{"id":8608,"date":"2023-09-04T14:14:37","date_gmt":"2023-09-04T14:14:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/taziomagazine.com\/?p=8608"},"modified":"2023-09-07T10:01:49","modified_gmt":"2023-09-07T10:01:49","slug":"mercedes-has-been-a-racing-company-from-day-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/taziomagazine.com\/?p=8608","title":{"rendered":"\u201cMercedes has been a racing company from day one\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We sit down with Marcus Breitschwerdt, head of Mercedes-Benz Heritage, to talk about the conclusions of the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coup\u00e9 sale, future plans and the value of racing cars. \u201cWe have no plans of selling it, and please don’t pin me down on it, but I\u2019d say our Stirling Moss Mille Miglia-winning Mercedes 300 SLR has a value of at least a quarter of a billion dollars. At least.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since Marcus Breitschwerdt took over at the helm of Mercedes-Benz Heritage in 2022, his reign has been anything but quiet. As Breitschwerdt explains, all heritage activities (Museum and Mercedes-Benz Classic) are now positioned directly under Mercedes CEO Ola K\u00e4llenius. This is part of a move where Mercedes wants to move back to its original positioning as a luxury brand. \u201cThe role we played in the past. We happily refer to our past to get the message across, both internally at Mercedes-Benz and externally.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marcus Breitschwerdt, head of Mercedes-Benz Heritage. Photo Dirk de Jager<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coup\u00e9 sale<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Of course, the move that kicked up the most dust was Breitschwerdt’s decision to sell what is considered one of Mercedes\u2019 crown jewels. A strategy whereby the sale sponsors a training program for technical apprentices. \u201cRemember, without scholarships, two of the three founders of our brand would not have had the opportunity to develop their talents to the full extent. Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach\u2019s family backgrounds put them in a very restricted position.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marcus Breitschwerdt with the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut coup\u00e9 that remains with Mercedes. Photo Dirk de Jager<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“Testimonial of mankind”<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The sale on May 5th<\/sup>, 2022, concerned one of the two 300 SLR \u2018Uhlenhaut coup\u00e9s\u2019 Mercedes retains, the second car remaining with the company, of course. At a specially organised auction within the Mercedes-Benz Museum, the Uhlenhaut coup\u00e9 became the world\u2019s most expensive car \u2013 sold in public \u2013 when it reached a price of 135 million euros (142 million dollars).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

For the first time, a car was understood and dealt with as a piece of art<\/p>\nMarcus Breitschwerdt<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen the bids broke one hundred million euros, I understood what was happening. For the first time, a car was understood and dealt with as a piece of art. A testimonial of mankind and civilisation. When the hammer came down at 135 million, I had tears in my eyes,\u201d Breitschwerdt tells us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rudolf Uhlenhaut with one of two 300 SLR ‘Uhlenhaut’ coup\u00e9s. Photo Mercedes-Benz Archives<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

300 SL-value<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nonetheless, it was a controversial move that initially did not go down well within the Mercedes classic car community. In the meantime, we have witnessed how, as a consequence of the Uhlenhaut sale, prices for all Mercedes 300 SL models have gone up considerably. \u201cAt first, club members were quick to point out I shouldn\u2019t sell the Mercedes heritage. But as the year progressed, many noticed how the Mercedes they kept in their garage became more valuable as well. Now, when they see me, I notice how the smiles have gotten bigger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mercedes-Benz C 111 prototype (left). Photo Mercedes-Benz Archives<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

