Highlights
- A beautiful replica of the original 1908 Grand Prix winning Mercedes
- Ready to race again
- Eligible to many events across Europe
- The result of thousands of hours of work
The Appeal
The 1908 French Grand Prix, held at Dieppe, would have been an amazing spectacle to behold. Thunderous machines tearing along unsealed gravel roads with their immense engines roaring and their dusty, oil-stained drivers heaving at the steering wheel, while riding mechanics frantically manned the fuel and oil pumps, watching the gauges flicker if they could see through the dirt, smoke and vibrations.
Victory was claimed by car No.35, a Mercedes driven by Christian Lautenschlager — followed poetically by two Benzes — with another Mercedes team car finishing fifth and the third retiring after two laps due to a broken wheel. The win was a great achievement for Mercedes and sealed their reputation for producing powerful, reliable automobiles.
The car offered for sale here is a beautifully crafted replica of the original Mercedes team cars, assembled by the vendor over many years. It is a fitting homage to the originals, which are believed to have been destroyed, and will provide its next owner with a rare opportunity to relive the magic of those pioneering early days of motorsport.
The History and Paperwork
- A replica of the 1908 Grand Prix winning Mercedes, car No.35
- Work began in 1994, engine and chassis assembled in Argentina
- Most work carried out in vendor’s workshop in France and by specialists
- Thousands of hours spent on the project, finished 2012
- French "carte grise" in owner's name, 1908 Mercedes Simplex
The Interior
- Centre throttle, external handbrake and gear lever
- Buttoned leather upholstery
- Mellowed brass fittings abound
The ‘interior’ of this Mercedes provides little in the way of protection for the driver and riding mechanic. With no windscreen, doors, roof or windows, the crew is exposed to the elements, just as they were at the 1908 Grand Prix. The imposing wooden steering wheel is reassuringly solid and features hand controls for the carburettor and the ignition timing. To the driver’s right, mounted externally, are the handbrake and gear lever. The pedals are arranged with the throttle in the centre, with the clutch and foot brake either side.
On the wooden dashboard are the bare minimum of gauges, including a speedometer, marked in kilometres per hour, a clock and a fuel pressure gauge. A set of oil sight glasses allow the riding mechanic to keep an eye on the lubrication system, while they are also busy keeping the fuel tank pressurised.
Buttoned leather upholstery provides the occupants with just enough comfort and is presented in perfectly patinated condition. A tonneau cover has also reportedly been made to fit the car.
The Exterior
- Correctly brush painted in German racing white
- No reported corrosion
- A faithful reproduction of the 1908 Grand Prix cars
With its distinctive arched radiator — as used on the Simplex road cars — tall wheels and impressive exhaust, this Mercedes is truly a sight to behold. The body is in aluminium and is finished in white, the German racing colour, which was applied by brush in order to be as authentic as possible, this is a vehicle of massive proportions.
The wooden spoked wheels are from 2016 and were created from scratch by a professional wheelwright, the tyres retaining plenty of tread. The owner points ought the importance of having resorted to a skilled craftsman for the wheels as a safety precaution. Yes, wooden wheels can fail!
Underneath there are no signs of corrosion to be found. There are, of course, oil stains aplenty and some stone chips but these all add to the character of the car and prove that it has been used as the original designers intended.
Underneath there are no signs of corrosion to be found. There are, of course, oil stains aplenty and some stone chips but these all add to the character of the car and prove that it has been used as the original designers intended.
To the rear, there is provision for carrying two spare tyres behind the petrol tank, a precaution less necessary now than in 1908, when it wasn’t uncommon for crews to be seen changing tyres mid race.
Overall, the lightweight body fitted to this Grand Prix car is in fine fettle, with just the right amount of patina to show that it is still very much in use. The owner had front and rear wings crafted but prefers the car without them, they are visible in one of the last pictures in the gallery. Needless to say they will come with the car.
To give you a sense of the car's (fairly small) size here are some figures:
To give you a sense of the car's (fairly small) size here are some figures:
- Front track: 156cm
- Rear track: 146cm
- Wheelbase: 265cm
- Total length: 380cm
- Total width: 175cm
- Height to radiator cap: 130cm
- Height top of steering wheel: 152cm
The Mechanics
- Four-cylinder ’T head’ engine, with cylinders cast in pairs
- Chain drive to the rear wheels
- Rear wheel brakes only
- 4 speed + reverse, gearbox/differential unit
- A mechanical oil pump was added for a constant oil pressure of 3 bars min with its accompanying gauge (visible in gallery)
1908 was a pivotal year in Grand Prix racing, with organisers agreeing a new ‘formula’ for the entrants to follow. They did away with fuel consumption requirements, instead stipulating a minimum unladen weight of 1,100kg and a maximum cylinder bore size of 155mm.
The enormous Simplex four-cylinder engine fitted to this Mercedes features cylinders cast in pairs, as was standard practice at the time, and mounted upon an aluminium crankcase. The original cars featured pushrod operated inlet valves, while the engine fitted to this car is of the ’T head’ design — with side intake and exhaust valves on opposing sides of each cylinder.
Once pressured (0.3 bars), fuel is fed through a single up-draught Zenith carburettor and there is a single spark plug per cylinder, with Bosch magneto ignition. The exhaust pipes are particularly impressive, feeding into a huge collector.
The suspension is provided by semi-elliptic leaf springs all round, which feature friction dampers. Braking is on the rear wheels only, as was the norm in this period, with the impressive sized drums also accommodating the sprockets for the drive trains.
According to the vendor, the car runs and drives exactly as it should. Of course, being a 1908 design, it has features unknown to the modern motorist, such as its lack of front brakes, non-synchromesh gears, standard oil leaks. These idiosyncrasies are normal for a car of this age but may take some getting used to if the next owner is unused to Edwardian automobiles.
Summary
There are few experiences to rival getting behind the wheel of an early Grand Prix car. So this Mercedes provides a fantastic opportunity to feel what it would have been like to be Herr Lautenschlager as he thundered across the finish line at Dieppe over a century ago.
Cars such as this don’t often come on the open market, so we are excited to offer this Mercedes, which is ready to be enjoyed by its next owner. It will be eligible for many prestigious events, where Edwardian racers are usually welcomed excitedly by organisers and spectators alike.
You too could enjoy the crowds cheering you on, as you pilot this amazing machine against other ancient beasts.
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All items in this listing are sold on an “As Is - Where Is” basis. Photos and listing descriptions should be used as a guide only. Although every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of the information in this listing and Car & Classic performs a level of due diligence prior to the auction, we do not warrant the accuracy of the listings. The seller assumes all responsibility for this listing. Inspection is highly recommended prior to bidding. Viewings are at the seller’s discretion.
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