at the technological transformations over the last 300 years, you'll see that this type of logic is involved in nearly every case.

Yes, but how can you know all of this – do you have a crystal ball in your office?

Yes, actually we do – but it's used more for decorative purposes. The work of futurologist is based on a good mixture of curiosity, the meticulous collection of facts and data, the development of understandable and logical models of future developments and a great deal of travel in order to learn about the people and companies that are working to shape the future. This also makes the work of a futurologist very exciting. The future is not a coincidence; it is shaped and invented by people who come up with new things. Ultimately, it is then the consumers who decide whether a given innovation actually improves their lives. It's as simple as that.

Mercedes-Benz at the 2016 Mille Miglia; the New 190 SL

Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (W 198) Mille Miglia 2015, Italy.

Mille Miglia, Brescia in Italy, 1 May 1955. Winner in the diesel class: senior engineer Helmut Retter (Daimler-Benz representative in Innsbruck) with co-driver Wolfgang Larcher in a Mercedes-Benz Type 180 D (W 120), start number 04, at a checkpoint.

Mille Miglia 2013, Mercedes-Benz 220 a (W 180, 1954 to 1959).

Mille Miglia, Brescia in Italy, 1 May 1955. Winners in the production sports car class: John Cooper Fitch and Kurt Gesell (start number 417) in a Mercedes-Benz Type 300 SL (W 198) touring sports car.

From the SSK to the 300 SL – Mercedes-Benz Classic will be represented at this year's Mille Miglia with ten of its own vehicles. Taking place from 19 to 22 May 2016, the event will be run over a thousand miles from Brescia to Rome and back. Mercedes-Benz Classic is for the first time entering an all-ladies team. Racing driver and new brand ambassador of "She's Mercedes" Susie Wolff will be sharing the cockpit of a 300 SL with Ellen Lohr. A second premiere is in store for a racing version of the Mercedes-Benz 190 SL. A roadster of this model took part in the then road race in 1956 and will once again this year – exactly 60 years later – be at the start for the Mille Miglia.

Stuttgart. A thousand miles through Italy together with automotive fascination in the unique historic footsteps of motor sport: that's the Mille Miglia regularity race, which is held in memory of the road race that took place from 1927 to 1957 (and which was won by Mercedes-Benz in both 1931 and 1955).

The Stuttgart-based brand, automotive sponsor of the Mille Miglia, is closely associated with this legendary competition. Once again in 2016, Mercedes-Benz Classic will underscore the brand's intimate ties with the culture and tradition of the Mille Miglia by fielding a strong presence in the starting line-up. Originating from the company's own collection, the classic automobiles will be representative of all the Mercedes-Benz vehicles that participated in the then sporting competition in the era of the road race. For instance, supercharged SS and SSK touring cars will recall the victory of Rudolf Caracciola with Wilhelm Sebastian in a Mercedes-Benz SSKL in 1931. The Mercedes-Benz SS will this year be piloted by brand ambassador Bernd Mayländer.

A new milestone will be set by Mercedes-Benz Classic with its first-ever ladies team. The Mercedes-Benz drivers Susie Wolff and Ellen Lohr will team up for the thousand-mile race in a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (W 198). For Wolff, the Mille Miglia will be her first appearance as new brand ambassador for the Daimler initiative She's Mercedes, with which the Stuttgart-based automotive manufacturer aims to put a stronger emphasis on the needs of women.

She's Mercedes is the name of an initiative targeted at women. It combines an internet platform with exclusive event formats at different locations, sales staff training and the development of new services and mobility offerings. All activities are focused on dialogue – for both sides. The She's Mercedes network allows successful women to exchange views, develop new ideas and make contacts. She's Mercedes also brings the Mercedes brand world closer to women while learning more about their mobility needs.

With their participation in the Mille Miglia, the ladies team of Wolff/Lohr will recall the successful history of Mercedes-Benz female racing drivers, which dates back to the 1920s. For example, Ernes Merck in her Mercedes-Benz S finished second behind Rudolf Caracciola in the international Klausen Race of 1927, while Ewy Rosqvist with Ursula Wirth was victorious in, among others, the 1962 Touring Grand Prix of Argentina.

