Oldest Mercedes still on the road will travel 1,500 miles on the Pebble Beach Motoring Classic to compete in the Concours d’Elegance
Mercedes Simplex competed in 1902 Vanderbilt Cup Race.
For the past 60 years, Pebble Beach has been the destination of choice for those who show the finest collector cars in the world. Some of these cars are delivered to California's central coast by plane, others by boat or commercial transport, and many are actually driven. This year a Mercedes well into its second century will be among the cars taking on the challenge of the open road.
A 28-horsepower 1902 Mercedes-Simplex, the oldest Mercedes-badged car still on the road today, will travel 1,500 miles around mountains, through valleys and along the ocean on its way to compete in the Pebble Beach Concours. It will be one of about two dozen cars participating in the 2010 Pebble Beach Motoring Classic, the ultimate road trip for vintage automobiles.
The Kellers, John Bentley will drive the Mercedes to Pebble.
Now in its sixth year, the Motoring Classic is reserved for cars that are past or present Pebble Beach Concours entrants or are special cars that command an elegance befitting the Concours. The nine-day event, which begins in Seattle, WA on August 3, includes a journey around the east side of Mount St. Helens, along the Columbia River Gorge and down the Pacific coast before arriving in time for Monterey’s weeklong automotive celebration.
"The Motoring Classic is great prelude to the Concours," says Pebble Beach Chairman Sandra Button. "In a practical way, it demonstrates both the elegance and technical ability that we celebrate.
"Because the journey can prove challenging for even some of the more modern cars, it is just fantastic that the Mercedes-Simplex, a car well past its century mark, will be making the drive. It will be a real pleasure to welcome this car to Pebble Beach."
Its owners, Arturo and Deborah Keller, as well as John Bentley, who specialized in manufacturing collector car replacement parts before becoming a restorer, will drive the Mercedes. It's a vehicle that Bentley knows quite well; he supervised its restoration in 1993 for the Keller Collection in California. The Kellers purchased it from the family of Tom Lightfoot, who for nearly five decades shepherded this prized possession to driving events and auto shows around the globe.
1902 Mercedes-Simplex on display at Mercedes Museum.
The Mercedes-Simplex, manufactured by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft from 1901 to 1909, features a wide, low body designed by Wilhelm Maybach in Stuttgart, Germany. The first part of the car's name, Mercedes, is attributed to European entrepreneur Emil Jellinek, distributor of Daimler in the South of France and member of the DMG board. In exchange for financing this new car, Jellinek insisted it be named after his daughter, Mercedes. The second name, Simplex, was given to convey the simplicity of the vehicle's operation. The new automobile was so successful the company adopted the name "Mercedes" from that time forward.
"In 1901, this car was far, far ahead of every other vehicle in terms of development and design," says Bentley.
Jochen Mass track tests a 40-hp 1902 Mercedes-Simplex
"It's an extraordinary car that was amazingly advanced for the turn of the last century and ultimately put Mercedes on the automotive map. Its performance and hill-climbing abilities were phenomenal. And today, 108 years later, this car is still extremely exciting to drive. It's a remarkable experience to be behind the wheel of a car this age that is still so sprightly.
" See pictures and follow the journeys of the 1902 Mercedes-Simplex on the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pebble-Beach-Concours-dElegance/110650875619209
For more information about the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours,
Please visit http://www.pebblebeachconcours.net/