Mercedes-Benz Classic at the Retro Classics 2020 from 27 February to 1 March 20.02.2020: Experience the future of the car as it has progressed over more than 100 years Factory-restored 300 SL Roadster, exclusive vehicles on offer from ALL TIME STARS and original replacement parts

    Experience the future of the car as it has progressed over more than 100 years




    Factory-restored 300 SL Roadster, exclusive vehicles on offer from ALL TIME STARS and original replacement parts


    For the first time, all 20 approved German Mercedes-Benz Brand Clubs will be represented at the Retro Classics


    Mercedes-Benz Classic will participate in the press conference on 27 February 2020 at 11 a.m.


    Mercedes-Benz contacts for the media will be on-site at the Mercedes-Benz booth in Hall 1 on 27 and 28 February 2020



At the 20th Retro Classics in Stuttgart from 27 February to 1 March 2020, Mercedes-Benz will be making the way this brand has been defining the future of motoring for over 100 years tangible: a Mercedes-Simplex 40 hp from 1903 and the Mercedes-Benz Concept EQA show car will be among the highlights of this year’s booth, covering more than 500 square metres, which can be found in Hall 1. Both these vehicles stand for the future of mobility in their respective historical periods.



The Mercedes-Simplex models produced from 1902 onwards are the direct successors of the Mercedes 35 hp, the world’s first modern car dating from 1900. Soon after the success of the Mercedes 35 hp in the Nice Week in 1901, development of the new models began at Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft in Bad Cannstatt. With numerous innovations and improvements, especially in terms of easier operation (hence the name), the Mercedes Simplex set the standard for the future of the car.




A history of looking forward




Move on 115 years, and what would an equally inspiring and forward-looking vehicle look like? At Retro Classics, the Mercedes-Benz Concept EQA show car provides one possible answer to this question. The show car celebrated its premiere in September 2017, at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt/Main.



The Concept EQA shows how Mercedes-Benz’s EQ strategy can be successfully carried over to the compact models. The battery-powered show car has one motor on each of the front and rear axles with a total system output of 200 kW. This creates a permanent four-wheel drive vehicle with variable torque distribution.



The brand is enhancing the dialogue between Mercedes Simplex and the Concept EQA at Retro Classics 2020 by exhibiting the world’s first car: an authentic replica of the Benz Patent Motor Car from 1886 will be shown as a photopoint at the Mercedes-Benz Classic booth. This is the perfect backdrop for unique images: where visitors can combine the birth of the car with the concept of innovation for their own social media pages.





Dream cars with stars



Aficionados of exclusive Mercedes-Benz vehicles can make their dream of owning a classic car come true at Retro Classics. A total of eight classic cars are expected to be offered at the Mercedes-Benz booth. A 300 SL Roadster (W 198) from 1960 is in breathtaking, top condition after one and a half years of factory restoration. The 300 SL Roadster replaced the 300 SL Gullwing with its characteristic top-hinged doors in 1957 and was built until 1963. Today, this open-top sports car is one of the most sought-after classics of the brand with the star.



In a factory restoration, experienced specialists from Mercedes-Benz Classic disassemble the vehicle piece by piece, document the findings precisely and define the strategy for the restoration. The basis is always the data card of the respective vehicle in the Mercedes-Benz Classic archives, which documents the original delivery condition in terms of vehicle identification numbers, colour and equipment.



A project manager from the workshop and a product manager from the Parts Department of the Mercedes-Benz Classic Centre accompany the entire process, which uses genuine parts to as great an extent as possible. Quality assurance begins with the search for a restoration candidate: to be purchased by Mercedes-Benz Classic, a vehicle must have a fully traceable history and be in good physical condition to be able to restore it to its original state. This was the case with this Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster, which was delivered to its first owner in Tokyo (Japan) in 1960 and, after several intermediate stops, arrived at the Classic Centre in the United States of America in 2014.




This sports car in the Mercedes-Benz Classic range has an attractive colour combination made up of Mercedes blue paintwork (shade 335) with an interior in red leather and a light grey soft top. No less than 60 years after its initial registration, this dream car of the economic miracle era is now being presented at Retro Classics. The vehicle with “matching numbers” is being offered for sale including the original hardtop in the colour of the vehicle.






