Stuttgart. – The thrilling victories of the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows mark the peaks of the history of motor sport for the Stuttgart-based brand – from its beginnings 120 years ago right through to what is happening on the world’s racetracks today. This unique continuity of sporting excellence is also reflected in the motto of the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2014: under the overarching theme of “Addicted to Winning – The Unbeatable Champions of Motor Sport” the Earl of March and Kinrara will be celebrating the fascination of competitive rivalry and victory on the racetrack, from 26 to 29 June 2014 at Goodwood (Sussex, England). Mercedes-Benz Classic will have a particularly strong presence at the Festival of Speed: more than a dozen legendary winning vehicles from the company’s own collection, along with numerous brand ambassadors, will be there to bring the marque’s motor sport history to life. Among the highlights will be, as each year, a brand-new “Central Feature”, which has this year been designed by sculptor Gerry Judah to reflect the theme of motor sport history at Mercedes-Benz. The installation has also been incorporated into an update of the racing game “Gran Turismo^®6”, which will be launched at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The most magical moments from 120 years of motor sport at Mercedes-Benz include, above all, the outstanding racing victories that have made legends of the Stuttgart brand’s cars and its drivers: the one-two-three victory of the Mercedes Grand-Prix racing cars, 100 years ago in the French Grand Prix of 1914. The birth of the Silver Arrows in 1934. A coup that met with admiration around the world was delivered in the only race in which the Mercedes-Benz W 165 took part, 75 years ago – a sensational double victory for the Silver Arrows in the Tripoli Grand Prix. Double World Champion and record-breaking times in the Mille Miglia in the post-war years. The triumph of the Sauber-Mercedes C 9 in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 25 years ago, was ultimately nothing less than an overture to the return of Mercedes-Benz to circuit racing.

Mercedes-Benz Classic will be reminding visitors to the Festival of Speed in June 2014 of these and many other legendary wins, with a display of racing cars spanning various eras from the early days of motor racing and the classic Silver Arrows through to the DTM and Formula 1 races of more recent years. Along with the vehicles, a line-up of famous racing drivers will be on hand at Goodwood as brand ambassadors for Mercedes-Benz Classic. Against the unique backdrop of Goodwood House, built in the 18th century, the crowds will be entertained by witnesses of bygone eras, such as Sir Stirling Moss, as well as by modern-day motor racing idols like Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

“To have been at the forefront of motor sport for 120 years is extraordinary,” said Lord March, founder and organiser of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, commenting on the unique motor sport heritage of Mercedes-Benz. “And we’re proud to honour them with our most spectacular Central Feature ever in 2014.”

The “Central Feature” is a sculpture dominating the festival site at Goodwood House that is created each year by the renowned British sculptor Gerry Judah to reflect a different theme. The artist last put Mercedes-Benz spectacularly centre stage in this way in 2001, when a 300 SL “Gullwing” (W 198) was to be found floating atop a tilted steel cone illuminated in blue. Judah’s latest work has been inspired by the theme of 120 years of motor sport at Mercedes and will focus the spotlight in stunning style on the Mercedes-Benz W 25 (1934) and MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS F1 W04 (2013) racing cars. The artist has thus created a fascinating arc that links the very early days of the Silver Arrows through to their present-day success. The sculpture also promises to be the most challenging installation, architecturally speaking, so far created in the tradition of these artworks.

A true-to-life recreation of this artistic homage to Mercedes-Benz’s racing history will be included in a free update to the hit racing game Gran Turismo^®6 for PlayStation^®3 – available for download simultaneous to the unveiling ceremony at Goodwood. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and Polyphony Digital Inc., will be launching an update for Gran Turismo^® 6 at Goodwood. The game’s global fan base will be able to download the free update starting June 26^th, 23h00 CET – the same time that the Central Display is unveiled at Goodwood. Numerous gaming stations will be available at the Festival of Speed, at which fans of both computer games and motor racing will be able to put their driving skills to the test on the updated Goodwood circuit – for example in the Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo. This sports car dream come true was developed by the Mercedes-Benz designers for the PlayStation 3 racing game Gran Turismo^®6 in 2013 to mark the 15th birthday of the Gran Turismo series. Festival visitors will also be able to admire a life-size showcar of this exclusive design study.

Among the prominent guests attending Goodwood will be Kazunori Yamauchi, the inventor and producer of the Gran Turismo series and President of Polyphony Digital Inc., the development studio for Gran Turismo^® 6. Kazunori Yamauchi, a passionate racing driver himself, will take part in the festival in a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLS. This sports car icon of the 1950s is a special variant of the 300 SL Roadster, and one of just two examples in the world produced for participation in the American sportscar championship. In order to achieve victory in these races, the standard-production roadster was modified using every trick in the book to create the SLS.

