9781422279595

INTRODUCTION

N o brand of mass-produced motorcars is more identified with luxury and quality than is that of Mercedes-Benz. Impeccably constructed, the sedans, coupes, and convert- ibles that bear the three-pointed star reinforce an image of achievement for proven and would-be captains of industry and government worldwide. Less appreciated is the fact that each Mercedes-Benz retains, to varying degrees, elements of a sporting char- acter. This character springs from a racing history that has known spectacular success, but has only been sporad- ically pursued by the factory, for reasons both political and tragic. Generally speaking, the legacy of performance that is legitimately Mercedes-Benz’s is thus less impor- tant to the customer than the traits of image, luxury, reliability, and refinement most attributed to the marque. Still, the performance is there. Even the underpowered diesel-engined offerings from Daimler-Benz A.G. provide sprightly handling characteristics. And the stoic execu- tive cruisers that are Mercedes-Benz’s flagship creations are so capacitated that they can stealthily rocket along the autobahn in excess of 150 miles per hour (240 kilo- meters per hour), their passengers coddled in luxury and near silence. This volume is a subjective catalog of those Mercedes- Benz automobiles that have, over the company’s 110-plus- year history, inspired excitement in driving enthusiasts. Such enthusiasts have been rewarded from the compa- ny’s earliest days. Both Gottlieb Daimler and Karl (who later changed his name to Carl) Benz, whose companies merged in 1926, believed in competition as a means of proving the worth of their creations. The Paris-Bor- deaux-Paris race of 1895, the first automobile race ever held, saw two Benz creations compete, finishing in fifth and thirteenth places. On Thanksgiving Day of that year, the first American competition, the Chicago Times- Herald race, also had two Benzes entered.

4