Happy Easter: A Bunny Behind the Wheel!

The 1968 Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3

Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3 (W 109), produced from 1968 to 1972. Photo of the engine compartment with the V8 engine adopted from the Mercedes-Benz 600.

Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3 (W 109), produced from 1968 to 1972. Photo from 1970.

Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3 (W 109), produced from 1968 to 1972. Photo taken in 1968 on the high-bank curve of the test track in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim.

Good “6.3s” are rare, this one is in outstanding condition. Test drive with a Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3: it impressively demonstrates all the qualities of this power saloon, a dream car when it premiered in 1968. Today the 300 SEL 6.3 is regarded as a dream classic, precisely because of these strengths. The V8 signals its readiness with a soft growl when the key is turned. 184 kW (250 hp) at 4,000 rpm encounter a kerb weight of 1,780 kilograms – an excellent combination. A gentle nudge of the accelerator delivers the power, and within seconds the saloon is in its element on the clear country road. It seems to look forward to every bend, then accelerates effortlessly out of it and glides powerfully along the next straight. The large steering wheel with its slim rim feels slightly unfamiliar at first, but thanks to servo assistance it makes steering the “6.3” a highly pleasurable experience. The saloon not only impresses with its power and perfect controllability, but also with outstanding comfort, generous spaciousness and a pleasant ambience. No wonder that the 300 SEL 6.3, which rounded off the W 109 series as the flagship model in 1968, set new standards at the time. It is regarded as the progenitor of all high-performance Mercedes-Benz saloon models.

The Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3 celebrated its premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1968. The press information summarised its attributes: “This model is probably unrivalled in its combination of maximum comfort and extraordinary performance. It meets the wishes of customers who expect above-average power and performance.” The saloon closed the gap between the 300 SEL and the 600 (W 100), from which the V8 engine of the 300 SEL 6.3 was adopted. The new model was claimed to occupy a peak position in the international line-up.

“A level of ride comfort that leaves no wish unanswered”. 

The technical data impressively confirms the sports-car-like performance characteristics of the saloon. Its top speed is 220 km/h. The car accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.5 seconds, and covers one kilometre from a standing start in 27.1 seconds. “This makes it one of the fastest and most spirited series production cars on the world market. Its particularly quiet and absolutely vibration-free running, the air suspension and the automatic transmission produce a level of ride comfort that leaves no wish unanswered,” the press information continues.

Externally the saloon showed hardly any differences from the other models in the W 108/109 series. Only the “6.3” lettering on the right side of the boot lid, twin halogen headlamps with the latest lighting technology and additional front fog lamps distinguished the flagship model, which otherwise remained very discreet.

The motoring magazine “auto, motor und sport” reported on the Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3 in its No. 6/1968 issue: “We collected one of the carefully kept first examples, which did not yet bear the designation ‘6.3’. The absence of this designation no doubt surprised a few Porsche 911 and 911 S drivers - otherwise kings of the autobahn – who were left in the wake of the harmless and distinguished-looking Mercedes. Should any of them be reading these lines right now: there is no need to complain to the factory about the car’s lack of performance.”

In the interior, a speedometer with a larger scale, a rev counter in the standard version and different positioning of the clock distinguish the “6.3” from the 300 SEL. The air suspension and automatic level control provide an excellent basis for the high-performance model: it automatically adapts itself to changing loads. The spring travel and therefore the vehicle’s attitude remain constant – to the great benefit of ride comfort. Internally ventilated disc brakes all round ensure optimum deceleration. The extensive standard equipment also includes power steering, a smoothly and rapidly shifting four-speed automatic transmission, a locking differential, power windows and pneumatic central locking.

The muscular V8 engine with a displacement of 6,333 cubic centimetres was adopted from the prestigious Mercedes-Benz 600 (W 100) limousine with very slight modifications. It has an eight-plunger injection pump with automatic cold start and warm-up that takes into account the accelerator pedal position, engine speed, air pressure and coolant temperature. Fuel is injected into the intake manifold at high pressure by eight nozzles. This arrangement had proved very successful in all Mercedes-Benz SE models for years, and ensured efficient combustion. The front frame section, transmission tunnel and floor assembly were modified to accommodate the engine in the W 109 series.