And so Mercedes-Benz and Gran Turismo have now come full circle at the Goodwood Festival of Speed to link the historic 300 SLS racing car to the ultra-modern vision of the future, the Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo.

The exclusive appearance of Mercedes-Benz Classic at the Goodwood Festival of Speed will be further enhanced by the presence of the many collectors of classic cars who will be bringing their stunning vehicles to Goodwood. As just one example, the Festival of Speed will see all three of the Mercedes Grand Prix racing cars of 1914 still in existence reunited once again. Mercedes-Benz will also be playing a major part in the Moving Motor Show and in the Supercar Paddock, with a range of current sports cars and vehicles from the performance brand Mercedes-AMG.

At the event affectionately known as “the biggest motorised garden party in the world”, the fascinating partnership between man and machine continues to emphasise the fact that major racing victories are the outcome of the perfect blend of pioneering technology, tremendous sporting ability at the wheel and a sophisticated strategy in the pits. The magical moments recalling 120 years of motor sport history at Mercedes-Benz serve to demonstrate the exceptional continuity of these values.

“The strong presence of our brand ambassadors, coupled with our historically successful racing cars, will doubtless be among the highlights to be seen on the famous Goodwood House hill circuit at this year’s Festival of Speed – and thus among the highlights of the whole 2014 classic car season, in which we continue to celebrate 120 years of motor sport at Mercedes-Benz.” said Michael Bock, Director of Mercedes-Benz Classic and Customer Center. “So the motto of this year’s Festival of Speed seems particularly apt for us.”

The Festival of Speed has been delighting motor sport enthusiasts for more than 20 years now, since its inception in 1993. These days Charles Gordon-Lennox, Earl of March and Kinrara, can expect to welcome well over 150,000 guests each year onto his extensive estate in the south of England. Mercedes-Benz Classic’s strong presence has become part of this tradition at the Festival of Speed: “Our support at Goodwood is part of a good, long tradition and I am delighted that our even more intensive involvement this June means that we have been able to contribute to a fitting celebration of classic and present-day Mercedes-Benz vehicles,” said Michael Bock.

The course through the Goodwood House estate dates back to the middle of the 20th century and today provides the backdrop to a unique display of motor sporting heritage. “For me it is always magical to see so many of the world’s greatest drivers, riders and machines in action up my 1.16-mile drive”, was Lord March’s take on the historic hill circuit at Goodwood. As well as this classic course, Goodwood offers a 2.5-kilometre rally course for the appropriate vehicles.

This year’s Festival of Speed opens on the Thursday (26 June 2014) with the “Moving Motor Show” of all the latest series-production vehicles. The programme of the festival proper runs from the Friday (27 June) until the Sunday (30 June). At its heart are competitive racing vehicles and sports cars from all eras, which will be performing a symphony of motor sport and speed over this three-day period.

On 4 July 1914, Mercedes celebrated a triumphant one-two-three victory in the French Grand Prix by Christian Lautenschlager, Louis Wagner and Otto Salzer. The vehicle entered by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft in the race on the 37.6-kilometre circuit south of Lyon was its newly developed Grand Prix racing car. Some 20 laps over the tricky course, or a good 750 kilometres, were the order of the day, and Mercedes was up against apparently almost unassailable competition – above all from Peugeot and Delage from France, Sunbeam from England and Fiat from Italy. Theodor Pilette and Max Sailer were forced to retire with technical problems, but Christian Lautenschlager, Louis Wagner and Otto Salzer took the remaining cars on to finish the race at the front of the field after more than seven hours: the first one-two-three victory in the history of motor sport had been achieved. As the regulations for the first time limited engine displacement to 4.5 litres, Mercedes developed an entirely new four-cylinder engine with an overhead camshaft and two inlet and two exhaust valves per cylinder – the first use of a four-valve-per-cylinder design in a Mercedes engine. The racing engine delivered a peak output of 78 kW (106 hp) at a – quite literally – revolutionary 3,100 rpm.

