- “Largest motorised garden party in the world” from 11 to 14 July 2024
- Highlights from the entire motorsport history of Mercedes-Benz
- Elaborately restored: Original Mercedes Targa Florio racing car of 1924
- Motorsport vehicles from all eras and racing series up to the current Formula One
- Strong presence of Mercedes-AMG
Stuttgart. 130 years of motorsport: this is the anniversary that Mercedes-Benz Classic is celebrating at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, with a glittering line-up of iconic racing cars. The event is known as the “largest motorised garden party in the world”. The race from Paris to Rouen on 22 July 1894 marked the birth of motor racing.
More about 130 years of motorsport from Mercedes-Benz:
media.mercedes-benz.com/article/764f404c-7ea6-4d60-8e4a-608a511301ff
This is what Mercedes-Benz Classic is bringing to the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2024:
- Daimler two-cylinder V-engine (1894): The Paris-Rouen race in 1894 was the first ever motor race. It was won by vehicles by Peugeot and Panhard & Levassor, with Daimler two-cylinder V-engines produced under licence.
Further details: https://mb4.me/Peugeot-1894-1896 - Mercedes 2-litre Targa Florio racing car, 1924: 100 years ago it won the Targa Florio – the legendary, tough road race through Sicily. Mercedes-Benz Classic has painstakingly restored an original vehicle with the utmost authenticity.
Further details: https://mb4.me/Mercedes-2-Liter-Targa-Florio-Rennwagen - Mercedes-Benz 750-kilogram formula racing car W 25, 1934: The first Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow. Premiered in the 1934 Eifel race, with Manfred von Brauchitsch the winner. Rudolf Caracciola became European Grand Prix Champion in 1935, comparable to today’s F1 title.
Further details: https://mb4.me/Grand-Prix-Rennwagen-W-25 - Mercedes-Benz Formula One racing car W 196 R, 1955 Mercedes-Benz returned to Grand Prix racing in 1954, with the W 196 R. With exposed wheels or streamlined bodywork, depending on the circuit. Juan Manuel Fangio was Formula One World Champion in 1954 and 1955.
Further details: https://mb4.me/Rennwagen-W-196-R - Mercedes-Benz express racing car transporter, 1955: A sensational one-off. Its engine came from the 300 SL “Gullwing” (W 198). Nickname of the transporter for urgent racing car transport, capable of up to 170 km/h: “Blue Wonder”:
Further details: https://mb4.me/Rennwagen-Schnelltransporter - Mercedes-Benz C 11 Group C racing sports car, 1990: 537 kW (730 hp), a monocoque of carbon fibre/Kevlar material, built for the 1990 Group C World Championship. The result: the C 11s secured the second double title in a row for the team and drivers.
Further details: https://mb4.me/Motorsport-Geschichte-042020 - Mercedes-Benz GT racing car CLK LM, 1998: It won all the FIA GT Championship races in which it competed. The successor to the CLK GTR with a 5-litre V8 engine. AMG-Mercedes once again won the team and drivers’ championship.
Further details: https://mb4.me/Classic-Motorsport-032023 - Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 (C 197), 2012: The successful customer sports car for the GT3 regulations, presented in 2010. The car presented at Goodwood led a one-two-three victory in the 2012 Dubai 24-hour race.
Further details: https://mb4.me/Perfekter-Saisonauftakt-AMG-2012
The Mercedes-Benz Classic vehicles can be seen in the Ballroom Paddock – and most of them will also absolve the hill climb at a brisk pace before a large audience.
The Brand Ambassadors for Mercedes-Benz Classic at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed:
- Klaus Ludwig: Three times DTM champion. He joined the AMG-Mercedes DTM team in 1989, winning two championship titles (1992 and 1994) and finishing runner-up in 1991. With Ricardo Zonta, he won the drivers’ rating in the international FIA GT Championship in 1998. Born on 5 October 1949.
Further details: mercedes-benz-archive.com/go/Klaus_Ludwig - Bernd Mayländer: Regular driver of the official Formula One safety car since 2000. He made his DTM and ITC debut in 1995 with an AMG-Mercedes C-Class DTM. In 1997, he competed in the FIA GT Championship with the CLK GTR. In 2001, he returned to the revamped DTM and won the final race of the season in Hockenheim. Born on 29 May 1971.
Further details: mercedes-benz-archive.com/go/Bernd_Maylaender - Karl Wendlinger: Together with Michael Schumacher and Heinz-Harald Frentzen, he was part of the Mercedes-Benz junior team in the Group C World Championship in 1990. In 1993, he moved to Formula One as a driver in the team of Peter Sauber from Switzerland. Born on 20 December 1968.