An idea by Erich Waxenberger

The 300 SEL 6.3 originated as an idea by Mercedes-Benz test engineer Erich Waxenberger. In the 1960s he recognised the potential of the V8 engine in the Model 600 for the W 109 series. Initially without the knowledge of the head of passenger car development, Rudolf Uhlenhaut, he constructed a test car. Uhlenhaut could not be kept in the dark for long, however: sitting in his office, he heard the subdued growl of the prototype’s engine as it passed by, and immediately summoned Waxenberger for a report – whereupon he consented to further development work. Those who knew Uhlenhaut could imagine him smiling discreetly as he signed the official development order.

Powerful luxury: the Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3 in the top W 109 series. No wonder that, with its performance figures at sports car level, it is regarded as the progenitor of the luxurious and comfortable high-performance saloons and as the founder of a successful tradition that continues to this day. A total of 6,526 units were produced up to 1972. This comparatively large volume for the time marked the entry of Mercedes-Benz into the power saloon segment.

This fascinating model has long since become a classic on the collector’s market: “For many years the 300 SEL 6.3 failed to attract much attention from collectors, but that has changed. Today it is highly desirable, and the prices for available vehicles have increased substantially,” says Patrik Gottwick, who is responsible for the ALL TIME STARS trading arm of Mercedes-Benz Classic. “A good vehicle in condition 2 costs upwards of 80,000 euros.” Whether that price is high or low is as always in the eye of the beholder. Or driver. Because what the buyer receives is a milestone in automobile history with a powerful eight-cylinder engine – and highly superior performance.

A curious clip about the German Autobahnen, 1937

Taken from a travelogue film, 1937. Seemingly a propaganda film featuring "the new Germany." It appears that one of the cars passed is a mid-1930s Buick.

A Phibian 3 Passenger Coupe -- What is it?

Some one sent me above documents. Found in the files of a family member while cleaning out an estate. Anyone able to tell more of the Phibian story. It appears that is some sort of electric car with a hydropneumatic suspension.

Citroën DS 19 and a scene from "Cold Fever," 1995

My narrative on the Citroen DS 19, written for Andy Beckman at the Studebaker National Museum and a exhibit placard:

The Citroen DS 19 was one of the most innovative production

vehicles of the 20^th century. Its origin can be traced to back to the
1930s, and the work of sculptor and designer Flaminio Bertoni, aviation
engineer Andre Lefebure, and suspension engineer Pail Mages. Introduced at the
1955 Paris Auto Show, it immediately became a symbol of French technological
and design ingenuity, at a time of post-WWII economic recovery, reconstruction,
and decolonization. In 1957 French philosopher Roland Barthes remarked that the
DS-19 had “obviously fallen from the sky.” Approximately 1.5 million units were
produced between 1955 and 1975.

With the exception of the 1991 c.c. engine carried over from
the Traction Avant, almost everything visible and invisible on this car was utterly
new and radically different.  To begin
with, it looked like a “glass escargot.” A front/mid-engine layout moved front
wheels that were wider than the rear.
The front of the car had no grill, but a shallow nose slot; its bobtail
rear was marked by turn signals fixed to the roof, which in turn were flanked
by removable fenders graced by spats.
Its fiberglass green roof rendered the car into a glass house equipped
with an incredibly lush interior that featured comfortable front seats. For
safety, the DS 19 had a one-spoke steering wheel wrapped in plastic cord.

What made the DS 19 different than any other car on the
road, however, was a self-leveling independent suspension made possible by an
engine-driven pump and two bulbous accumulators. This complex system employed
both a liquid and nitrogen gas at 2,400 pounds per square inch to raise and
lower the car as well as assist a semi-automatic transmission and inboard disc
brakes. The result was a car that glided over the countryside. In sum, the DS
19 is as distinctively French as a French car can be.

"Cold Fever" is a very funny Icelandic-Japanese Road Movie!  From Wiki:

Hirata (Masatoshi Nagase) is a successful Japanese businessman whose plan for a two-week winter holiday in Hawaii to play golf changes when his elderly grandfather (Seijun Suzuki) reminds him that he should go to Iceland.

Hirata’s parents died there seven years ago, and the seven year death anniversary is a significant event in Japanese culture. Hirata must perform a ceremony in the river where they died after drowning in an avalanche – the drowned must be fed by the surviving family members if they are to find peace.

