Mercedes-Benz Classic Celebrates 130 Years of Motorsport.

10 Jul

At the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Mercedes-Benz Classic will be commemorating 130 years of motorsport with a spectacular lineup of legendary racing vehicles. The phrase "largest motorised garden party in the world" describes the happening. The first motor race took place on July 22, 1894, from Paris to Rouen.

This is what Mercedes-Benz Classic is bringing to the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2024:

Daimler two-cylinder V-engine (1894): The Paris-Rouen race in 1894 was the first ever motor race. It was won by vehicles by Peugeot and Panhard & Levassor, with Daimler two-cylinder V-engines produced under licence.

Mercedes 2-litre Targa Florio racing car of 1924

Mercedes 2-litre Targa Florio racing car, 1924: 100 years ago, it won the Targa Florio, the legendary, tough road race through Sicily. Mercedes-Benz Classic has painstakingly restored an original vehicle with the utmost authenticity.

Mercedes-Benz W 25 750-kilogram formula racing car

Mercedes-Benz 750-kilogramme formula racing car W 25, 1934: The first Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow. Premiered in the 1934 Eifel race, with Manfred von Brauchitsch the winner. Rudolf Caracciola became European Grand Prix Champion in 1935, comparable to today’s F1 title.

Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Formula One racing car with streamlined body

Mercedes-Benz Formula One racing car W 196 R: 1955 Mercedes-Benz returned to Grand Prix racing in 1954, with the W 196 R. With exposed wheels or streamlined bodywork, depending on the circuit. Juan Manuel Fangio was a Formula One World Champion in 1954 and 1955.

Mercedes-Benz express racing car transporter of 1955

Mercedes-Benz Express racing car transporter, 1955: A sensational one-off. Its engine came from the 300 SL “Gullwing” (W 198). The nickname of the transporter for urgent racing car transport, capable of up to 170 km/h: “Blue Wonder”.

Mercedes-Benz C-11 Group C racing sports car, 1990: 537 kW (730 hp), a monocoque of carbon fibre/Kevlar material, built for the 1990 Group C World Championship. The result: the C-11s secured the second double title in a row for the team and drivers.

Mercedes-Benz CLK LM GT racing sports car, 1998

Mercedes-Benz GT racing car CLK LM, 1998: It won all the FIA GT Championship races in which it competed. The successor to the CLK GTR has a 5-litre V8 engine. AMG-Mercedes once again won the team and drivers’ championship.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 (C 197), 2012: The successful customer sports car for the GT3 regulations, presented in 2010. The car presented at Goodwood led a one-two-three victory in the 2012 Dubai 24-hour race.

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