Retro Classics 2024 – Strong performance by Mercedes-Benz

• Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren “Stirling Moss” and Silver Arrow W 25 from 1934 as photo point
• Successes at Spa-Francorchamps: AMG presents the legendary “Red Pig” from 1971 and the victorious Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 from 2013
• Mercedes-Benz Classic: Unique expertise for classic vehicles with the three-pointed star
• Numerous brand clubs present themselves at Retro Classics
• 25 to 28 April 2024 in Stuttgart: The largest classic trade fair in southern Germany

Home game for Mercedes-Benz Classic: at the Retro Classics trade fair in Stuttgart, the brand’s heritage division will be showcasing its unique expertise in classic vehicles with the three-pointed star with a wide range of products. This year the booth can be found in Hall 5 at Messe Stuttgart. The focus of the appearance at the largest classic car fair in southern Germany is on vehicles from 130 years of motorsport as well as an exclusive super sports car. Right next to the booth is the large exhibition area of the officially recognised Mercedes-Benz brand clubs. Their global community stands for their passionate commitment to Mercedes-Benz brand history and automobiles.

“Made in Affalterbach” since 1967 – AMG Classic commemorates the success story

Mercedes-Benz is celebrating 130 years of motorsport this year. An anniversary marked by emotional events, historical highlights and epochal successes at national and international racing events – then as now. The origin of this era is the first automobile race from Paris to Rouen on 22 July 1894. The brand is currently active with the AMG Petronas Formula One Team, as well as in customer racing in the DTM and many other racing series with the Mercedes-AMG GT racing cars. Two motorsport enthusiasts, Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher, founded the engineering firm AMG in 1967. Since then, the high-performance brand AMG has been able to look back on numerous successes in motor racing. AMG Classic maintains this history.

Racing cars and supercars

Mercedes-Benz Classic is presenting a rare Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren “Stirling Moss” at Retro Classics. A show car of the first Silver Arrow W 25 from 1934 invites visitors to take private souvenir pictures as a photo point. With two cars, AMG Classic commemorates the successes on the demanding Grand Prix circuit of Spa-Francorchamps: in 1971, a Mercedes-Benz AMG 300 SEL 6.8 suddenly made the young AMG company known worldwide with a second place in the overall standings and a class victory in the 24-hour race. The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 also won this renowned endurance race in 2013, while the Mercedes-AMG GT3 triumphed in 2022. Both continue the success story of the AMG 300 SEL 6.8 and testify to AMG’s motorsport DNA.

Vibrant scene of brand clubs

Living history needs people who are committed to it. In the large community of lovers of classic Mercedes-Benz automobiles, around 130,000 members of 80 officially recognised brand clubs around the world are enthusiastic about the unique history of the brand. This community plays a central role in the active care of the heritage of Mercedes-Benz. At Retro Classics, numerous clubs will be presenting themselves in the immediate vicinity of Mercedes-Benz Classic and AMG Classic.

Top service for classics with the three-pointed star

At Retro Classics, Mercedes-Benz Classic will be showcasing its cutting-edge expertise in services for the brand’s classic vehicles. The ultimate goal is to offer customers the greatest possible originality. This claim is embodied by the service provided by Mercedes-Benz Classic Genuine Parts: around 160,000 different parts are available for the brand’s classic vehicles. They are manufactured according to the company’s exact standards. This guarantees the highest level of authenticity, quality and safety.

The Classic Center’s workshop maintains and restores historic vehicles that date back to the invention of the automobile by Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler in 1886. Mercedes-Benz Classic also recently acquired parts of the former Kienle Automobiltechnik GmbH. As a result, it was possible to significantly expand workshop capacities. Additional possibilities for factory restoration, repairs and maintenance have been created for Mercedes-Benz classics of all eras.

The Classic Center also offers a special service: the manufacturer’s expertise proves in detail the originality of particularly high-quality classics from the brand and its predecessors. The specialists use state-of-the-art testing and measurement methods for vehicle inspection and examine numerous features on the vehicle, from matching vehicle numbers to authentic part specifications and materials. The information meshes with the results of archival research to form a detailed overall picture of expertise.

Special offer of the Mercedes-Benz Museum for trade fair visitors

Visitors to Retro Classics can receive a 20 per cent discount on the admission price for their visit to the Mercedes-Benz Museum. A large QR code at the booth shows the way to this offer.

The vehicles of Mercedes-Benz Classic and AMG Classic at Retro Classics 2024

Mercedes-Benz 750-kilogram formula racing car (W 25), 1934

Show car as a photo point

The W 25 was the first Mercedes-Benz racing car for the new Grand Prix formula, which came into force in 1934. The vehicle’s weight is limited to 750 kilograms, not including operating fluids and tyres. In this way, the organisers want to limit the performance of the racing cars and thus the possible top speeds. The designers at Mercedes-Benz opted for a classic vehicle concept with a front-mounted engine and rear wheels driven according to the transaxle principle. The in-line eight-cylinder engine initially had a displacement of 3.4 litres and was equipped with supercharging. In June 1934, Manfred von Brauchitsch won the first race of the W 25 and thus established the success story of the Silver Arrows. In 1935, the W 25 helped Rudolf Caracciola win the European Championship title and in 1936 to two Grand Prix victories.

