In the large conference room of the August-Horch-Museum, the Automobile History Society (AHG) honored Hans Peter Würsten and Eckhart Bartels with valuable bronze busts on May 2, 2026.
Eckhart Bartels received the Maybach bust for his life's work, while Hans Peter Würsten was awarded the Metternich bust for his book "Mercedes-Benz 170 V / 170 S / 220 - Bestseller / Rescuer / Pioneer".
The content of the two-volume work, which weighs around five kilograms in total, ranges "from the merger to form Daimler-Benz AG in 1926 to the early 1980s, when another compact car with the three-pointed star went into production. Embedded in this time frame, the model family is examined in all its technical, formal and socio-historical aspects," writes publisher Tom van Endert on his website www.karren-publishing.online.
Laudator Andy Schwietzer describes the structural draughtsman and architect from Switzerland as an "author on the long haul. The fact that, apart from a handful of general titles about historic Mercedes-Benz, nothing really detailed about the 170s could be found on the book market motivated Hans Peter Würsten to write exactly the book he himself wanted as a reader." The value of the work, which took twelve years to write, is also made clear by this quote from the laudator: "In-depth and further-reaching literature is exactly the right antidote to the arbitrariness of half-knowledge, especially in times of Wikipedia and AI, and the great opportunity for books to survive."
"Eckhart Bartels played a decisive role in shaping the Alt-Opel IG for 25 years. During this time, he has published 130 issues of the club magazine 'Der Zuverlässige', around 20 specialist books and, since 1998, the annual 'Opel Jahrbuch'. He is present in many other media with specialist articles," said laudator Arne Bolzmann, praising the recipient of the lifetime achievement award. And, referring to him as a founding member of the Alt-Opel IG: "Eckhart's philosophy behind the new club can still serve as a guide for every classic car club that caters to lovers of bread-and-butter cars."
In addition to the Alt-Opel IG, Eckhart Bartels is also involved in the German Oldtimer-Youngtimer Association (DEUVET) and the authors' association Forum für Fahrzeuggeschichte (F-kubik).
Background information
The bronze busts, which weigh around 2.4 kilograms and were created by the Upper Bavarian sculptor Jeanette Nagel-Schmidt, are named after the automotive historian and AHG founding member Michael Graf Wolff Metternich (1920 - 2018) and the automotive pioneer Wilhelm Maybach (1846 - 1929). Since 2022, the busts have been awarded as part of the AHG spring meeting, known as the Metternich Days. In order to nominate authors for the Metternich bust from outside, specimen copies can be sent to the AHG. The selection will be made by an expert jury of AHG members. The jury reserves the right to nominate and select possible winners of the Maybach Bust.
The Automobilhistorische Gesellschaft e.V. (AHG), founded in Berlin in 1997, is an association of experts who research and publish in the field of automotive history. Historians, publicists, technicians, lecturers, chroniclers, archivists, museum operators, curators and private collectors are represented in the AHG. The AHG is economically and politically independent and is financed exclusively by the contributions of its members and donations. The AHG currently has around 110 members.
