“I was deeply touched by the Targa Florio racing car’s returning to Sicily, to the place of our great triumph 100 years ago. This experience is something very special, even for us at Mercedes-Benz Classic who deal with outstanding classics each and every day. In 1924, our brand wrote motorsport history with the 2-litre racing car. A hundred years later, one of the original vehicles has once again been stealing people’s hearts at its outings marking the anniversary. We owe our thanks to the combined expertise of the Mercedes-Benz Classic Centre, the Group archive of Mercedes-Benz Classic and a strong network of experts, who together made it all possible. After the racing car’s return to the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, every visitor can now admire it, initially in a special display on the Classic Island, and later in its regular place in the racing curve.”
Marcus Breitschwerdt, Head of Mercedes-Benz Heritage GmbH
A hundred-year-old’s trip around the world
The first moment to cause goosebumps was when the classic vehicle was put into operation in April 2024 after it’s complex restoration. This was followed by fascinating guest appearances at international highlight events for automotive classics. The racing car experienced a brilliant end of the season in Italy at the Targa Florio Classica from 10 to 13 October 2024 – at the site of the great Mercedes victory 100 years ago. This revival brings together racing cars of earlier eras and is reminiscent of the legendary years of the great Targa Florio road race. In the Mercedes 2-litre Targa Florio racing car, former Formular One racing driver Karl Wendlinger inspired spectators on a section of the historic Circuito delle Madonie.
This is the original vehicle in which Christian Lautenschlager finished in 11th place in the Targa Florio overall ranking on 27 April 1924. His teammate Christian Werner won the historic victory in an identically constructed Mercedes – the first driver not hailing from Italy. He won the race in 6:32:37.4 hours across four laps, each 108 kilometres long. The winning car from 1924 has not been preserved.
For the motorsport history of the brand, the great significance of the Targa Florio extends beyond Werner’s victory in 1924. In 1921, a Mercedes racing car took second place overall. The first overall victory with a privately entered Mercedes followed in 1922. In 1955, the double victory of Stirling Moss/Peter Collins and Juan Manuel Fangio/Karl Kling with the 300 SLR (W 196 S) secured the decisive points to win the sports car world championship.