Hirata goes to Iceland – to Reykjavík. His final destination is a remote river on the far side of the island. He encounters one mishap and misadventure after another. He first accidentally gets on a wrong bus filled with German tourists traveling to see the hot springs. He also confronts a language barrier; Hirata cannot speak any Icelandic, and knows very little English. After his first day's misadventures, Hirata decides to purchase an ancient, bright red Citroën DS to make the journey. During the long drive, Hirata meets several strange people along the way. These include the mystical woman who sells him the car, that only plays one radio station. Next, Hirata meets a local woman who collects photographs of funerals. The following day, Hirata meets two American hitchhiker/fugitives (Lili Taylor and Fisher Stevens), who turn out to be armed and dangerous who proceed to steal his car. Nearing his destination on foot, Hirata arrives in a small village where he meets an old man (Gísli Halldórsson) named Siggi, the owner of a local lodge who teaches Hirata how to drink the most potent alcoholic beverage in Iceland.

After explaining his determination to travel to where his parents died, Hirata is aided by Siggi who borrows a pair of Icelandic horses from a local farmer, and the two of them travel on horseback to Hirata's destination. After riding across an ice cap glacier, over a ridge and into the valley where Hirata's parents died, he dismounts and tells Siggi that he must go on alone to complete his journey. After traversing a rickety bridge to the river, Hirata arrives at the river bank where he performs his cleansing ceremony at last. He then rejoins Siggi waiting for him and they both ride on their horses down a gully where they make it to a beach and the final shot shows them riding down the coast towards a nearby coastal village which hopefully will have a ferry to take Hirata back to Reykjavik and presumably back to Japan.

Porsche at Sebring, 2018

At the 12 Hours of Sebring, the oldest and toughest sports car race in the USA, Patrick Pilet (France), Nick Tandy (Great Britain) and Frédéric Makowiecki (France) won the GTLM class with the race car from Weissach after a heart-stopping finale on Saturday. At the wheel of the second 911 RSR fielded by the Porsche GT Team, Earl Bamber (New Zealand), Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) and Gianmaria Bruni (Italy) swept over the finish line in third place after 328 laps on the famously bumpy airfield circuit. Thus, they crowned Porsche’s success in the race that also counts towards the North American Endurance Cup. Florida proves to be a good hunting ground for the iconic 911 sports car: Only a week ago, the 911 GT3 R won both rounds of the World Challenge season-opener on the St. Petersburg street circuit.

In glorious spring weather, a total of 43 vehicles headed off on Saturday morning into the 66th edition of the tradition-steeped race, in which Porsche has made history since 1960 as the most successful manufacturer with 18 outright victories and now 71 class wins. In the cockpit of the #912 Porsche 911 RSR, Laurens Vanthoor took up the race from sixth place on the third grid row and promptly picked up two positions in the first lap. His teammate Nick Tandy, who lined up on the grid directly behind the Belgian in the second 911 RSR (#911), managed to make up three positions: An exemplary start in a hotly contested race that was interrupted in the 14th lap by the first of eleven safety car phases.

Porsche settled in amongst the frontrunners

Thanks to perfect pit stops from the Porsche GT Team and a flawless performance from drivers, the 911 RSR was able to hold its own against tough competition from BMW, Chevrolet, Ferrari and Ford and settle in amongst the frontrunners. In lap 40, Laurens Vanthoor moved into the lead for the first time. After 2:30 hours, his teammate Gianmaria Bruni was running at the front of the GT field. Shortly before halftime, Nick Tandy also joined the list of frontrunners with his 911 RSR. During the second half of the race, his teammate Frédéric Makowiecki dominated the GT field for two hours, only relinquishing the lead spot when he came in for a scheduled pit stop after dark. However, the 911 RSR continued to put the leaders under pressure. Even a torn-off rear diffuser caused by a minor off-track excursion was replaced in record time, and the lost time was quickly regained.

The suspense at the Sebring International Raceway continued from the first to the last minute. Fans from all over the country were treated to plenty of gripping race action in all classes, with many fierce battles for positions and constant changes at the front. And the Porsche pilots continued to dazzle: After 10 hours and 10 minutes, in the 279th lap, Patrick Pilet took the lead for the first time in the #911 Porsche 911 RSR. Nick Tandy then defended this position with an inspired drive to the flag.