Second premiere for the 190 SL

The Mercedes-Benz 190 SL is making its debut in this year's Mille Miglia regularity race. It was only in 2015 that automotive historians provided definitive proof that the compact roadster was at the start for the legendary road race in 1956. This makes it an original participating vehicle in the Mille Miglia, which is a requirement that must be met by a vehicle model before it becomes eligible to take part in this high-profile regularity event. Alongside the vehicle entered by Mercedes-Benz Classic, a racing version of the elegant sports car, four other, privately owned 190 SLs will be there at the start. Mercedes-Benz's factory team also includes six 300 SLs (W 198), a 220 a (W 180) and a 180 D (W 120). A total of over 30 Mercedes-Benz classic cars will participate in this year's running of the regularity race.

The route for the Mille Miglia covers 1600 kilometres from Brescia to Rome and back. The programme begins with the technical inspection in Brescia on 17 May (Tuesday). The first stage, on 19 May (Thursday), takes the contestants from Brescia via Sirmione, Ferrara and Ravenna to Rimini. On 20 May (Friday), the race continues through San Marino back to the Adriatic coast and across the Apennines to Rome. The following Saturday (21 May) sees the challenging stage via Viterbo, Florence, Bologna and Modena to Parma. The fourth and final stage, on 22 May (Sunday), will take the participants from Parma via Cremona, Monza and Bergamo back to Brescia. The field for the Mille Miglia 2016 is made up of 665 vehicles from 40 countries. Of those, 70 already took part in the Mille Miglia in the days in which it was a road race.

Owing to its unique concentration of outstanding historical vehicles, the Mille Miglia is regarded by classic enthusiasts as a very special museum on wheels. Yet, as the race progresses through Italy, the culture of sporting mobility will also be carried forward into the future, because the 1000-mile event will also play host to the Mercedes-Benz Mille Miglia Challenge, which will take place ahead of the regularity race. The Challenge will be contested by various SL generations, numerous Mercedes-AMG and AMG vehicles, as well as other historically especially valuable models from the brand history of Mercedes-Benz.

Mercedes-Benz drivers at the Mille Miglia 2016

Ellen LohrBorn on 12 April 1965 in Mönchengladbach, Germany

Ellen Lohr came to motorsport via karting, in which she was active from 1979 to 1983. Her greatest triumphs were taking part in the Junior Karting World Championship as well as 1st place in the Northwest German Regional Karting Championship. After competing in the German Formula Ford 1600 series (German Champion in 1987) and first races in the DTM (BMW) and German Formula 3 Championship with VW in 1989/90, she was signed up by the AMG-Mercedes team for the German Touring Car Championship. Ellen Lohr is the first and only woman to date to have achieved a DTM victory, which she won in May 1992 at the motor racing festival in Hockenheim at the wheel of an AMG-Mercedes 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II. For the 1995 season, she moved to the Mercedes-Zakspeed team, and in 1996 drove for the AMG-Mercedes Persson MS team. In 1997, she competed in the European Truck Racing Championship at the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz racing truck. Subsequently, Ellen Lohr has continued to be actively involved in numerous other racing series, including the Paris–Dakar Rally since 2005 and again in truck racing since 2012.

Bernd MayländerBorn on 29 May 1971 in Waiblingen

Bernd Mayländer makes regular appearances in Formula One at the front of the field. That's because the racing driver, born in Waiblingen in 1971, has since 2000 been the official driver of the Mercedes-Benz Formula One safety car – currently a Mercedes-AMG GT S (C 190). Mayländer began racing in 1990, first taking part in Porsche Club Sport, Porsche Carrera Cup (overall victory in 1994) and Porsche Super Cup as well as in long-distance races. Driving for the Persson Motorsport team, from 1995 he participated initially in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) and the International Touring Car Championship (ITC), while, from 1997, he drove an AMG-Mercedes CLK-GTR in the FIA GT Championship, in which, together with Klaus Ludwig and Bernd Schneider, he won the 1997 race in Spielberg in an AMG-Mercedes CLK-GTR. In 2000, he was victorious in the 24 Hours Nürburgring at the wheel of a Porsche 996 GT3. Bernd Mayländer contested his final DTM season in 2004 as a member of the Rosberg team driving a Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

