Mercedes: Cucumber starts at Pebble Beach
COMEBACK This will be a celebration for all fans of fast bolides. Mercedes-Benz is making the legendary Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance (August 15 to 18, 2019) a highlight in the anniversary year "125 Years of Motorsport". At 7 a.m. on August 15, the participating vehicles will line up on Portola Road in Pebble Beach. Starting at 9 a.m., the drive [...]
At 7 a.m. on Aug. 15, participating vehicles will line up on Portola Road in Pebble Beach. Beginning at 9 a.m., the exit will start, leading to Carmel-by-the-Sea. The field will return to Pebble Beach at 2 p.m. The Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance partly follows the coastal road 17 Mile Drive on California's Monterey Peninsula.
Start at the Avus race in Berlin
In 1932, aerodynamics pioneer Reinhard von Koenig-Fachsenfeld (1899 to 1992) designed a pioneering streamlined body for the high-performance Mercedes-Benz SSKL Kompressor racing car.
Manfred von Brauchitsch competed in the International Avus Race in Berlin on May 22, 1932, in a vehicle that was unusual for the time (the public christened it "Gurke") and won ahead of Rudolf Caracciola on Alfa Romeo.The average speed of 194.4 km/h over a distance of 200 kilometers was a class world record.
Race car weighs 125 kilos less
Mercedes-Benz Classic has authentically reconstructed the "silver arrow", as it was called in a radio report of the time, from 1932. This includes the SSKL-typical lightening holes in the chassis, which were made according to the original contemporary drawings. Overall, the race car weighs 125 kilograms less than the Mercedes-Benz SSK that served as its basis.
Body according to historical documents
Particularly complex was the complete rebuilding of the streamlined body according to historical documents. To this end, the experts researched in the archives of Mercedes-Benz Classic and in the archives of Schloss Fachsenfeld, which the engineer and inventor Reinhard von Koenig-Fachsenfeld transferred to a foundation in 1982.
