Collecting 101

1.

Benz Before Mercedes

While Karl Benz is credited with the creation of the first internal combustion-engined automobile, it is also his wife Bertha who is due thanks. Her dowry allowed Karl to research and build the three-wheeled vehicle, and she was the first person to drive it over a long distance. She drove 65 miles across southwest Germany with her sons, and without the knowledge of her husband. She overcame many technical troubles on the way and managed to clear a blocked fuel line with a hat pin and a garter. It was Bertha Benz who invented the brake lining for the Patent-Motorwagen, and she also led the sales campaign for the ground-breaking vehicle.

While the Benz power couple were blazing a trial on three wheels, just 60km away in Germany Gottlieb Daimler had done the same with four. Daimler had already invented the internal combustion motorcycle (Petroleum Reitwagen) in 1885, and with his business partner Wilhelm Maybach, they produced a four-wheel petrol car in 1889 under the new company DMG (Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft). Benz & Cie continued to lead the way in sales until the late 1890s, when DMG began to challenge their leadership.  In 1900, Emil Jellinek commissioned DMG to build an engine for his order of 36 vehicles which he named Mercedes after his daughter. The car became the Mercedes 35HP, initially conceived as a racing car. In 1926, DMG and Benz & Cie decided that together they would create an unbeatable force of engineering and merged to form Mercedes-Benz. A legendary marque was born.

2.

Mercedes-Benz in Motorsport

Although Mercedes-Benz has now triumphed in almost every motorsport discipline on the planet, its parent companies DMG and Benz & Cie had individual successes long before the 1926 merger. The first ever recorded motor race took place in 1894 between Paris and Rouen and included nine entrants powered by engines from Daimler as well as a Vis-à-vis from Benz. One of the Daimler engined entries came home as the fastest petrol engined car, behind a De Dion-Bouton steam carriage that was ultimately disqualified. The Mercedes name soon came to be associated with speed and success on the track. In 1901, the Nice Race Week endurance races were dominated by the cutting-edge Mercedes 35HP, and in 1908 a Mercedes stormed to victory in the French Grand Prix with two Benz racers in 2^nd and 3^rd. French Grand Prix became a speciality for Mercedes-Benz, winning in 1914, 1935 and 1938, latterly as the indomitable Silver Arrows.

The Silver Arrows name is inextricably linked with some of the most celebrated racers of history, including Stirling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio, and has been used throughout Mercedes-Benz sporting history. The marque has had several breaks from competition but has always returned in a shower of glory. In 1952, Mercedes-Benz returned to racing after WWII and immediately won 24 Hours of Le Mans with its W194. Just two years later, the W196R marked the concern’s return to racing (by then known as Formula One) with a 1-2 win at the French Grand Prix. The marque’s most recent return to F1, starting in 2010 has rewarded them with an impressive eight constructors championships, and seven drivers drivers championships.

3.

Mercedes-Benz leads the charge

From the earliest days of motoring, Mercedes-Benz has sought to innovate. The dedication to their motto of “The Best or Nothing” has been proven time and time again, and their pursuit of perfection has led to world record speeds, outstanding sales, and pioneering developments. In 1906, they produced their first hybrid vehicle, the Mercedes Mixte. It used petrol and an electricity-producing dynamo for two rear wheel hub motors capable of producing 55hp. Their safety innovations have been adopted by almost every major manufacturer in automotive history, including safety crumple zones which they pioneered in 1952, anti-lock brakes from 1978, and even four-wheel brakes and suspension which they introduced back in 1924. They were among the very first manufacturers to introduce compulsory crash tests and are looking to make driving even safer with their research into autonomous motoring.

4.

Mercedes-Benz Meets McLaren

Mercedes-Benz have associated themselves with a variety of leading brands, including Petronas, AMG and IWC, but their partnership with former F1 partner McLaren is one of the best-loved ventures in modern automotive history. Between 2003 and 2009, the glorious Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren was produced. The supercar is both homage to a glorious racing history and a celebration of ground-breaking design and technology. It takes design cues from the legendary 300 SLR (W196S) which blazed a trail at the 1955 World Sportscar Championship before withdrawing following a catastrophic accident at Le Mans. The SLR (Sport Leicht Rennsport) has a 5.4L supercharged V8 built in-house by AMG and carbon ceramic brakes housed in a lightweight carbon fibre monocoque. It boasts a 0-60mph time of 3.3 seconds, offering a Formula 1 level performance without compromising on the luxurious comfort of a grand touring road car.

5.

Mercedes-Benz on the market

Mercedes-Benz of all eras have long been favourites of the discerning collector, whether for racing, touring or cruising. Earlier in 2022, a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé was sold to a private collector at auction for the world record price of $143M. The car is one of just two prototypes ever built, and proceeds from the sale are being used to establish a global sustainability scholarship programme called The Mercedes-Benz fund. 1950s Mercedes-Benz models are among the most beautiful automotive creations in existence, and have retained their value with enviable reliability. The 300SL Gullwing regularly (and rightfully) tops lists of most desirable cars. Examples are eligible for a wide variety of competitions and concours, as well as being simply glorious machines to drive. Its roadster equivalent is a similarly dazzling combination of style and sensational engineering which has never fallen out of fashion with collectors.

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