Technical data Mercedes-Benz 750-kilogram formula racing car (W 25)
Use: 1934 to 1936
Engine: 8/in-line
Displacement: 3,364 cc
Maximum output: 260 kW (354 hp)
Maximum speed: 280 km/h

Mercedes-Benz AMG 300 SEL 6.8 “Red Pig” (W 109), 1971

The 300 SEL 6.8 made AMG internationally famous. On 15 July 1971, Hans Heyer and Clemens Schickentanz won the class at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in the touring car and finished second overall. It is the first major success of the engineering firm AMG, founded in 1967 by Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher. Even the nationwide “Tagesschau” television news program reports the breaking news. AMG has extensively revised the Mercedes-Benz luxury saloon of the 109 model series. As a result, the weight is reduced by 195 kilograms to 1,635 kilograms. At 315 kW (428 hp), the output of the eight-cylinder engine, which has been enlarged from 6.3 to 6.8 litres, is 131 kW (178 hp) higher than that of the “6.3”. After the success in Belgium, the racing touring car later known as the “Red Pig” was greatly modified and converted to be sold to the French company Matra as a test vehicle for high-speed tyres for aircraft. The original vehicle is presumed lost. Because this legendary racing touring car has contributed so much to AMG’s popularity, the specialists in Affalterbach are faithfully recreating it on the basis of a Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3.

Technical data Mercedes-Benz AMG 300 SEL 6.8 (W 109)
Use: 1971
Engine: V8
Displacement: 6.635 cc
Maximum output: 315 kW (428 hp)
Maximum speed: Over 265 km/h

Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren “Stirling Moss” (Z 199), 2009

The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren high-performance sports car made its debut in 2004. It was created in collaboration with then Formula One partner McLaren. Its design with gullwing doors and stylistic elements of the Formula One Silver Arrows connects the two-seater with the legendary SLR racing sports cars of the 1950s and the McLaren-Mercedes racing cars of the modern era, with which Mika Häkkinen won the Formula One World Championship in 1998 and 1999. The vehicle’s racing car technology includes sophisticated aerodynamics for high downforce at speeds of more than 300 km/h, an air brake at the rear, lightweight construction with carbon fibre composite, monocoque passenger cell, aluminium chassis and ceramic brakes. Mercedes-AMG developed the 5.5-litre supercharged V8 engine, as well as the AMG Speedshift gear lever. The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren “Stirling Moss” based on the roadster crowns the model family in 2009: neither roof, windscreen nor side windows separate the driver and front passenger from the elements. The special model pays tribute to the British racing driver Sir Stirling Moss (1929 to 2020), who was runner-up in the Formula 1 World Championship in 1955 with Mercedes-Benz and won the Mille Miglia in the same year with the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR (W 196 S). The number of units is limited to 75 vehicles. All Mercedes-Benz SLR McLarens are produced in the UK in Woking near London. By December 2009, around 2,000 SLR McLarens had been produced, significantly more than other super sports cars in this category.

Technical data Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren “Stirling Moss” (Z 199)
Year of construction: 2009 
Engine: V8 
Displacement: 5,439 cc 
Output: 478 kW (650 hp) at 6,500 rpm 
Maximum speed: 350 km/h

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 (C 197), 2011

The SLS AMG is the first vehicle to be developed entirely at AMG in Affalterbach. In 2009, this super sports car made its debut at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt/Main. It stands out on the road due to its appearance and outstanding driving performance. The motorsport version SLS AMG GT3 is developed for sprint and endurance races in accordance with the FIA regulations for GT3 cars. Bernd Schneider, five-time DTM champion, is one of the test drivers in the development of the SLS AMG GT3. In 2013, Schneider drove the gullwing to victory in one of the highlights of all endurance classics, the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, together with Maximilian Buhk and Maximilian Götz. The SLS AMG GT3 thus builds on the success of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SE driven by Belgians Robert Crevits and Gustave Gosselin in the 1964 24-hour race 60 years ago and the 2nd overall place of the 300 SEL 6.8 in 1971.

Technical data Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 (C 197)
Use: 2011
Engine: V8
Displacement: 6,208 cc
Maximum output: 404 kW (550 hp)
Maximum speed: over 300 km/h

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* The figures are provided in accordance with the German regulation ‘PKW-EnVKV’ and apply to the German market only. Further information on official fuel consumption figures and the official specific CO₂ emissions of new passenger cars can be found in the EU guide ‘Information on the fuel consumption, CO₂ emissions and energy consumption of new cars’, which is available free of charge at all sales dealerships, from DAT Deutsche Automobil Treuhand GmbH and at www.dat.de.