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- Mercedes-Benz Classic at “The I.C.E. St. Moritz” on 23 and 24 February 2024
- Sporty, luxurious classics from Mercedes-Benz on the ice of Lake St. Moritz
- Exclusive Mercedes-Benz 300 Cabriolet D (W 189)
- 300 SL Roadster (W 198) from the Mercedes-Benz Classic vehicle business unit
The abbreviation “I.C.E.” stands for “International Concours of Elegance”. The three letters also refer to the frozen surface of the concours area and circuit. This time, four Mercedes-Benz vehicles will show how sportiness and luxury have repeatedly influenced and inspired each other throughout the history of the brand.
Tradition of the S-Class
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is the epitome of luxury motoring. Predecessor vehicles were also used in motorsport. Mercedes-Benz Classic is bringing two models to St. Moritz: A 300 SE racing touring car (W 112) from 1963 and the 300 SEL 6.8 AMG racing touring car (W 109) from 1971. The predecessors of the S-Class meet the current models of this unique family of Mercedes-Benz luxury vehicles in St. Moritz.
The motorsport version of the 300 SE “Fintail” Saloon bears the number 102 of the Belgian team Robert Crévits/Gustave “Taf” Gosselin, the overall winners of the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on 25 and 26 July 1964. With this vehicle, Mercedes-Benz Classic is commemorating the 100-year history of the race event which began in 1924.
The AMG high-performance saloon is modelled on the racing touring car known as the “Rote Sau” (Red Sow), in which Hans Heyer and Clemens Schickentanz achieved second place overall and class victory in the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in 1971. The success catapulted AMG into the public eye. Both vehicles can be seen in the concours exhibition on Friday (23 February 2024) and on the circuit on Saturday (24 February 2024).
Mercedes-Benz 300 Cabriolet D and 300 SL Roadster
Mercedes-Benz Classic is also bringing an exclusive Mercedes-Benz 300 Cabriolet D (W 189, built in 1960) and a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster (W 198, built in 1958) to St. Moritz. The cabriolet version of this prestigious vehicle can be experienced on both days as an exhibition vehicle in front of the event pavilion.
The 300 SL Roadster will be presented at the Grand Hotel des Bains Kempinski St. Moritz. The iconic super sports car has been restored to factory standards by the experts at the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center and is available for purchase from the Mercedes-Benz Classic vehicle business unit.
The ice of St. Moritz as a spectacular stage
The story of “The I.C.E. St. Moritz” begins in the mid-1980s. Back then, British Bentley fans drove their classic cars round the horse racecourse, which is set up every year on the frozen and snow-covered Lake St. Moritz. The 50-centimetre-thick ice proved to be a spectacular stage for historic vehicles. In 2019, the idea of a successful test run with sports cars was taken up, and the automotive ice revue has been taking place with a full line-up since 2022.
This year, the vehicles in the “International Concours of Elegance” are competing in the categories “Barchettas on the Lake”, “Open Wheels”, “Concept Cars & One-Offs”, “Icons on Wheels” and “Racing Legends”. The presentation of the exhibition vehicles and the evaluation by the jurors will take place on Friday (23 February 2024) from 9 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. The races on the frozen circuit will start on Saturday (24 February 2024) at 9.15 a.m. All participating cars complete two 20-minute stints. The class awards ceremony will take place on the lake from 2.30 p.m. The programme ends at 5 p.m.
The Mercedes-Benz Classic vehicles at “The I.C.E. St. Moritz 2024”
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster (W 198), production year 1958
Vehicle available for sale
This 300 SL Roadster has an extraordinary history. Its first owner ordered the car in New York. It impresses with a special colour combination: the lady customer chose a fire engine red paint finish, ivory-coloured leather upholstery and a black fabric soft top. She drove the Roadster for almost four decades. In 1997, it became the property of her granddaughter. The further history of the 300 SL took it to various continents and owners, and eventually to the Mercedes-Benz Classic Centre in Fellbach near Stuttgart. From 2012 to 2020, it underwent a works restoration in accordance with the strict standards of Mercedes-Benz Classic. The restoration, which took around 3,500 hours, focussed on preserving the original components. The vehicle with “matching numbers” is now back to its 1958 condition, when the first owner took delivery of the fire engine red super-sportscar in New York.
Mercedes-Benz 300 Cabriolet D (W 189), production year 1960
Use at “The I.C.E. St. Moritz 2024”: static
Introduced in 1951, the prestigious Mercedes-Benz 300 with 3-litre inline six-cylinder engine was the largest and fastest production car made in Germany at the time. The “300s” of the W 186 and W 189 model series were built until 1962. In addition to the saloons, particularly exclusive Cabriolet D models with a heavy-duty all-weather soft top were produced. They were also used for official occasions such as state visits. The 300 Cabriolet D (W 189) presented in 1958 with timed intake manifold injection (118 kW/160 hp) was in the price range of the highly exclusive 300 Sc models. In total, only 65 examples of the 300 Cabriolet D, which could reach speeds of up to 165 km/h, were built.
Mercedes-Benz 300 SE racing touring car (W 112), production year 1963
Use at “The I.C.E. St. Moritz 2024”: static and dynamic
The rally and racing version of the top model of the “Fintail” saloon dominated international long-distance races in 1963 and 1964. The triumphs of the 300 SE (W 112) included the one-two-three victory in the 1964 Argentine Grand Prix for touring cars and victory in the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Technically, the racing touring car with its 3-litre in-line six-cylinder engine was based on the production vehicle, but was modified depending on the type of outing. For the 1964 season, it was fitted with the direct injection system of the 300 SL (W 198), which led to an increase in output to 169 kW (230 hp) and a maximum speed of over 200 km/h.
Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.8 AMG racing touring car (W 109), production year 1971
Use at “The I.C.E. St. Moritz 2024”: static and dynamic
The AMG 300 SEL 6.8 racing touring car surprisingly took a class victory and second place overall at its début in the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium on 24 July 1971. The vehicle was built by the then still largely unknown company AMG on the basis of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3 (184 kW/250 hp). AMG increased the displacement of the V8 engine to 6,835 cubic centimetres and the output to 315 kW (428 hp). The racing touring car, also known as the “Red Sow”, could reach speeds of up to 265 km/h. Instead of the original 1971 vehicle, which has not been preserved, you can experience a faithful reconstruction built in 2006.
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