ALL TIME STARS



ALL TIME STARS will be at the Retro Classics with a representative anticipated range of seven classics from different eras. From the 1960s, the Mercedes-Benz Classic car dealership is presenting an exquisite 220 SE “Ponton” Cabriolet (W 128) from 1960 and a 280 SL “Pagoda” (W 113). That flagship cabriolet was expertly restored in 2006. The 280 SL was the second car of this model produced, it was built and registered in 1967 – the year before the official market launch in 1968.



Two luxurious but sporty cars from the W 111 “fintail” model series with 3.5-litre V8 engines dating from 1970 are also for sale. The Mercedes-Benz 280 SE 3.5 Cabriolet with papyrus white paintwork came from a famous previous owner and is included in the “Concours Edition” sales range. After its restoration, which was supported by Mercedes-Benz Classic, the 280 SE 3.5 Coupé, finished in mid blue metallic, is in the same peak condition it was in when it was delivered to the customer 50 years ago.




Young and recent classics with great potential



The fascination of young and recent classics with great potential is underlined by a Mercedes-Benz model 230 C (C 123) Coupé from 1980 and a 300 SL (R 129) from 1993. The coupé with its three-speed automatic transmission is one of the “Drivers’ Edition” cars at ALL TIME STARS. The SL in brilliant silver, which was first registered in April 1993, still bears the legendary 300 SL model designation. After the nomenclature system was revised in June 1993, the vehicle was called the SL 300.



An outstanding example of a future classic in the ALL TIME STARS range is the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Roadster Final Edition. This high-performance sports car was the first car in the Final Edition series in June 2014 which signalled the end of production of the SLS AMG. Outstanding features of this Edition are the bonnet made of carbon fibre, the black carbon fibre wing at the rear and matt black painted and polished AMG cross-spoke forged wheels. The previous owner also upgraded this SLS AMG GT Final Edition Roadster with an extensive range of optional extras, including an AMG ceramic brake system and the Bang & Olufsen Beosound AMG sound system.






Original quality down to the last detail



Mercedes-Benz Classic Parts will be demonstrating its passion for originality in detail at the show, using the example of a T50/24 brake booster/brake unit (part No. A 000 430 29 30), which was used on the Mercedes-Benz “fintail” model series W 110 and W 111. The replacement part is presented as a cutaway model, supplemented by a display wall showing the 120 or so individual components that make up the T50/24. The successor braking unit T50/26 (part No. A 000 430 26 30) was then installed in the 300 SL Roadster (W 198) and the “fintail” model series W 112.



Replacement of such an original replacement part is equally as complex as the elaborately designed exhibit: in this case, about four years passed from the initial idea to having the brake unit available. During this time, Mercedes-Benz Classic provided the supplier with drawings of all the individual parts from the Mercedes-Benz Classic archives, and from these a digital CAD model was developed. After that, all the materials were defined and approved for use. After orders issued to the suppliers, production and durability testing, approval was finally granted.



At the Retro Classics, Mercedes-Benz Classic will also inform visitors about the possibility of ordering copies of the original data cards for their own classic cars. These data cards use code numbers to provide information on all the details relating to a vehicle at the time of its delivery. This makes them a crucial document for authentic restorations. The data cards are distributed via the Mercedes-Benz sales and service outlets and dealerships.





Twenty Mercedes Benz Brand Clubs for the 20th Retro Classics show


On the occasion of the 20th Retro Classics anniversary, approved German Mercedes-Benz Brand Clubs will be on-site this year in force: for the first time, all 20 of these clubs will be represented at the show. Their joint appearance is in Hall 10 on a space covering almost 2000 square metres with around 40 vehicles and more than 200 model cars.




These approved Brand Clubs will be represented at Retro Classics 2020:


    AMG Owners Club e.V.
    Mercedes-Benz Geländewagen-Club e.V.
    Mercedes-Benz Interessengemeinschaft e.V.
    Mercedes-Benz Modellauto-Club e.V.
    Mercedes-Benz Veteranen Club von Deutschland e.V.
    Mercedes-Benz Kompressor-Club e.V.
    Mercedes-Benz R/C 107 SL-Club e.V.
    Mercedes-Benz R 129 SL-Club e.V.
    Mercedes-Benz SL-Club Pagode e.V.
    Mercedes-Benz SLR.CLUB e.V.
    Mercedes-Benz S-Klasse Club e.V.
    Mercedes-Benz SLK-Club e.V.
    Unimog-Club Gaggenau e.V.
    Mercedes-Benz W 123-Club e.V.
    Mercedes-Benz W 124-Club e.V.
    Mercedes-Benz W201/C-Klasse Club e.V.
    Mercedes-Benz W201 16V Club e.V.
    VDH e.V.
    Mercedes-Benz 190 SL Club e.V.
    Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Club e.V.



