Description
This is lot number 169 in the Bonhams Goodwood Revival Auction on September 7th, please see the Bonhams website for full details.
A tribute to Camille Jenatzy's 1903 Gordon Bennett race winner
Based on an American LaFrance chassis and engine
9, 236cc four-cylinder engine
Incorporates other American LaFrance parts
"The visitors to the fifth Automobile and Bicycle Exhibition in the Paris Grand Palais were witnesses to the first instance of mass imitation in the history of the car. The Mercedes Simplex was the original and there was an abundance of copies. No manufacturer was able to resist the trend towards a modern car, which now bore less and less resemblance to the original carriage." - Schlegelmilch & Lehbrink, Mercedes.
Offered here is a re-creation of that most famous early Mercedes driven to victory by Belgian driver Camille Jenatzy in the 1903 Gordon Bennett Cup race in Ireland. Jenatzy drove a 60 horsepower Mercedes Simplex, an immensely influential model designed by Wilhelm Maybach and introduced the previous year, which was powered by a four-cylinder monster of an engine displacing 9, 236cc.
The car we offer is one enthusiast's tribute to Jenatzy's Gordon Bennett Mercedes. Based on an American LaFrance chassis and engine, it is in many ways reminiscent of the Mercedes that took part in the 1905 Gordon Bennett race in France. Interestingly, the layout of the Simplex Type 10 engine originated with Mercedes, was licensed to Simplex and later to American LaFrance, the fire apparatus manufacturer based in Elmira, New York, USA. Other American LaFrance parts include Mercedes-like axles, hubcaps, and fuel tank, the latter bearing the maker's tag of Janney-Steinmetz of Philadelphia and New York. The Simplex-type engine emits a mighty roar when running and is guaranteed to grab the attention of anyone within earshot.