Porsche moves up in the manufacturer's championship

Thanks to this victory, Nick Tandy, Patrick Pilet and Frédéric Makowiecki move up to second place in the driver's classification. Porsche also advances to second in the manufacturer's championship.

Round three of the IMSA SportsCar Championship is the Long Beach street race in the US state of California on 14 April.

The GP season beings Melbourne: An excited Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport looks ahead to the start of the new Formula One season.

F1, Tests, 2018, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, Barcelona

An excited Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport looks ahead to the start of the new Formula One season.  

An Interview with Toto Wolff:

We’re excited to go racing again. Everything we’ve done over the past months were just the first steps on the road to start our 2018 campaign – from the first build of the car to the first fire-up, from the launch in Silverstone to testing in Barcelona. Now, it’s time to find out what we’ve got: like the old saying goes, when the flag drops, the bullshit stops.

Last year, the competition was very close and there was no moment where we could afford to relax. Ferrari put up a very tough fight and we had a proper battle between silver and red. This year promises to bring an exciting three-way fight between us, Ferrari and Red Bull. Everyone in Brackley and Brixworth has worked extremely hard over the past months to make sure we enter that fight with the best machine possible.

Both our drivers seem reasonably happy with our new car, but it remains yet to be seen how well it performs when driven in anger. The reduction in the number of power unit components means that reliability will again play an important role in 2018. Our reliability in testing looked good but we need to be careful to draw any conclusions from that – despite getting some good mileage with the new car in Barcelona, many of its components have not even come close to the life they need to complete during the season.

We will tackle this new season with the same dedication, team spirit and energy that has made us strong in the past. Each of us has the mindset that last year’s Championships belong in the past; yesterday’s trophies don’t win today’s games. A new season feels like climbing Mount Everest - we've done it successfully in the past, but we're only in the base camp at the moment. It will be a tough journey, with the same target, but different challenges to master along the way. Right now, we start this long season on zero points like every one of our rivals. And we have to give it everything to be successful again this year.

Featured this Week: The Longest Journey

Moving a team from one country to another is never easy, but this is especially tricky when it’s a 10,500-mile journey across the globe. The daunting 24-hour trip is the longest on the 2018 Formula One calendar, but it definitely makes for a unique start to the new season.

Heading to the vibrant, bustling city of Melbourne has become a familiar season-opening trip for the F1 paddock. It’s one of the most popular locations on F1’s schedule, which makes the journey a little bit easier, and there’s always a giddy sense of excitement and anticipation.

But, while it’s a great place to start the new campaign, transporting an F1 team to Melbourne is a mammoth task. In total, over 100 people from our Brackley and Brixworth factories will be attending the first round in Australia. This means a similar number of flights (which feature stopovers in either Abu Dhabi or Singapore) and a fleet of 25 Mercedes-Benz cars need to be organised.

Of course, the F1 travelling circus doesn’t just include people. An array of equipment is needed to run an F1 team across a race weekend and there’s also the small task of getting the new cars from one side of the world to the other, as well…

So, there’s over 40 tons of air freight and 23 tons of sea freight to transport to Melbourne, from more basic items such as chairs, tables, garage walls and hospitality decorations to complicated equipment such as starter motors, the pit wall and the most intricate thing of all – the latest Mercedes F1 creation, the F1 W09 EQ Power+.

The cars and their components are part of the air freight, which departed for Melbourne last week and touched down on Sunday. Heavier items – such as tire and grid trolleys – are part of the sea freight, which obviously has a completely different schedule…

There are a number of different sets of sea freight, so they can be shipped to locations all over the world at the same time. Each race requires three 40-foot containers-worth of sea freight, which was waved off for Australia mid-way through January and only arrived last Friday.

“There’s a set-up team out there in Melbourne, who started offloading all the sea freight, heavy duty equipment and the garage panelling when it arrived on Friday,” explains Mark Shepherd, Freight Team Leader.

“They built the shell of the garage over the weekend and then when all the air freight reached its destination, the race team and garage technicians arrived to offload it and populate the rest of the garage with all the cars, car parts and other equipment.”