Technical data of the Mercedes Grand Prix racing car
Period of use: 1914-1922
Cylinders: 4/in-line
Displacement: 4,483 cubic centimetres
Output: 78 kW (106 hp)
Top speed: 180 km/h

The SSK (model series W 06) is the most exclusive and alluring of the six-cylinder supercharged sports cars belonging to the Mercedes-Benz S-Series. The model designation stands for “Super Sport Short” (in German), alluding to both the car’s particularly sporty character and its shortened wheelbase. In the summer of 1928, works driver Rudolf Caracciola won the Gabelbach, Schauinsland, and Mont Ventoux races in the brand-new SSK at the first attempt. In 1930 and 1931, he won the European Hill Climb Championship at the wheel of the SSK. The lighter and yet more powerful version from 1931, which was also known as the SSKL (German abbreviation for “Super Sport Short Light”), also scored some spectacular victories. One of the most outstanding of these was in the legendary 1000-mile “Mille Miglia” race: the arduous road race from Brescia to Rome and back was won by Rudolf Caracciola driving an SSKL in April 1931. He thus became the first non-Italian driver ever to win the race.

Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz SSK (W 06, road version)
Production period: 1928-1930
Cylinders: 6/in-line
Displacement: 7065 cubic centimetres
Output: 125 kW (170 hp), with supercharger 165 kW (225 hp)
Top speed: 192 km/h

As it became increasingly clear that, despite two Grand Prix victories, the W 25 was no longer competitive in the 1936 season, Rudolf Uhlenhaut joined the racing department as its dedicated technical manager and immediately formed a team to begin the development of a fundamentally new racing car. This was an unusual step to take, since the days of the 750 kg formula were numbered and an entirely new regulation based on engine displacement was already due to be in place in 1938. After thoroughly testing the W 25 under racing conditions, Uhlenhaut chose a revolutionary chassis design principle for its successor, the W 125, one with soft spring characteristics and powerful damping. The engine also underwent thorough further development. After increasing the displacement to 5.7 litres, the in-line eight-cylinder with supercharger delivered up to 435 kW (592 hp), or around 73 kW (99 hp) more than the previous year's model. This is an output that would not be reached again by Grand Prix racing cars until the late 1980s. The top speed of the W 125 was around 320 km/h. The three cooling vents in its front section give the W 125 an unmistakeable look. The new Silver Arrow, piloted by Hermann Lang, began by winning the very first race it entered, the Tripoli Grand Prix (Libya). With a total of seven victories, nine 2nd and six 3rd places it dominated the 1937 racing season, while Rudolf Caracciola went on to win the Grand Prix European Championship for the second time.

Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz 750-kg racing car W 125
Period of use: 1937
Cylinders: 8/in-line
Displacement: 5,663 cubic centimetres
Output: 435 kW (592 hp)
Top speed: 320 km/h

The W 165 racing car with its 1.5-litre V8 engine was developed by Mercedes-Benz for a single race – the Tripoli Grand Prix in Mellaha (Libya), then a part of Italy, in 1939. The reason was the decision taken by the organisers to hold the race in the Italian colony only for vehicles of the so-called Voiturette formula with 1.5-litre engine. The intention behind this decision was to sideline the German competitors, because neither Mercedes-Benz (Tripoli winner in 1935, 1937, and 1938) nor Auto Union (winner in 1936) could present a racing car for this class. However, the racing department in Stuttgart accepted the challenge and in less than eight months built an entirely new monoposto for the 1.5-litre formula. In many design details, this W 165 was based on the then current 3-litre W 154 Grand Prix car. The mechanically supercharged V8 engine with a displacement of 1,493 cubic centimetres delivered 187 kW (254 hp) at 8,000 rpm, and reached a top speed of 272 km/h. The efforts of the developers in Rudolf Uhlenhaut’s team proved successful: the two cars that started in the race in Tripoli on 7 May 1939 against an overwhelming number of competitors – 28 red-painted voiturette Alfa Romeo and Maserati racing cars – achieved a triumphant double victory. Hermann Lang won the spectacular desert race for the third time, incumbent European Champion Rudolf Caracciola finished second, while the fastest Italian car, an Alfa Romeo with Emilio Villoresi at the wheel, crossed the finish line a good four minutes later.

Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz 1.5-litre racing car W 165
Period of use: 1939
Cylinders: V8
Displacement: 1,493 cubic centimetres
Output: 187 kW (254 hp)
Top speed: 272 km/h

In most of the Formula 1 races of 1954 and 1955 it was not the streamlined car that was driven, but the classic monoposto with exposed wheels. This variant is significantly better suited to racetracks with numerous bends, because it allows the driver to take the measure of bends much better. Like the streamlined car, the classic version started with flying colours, winning the very first competition it entered, the European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. The victor was Juan Manuel Fangio, who had already won the opening race in Reims and – with a fourth place in the British Grand Prix – learned that the streamlined car’s capability of handling very winding racetracks was limited. The W 196 R was re-worked for its second season: the straight intake manifold, which allowed an increase in engine output to 213 kW (290 hp), and the additional dome on the left side of the bonnet became the outward distinctive features of the 1955 version of the vehicle. In addition, Mercedes-Benz deployed the W 196 R with different wheelbases, and the arrangement of the drum brakes was varied. The result was a superior racing car that also dominated the 1955 season and helped Juan Manuel Fangio to win his second World Champion title with Mercedes-Benz.

Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz 2.5-litre racing car W 196 R with exposed wheels
Period of use: 1954-1955
Cylinders: 8/in-line
Displacement: 2,497 cubic centimetres
Output: 188 kW (256 hp) to 213 kW (290 hp)
Top speed: up to 300 km/h

In 1954, Mercedes-Benz returned to Grand Prix with a completely newly developed racing car. The W 196 R complied with all the conditions of the new Grand Prix formula of the CSI (Commission Sportive Internationale): 750 cubic centimetres displacement with supercharger or 2,500 cubic centimetres without, no restrictions on fuel composition. From its 2,496 cubic centimetres displacement the W 196 R delivered 188 kW (256 hp) at 8,260 rpm in 1954 and 213 kW (290 hp) at 8,500 rpm in 1955. For 1954, a streamlined version was initially built because the opening race in Reims (France) allowed very high speeds. After this a second variant with exposed wheels followed. The spaceframe of the W 196 R was light and sturdy; the chassis had a torsion-rod suspension and a new single-joint swing rear axle as well as huge turbo-cooled Duplex drum brakes. For its power plant the engineers chose an eight-cylinder in-line engine with direct injection and desmodromic (positively opened and closed) springless valves, which make high engine speeds above 8,000 rpm possible. In the opening race, the French Grand Prix on 4 July 1954, Juan Manuel Fangio and Karl Kling drove W 196 R streamlined racing cars to a double victory. Fangio finished the season as World Champion. With a further improved version of the streamlined car he won the Italian Grand Prix in 1955 and by the end of the season he was again World Champion.

Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz 2.5-litre streamlined racing car W 196 R
Period of use: 1954-1955
Cylinders: 8/in-line
Displacement: 2,497 cubic centimetres
Output: 188 kW (256 hp) to 213 kW (290 hp)
Top speed: more than 300 km/h

It was not only the Silver Arrows that caused a sensation in 1955. In the “baggage train” of the Mercedes-Benz racing department, one of the vehicles used to transport the Silver Arrows also did so: the high-speed racing car transporter, built as a one-off in 1954 on the basis of a 300 S, served in 1955 to carry out special high-speed transport assignments between racetrack and factory. For example, it found use when one of the racing cars had to be modified at the last moment, or when one of the Silver Arrows had an accident and needed to be repaired as quickly as possible by the time of the next race. In such cases the fast blue truck would sprint across Europe with its silver cargo riding piggyback. This racy utility vehicle with sports car genes was dubbed the “Blue Miracle”. The chassis of the 300 S carried a cab that was placed far forward; its flowing lines were partly created using parts from the 180 “Ponton” model. From the cab to the fully panelled rear end the racing car transporter appears to be all of one piece – the usual separation between cab and load area is hardly noticeable. The fast car transporter is powered by the 3-litre six-cylinder direct-injection engine that also drives the 300 SL sports cars. Following its active period of use, the original of this transporter was used for road tests and finally scrapped in 1967. In 2001, Mercedes-Benz Classic presented the racing car transporter, which had been recreated in seven years of work, as an authentic one-of-a-kind replica.

Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz high-speed racing car transporter
Period of use: 1955
Cylinders: in-line 6
Displacement: 2,996 cubic centimetres
Outp ut: 141 kW (192 hp)
Top speed: 170 km/h

Two units of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLS, a special variant of the 300 SL Roadster, were built for the American sportscar championship in 1957, due to the fact that the series-production version of the brand-new model was not yet permitted to join the starting line-up of the “standard production” category in the 1957 season. In order to have at least some chance of success in the only other remaining racing category D, the engineers applied every trick in the book to strip out a standard-production roadster and turn it into the lightweight SLS, weighing just 970 kilograms. At the same time its engine output was increased to 173 kW (235 hp). Paul O’Shea drove the SLS to victory in category D of the American sportscar championship, winning by a clear margin ahead of the competition – so adding to his wins of 1955 and 1956 in the 300 SL “Gullwing”.

Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLS (W 198)
Period of use: 1957
Cylinders: 6/in-line
Displacement: 2,996 cubic centimetres
Output: 173 kW (235 hp)
Top speed: 260 km/h

The 500 SLC rally car from the C 107 model series, as raced in 1980, was the last rally car from Mercedes-Benz before the brand withdrew from rally sport. For their competitive appearances, these almost production-standard vehicles were enhanced with, amongst other things, new cylinder heads, modified transmissions and some changes to the suspension. A 500 SLC rally car was also the first vehicle to feature the radio transmission of vehicle data. The major success of the 1980 season was Björn Waldegaard’s win in the Bandama rally. With an output of 250 kW (340 hp), the vehicle marked the continuation of a tradition of V8-engined SLC models from the C 107 series that had proved so successful in rally sport since 1978.

Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz 500 SLC rally car
Period of use: 1980
Cylinders: V8
Displacement: 4,973 cubic centimetres
Output: 250 kW (340 hp)

The late 1980s and the 1990s marked the return of Mercedes-Benz to the racetrack: the first vehicles to sport the three-pointed star were Group C racing sports cars. The 530 kW (720 hp) Sauber-Mercedes C 9 used since 1987 also underwent visual modification for the 1989 season: the hitherto virtually all-black livery gave way to a silver paint finish, clearly identifying the cars as Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows. Between 1989 and 1990, the new racing cars brought home 16 victories from a total of 18 races. These included the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which took place on 10 and 11 June 1989, in which the Mercedes-Benz drivers Jochen Mass/Manuel Reuter/Stanley Dickens and Mauro Baldi/Kenny Acheson/Gianfranco Brancatelli secured a double victory with Silver Arrows in their C 9 guise – 37 years after that outstanding win with the first Silver Arrow of the post-war period, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL racing sports car (W 194). Up until 1988 the M 117 engine from the previous C 8 model was used in the C 9; as of the 1989 season, the new four-valve engine M 119 did service in the racing car. Both engines were souped-up developments of production car engines of the type used in the S-Class and in the SL.

Technical data of the Sauber-Mercedes Group C racing sports car C 9
Period of use: 1989-1990
Cylinders: V8
Displacement: 4,973 cubic centimetres
Output: 530 kW (720 hp)
Top speed: 400 km/h

In 1994, the Penske-Mercedes PC 23 won the legendary 500-mile “Indy 500” on the oval circuit at Indianapolis. The last time a Mercedes racing car had won this prestigious race was in 1915, when Ralph de Palma took the honours in a Mercedes 4.5-litre Grand Prix racing car of 1914. The winning car of 1994 was equipped with the 754 kW (1,026 hp) Mercedes-Benz 500 I V8 engine developed by the British engine makers Ilmor, one of the original companies that formed the racing engine manufacturer of today, Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains. Of all-new design, the turbocharged eight-cylinder engine, whose valves were controlled via pushrods by a camshaft in the engine block, capitalised on a gap in the rules: engines employing this antiquated design principle were allowed operation with higher charging pressures. This gave the Penske-Mercedes team an output advantage of some 147 kW (200 hp) over the competition. Al Unser Jr. won the 1994 Indianapolis 500, posting an average speed of 258.9 km/h in the PC 23, which weighed in at a light 703 kilograms. Following this spectacular win, the rules were promptly changed, and the Indy 500 of 1994 remained the only occasion on which the V8 engine was used in a race.

Technical data of the Penske-Mercedes PC 23 IndyCar
Period of use: 1994
Cylinders: V8
Displacement: 3,429 cubic centimetres
Output: 754 kW (1,026 hp)
Top speed: 412 km/h

In the 1997 season, Mercedes-Benz in cooperation with AMG entered GT racing and competed in the FIA GT championship. The CLK-GTR developed for this purpose was the first production racing car from Mercedes-Benz with a mid-engine. Externally the vehicle was inspired by the CLK Coupé of the C 208 series, but it featured advanced racing technology and its V12 engine developed around 441 kW (600 hp) with a displacement of six litres. Bernd Schneider won the driver’s title of the 1997 FIA GT Championship in the CLK-GTR, while the brand championship went to AMG-Mercedes. From June in the following year, the further developed CLK-LM equipped with a V8 engine entered the lists. The CLK-LM won every championship race in which it competed, and by season’s end Klaus Ludwig and Ricardo Zonta had captured the driver’s title, while AMG Mercedes again won the manufacturer’s title.

Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz CLK-LM racing touring car (C 298)
Period of use: 1998'
Cylinders: V8
Displacement: 4,986 cubic centimetres
Output: about 441 kW (600 hp)
Top speed: 360 km/h

When the new DTM with the title “German Touring Car Masters” came into being in the 2000 season, the teams initially competed with silhouette cars based on two-door coupés. Four-door saloons were used again from 2004, and the AMG Mercedes C-Class racing touring car based on the W 203 series entered the lists. The racing car featured a structural spaceframe with a steel roof and sidewalls incorporating the driver’s safety cell. The outer skin and detachable parts were of lightweight, highly resistant carbon-fibre reinforced plastic. The new racing touring car was powered by a modified V8 engine that, in its original form, had already been proving its worth since 2000 in the DTM car based on the CLK. In the 2005 season, Mercedes-Benz won eight out of the eleven races, while Gary Paffett took the drivers’ title. The DTM regulations only allowed very limited further development for the 2006 season. The new racing car was therefore very little different from the championship-winning vehicle of the previous year. Bernd Schneider finished among the top five in all ten races and ultimately finished ahead of his brand teammate Bruno Spengler. His fourth place in the final race of the season at Hockenheim meant that, in the end, he took his 5th championship title in the German Touring Car Championship, making him the undisputed “Mister DTM”.

Technical data AMG-Mercedes C-Class DTM
Period of use: 2004-2007
Cylinders: V8
Displacement: 4000 cubic centimetres
Output: approx. 350 kW (476 hp)
Top speed: approx. 280 km/h

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 was introduced in autumn 2010 as an exclusive customer sports car for sprint and long-distance races. The racing car was developed according to the GT3 regulations of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’A utomobile), which require among other things a near-series engine. The 6.2-litre V8 engine of the GT3 is almost the same as that of the series-production car, however owing to its lower weight the racing car has even more outstanding acceleration than the series-production car (3.8-second sprint from 0 to 100 km/h). The V8 engine of the racing car also has dry-sump lubrication in order to ensure reliable lubrication under high lateral acceleration such as occurs on racetracks. The SLS AMG GT3 has a six-speed racing transmission with a sequential gearbox, which is operated by the driver using two shift paddles on the steering wheel. From the 2010 season on, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 competed successfully in a variety of races. In 2013 alone, the SLS AMG GT3 scored a total of 38 wins and captured 4 championships: the Blancpain Endurance Series, the FIA GT Series, the Super Taikyu Series, and the Race Trophy Austria.

Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 (C 197)
Period of use: since 2010
Cylinders: V8
Displacement: 6,208 cubic centimetres
Output: 420 kW (571 hp)
Top speed: over 300 km/h (depends on final-drive ratio)

The Mercedes AMG F1 W04 was the fourth Grand Prix racer of the Mercedes-Benz Formula 1 works team established in 2010. Nico Rosberg and the new works driver Lewis Hamilton – world champion in a McLaren Mercedes in 2008 – scored three racing victories and took nine spots on the podium in all. The W04 represents an intelligent further development of the basic Mercedes-AMG design of the 2012 season. Conspicuous exterior features of the new racing car were the five-part front wing and a departure from the heavily stepped nose of the W03. This was the last car in which the FO 108 V8 engine model was used – from the 2014 season onwards, a power unit featuring hybrid technology is compulsory in Formula 1. In addition to the electric drive component, it comprises a V6 engine with a displacement of 1.6 litres.

Technical data of the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS F1 W04 Formula 1 racing car
Period of use: 2013
Cylinders: V8
Displacement: 2,400 cubic centimetres

Roland Asch
Born on 12 October 1950 in Altingen, Germany

Trained as a master motor mechanic, Roland Asch began his motor racing career as a hobby, but achieved victories like a professional: after winning the German Hill-Racing Championship in 1981 and the German Motor Racing Trophy in 1983, he made his debut in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) in 1985. In 1988, he became championship runner-up in the DTM with the Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 of the BMK team. In the late 1980s, he won the overall rating in the Porsche 944 Turbo Cup three times, and in 1991 the championship title in the Porsche Carrera Cup. In the early 1990s, he achieved a total of five wins and various good placings in the DTM for Mercedes-Benz. In 1993, he became DTM vice-champion for the second time, and in 1995 moved to Ford in the Super Touring Car Cup. Roland Asch remains very closely associated with Mercedes-Benz as a brand ambassador.

