The culture of classic automobiles thrives on fascinating history and gripping stories. Mercedes-Benz Classic offers both throughout 2018 with numerous appearances and events. The major international spring trade fairs in Essen and Stuttgart will kick things off. The "All Time Stars" vehicle dealership will also be presenting interesting vehicles from the current range there.
Events such as the Mille Miglia (May 16 to 19, 2018), Silvretta Classic (July 5 to 7, 2018), Goodwood Festival of Speed (July 12 to 15, 2018), Classic Days Schloss Dyck (August 3 to 5, 2018) and the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance (August 26, 2018) provide further highlights of the season.
At the Techno-Classica in Essen from March 21 to 25, 2018, the focus will be on motorsport legends under the heading "Record hunters and champion drivers" as well as the unique history of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. The brand will be presenting fascinating vehicles from the company's own collection on both topics in Hall 1 of Messe Essen.
In addition, a special sculptural staging of a 300 SL "Gullwing" (W 198) will highlight the spare parts expertise of the Stuttgart-based brand. In good company with Mercedes-Benz Classic, several official Mercedes-Benz brand clubs will also be presenting themselves in Hall 1.
Legends of motorsport
The "Record Chasers and Champion Drivers" presentation commemorates a series of outstanding racing successes in the history of the Mercedes-Benz brand, which are celebrating anniversaries in 2018. The 3-liter formula racing car W 154 stands for Rudolf Caracciola's European Grand Prix Championship in the 1938 season.
Caracciola becomes European champion for the third time after 1935 and 1937 in the completely newly developed Silver Arrow with Mercedes-Benz.
The McLaren-Mercedes MP4-13 from 1998 stands for the double world championship of Mika Häkkinen (drivers' championship) and the West McLaren-Mercedes team (constructors' world championship). The brilliant record of racing driver Lewis Hamilton, who won his first world championship for the Silver Arrows ten years ago in the 2008 season, is represented by the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 W05 Hybrid from 2014: Hamilton became Formula 1 world champion for the second time that year. Two more titles for the champion driver followed in 2015 and 2017.
The presentation of six 1:4 scale design models rounds off the "Record hunters and champion drivers" theme at Techno-Classica. The high-quality models, which were created in the Mercedes-Benz design department, represent the five Mercedes-Benz record-breaking cars from the period 1936 to 1939. They mark the 80th anniversary of the record-breaking drive on January 28, 1938, in which Rudolf Caracciola reached 432.7 km/h - the highest speed achieved on a public road and a record that stood until November 2017, almost 80 years later.
A sixth 1:4 model shows how the records of the past inspire the designers of today: the futuristic-looking design of a record-breaking car with electric drive, which was conceived as part of the "Electric High Speed" design project of the Mercedes-Benz Design division in collaboration with the Munich University of Applied Sciences.
The G-model
Mercedes-Benz Classic is dedicating the presentation on the history of the G-Class to a living legend: the off-road vehicle, which has been in production for almost 40 years, is the epitome of the successful combination of maximum off-road capability with stylish performance and comfort. At Techno-Classica, three variants of the 460 model series represent the beginnings of the G model presented in 1979.
There is also one vehicle each from the 463 series and the 461 series from the 1990s, as well as the new G-Class presented in January 2018. The exciting staging of the vehicles makes it clear how the G-Class has evolved over four decades and yet has remained absolutely true to itself.
Visitors to the 30th Techno-Classica can experience the G-Class in action in the outdoor area of the trade fair in front of the main entrance on the "Iron Schöckl". This eight-meter-high steel construction is named after the gruelling off-road test track on Graz's local mountain, the Schöckl. Every generation of the G-Class is extensively tested here during development. On the "Iron Schöckl", passengers in the G-Class experience gradients of between 80 and 100 percent, plus stops on gradients of up to 100 percent.
High-precision body parts for the 300 SL "Gullwing"
Mercedes-Benz Classic is demonstrating its particular expertise in authentic and original parts in Essen with the sculptural staging of a fire engine red 300 SL "Gullwing": what at first glance appears to be a complete vehicle is in fact the skillful presentation of numerous body parts. These include the front mask, hood, fenders, boot lid, sill plates, frame parts and wheel rims. These Mercedes-Benz Classic parts are manufactured according to the original documents and on the basis of three-dimensional scans of historical parts. This ensures that they fit with the utmost precision. They are available from any Mercedes-Benz partner.
The Techno-Classica program begins on 21 March 2018 with the Preview Day from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. From March 22 to 25, the trade fair will be open from 9 am to 6 pm. The Mercedes-Benz Classic program during the 30th Techno-Classica will include autograph sessions with brand ambassadors, expert talks on the topics of "Record hunters and champion drivers" and the G-Class, as well as stories about the history of the brand and the invention of the automobile.