C 111<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

More may be to come, says Breitschwerdt. A further car of interest may be the C 111<\/a> prototype. Mercedes owns all of these experimental gullwing prototypes from the seventies, which never became a production model. With different speed record to their name, they are legends in their own right. \u201cIf I were to put one of these cars out, I would put the value north of 40 million euros. As such, it would not be a record, but 40 million for a post-war Mercedes that never became a production car will get everyone\u2019s attention. I think there is much value to be gained for many of our post-war Mercedes cars.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Value of racing history<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This leaves another question. The 300 SLR Uhlenhaut SLR was a pet project by a legendary Mercedes engineer, extravagant in every sense. And even though a race car was the basis, the SLR coup\u00e9 was never raced. Owners of big-chip racing cars asked: \u2018If this is the price for a car without a racing curriculum, then what is the worth of a car with racing history?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Stirling Moss, with navigator Dennis Jenkinson, on their way to victory in 1955 Mille Miglia. Photo Mercedes-Benz Archives<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2018722\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Breitschwerdt is quick to acknowledge that racing history does add to the value, and he does not shy away from naming numbers. \u201cPlease don’t pin me down on it. But I\u2019d say that our 300 SLR with which Stirling Moss won the Mille Miglia in 1955 is worth at least a quarter of a billion dollars. At least. Not that we are thinking of selling it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even if the focus with modern Mercedes is luxury, through its continued presence in Formula 1, Mercedes makes clear that racing is still an important part of the brand. \u201cWe have always been a brand that was present in racing. I don\u2019t think many companies can show the results in racing we have achieved, not even here in Stuttgart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marcus Breitschwerdt, head of Mercedes-Benz Heritage. Photo Dirk de Jager<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe first Mercedes was a race car. It came about when businessman and amateur racer Emile Jellinek, approached Wilhelm Maybach with a request to adapt a car so he could race it. At the time, at the turn of the 20th<\/sup> century, cars had a high centre of gravity and a small wheelbase, and they had a tendency to flip. Jellinek asked for his car to be changed: longer wheelbase, wider so the engine could be positioned lower, more horsepower. Maybach fulfilled his request, and altered more things. He came up with the honey-comb radiator at the front, which saved 90 kilos. Jellinek won the race and asked to become a dealer. He ordered half a year\u2019s production, which he sold under his daughter\u2019s name: Mercedes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blitzen Benz<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we made the Blitzen Benz<\/a> in the early 1900s, it was the fastest thing on the planet. Faster than a train, faster than a plane. Racing has always allowed us to push technology through performance. We challenged new frontiers, without people breaking their necks. That is where progress lies. We saw our Silver Arrows dominate the pre-war Grand Prix series. After the war, we also became successful in sports cars with wins in the Carrera Panamericana and the Le Mans win with the 300 SL in 1952. This led our American importer Max Hoffman to push the case of a racing car for the road, which became the 300 SL in both coup\u00e9 form and roadster. Racing has always been crucial to us, and that remains the case to this day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mercedes-Benz 540 K Streamliner. Photo Mercedes-Benz archives<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you want to see some of Mercedes\u2019 racing heritage fly by, may we suggest this weekend\u2019s Kilometre Lanc\u00e9<\/a> at the International St Moritzer Automobilwochen in Sankt Moritz, Switzerland? Here, you can see current F1 safety car driver Bernd Mayl\u00e4nder get behind the wheel of a Sauber-Mercedes C9 (1989). Mercedes-Benz Classic also brings a 1938 Mercedes 540K streamliner that was specifically developed for the 1938 Berlin \u2013 Rome speed run (that in the end never took place).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More on the ISAW program here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We sit down with Marcus Breitschwerdt, head of Mercedes-Benz Heritage, to talk about the conclusions of the Uhlenhaut sale, future plans and the value of racing cars. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8617,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[105,104],"tags":[1219,522,523,1215,280,1216,1200,1217,1218,1099,1214,288,433],"thb-sponsors":[],"class_list":["post-8608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-gallery","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-historic-racing","category-news-pictures-videos","tag-bernd-maylander","tag-isaw","tag-kilometre-lance","tag-marcus-breitschwerdt","tag-mercedes","tag-mercedes-300-slr","tag-mercedes-300-slr-uhlenhaut","tag-mercedes-540-k-streamliner","tag-mercedes-c111","tag-mercedes-classic","tag-mercedes-benz","tag-mille-miglia","tag-stirling-moss","post_format-post-format-gallery"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/taziomagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Mercedes-Benz_Marcus_Breitschwerdt_interview-6.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/taziomagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/taziomagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/taziomagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taziomagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taziomagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8608"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/taziomagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8608\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8714,"href":"https:\/\/taziomagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8608\/revisions\/8714"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taziomagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/taziomagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taziomagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taziomagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8608"},{"taxonomy":"thb-sponsors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taziomagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fthb-sponsors&post=8608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}