For the departments handling the transportation of team members and freight, Australia is just like any other race, apart from the fact it takes longer for everything and everyone to get there. As Mark says, all races “have their own idiosyncrasies” but “it’s a similar process, wherever in the world” you are travelling to.

Long-distance travel takes its toll on the human body, though. Therefore, detailed preparation is vital. Those making the day-long voyage over to Melbourne have got to be in tip-top shape, because not adapting to the staggering 11-hour timezone shift can impact the performance of a highly-skilled racing team.

There are a number of tactics and techniques that can be deployed to make that happen. For every hour of time difference, there’s a 24-hour delay in adapting to that new location. So, for the trip from Brackley to Melbourne, it would take eleven days to properly settle into that timezone if nothing is done.

Team members have a sleeping plan to help shift their body clock across to the new timezone. Some will start to move gradually across to this in the days leading up to the flight and team members back in Brackley, who are working on Melbourne time to support from HQ, also have their own planned adjustment.

The flights to Australia are picked to fit as best they can into the sleeping plans. Obviously, the perfect scenario isn’t possible all the time. But the hope is that they can start to adapt to Melbourne time on the flight – sleeping when it’s night time in Oz and eating meals at the same time as their destination.

Sticking to light food on the flight and keeping well hydrated is recommended. When they’ve landed, light and dark exposure is also something that must be considered, as are meals, meal timings and amount of exercise (the team has a physio and coach heading out to Melbourne).

Of course, the drivers follow these plans too and take them to new levels in order to be as prepared as possible for the seven hours of intense track time ahead of them. They’ll only complete light exercise, as it helps speed up the acclimatization process and all the necessary training was already completed before setting foot on the plane.

While some team members may prefer the longest journey of the season to come later in the year, starting the season with the Australian Grand Prix means everyone feels that bit fresher and more energised compared to the gradual fatigue that sets in.

Even though the car launch and testing period on the run-up to Melbourne is an intense time, people are in a more positive and eager frame of mind, wanting to get back on the road and racing again. They don’t have much longer to wait.

1958 -- an important year for innovation at Mercedes-Benz

1958 -- an airconditioned Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz offered lap belts for all passenger car models with individual front seats from 1958. The photo shows the belts in a self-supporting chassis-body structure saloon with a six-cylinder engine (W 180).

In every era the future of the car needs strong innovations for safety and comfort. 60 years ago, for example, Mercedes-Benz made headlines with a multitude of pioneering solutions in this field. They ranged from the seat belt as an optional extra through petrol direct injection in volume production to the power steering system and air conditioning system. The significant patent application for the wedge-pin door lock was made in 1958. This innovation initiative was the result of targeted R&D work at Mercedes-Benz.

Stuttgart. The new products and features presented in 1958 in the passenger cars from Mercedes-Benz once again underlined the brand’s innovative power: in the 300 SL Roadster (W 198) the company offered seat belts for the first time, launched a power steering system and air conditioning as optional extras in the 300 (W 189) model and in the 220 SE self-supporting chassis-body structure (W 128) it established petrol injection in volume production.

Also 60 years ago, on 2 July 1958, Mercedes-Benz made the patent application for the wedge-pin door lock with two safety catches under the number 1 089 664. The new design aimed to prevent the doors from breaking open or jamming in an accident. A year later it was used in series production in the “tail fin” saloons (W 111) with the revolutionary safety body. Another important optional extra was available in the Mercedes-Benz passenger cars as of June 1958: the childproof door lock.

Please buckle up!

The 1950s were shaped by mass motorization in the western world. This led to road traffic becoming heavier and to increasing numbers of accidents. It was also against this background that the Mercedes-Benz technicians and engineers intensified their work on solutions for vehicle safety. In 1958, for instance, 18 years before seat belts became obligatory in the Federal Republic of Germany, the seat belt was offered as an optional extra for the first time in Mercedes-Benz passenger cars.

The seat belt was premiered at Mercedes-Benz in the 300 SL Roadster (W 198, 1957 to 1963). The restraint system was designed as a lap belt, similar to that in an aircraft. This corresponds to the description of the new optional extra, announced in 1957 as a “belt to buckle up, aeroplane design”. The system was introduced in 1958 with the name it still bears to this day, the seat belt.

