1903 Gordon Bennett Race -- Camille Jenatzy Drives the Race of His Life

 

Mercedes-Simplex 60 hp wins the Gordon Bennett Race

Camille Jenatzy in Clarence Gray Dinsmore’s Mercedes-Simplex 60 hp won the 4th Gordon Bennett Cup race on 2 July 1903 in Ireland. Photo taken at the start of the race. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archive: 21568

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• The races for the Gordon Bennett Cup 120 years ago are regarded as the forerunners of the subsequent Grands Prix. Three weeks before the start of the race on 2 July 1903, a major fire at the Cannstatt factory of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) destroyed 90 vehicles that were almost finished or still under construction. The flames also destroyed three Mercedes Simplex 90 hp cars. They were scheduled to start in what was probably the most internationally renowned race at the time. American publisher and “New York Herald” editor Gordon Bennett gave his name to the competition. The 1903 edition took place in Ireland. Two circuits of 65 and 83 kilometres were to be driven alternately. In order to be able to contest the race despite the major fire, DMG borrowed and bought back three Mercedes-Simplex 60 hp from customers, one of them from American millionaire Clarence Gray Dinsmore. The three emergency stand-in vehicles make their way to Ireland. There, Belgian Camille Jenatzy (born 1868; died 1913) drove the race of his life: although Dinsmore’s car was inferior in terms of output, the competition stood no chance against it or Jenatzy’s fearless, spectacular driving style on that cool, cloudy day. He covered 592 race kilometres in 6:39 hours, corresponding to an average of 79.24 km/h. With this tremendous international success, the German Mercedes brand established itself in the circle of racing nations alongside England and France.

Victory in the Nice–La Turbie hill climb with the Mercedes Simplex 60 hp --- 120 years ago

 

Nice-La Turbie hill climb on 1 April 1903 as part of the “Nice Week” motorsport event, 30 March to 7 April 1903. Photo of the subsequent winner Otto Hieronimus with Mercedes-Simplex 60 hp at the start. Ferdinand Porsche at the rear wheel. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archive: 71269

• Otto Hieronimus/Wilhelm Werner achieve an average of 64.4 km/h
• Triumph of the first modern automobile
• Top engine of the Mercedes-Simplex model family in 1903

Following wins in 1901 and 1902, 1903 also saw a Mercedes win the prestigious hill climb from Nice to La Turbie as part of the “Nice Week” motorsport event. The commune of La Turbie is situated in the mountains above the Principality of Monaco. On 1 April 1903, Otto Hieronimus and Wilhelm Werner in the Mercedes-Simplex 60 hp set a new record, with an average speed of 64.4 km/h over the 15.5-kilometre course. The progress was clear: in 1901, at the first start of the Mercedes 35 hp, Werner had driven at an average speed of 54.1 km/h. He won other competitions during Nice Week at the time, too. With its long wheelbase, low centre of gravity and high-performance engine complete with honeycomb radiator, the Mercedes 35 PS designed by Wilhelm Maybach of the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) is considered the first modern automobile ever: it was systematically designed for performance, weight savings and safety. In 1902, after a series of improvements to various details, the Mercedes-Simplex family of models was born. The suffix was a reference to how easy the car was to operate, by the standards of the time. For the 1903 model year, Maybach designed three new Mercedes-Simplex models. The top engine variant was the Mercedes-Simplex 60 hp. Its four-cylinder engine, with a displacement of 9,235 cubic centimetres, produced 44 kW (60 hp) at 1,600 rpm.

The Emerging E-fuels Production Industry

 

Europe backs away from an ICE ban

You have heard that Europe intends to ban the sale of new internal combustion engine passenger vehicles by 2035? Never mind.   Over the weekend, EU and German government officials cut a deal to allow sales of vehicles with piston engines to continue past 2035, so long as the vehicles burn carbon neutral “e-fuels.” (Here’s an explanation of what e-fuels are.)   The construction of a regulatory detour that allows automakers to keep selling vehicles with internal combustion engines is good news for small luxury manufacturers such as Ferrari, which faced a steep, expensive climb to go all electric.   CEO Benedetto Vigna told a Reuters newsmaker event that the e-fuels agreement would give Ferrari “greater freedom.”   Larger EU automakers that have vowed to go all-electric now have a way to delay slashing jobs tied to piston powertrain production – provided the nascent e-fuels production industry can start producing at scale.   Environmental groups and climate action advocates, however, criticized the deal. They worry the promised e-fuels off-ramp will slow efforts to achieve real reductions in the carbon generated by transport.

Mercedes-Benz Experimental Safety Vehicle 22

Mercedes-Benz Museum. Legend 5 Room: Visionaries – Safety and the Environment. The Mercedes-Benz Experimental Safety Vehicle ESF 22 from 1973. Exterior view with close-up of the headlamp wiper.

