Alx
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Here's a little history lesson (taken from the press release) for all you youngsters out there.
"The first 'Mercedes', an ingenious engineering feat of Wilhelm Maybach and supplied to Emil Jellinek by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) in 1901, is considered to be the first modern automobile. Featuring a 35 hp engine, honeycomb radiator, pneumatic tires, long wheel-base, shift gate and low center of gravity, the Mercedes was a sensation in its day and age. Only a little later, in 1902, an improved 40 hp car – the Mercedes Simplex – was offered, which was even easier to operate, at least by contemporary standards. The different versions of the Mercedes Simplex were a great success for DMG and contributed substantially towards the breakthrough of the automobile."
OK, now that you know what the Mercedes Simplex is, the real reason for the story. In celebration of the upcoming inauguration of the new Mercedes-Benz Museum, 13 Mercedes Simplex have returned to their roots, and will be on display for visitors of the current museum in Stuttgart to witness first-hand. Of the vehicles on display, most are owned by private collectors and all are fully functional.
The oldest car, a 1902 Mercedes Simplex, was piloted by none other than American billionaire William K. Vanderbilt Jr., who established a world record of 111.8 km/h over one kilometer from a flying start in 1902. This isn't the only impressive story of a Mercedes Simplex - the others each have a unique history as well, which you can find at the museum's special exhibition.
If you're interested in visiting the Simplex collection, you still have time to book your plane tickets. The Mercedes Simplex exhibit will remain on display through March of 2006 at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. For more info, you can check out photos and the full press release below.
40 hp Mercedes Simplex, 1902. It is the oldest still existing Mercedes
40 hp Mercedes Simplex, 1902. It is the oldest still existing Mercedes
Mr. William K. Vanderbilt jr. at the wheel of his 40 hp Mercedes-Simplex. A helper starts the Mercedes with the starting crank.
Thirteen Mercedes Simplex cars, most of them privately owned, have returned to Untertürkheim where they were manufactured some 100 years ago. As a prelude to the special Mercedes Simplex show, the cars paid a flying visit to the impressive new Mercedes-Benz Museum where a family photo was taken.
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
Mercedes Simplex parade in the Mercedes-Benz Museum
Stuttgart, Nov 18, 2005
As a prelude to an impressive special exhibition, 13 Mercedes Simplex cars did what honor demanded and paid a flying visit to the new Mercedes-Benz Museum. The automotive gems, most of them privately owned, are on show in the current Mercedes-Benz Museum as of now.
The first “Mercedes”, an ingenious engineering feat of Wilhelm Maybach and supplied to Emil Jellinek by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) in 1901, is considered to be the first modern automobile. With its 35 hp engine, honeycomb radiator, pneumatic tires, long wheel-base, shift gate and low center of gravity, the Mercedes was a sensation in its day and age. Only a little later, in 1902, an improved 40 hp car – the Mercedes Simplex – was offered, which was even easier to operate, at least by contemporary standards.
The different versions of the Mercedes Simplex were a great success for DMG and contributed substantially towards the breakthrough of the automobile. It is therefore all the more understandable that these rare cars are much coveted collectors’ items today.
The special show with 13 unique specimens of this model is the greatest “get-together” of Mercedes Simplex cars in many years. And the very special highlight of this show is the fact that they all returned to their cradle, the Untertürkheim plant, and the Mercedes-Benz Museum on the plant’s premises. It goes without saying that all the cars in this exhibition are fully operational. They are entered in classic car rallies such as the London to Brighton Veteran Car Rally, the Gordon Bennett Revival and others.
The Simplex parade on the grounds of the Untertürkheim plant was welcomed by the staff with enthusiastic applause. After the “family portrait” taken outside the new museum building, the convoy returned to the plant premises and the current Mercedes-Benz Museum where the cars will be displayed until March 18, 2006.
Just a few months before the inauguration of the new Mercedes-Benz Museum, the removal of exhibits is in full swing, of course, and many of the exhibits from the current museum have already been moved into the new one or are on their way. Under the motto “The countdown is on!” the inevitable gaps in the current museum are filled with attractive special shows and rare exhibits – one of these being the great Simplex exhibition which represents an absolute highlight especially for connoisseurs and fans.
The oldest car, a Mercedes Simplex of 1902, forms part of the collection of the Mercedes-Benz Museum and thus takes on the role of host in this illustrious gathering. At the wheel of this car, American billionaire William K. Vanderbilt Jr. established a sensational world record of 111.8 km/h over one kilometer from a flying start in 1902. Every single one of the other exhibits has its own highly individual story to tell, for instance the Mercedes Simplex of 1904, owned by a noble Austrian family from Day One and being still fully operational. There’s then a car from the year 1907, featuring particularly large wheels because it was operated on bumpy ox trails in Argentina. And last but not least, there’s a direct successor to the Mercedes Simplex dating from the year 1909, a car supplied with a 160 hp Daimler Grand Prix engine at the special request of its American buyer – comparable to a present-day Formula One car with a special permit to operate on normal roads.
Mercedes Simplex – The Great Special Show
Mercedes-Benz Museum
Mercedes-Straße 137
70327 Stuttgart-Untertürkheim
Opening hours:
Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Closed on Mondays and public holidays
. Is that the MB museum?