Among the exhibits on display with the clubs in Stuttgart are authentic replicas of the Daimler “Reitwagen” (1885) and the Benz “Patent-Motorwagen” (1886). In addition, there will be a wide range of classic Mercedes-Benz cars: supercharged cars from the 1930s are just as much in evidence as various model series of Mercedes-Benz SL. The G-Class, Unimog and various performance cars from Mercedes-AMG will also make their grand appearance at the Brand Clubs.



As a special highlight, the Mercedes-Benz SLR.CLUB will be bringing one of only 75 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss (Z 199) ever built by Mercedes-Benz to the Retro Classics show. The super sports car will be displayed on the load platform of exactly the same Mercedes-Benz Atego 823 L that was used to deliver the SLR McLaren to customers.





Top event for motoring culture


According to the organisers, Retro Classics in Stuttgart is now the world’s largest show for motoring culture. The 20th event will take place from 27 February to 1 March 2020 in an area totalling around 140,000 square metres at the Stuttgart Trade Fair Centre. On Thursday, 27 February 2020, Retro Classics will be open to visitors from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. From Friday (28 February 2020) to Sunday (1 March 2020), the show will open at 9 a.m. and close at 6 p.m.



Mercedes-Benz Classic will participate in the press conference on 27 February 2020 at 11 a.m. in Room C4 of the International Congress Centre. Mercedes-Benz contacts for the media will be on-site at the booth in Hall 1 on 27 and 28 February 2020.






Cars exhibited by Mercedes-Benz Classic at the Retro Classics 2020




Mercedes-Simplex 40 hp (1903)


The Mercedes-Simplex 40 hp was launched in March 1902, superseding the legendary Mercedes 35 hp. The suffix “Simplex” was intended to indicate how easy the new model was to operate for its time. Its direct predecessor was the first to define the motor car’s distinctive shape. Characteristic features included the long wheelbase, the light and powerful engine installed low down and the honeycomb radiator integrated organically into the front end, which was to become distinctive for the brand.



The Mercedes 35 hp marked the end of the “horse-drawn carriage” style that had dominated the industry and it is thus considered to be the first modern car. The “Mercédès era” ushered in by this was characterised by a passion for innovation, visionary drive and technical creativity. There is a parallel here to today: Mercedes-Benz is now once again applying the same values to advance the future of mobility.



Delivered in 1903, the white specimen from the Mercedes-Benz Classic collection is one of the oldest, preserved vehicles bearing the Mercedes brand. It shows the future of the car as it was presented at the start of the 20th century.




Technical data – Mercedes-Simplex 40 hp

Production period: 1902 to 1905
Cylinders: 4/inline
Displacement: 6785 cc
Output: 29 kW (40 hp) at 1050 rpm
Maximum speed: 75 km/h






Mercedes-Benz Concept EQA (2017) show car



The Mercedes-Benz Concept EQA show car celebrated its premiere in 2017 at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt/Main. It was the first fully electric EQ concept car from Mercedes-Benz in the compact model family. The innovative drive system consists of one electric motor each on the front and rear axles.


Together, the two motors achieve a system output of around 200 kW, which is converted to traction by the permanent four-wheel drive with dynamic torque distribution. The vision of the concept vehicle includes seamless, uncomplicated charging at public charging points via a Mercedes me-based service. Highly efficient lithium-ion pouch cells with a total capacity of more than 60 kWh are used to store the energy. Further highlights of the show car are the innovative light technology that uses laser fibres and the further development of the design in line with an era of electric mobility.



Technical data for the Mercedes-Benz Concept EQ show car

Presented: 2017
Drive system: Two electric motors
Battery capacity: About 60 kWh
Output: About 200 kW
Range: About 400 kilometres, depending on the capacity of the batteries






    Ralph Wagenknecht