Dario Franchitti
Born on 19 May 1973 in Edinburgh, Scotland

The Scottish racing driver with Italian roots began his motor sport career in karting in the mid-1980s and progressed quickly to take several UK championship titles (Scottish Junior Champion 1984, British Junior Champion 1985 and 1986, Scottish Champion 1988). He moved across to Formula racing in 1991 (Formula Vauxhall Junior and Formula Vauxhall Lotus) and graduated to the British Formula 3 Championship in 1994. Franchitti drove for Mercedes-Benz from 1995 on in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) and the International Touring Car Championship (ITC). The Briton came fifth in the DTM and third in the ITC rankings in 1995 in an AMG-Mercedes C-Class racing touring car (W 202). In the following year there was no longer a DTM, but Franchitti took overall 4th place in the ITC. In 1997, the Briton made his debut in the North American CART series for the Hogan Racing team, in a vehicle powered by Mercedes-Benz Ilmor engines. Franchitti achieved considerable success over the course of his active career, which he brought to a close in 2014, particularly in the IndyCar series, in which he won four championship titles.

Lewis Hamilton
Born on 7 January 1985 in Stevenage, England

Lewis Hamilton has been driving in Formula 1 since 2007. Since 2013, the World Champion of 2008 has been racing for the Silver Arrows works team, MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS. But Lewis Hamilton is already extremely familiar with Mercedes-Benz racing technology, having spent the whole of his Formula 1 career since it began, at McLaren-Mercedes in 2006, with engines from Mercedes-Benz. The Briton began his career as a racing driver in karting at the age of eight, joining the McLaren Young Driver Development Programme in 1998. His professional career began in the British Formula Renault in 2001, while he also raced in the Formula 3 and Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup. In 2004 Hamilton moved over permanently to Formula 3, then in 2006 joined the GP2 Series as part of the supporting programme for Formula 1. His most successful season for MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS so far has been in 2014: in just the first four Grand Prix races of the season, Hamilton has taken three pole positions and three wins.

Klaus Ludwig
Born on 5 October 1949 in Bonn

Honoured with the title of “King Ludwig” by his fans, the outstanding racing driver and three-time DTM Champion Klaus Ludwig began his motor racing career in the early 1970s, with slalom races, orientation rallies, and touring car racing. His first major successes included the German Motor Racing Championship (DRM) title in 1979 and 1981, and victories in the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1979, 1984, and 1985. Ludwig came to the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) in 1985, where he first competed for Ford and won his first title in 1988. In 1989, he moved to the AMG-Mercedes team, for which he achieved 2 championship titles (1992 and 1994, vice-champion in 1991) with a total of 19 race victories in the years up to 1994. In 1995 and 1996, he competed in the ITC (International Touring Car Championship) for Opel Team Rosberg. He subsequently returned to AMG-Mercedes, winning the driver and team trophy in the International FIA GT Championship with Ricardo Zonta in 1998. He then announced his official retirement from motor sport, but in 2000 he once again competed in the new German Touring Car Masters (DTM), ending the season and his motor racing career with 3rd place in the overall rating in a Mercedes-Benz CLK-DTM.

Jochen Mass
Born on 30 September 1946 in Dorfen, Germany

Jochen Mass began his varied career in motor sport in 1968 racing touring cars for Alfa Romeo and as works driver for Ford from 1970 to 1975. During this period, he won the Spa-Francorchamps 24-hour race in 1972. At the same time, he also took part in Formula 2 (1973) and in 105 Formula 1 Grand Prix races (1973/74 with Surtees; 1975 to 1977 with McLaren; 1978 with ATS; 1979/80 with Arrows; 1982 with March). Mass won the German Sports Car Championship in 1985, and after working as works driver for Porsche until 1987 he became a works driver in the Sauber-Mercedes team. Until 1991, he raced for this team in Group C. In the new Silver Arrow, the Sauber-Mercedes C 9, Jochen Mass, together with Manuel Reuter and Stanley Dickens, won the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1989, becoming runner-up in the World Championship that same year. Three years later, in 1992, Mass moved into team management in the DTM. Right up to the present day, Jochen Mass regularly participates in classic racing events for Mercedes-Benz.

