‘White Knights’ including the legendary Blitzen-Benz will be the centerpiece of the Concours’ 125th Anniversary celebration of the automobile.
Powered by a 21.5-Liter four-cylinder engine generating 9.3 horsepower-per-liter, the 200 horsepower, chain-drive Blitzen-Benz, above, set a world land speed record of 141 mph on April 23, 1911. Bob Burman piloted the White Knight at Daytona Beach, FL, below, to the one-kilometer flying start record. On the one-mile flying start he was clocked at 141.74 mph. Those records were not broken until 1919. In the day the Blitzen-Benz was almost twice as fast as aircraft! The Blitzen-Benz, built by Benz & Cie in 1909, will join other historical White Knight racecars and Mercedes family classics on the eighteenth fairway on August 21 at Pebble Beach.
The birth of the automobile is marked by Carl Benz’ patent of the first gas-powered vehicle, a three-wheeler, in January 1886. Gottlieb Daimler followed with a four-wheeler just a few months later, beginning the competition to create cars with more speed and style. To celebrate the automobile’s 125th birthday, the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance will showcase the marques that trace their lineage to Benz and Daimler - particularly Mercedes-Benz. Vehicles will include early racing greats, coachbuilt classics, and preservation cars.
“From the beginning of the automobile to the modern industry of today, Mercedes-Benz has always been at the apex of automotive technology and style,” said Sandra Button, Concours Chairman. “This year, the Concours will exhibit some of the earliest vehicles the marque has ever produced, including the “White Knights” that first established Mercedes and Benz as a racing powerhouses.”
The Knights, finished in Germany’s national white auto racing livery, earned the company its lofty reputation on the track long before the “Silver Arrow” racers made their debut in 1934. Several White Knights will be prominently lined up along the edge of Carmel Bay, including a Blitzen-Benz, the model that set the world record for fastest speed on land at Daytona Beach in 1911.
A Preservation Class included in the Tribute will be devoted solely to the successors of Benz. “This special class will feature a remarkable display of Benz, Daimler, Mercedes and Mercedes-Benz vehicles from around the globe,” said Button. The Tribute will include an array of Mercedes-Benz supercharged classics: 380K through 770.
For more information about the Concours, please visit, www.pebblebeachconcours.net
For the story of the record-setting Blitzen-Benz, above, please visit,
http://www.emercedesbenz.com/autos/mercedes-benz/classic/mercedes-benz-history-blitzen-benz-the-fastest-car-in-the-world/
http://www.dwellable.com/a/3094/California/Central-Coast/Pebble-Beach/Vacation-Rentals