 Milestone: An atmosphere of research and development envelops visitors to the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Legend Room 5: Visionaries – Safety and the Environment. One of the exhibits with a podium all to itself is the Experimental Safety Vehicle ESF 22. The large saloon looks similar to the S-Class of the 1970s. But the front section alone is already a tour de force of the engineers in the service of safety.

Futuristic: The vehicle’s front end is characterised by large expanses of plastic. The purpose of this material was to improve pedestrian protection – that was the concept of the developers at the time. To this end, they even dispensed with the typical Mercedes radiator grille with chrome trim. Instead they used the front section of the SL sports cars with a large central star, and wrapped it in impact-absorbing material. The headlamps are also surrounded by this, and recessed slightly. The bumpers are likewise designed to absorb energy.

Pioneering: In the early 1970s, road accident statistics in western countries reached a lamentable peak. As traffic density increased, so did the number of accident victims. Innovations in vehicle safety were able to improve the situation – as early as 1959, for example, Mercedes-Benz had set standards with the safety bodyshell of its “Fintail” saloons. However, not all manufacturers focused their development work on further improving passive and active safety. The US Department of Transportation (DOT) provided a stimulus: it established the “Experimental Safety Vehicle Program” (ESV). This was intended to develop new automotive safety standards for all manufacturers.

ESF ancestry: The so-called Experimental Safety Vehicles (ESFs) were used for testing. All in all, Mercedes-Benz has built more than 30 of these since 1971. The Mercedes-Benz ESF 22 was the company’s third publicly presented ESF. It was shown at the 4th International ESV Conference in Kyoto, Japan from 13-16 March 1973. This was preceded by public premieres of the ESF 05 in October 1971 and ESF 13 in May 1972. Most recently, the ESF 2019 was presented four years ago, again with groundbreaking innovations.

Role models: The ESF research vehicles provided an important impetus for safety technologies. Restraint systems, smooth impact areas in the interior, ABS anti-lock braking system, headlamp wipers, bodyshell measures – the ESF 05 and ESF 13 already featured these and other innovations. The ESF 22 built further on all this. It further refined these developments and provided additional safety.

Technology platform: Behind the front section the ESF 22 looks familiar. Quite so – it was based on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class model series 116 presented in 1972. This underlines the high safety standard of the brand’s production vehicles. While not all the measures tested in the ESF were later adopted in the model portfolio, the general goal of Mercedes-Benz safety development is to offer customers specific benefits with as many of these technologies as possible.

When are you too old to drive?

 

The  above title above is a loaded question if there ever was one! Who wants to surrender their freedom unless forced to? How will assessment of driving ability be judged and by whom? When does mental deterioration become such a liability that steps to prevent driving be taken? 

What a complex set of parameters -- reaction time, mental state, eyesight, early onset dementia and other neurological  symptoms?  Propensity to take risks and judgment concerning speed. 

At what age is mandatory reexamination mandated by the state? When do insurance companies intervene? 

I'll begin to study the topic and report my findings here

Financial Collapse and the Collector Car Market -- Revised Thoughts.

 

As of this morning, the banking underpinnings of our capitalist economy are wobbling in an unprecedented manner. What it means for the collector car market remains unclear. But this stress on economic stability has the potential to radically change the nature of the hobby, and I think it might be about time. There is simply too much money in the classic car market -- too many buyers fueled by years of low interest rates, too many cars purchased on loans, too many so-called "restorers," too many cars that are hardly considered collectible now included in the mix,  too many events that serve as social opportunities for would be social climbers. 

Promoted by the insurance company Haggerty and a large cast of followers, this hobby has taken  automobile collectibles to price heights that exclude the average American. What was once a pursuit of the dedicated few has been overpopulated by speculators,  shady exploiters, bullshitters, and bondo restorers and half-assers posing as master mechanics.  Car collections are of such a large size that they serve no useful social purpose except become shrines to self and wealth. How many of the cars in these warehouse museums are routinely driven and appreciated? Many enthusiasts who are members of the Porsche and Mercedes Clubs have no idea about the technology associated with their cars, and not the complex and rich history behind them. They bring girl friends and trophy wives attired in Louis Vuitton to sip wine and discourse in small talk. Automobiles are just an acceptable and socially useful thing to do -- and until recently with a red-hot market -- profitable.

The age of excess -- in so many areas of American life -- needs to be tempered with a questioning of what are proper strong values to embrace. There needs to  a departure from an individualism that is tearing apart this once great nation. All this printed money has corrupted us to a point of no return. Think more of one's neighbor rather than the ceramic coating to be applied to your old cars.

First Gasoline Filling Station in America -- 1905, Shell

 I have been looking for this image for years. Found it just now on Facebook.

Here is a photo of "The First Filling Station in the World," St. Louis, Missouri. "From 1929 until 1933, Route 66 followed Chouteau to connect with Manchester. The first gas station in the US was on Theresa Avenue just north of Chouteau. Harry Grenner and Clem Laessig opened their Automobile Gasoline Company here in 1905, using gravity fed tanks and a simple garden hose. Harry and Clem would go on to operate over 40 gas stations in St. Louis. No trace of the building remains. (Shell Oil Company)"

This photo and quoted history are courtesy of Joe Sonderman.