Further details: mercedes-benz-archive.com/go/Karl_Wendlinger
Mercedes-AMG from Formula One to current customer sports cars
Mercedes-AMG also has a strong presence at the Festival of Speed. Two Formula One racing cars from the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One team can be seen in the Formula One paddock. In the AMG Ballroom Paddock, the performance and sports car brand from Affalterbach will be showcasing a Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the “130 Years of Motorsport Special Livery”, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 RAW SPEC jointly designed with RACE SERVICE and the track day racing car Mercedes-AMG GT2 PRO. The Mercedes-AMG SL 55 4MATIC+ and the Mercedes-Benz G 580 with EQ Technology are among the vehicles on display in the First Glance Paddock, while the new Mercedes-Benz EQS is on show in the Electric Car Park.
“Horseless to Hybrid”
The Goodwood Festival of Speed is a unique stage for the culture of motorsport. It takes place at the country estate Goodwood House in Sussex, England, this year from 11 to 14 July 2024. The motto: “Horseless to Hybrid: Revolutions in Power”. It honours the innovative history of the automobile, and thus its invention by Carl Benz in 1886. Around 250,000 visitors are expected.
Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, His Grace the Duke of Richmond and Gordon, has been organising the Festival since 1993. The focus is on racing and sports cars from the early years of automobile history to the latest innovations. Numerous sports cars can be experienced on the 1.86-kilometre long Goodwood hill climb circuit. Sporty vehicles will also fascinate the public in the Forest Rally Stage and the Off-Road Arena.
Contact:
Peter Becker, +49 (0)176 30 909 790, peter.becker@mercedes-benz.com
Frank Scheibner, +49 (0) 160 8 680 266, frank.scheibner@mercedes-benz.com
Julia Löwenstein, +49 (0) 151 58 610 215, julia.loewenstein@mercedes-benz.com
Enquiries by email to classic@mercedes-benz.com or online at www.mercedes‑benz.com/classic
Press photos and further press releases: media.mercedes-benz.com/content/classic
Further research and multimedia material: mercedes-benz-archive.com/museum
As an internationally active company, Mercedes-Benz is committed to equal opportunities, diversity, openness and respect. We show this in the way in which we think, act and communicate. All the terms selected of course always include all genders and identities.
Instagram @MercedesBenzMuseum
Facebook @MercedesBenzMuseum
Twitter @MB_Museum
Captions
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Daimler two-cylinder V-engine of 1894. Photo from Le Mans Classic 2022. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archives: D786693)
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Mercedes 2-litre Targa Florio racing car of 1924. Driven by Mercedes-AMG racing driver George Russell at the Trofeo Bandini 2024 award ceremony in Brisighella, Italy. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archives: D835940)
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Mercedes 2-litre Targa Florio racing car of 1924. Driven by Mercedes-AMG racing driver George Russell in Imola, Italy. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archives: D835981)
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Mercedes-Benz W 25 750-kilogram formula racing car. Studio shot from front right. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archives: D140561)
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Mercedes-Benz W 25 750-kilogram formula racing car. Action shot from the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2012. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archives: D112361)
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Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Formula One racing car with streamlined body. Driven by Mercedes-AMG racing driver Lewis Hamilton. Photo from the Mercedes-Benz Classic Insight “125 Years of Motorsport” in Silverstone, 2019. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archives: D595659)
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Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Formula One racing car with exposed wheels. Photo from the racing curve of the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Legend Room 7: Silver Arrows – Races and Records. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archives: D433269)
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Mercedes-Benz express racing car transporter of 1955. Studio shot from front right. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archives: D141974)
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Mercedes-Benz express racing car transporter of 1955. Photo from the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix. A Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Formula One racing car with exposed wheels on the platform. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archives: 55099-4A)
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Mercedes-Benz C 11 Group C racing sports car. Photo from the 480-kilometre race in Monza in 1990. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archives: A90F504)
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Mercedes-Benz C 11 Group C racing sports car. Photo from the 480-kilometre race at Silverstone in 1990. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archives: A90F761)
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Mercedes-Benz CLK LM GT racing sports car, 1998. Photo from the race in Donington, Great Britain, on 6 September 1998. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archives: A98F6487)
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Mercedes-Benz CLK LM GT racing sports car, 1998. Photo from the last race of the season in Laguna Seca, USA, on 25 October 1998. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archives: 2001DIG394)
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Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 (C 197), 2012. Winning car of the 24-hour race in Dubai 2012. Studio shot from front right. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archives: D142338)
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Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 (C 197), 2012. Winning car of the 24-hour race in Dubai 2012. Photo from the race. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archives: 12C789_13)