Sir Stirling Moss  
Born on 17 September 1929 in London, England

Stirling Moss won his first race at the age of 19, was already driving Formula 1 cars just a few years later and joined the Mercedes-Benz team in 1955. At the wheel of a W 196 R he attained several second places in Formula 1 races and won the English Grand Prix at Aintree. However, his greatest successes are in sports car races: his victory in the Mille Miglia in May 1955, piloting a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR (W 196 S) in a record time of 10:7:48 hours, is legendary; this record still holds today. In 1955, Moss also won the Targa Florio (Sicily/Italy). In the subsequent years, Moss continued to be one of the most successful pilots in the world. A serious accident in 1962 forced him to withdraw from racing. He remains closely connected with Mercedes-Benz to this day. His name stands for a swing towards more professionalism in the racing business: in the early 1950s he was the first driver to have his own manager.

Bernd Schneider
Born on 20 July 1964 in St. Ingbert

The five-times DTM Champion Bernd Schneider achieved his first motor sport successes in kart racing and in Formula 3, also competing in Formula 1, in the Le Mans 24-Hour Race and in the FIA GT Championship, which he won in 1997. The DTM was to become the stage where he would celebrate his most spectacular victories: Schneider joined the AMG-Mercedes team in 1992, winning the DTM championship title for the team in 1995 after having come third in the overall rating in 1992 and 1993. Following the revival of the DTM as the German Touring Car Masters in 2000, Schneider was Champion in 2000, 2001, 2003, and 2006. He was also vice-champion in 2002. Bernd Schneider is still closely associated with the Mercedes-Benz, and is active for the company as a test driver and brand ambassador.

Paul Stewart
Born on 29 October 1965 in Dumbarton, Scotland

Former Formula racing driver Paul Stewart, the son of the three-time Formula 1 World Champion Jackie Stewart, achieved his first motor sporting successes in the Formula Ford 2000. Having established the Paul Stewart Racing team in 1988, he followed up this early success in the British Formula 3 championships of 1989 and 1990 and then from 1991 to 1993 in the Formula 3000. His team mates during this period were Marco Apicella in 1991, David Coulthard in 1992 and Gil de Ferran in 1993. Despite such major successes, Paul Stewart subsequently retired from active motor sport to concentrate from 1994 onward on his role as the manager of his team. The team won eight Formula 3 championships, in the years 1992 to 1994 and then 1996 to 2000 . In 1996, Paul joined forces with his father, Jackie Stewart, to form the Stewart Grand Prix team, which took part in Formula 1 from 1997 until 1999. The team was taken over by Ford at the end of 1999 and continued during the 2000 season under the name Jaguar Racing and then, from 2005 on, as Red Bull Racing.

Sir Jackie Stewart
Born on 11 June 1939 in Milton, Scotland

The racing career of the three-time Formula 1 World Champion John Young “Jackie” Stewart began in 1964 and proved extremely successful, right from the start. Just a year later he was already driving in the Formula 1. His first major triumph followed in 1969, when he won the Formula 1 World Championship for the Matra International team. He raised the trophy for the second time in 1971 and then for a third time in 1973, in both instances for Elf Team Tyrrell. For 14 years he held the record for the most Formula 1 wins, 27 in total, a record that was only finally broken in 1987 by Alain Prost. Over the years, he continued to take the wheel in various other race series with considerable success. He ended his active racing career in 1973. When one considers the frequent occurrence of fatal accidents during that period, it is hardly surprising that Jackie Stewart became committed early on to improving safety in motor racing. In 1996, he and his son Paul Stewart formed the Stewart Grand Prix team, which took part in Formula 1 from 1997 until 1999. The team was taken over by Ford at the end of 1999 and continued during the 2000 season under the name Jaguar Racing and then, from 2005 on, as Red Bull Racing. Jackie Stewart was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1971 for his work.

Karl Wendlinger
Born on 20 December 1968 in Kufstein, Austria

Karl Wendlinger began his career in motor sport at the age of 14, in kart racing. In 1989, he won the German Formula 3 Championship. In the years 1990 to 1991, the Austrian was a member of the Mercedes Junior Team, along with Michael Schumacher and Heinz-Harald Frentzen, and competed in the World Sportscar Championship. In 1991, he moved on to Formula 1. From 1994, Wendlinger drove for the Sauber-Mercedes team together with Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Racing assignments in the DTM, the Formula 3000, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans followed. His most outstanding successes on the racetrack include winning the FIA GT Championship (1999), 1st place in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in the GTS Class (in the same year), overall victory in the 24-hour Daytona race in 2000, and a 2nd-place finish in the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring (2003). From 2004 to 2011, Karl Wendlinger competed for various teams in the FIA GT championship; with Jetalliance Racing he finished 2nd overall in 2007.

Did you already know? Mercedes-Benz is celebrating “120 years of motor sport” in 2014 – for example at the Silvretta Classic (3 to 6 July 2014).