Cars like the 21/80 were used in long-distance races between
1907 and 1911, and Mercedes-Benz says that they were among the first true
sports cars. This particular example (wearing the No. 38) is owned by Mercedes,
and it was recently restored to practically brand new condition at the Mercedes-Benz
Museum in Stuttgart.
Driving Notes
Driving Notes
After a brief walkaround/history lesson, the two-man crew
with the 1910 Benz 21/80 Prinz Heinrich got to work getting the car started.
The first step is delicately removing the engine cover and priming the engine
with a hectane fuel. Then comes the hard work. While one man adjusts the
various steering-wheel controls and foot pedals, the other stands in front of
the car to crank the engine over. It took four good attempts at the hand crank,
but the 80-horsepower, four-cylinder engine finally came to life with fuel
leaking on the ground and the exposed cylinder valves clattering away. Life was
good!
With the big Benz running, I hopped in the back seat...
almost literally hopped. Back in the day, the car's single-piece,
wheel-to-wheel running boards helped occupants get in the car, but you simply
don't step on the freshly painted metal of a 103-year-old car. Getting into the
back seat was a feat requiring athleticism and flexibility, but once in, it was
like being transported a century back in time. There's just something very
majestic about being chauffeured around on a cool Florida afternoon in a car
with a suicide shifter.
Taking off was no easy task either. As the driver started to
work the gas and clutch pedals, it felt like we were rear-ended by another car
to get our forward momentum kicked off. Once up to speed though, there is
nothing as exhilarating as driving through a neighborhood with the wind in your
face watching as local residents and motorists alike do double, triple and
quadruple takes of the car before letting out a grin and a friendly wave.
One of the requirements for the Prinz Heinrich racecars was
that they must be production vehicles with seating for four passengers. Now
while I'd like to tell myself this was one of those "bendable" racing
rules, it's more likely just a telling sign that passenger size and personal
space have both grown exponentially over time. I was obviously also a little
taller than most 1910s-era passengers as the majority of my useable legroom was
taken up by the spare tire, but some slightly banged up knees were more than
worth it for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The driving route we took was along a standard side street,
but at times it felt like the car was driving over whoopty doos thanks to its
four-wheel leaf spring suspension, massive wheelbase and the fact that the rear
passenger – me – was positioned directly over the rear axle. During this ride,
we got up to around 40 miles per hour, but the car's handlers said that it is
more than capable of hitting triple-digit speeds. Achieving such high speeds
would surely have been thrilling in its time, but I can only imagine that
things would get a little hairy every now and then considering that the car
only has rear brakes.
Just sitting still, the Benz 21/80 Prinz Heinrich was
imposing. About as long as the GL-Class we pulled
up in, this car was painted in a dark green hue accented only by subtle
pinstriping and various racing decals and badges. One interesting part of the
car was its added nose piece, which I was told helped improve aerodynamics and
controlled air flow to the radiator. The simple cockpit of the car featured
just four gauges – we couldn't figure out what any of them were used for – mounted
into the wooden firewall (how ironically dangerous does that sound?).
As exciting as it was to ride as a passenger in this
timeless car, it was almost as fun to see it on display at Amelia Island the
very next day alongside another Prinz Heinrich car – a privately owned
car that eventually went on to race in the very first Indianapolis 500.
source: Autoblog
Image Credit: Copyright 2013 Jeffrey N. Ross / AOL
by Jeffrey N Ross
http://www.boscheuropean.com
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