Mercedes-Benz is becoming a regular guest at, or even the purveyor of remarkable cars to the Classic Days at Schloss Dyck. The Stuttgart-based car maker presented a great line up of cars and brought Sir Stirling Moss to the castle near Düsseldorf as a guest of honour.
The German manufacturer exhibited a great collection of cars, including Fangio’s 300 SLR which also made its appearance at the previous edition. This famous Mercedes with starting number 658 entered the Mille Miglia in 1955, the open-road endurance race won by Stirling Moss in the other 300 SLR bearing number 722. The legendary British racing driver was guest of honour and even entered track with the Mercedes. Sir Stirling Moss is almost 83 years old and a true legend, one of the few remaining people who experienced racing in the 1950s first hand.
Another driver who was part of the Mercedes-Benz factory team in those days was Hans Hermann. The 84-year old German was also present at Schloss Dyck where he piloted the 300 SL Panamericana on the track outside the castle gates. The Mercedes 300 SL won the 1952 edition of the Carrera Panamericana road rally in Mexico despite being hit by a vulture in the windscreen.
Mercedes also brought the SL 63 AMG Safety Car that saw action during the 2008 and 2009 Formula seasons. The V8-powered Benz was driven by Dieter Glemer, a former touring car racing from Mercedes’ hometown Stuttgart. Also in display was the SL 500 Rallye, which was as the name suggests ‒ developed for rally racing. Sadly the car powered by a 320 horsepower V8 engine didn’t hit the track.
Besides these Silver Arrows Mercedes presented the C111, once used to experiment with new engine technologies, including Wankel engines, diesel engines, and turbochargers. The orange C111 on display was from the second generation and made its debut in 1970. It featured a four-rotor Wankel engine with an output of 350hp (257kW). The car accelerated from rest to 100km/h in 4.8 seconds and reached a top speed of 300km/h. Little more was heard in Stuttgart about the Wankel engine.
In addition, there were some classic cars from Mercedes as well. Among them a few iconic 300 SL Gullwings, but most notable was perhaps the Mercedes-Benz 500 K. The ultimate variant of this luxurious car was the Special Roadster, only 29 of which were ever built. Nowadays these classic cars fetch millions on auctions.
All in all, Mercedes presented an interesting line-up at Schloss Dyck. It would be even better if Stirling Moss had driven his own 300 SLR with the famous 722 starting number, but nevertheless it was a great sight to see and hear some of the worlds rarest cars.