Susie WolffBorn on 6 December 1982 in Oban, Scotland

Susie Wolff is equally at home in the cockpits of DTM and Formula 1 racing cars. Born as Susie Stoddart in Oban on the west coast of Scotland in 1982, she began her racing career at the age of eight, initially in karting. Her parents, the owners of a motorcycle business, awakened their daughter's interest in sporty vehicles early on: she was not yet three years old when she was given a small quadbike as a present. Moreover, both her father and grandfather competed in motorcycle races, and brought the petite young girl into contact with the motor racing world at an early age. Susie Stoddart's commitment to kart racing became a British success story. In 2000 she entered formula racing, competing in Formula Ford, Formula Renault and British Formula 3. Susie was twice nominated for the prestigous “British Young Driver of the Year Award”. Mercedes-Benz engaged Susie Stoddart for the 2006 season as a works driver for the German Touring Car Championship. For six years she drove for Mercedes-Benz in the DTM series. In 2011 she married Toto Wolff, who became head of motor sport at Mercedes-Benz in 2013. In 2012 Susie Wolff's dream of a cockpit in Formula 1 came true, when she was engaged as a development driver for the British Williams F 1 racing stable until the end of 2015. Since 2016 Wolff is brand ambassador for the Daimler initiative She's Mercedes, with which the Stuttgart-based automotive manufacturer aims to put a stronger emphasis on the needs of women.

Mercedes-Benz vehicles at the Mille Miglia 2016

Mercedes-Benz SSK (W 06, 1928)

Of the six-cylinder supercharged sports cars of the Mercedes-Benz S-Series, the SSK (W 06) was the most exclusive and fascinating model. The model designation stood for Super-Sport-Kurz (Super Sport Short) and featured a shorter wheelbase alongside its particular sportiness. In the summer of 1928, works driver Rudolf Caracciola won the Gabelbach Race at the first attempt as well as the races at Schauinsland and Mont Ventoux with the brand-new SSK. In 1930 and 1931, the SSK took him to victory in the European Hill-Climb Championship. The weight-reduced and further modified 1931 version, also known as the SSKL (Super-Sport-Kurz-Leicht - Super Sport Short Light), likewise achieved spectacular successes. Among the most important of these was the victory in the legendary thousand-mile "Mille Miglia" race. In April 1931, Rudolf Caracciola was the first non-Italian to win this demanding road race from Brescia to Rome and back in an SSKL.

Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz SSK (standard-production version)Production period: 1928-1930
Cylinders: 6/in-line
Displacement: 7065 cc
Output: 125 kW (170 hp), with supercharger 165 kW (225 hp)
Top speed: 192 km/h

Mercedes-Benz SS (W 06, 1930)

Despite its powerful engine, the Mercedes-Benz SS ("Super-Sport") was conceived as a "grand tourer". From its 7.1-litre displacement, the vehicle's six-cylinder in-line engine produced up to 125 kW (170 hp) without a supercharger and up to 166 kW (225 hp) with a supercharger. The SS, in the guise of a 184 kW (250 hp) racer, had its baptism of fire in June 1928, winning the Bühler Höhe hill climb. Numerous other racing victories were to follow. A total of 111 units of the Mercedes-Benz SS were manufactured between 1928 and 1933.

Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz SS (standard-production version)Production period: 1928-1933
Cylinders: 6/in-line
Displacement: 7065 cc
Output: 125 kW (170 hp), with supercharger 165 kW (225 hp)
Top speed: 190 km/h

Mercedes-Benz 300 SL "Gullwing" (W 198, 1954-1957)

In February 1954, the 300 SL standard-production sports car (W 198) celebrated its world premiere at the International Motor Sport Show in New York. The Coupé was referred to as the "Gullwing" owing to the roof-mounted doors resembling a gull's wings. The high-performance sports car was based on the legendary 300 SL racing car (W 194) from the 1952 season. It was the first standard-production car with a four-stroke petrol injection engine. With an output of 158 kW (215 hp) – a good 20 percent more than the carburettor-fed racing version of 1952 – the W 198 was in the top echelon of standard-production sports cars in its day, which also predestined it for racing. Various suspension setups and final drive ratios were optionally available for racing purposes, allowing top speeds between around 225 km/h and 250 km/h. One legendary triumph was the triple class victory of the 300 SL standard-production sports car in the 1955 Mille Miglia. John Cooper Fitch achieved fifth place in the overall ranking in his car bearing start number 417, heading the class for standard-production sports cars above 1.3 litres. Between 1954 and 1957, a total of 1400 units of the 300 SL "Gullwing" were produced, no fewer than 867 of them in the year of the Mille Miglia victory in 1955.

Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL "Gullwing"Production period: 1954-1957
Cylinders: 6/in-lineDisplacement: 2996 cc
Output: 158 kW (215 hp)
Top speed: up to 250 km/h

Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (W 121, 1955-1963)

In 1954, Mercedes-Benz unveiled the elegant, compact roadster 190 SL (W 121). It was conceived as a sports car "which, due to its high standard of comfort, [is] intended for a group of buyers wishing to cover even long distances at high cruising speeds in this vehicle of highly sporty outer appearance," as designer Josef Müller retrospectively described the vehicle in 1957. Designed by Karl Wilfert and Walter Häcker, the sportily elegant two-seater touring and utility vehicle was closely based at a stylistic level on the 300 SL "Gullwing" sports car (W 198), which was initially available only as a coupé. The roadster, for its part, was more closely related at a technical level to the Mercedes-Benz 180 "Ponton" saloon (W 120), using the latter's shortened floor assembly. The 1.9-litre petrol engine rated at 77 kW (105 hp) was newly developed. The four-cylinder power unit featured an overhead camshaft and was to found an entire family of engines. The 1956 Mille Miglia was contested by the French team of Michel Bianco / Jean Loup Pellecuer in a 190 SL (start number 347). This is confirmed by documents in the archives of Mercedes-Benz Classic and in the Museo Mille Miglia in Brescia. This fact, discovered in 2015, now makes the 190 SL roadster, which is popular among collectors, eligible for the Mille Miglia. A total of 25,881 units of this model were built, some 18,000 of them going to the USA.

Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (standard-production version)Production period: 1955-1963
Cylinders: 4/in-line
Displacement: 1897 cc
Output: 77 kW (105 hp)
Top speed: up to 180 km/h

Mercedes-Benz 220 a (W 180, 1954-1956)

Unveiled in spring 1954, the 220, also called the 220 a (W 180) internally, was the first Mercedes-Benz six-cylinder model with a self-supporting design. Its modern, spacious "Ponton" body, which Mercedes-Benz had unveiled six months earlier in the mid-size model, offered previously unknown spaciousness and comfort. A single-joint swing axle, which had been introduced into standard production with the 220, ensured safe handling. Several Mercedes-Benz 220s participated in the 1956 Mille Miglia in the class of standard-production special touring cars. In this class, the vehicle chassis and engine could be modified. The Erwin Bauer/Erwin Grupp team won its class in the legendary Italian road race in a special 220: in the racing division headed by Karl Kling, three vehicles were prepared specifically for the Mille Miglia. They were already equipped with the twin-carburettor system of the 220 S successor model, with which the engine developed approximately 85 kW (115 hp). Shorter and harder springs as well as modified shock absorbers were fitted for sporty driving. In addition, the driver could change gears via a floor shift, as in the 190 SL – instead of the otherwise fitted column shift.

Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz 220 a (standard-production version)Production period: 1954–1956
Cylinders: 6/in-line
Displacement: 2195 cc
Output: 63 kW (85 hp)
Top speed: 150 km/h

Mercedes-Benz 180 D (W 120, 1954-1959)

The first diesel-engined version of the Mercedes-Benz 180 "Ponton" (W 120) had its debut in January 1954. This meant that the Stuttgart-based brand now also offered its modern saloon with the characteristic "Ponton" silhouette with a diesel engine. A total of 114,046 units of the 180 D saloon were produced up to the facelift in autumn 1959. Mercedes-Benz entered several vehicles of this model, with start numbers 04, 09 and 010A, in the 1955 Mille Miglia. These diesel-engined saloons, which were capable of speeds up to 110 km/h, cannot be compared with the racers and sports cars that raced to overall victory in 1955. However, the 180 D was an ultra-modern vehicle at the time, with a self-supporting body and a "subframe" on which the front wheels guided by double wishbone axles were suspended. It demonstrated its strengths and great dependability in the Italian road race: Mercedes-Benz achieved a triple victory in the diesel class.

Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz 180 D (W 120)

Production period: 1954 to 1959
Cylinders: 4/in-line
Displacement: 1767 cc
Output: 29 kW (40 hp), from September 1955 32 kW (43 hp)
Top speed: 110 km/h