Mercedes-Benz and racing driver Ben Collings brought a treat to the 2018
Goodwood Festival of Speed: a Mercedes-Benz grand prix racer from 1908.
The time capsule of a car offers a pretty extraordinary look
at motorsport in the early 20th century, and it offered Goodwood attendees a
rare chance to see and hear an early grand prix racer. Making all of the
noise is a whopping 17.3-liter four-cylinder generating around 150 horsepower.
The massive powerplant is enough to take the car up to 109 mph.
Mercedes' grand prix car actually pre-dates the Daimler
and Benz merger, meaning the car is actually a Daimler. Some of the
state-of-the-art pieces of equipment include dual-chain drive, artillery wheels
made from high-strength wood, and two seats. Why two seats for an early race
car? The co-driver's main job was to pump fuel to the engine. Also, the chain
spins at 90 mph while the driver shifts outside of the car, which is downright
scary when you really think about it.
Collings makes it look easy as he sprints up the hill and
handles the 17.3-liter beast with poise, and we even catch a few power slides
along the way. When he reaches the top of the hill, the car helped Collings
clock a 78.84-second time with an average speed of 55.5 mph. Not too shabby for
a 110-year-old race car.
source: https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1117707_watch-a-110-year-old-mercedes-benz-grand-prix-racer-take-on-the-goodwood-hill-climb
by Sean Szymkowski
http://www.boscheuropean.com
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