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.