The Mercedes-Benz 230 SL -- Introduced 60 years ago, March 10

Mercedes-Benz 230 SL “Pagoda” (W 113). Presentation at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt am Main (IAA) from 12 to 22 September 1963. 

Mercedes-Benz 230 SL Pagoda (W 113) Close-up of the engine compartment. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archives: U41087

Mercedes-Benz 230 SL “Pagoda” (W 113). Production at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Sindelfingen. Photo from 1964.

Sporty, comfortable and a milestone in Mercedes-Benz safety development: 60 years ago, the brand presented the Mercedes-Benz 230 SL (W 113) at the Geneva Motor Show from 14 to 24 March 1963. The expectations of the audience were high. Because the 230 SL replaced two vehicles at the same time: the 300 SL Roadster (W 198) and the 190 SL (W 121). The W 113 was built until 1971.

The 230 SL, 250 SL and 280 SL models are coveted Mercedes classics. This is shown, among other things, by the prices for well-preserved examples of the W 113 series: Classic Data’s current market survey for 2022/2023 quotes €128,000 for the 230 SL in top condition (grade 1) and €156,000 for the 280 SL. Many owners of a “Pagoda” SL are customers of the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in Fellbach, with its unique expertise in all aspects of the brand’s high-quality classic cars.

Pioneering vehicle safety for sports cars

In 1963, the 230 SL impressed as a comfortable, two-seater touring car with high performance. Its design was created under the direction of Friedrich Geiger. It combined clean lines with the classic SL look including a large central star in the radiator grille. The optional hardtop evoked an association: Its inwardly curved roof surface was reminiscent of Asian temple buildings. This gave the sports car the nickname “Pagoda”. Paul Bracq designed the removable coupé roof.

The safety level of the W 113 was groundbreaking for sports cars of the time. The frame floor system of the 230 SL originated from the Mercedes-Benz saloons of the W 111 series. It was shortened and reinforced compared to the four-door models. In 1959, the “Fintail” was the world’s first passenger car with a safety body, developed by Mercedes-Benz safety pioneer Béla Barényi. The “Pagoda” was the first sports car to benefit from the principle of a stable passenger cell with front and rear crumple zones. Added to this was the high level of driving safety of the chassis adopted from the saloon. It was tailored to the demands of the roadster. The suspension was firm yet almost atypically comfortable for a 1960s sports car. For the first time in an SL sports car, a four-speed automatic transmission was available as an option. The 230 SL already had disc brakes on the front wheels. Starting with the 250 SL presented in 1967, disc brakes on the rear axle complemented the equipment.

Mercedes-Benz offered this SL successively with three different engines during its eight-year construction period. This distinguished it from the 300 SL and 190 SL models. The engines of these first two production sports cars in the SL tradition, introduced in 1954, were each virtually unchanged until 1963. The sporty M 127 six-cylinder engine of the 230 SL was based on the M 180 engine of the 220 SE. The displacement was increased to 2,306 cubic centimetres for use in the SL. The power unit produced 110 kW (150 hp), the top speed was 200 km/h and the sports car accelerated from a standstill to 100 km/h in 11.1 seconds.

“California” version and better acceleration values

At the end of 1966, the 250 SL replaced the 230 SL. Its in-line six-cylinder M 129 engine had a displacement of 2,496 cubic centimetres. Its power output (110 kW/150 hp) and top speed (200 km/h) corresponded to the 230 SL. However, the higher torque reduced the time it took to accelerate from zero to 100 km/h by 1.1 seconds. In addition, the 250 SL was equipped with a brake force regulator, larger brake discs at the front and additional disc brakes on the rear wheels.

Another difference: The 250 SL was optionally available with a coupé roof and rear bench seat. This “California” version supplemented the body variant known from the 230 SL as a roadster with fabric soft top and removable coupé roof. Mercedes-Benz exhibited the version with rear bench seat for the first time in March 1967 at the Geneva Motor Show. The “California” had neither a roadster soft top nor a soft top compartment to make room for the rear bench seat.

The 280 SL with the 2,778 cubic centimetre in-line six-cylinder M 130 engine appeared in 1968. It was the third and most successful version of the W 113 series. Power output increased to 125 kW (170 hp). The 280 SL accelerated from zero to 100 km/h in nine seconds. Its top speed was still 200 km/h. In March 1971, production of the W 113 ended after a total of 48,912 vehicles had been built. The 230 SL accounted for 19,831 units, the 250 SL for 5,196 and the 280 SL for 23,885.

Successful in motorsport:

Mercedes-Benz also used the 230 SL successfully in motorsport. The victory achieved by Eugen Böhringer and Klaus Kaiser at the 5,000+ km Spa-Sofia-Liège marathon rally from 27 to 31 August 1963 was outstanding. The following year, the driver duo achieved third place in this long-distance rally also with the 230 SL.