The optional extra was priced at DM 110 per seat in the 300 SL Roadster at the time. By way of comparison, customers buying the elegant high-performance sports car back then had to pay DM 810 for a Becker Mexico model radio with an automatic aerial. In 1958 Mercedes-Benz also made seat belts available for all passenger cars with individual front seats. In the Mercedes-Benz 220 S (W 180), for instance, they were priced at DM 120, and in the 300 (W 189) model at DM 150 per seat.

The seat belt restraint system was continuously enhanced at Mercedes-Benz. The waist/lap belts secured to the vehicle body initially became shoulder belts with two fastening points (from 1961 for all vehicles with belt fastening on the front seats) and then the three-point seat belt. It asserted itself at the end of the 1960s and became the automatic seat belt in combination with an inertia-reel function. This was launched in 1973 in all Mercedes-Benz passenger cars as standard equipment on the front seats and in 1979 on the rear seats too.

Comfort and ensuring driver fitness

In May 1948 Mercedes-Benz restarted its R&D work which had been interrupted by the Second World War. The focus was now on solutions for passive safety. And solutions for ensuring driver fitness were also launched by the Stuttgart brand, as demonstrated in particular by the representational model 300 (internal designation 300 d, W 189) vehicles in 1958: the driver’s comfort was enhanced by the introduction of power steering and air conditioning systems. And this was also a contribution to relaxed, fatigue-free and therefore safe driving. The term “driver-fitness safety” was later coined for this.

The ZF-Saginaw power-steering gear system was initially offered in the Mercedes-Benz 300 from March 1958 as an optional extra. The prerequisite for this was the version with automatic transmission. The representational vehicle known as the “Adenauer Mercedes” was thus the first Mercedes-Benz car with a power steering system. This was followed In December of the same year by an air conditioning system as an optional extra, also for the 300 model. It was offered as a “cooling system” and at that time mainly targeted customers in countries with a tropical climate. This comfort feature was priced at an additional charge of DM 3500 back then – almost as much as a Volkswagen “Beetle” fresh from the factory.

Enhanced output and efficiency

A systematic culture of innovation at Mercedes-Benz also resulted in new technologies quickly becoming available in volume production. The 85 kW (115 hp) Mercedes-Benz 220 SE’s self-supporting chassis-body structure (W 128) with petrol injection was synonymous with this development. It was unveiled in September 1958. This technology for enhancing output and efficiency had already been established for some years by that time, and in this vehicle it now entered volume production at Mercedes-Benz. The additional charge compared with the 220 S with a carburettor (W 180) was DM 1900.

Mercedes-Benz and the 1000 Miglia, 2018

Mille Miglia 1931: The eventual winner Rudolf Caracciola at the start in a Mercedes-Benz SSK, 12 April 1931.

The 1000 Miglia is one of the most important events in the international classics calendar. This year the legendary event will take place between 16 and 19 May 2018 – once again Mercedes-Benz will be acting as the automotive sponsor. The close connection between the 1000-mile race in Italy held since 1927 and Mercedes-Benz goes back almost 90 years. The brand's great successes include the victory in 1931 by Rudolf Caracciola as the first non-Italian driver, and the sensational success of Stirling Moss in 1955, with an overall victory and a still unbeaten record time of 10 hours, 7 minutes and 48 seconds.

Stuttgart. This year Mercedes-Benz will once again act as an automotive sponsor of the 1000 Miglia to celebrate the highlights of historic motorsport in the footsteps of the legendary 1000-mile race, thus continuing the excellent partnership with 1000 Miglia organisers. Mercedes-Benz will once again be attending the event taking place between 16 and 19 May 2018, starting and finishing in Brescia as well as along the around 1600 kilometre journey to Rome and back.

The participation of Mercedes-Benz Classic with outstanding vehicles from its own collection is traditionally a highlight of the modern 1000 Miglia. In 2018 there will be plenty of type SSK (W 06), 300 SL "Gullwing" (W 198), 190 SL (W 121) and 220 "Ponton" (W 180) vehicles on the starting line-up. Mercedes-Benz Classic Brand Ambassadors and automotive aficionados will be at the wheel of the vehicles. The modern version of the 1000 Miglia is a reliability run on a route which closely follows that of the original road race. Entry is restricted to vehicle types that took part in the original 1000 Miglia during the period from 1927 to 1957.

