Ever since the birth of the brand Mercedes-Benz super sports cars have symbolised three things: high performance, dynamic appearance and spectacular racing success. From April 27th to August 29th, 2010 the Mercedes-Benz Museum is devoting its own special exhibition to the topic. Also Mercedes-Benz will be presenting its historic high-performance vehicles at many Classic Events this year.
“Super sports cars symbolise fascination and perfection,” says Michael Bock, Managing Director of the Mercedes-Benz Museum and Head of Mercedes-Benz Classic. “These vehicles have influenced generations and continue to excite people today. Their uniqueness is tangible for every visitor to the special exhibition at the Mercedes-Benz Museum and can be experienced by at first hand at our driving events this season.”
As the elite athletes of the automotive world, super sports cars achieve a balancing act between competitive use on the race track and dynamic driving on public roads. Their hallmarks are extreme performance and innovative technology. With high-performance automobiles such as these, Mercedes-Benz has been setting standards and enflaming passions for decades.
Super sports cars at the Mercedes-Benz Museum
The Super Sports Car special exhibition from 27 April 2010 to 29 August 2010 presents the unique super sports car tradition of the brand with the three-pointed star. Visitors to the Mercedes-Benz Museum will be able to experience at first hand eight vehicles that are the realisations of dreams – including the SSK of 1928, the C 111 design study of 1969 and the CLK-GTR of 1998. Also present is the most recent addition to the family, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. The other vehicles in the exhibition are the 75 hp Mercedes of 1906, the legendary Mercedes-Benz 300 SL of 1954, the Mercedes-Benz C 112 of 1991 and the Mercedes-Benz Vision SLR of 1999.
What accounts for fascination on four wheels? Which models are the antecedents of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG? Historic vehicles illustrate the various development stages and multimedia elements bring to life the passion that super sports cars generate. As a world exclusive, visitors are also able to undertake a virtual spin in the new SLS AMG.
The special exhibition can be found in Collection 5 and forms the climax of the themed tour of the permanent exhibition. The bilingual exhibition is open daily, except Mondays, from 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. Admission is included in the price of a Museum day ticket. The Super Sports Car special exhibition is also part of the regular guided tours.
Super sports cars in motion: pre-season warm-up on the test track
ADAC Eifelrennen, Le Mans Classic or Goodwood Festival of Speed – for Mercedes-Benz Classic the 2010 season is all about super sports cars. And this year’s technical preparations were in the hands of some distinguished guests. Six drivers demonstrated the capabilities of these historic jewels during today’s track test around the test circuit at the Untertürkheim plant:
- 40 hp Mercedes Simplex, 1902. Driven by Jochen Mass.
- Mercedes-Benz SSK, 1929. Driven by Roland Asch.
- Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Coupé, 1955. Driven by Hans Herrmann.
- Mercedes-Benz C 111 II-D, 1976. Driven by Nick Heidfeld.
- Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster, 2002. Driven by Dieter Glemser.
- Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, 2010. Driven by Bernd Schneider.
The ranks of super sports cars from Mercedes-Benz include vehicles from the recent past such as the CLK-GTR of 1998 and the CLK DTM AMG that appeared in 2004. This segment also saw the market launch in 2004 of the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG continues the fascinating tradition of super sports cars in 2010.
Historic icons include the 300 SL and SSK models. But the history goes back further still. The great-grandfather of the super sports car chronology is considered the 35 hp Mercedes. This car dominated the races of Nice Week in 1901, and was followed a year later by its successor model, the 40 hp Mercedes Simplex. Both these models were bought by customers as regular road-going vehicles, as was the 60 hp Mercedes Simplex, which in 1903 achieved similarly significant motor racing successes.
A number of extraordinary near-series experimental vehicles and racing prototypes have also enriched the gene pool of these super sports cars from Mercedes-Benz. These include the closed version of the 300 SLR racing sports car, the so-called “Uhlenhaut-Coupé”, the experimental and record-breaking vehicles from the C 111 family and the C 112 experimental car.
Information about the Super Sports Car special exhibition and Mercedes-Benz Classic Events are available for visitors to the Mercedes-Benz Classic Customer Center, tel. 07 11 / 17 – 30 000 or online at
www.mercedes-benz-classic.com/supersportscars