Mercedes-Benz and the 1000 Miglia are very closely linked by virtue of their shared history. The German brand has taken part in the 1000-mile race since 1930, i.e. almost since the very first event. At this debut event, works driver Rudolf Caracciola and his co-driver Christian Werner took 6th place in a Mercedes-Benz SSK ("Super Sport Short"). One year later Caracciola won the 1931 1000 Miglia as the first non-Italian driver with his co-driver Wilhelm Sebastian in an evolved Mercedes-Benz SSKL ("Super Sport Short Light").

In 1952 the 1000 Miglia provided the arena for the premiere of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL racing sports car (W 194), the brand's first newly developed racing car following the Second World War. Karl Kling and co-driver Hans Klenk took second place in their brand-new SL at their first attempt. In 1955 Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson drove the 300 SLR racing sports car (W 196 S) to overall victory ahead of their team mate Juan Manuel Fangio. Also triumphant were the 300 SL "Gullwing" series production sports cars (W 198) in the Gran Turismo class over 1300 cc engine capacity, while the 180 D (W 120) landed a triple victory in the diesel class. In 1956 both the 220 "Ponton" (W 180) luxury class saloon and a Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (W 121) successfully took part in the race.

The connection between the brand and the racing tradition is also underlined by the cooperation between Mercedes-Benz Classic and the Museo Mille Miglia in the historical monastical complex of Sant’Eufemia della Fonte just outside Brescia.

The Reimann Brothers and the Porsche 356 Lindner Coupes

At first, Alexander Fritz had just a rusty car in front of him, its origin unknown. Through painstaking work, he reconstructed not only the daring origin story of the “GDR Porsche”, but also restored the car itself. 

At first glance, it looks just like an original Porsche 356 – a curvaceous sports car model from the 1950s. Only on second glance do you notice that this “Porsche” has a special feature: It is 30 centimetres longer, with four seats. This “Lindner Coupé” is a replica of the 356, built by two automotive engineering students in the former East Germany. 13 “Lindners” were manufactured as a mini-series by a body work company with the same name.

We can thank Alexander Fritz for the fact that one of these cars not only exists, but still functions. The Austrian devotes his free time to the restoration of classic cars. Some years ago, a friend drew his attention to an example of a “GDR Porsche”. Fritz was initially put off when he looked at the condition of the rusted, rotten coupé. But the story behind the car without an origin and of the automotive engineering students Falk und Knut Reimann was just too fascinating for him to ignore.

The “GDR Porsche” following its laborious restoration

The story begins in the early 1950s: The twin Reimann brothers dream of having their own Porsche. They know that owning such a thing in the GDR is an impossibility and begin building themselves a “Porsche”. With some outdated military technology, plenty of resourcefulness and thousands of man hours, they screw, bend and beat their way to their dream car, supported by the Lindner body makers.

The centrepiece: The engine

At the heart of every Porsche lies its engine. Although it is pointless for the twins to try and obtain parts for a sports car in the GDR, they don't give up. On one of their first trips in their new car they travel directly to the Porsche plant in Zuffenhausen, where their Porsche replica is met with scepticism and a fair amount of ridicule due to its feeble engine.

The first GDR Porsche in the courtyard of the Lindner body makers

Ferry Porsche learns personally of the brothers' visit to the plant, and at first is not especially pleased about this brazen Porsche forgery. However, after some initial scepticism, he is won over out of respect for the brothers' tenacity. Ferry Porsche makes sure that the twins' car is appropriately kitted out, informing them in a letter that used Porsche parts will be sent to them via West Berlin: With original pistons, cylinders and carburettors, the Reimanns' coupé doesn't just look like a sports car, it also drives like one – at over 130 kilometres per hour.

Ferry Porsche writes to the Reimann brothers

From 1954 onwards, the brothers tour across Europe with their specially designed Porsche replica. Their travels come to an end in 1961 as Knut and Falk Reimann are jailed for two years in the Stasi prison Hohenschönhausen, after attempting to flee the GDR. Their “Porsche” is taken from them and remains forever lost.

But thanks to Alexander Fritz's chance discovery, one of the original 13 Lindner Coupés has now been restored to its former glory – and consequently also the history of the Reimann brothers and their incredible DIY Porsche construction project.