A history spanning more than a century that comes to life at the beginning of the twentieth century, the history of Mercedes cars. That of the three-pointed star is undoubtedly the brand that most of all represents the automobile, the pioneering and evolution in the motor transport sector, the desire to demonstrate all the greatness of a dream that has come true.
It all began in April 1900 with an agreement between the then Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft and Emil Jellinek. The Austrian diplomat, who lived in the Principality of Monaco, was an eccentric man of adventure, a kind of Indiana Jones and had an innate passion for competitions.
Years earlier he was struck by his meeting in Stuttgart with the two pioneers of "motor coaches" Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach. In their projects, Emil saw solidity and the future of transport, deciding to become an importer of their engines and cars in Nice.
He asked Daimler to be able to modify and develop a new engine for racing, with the promise that it would be branded with the Daimler-Mercedes name.
On December 22, 1900, the first racing car with a "Mercedes" engine was delivered to Emil. The new Daimler-Mercedes 35 PS was born: it was the most powerful model ever produced by the Stuttgart house until then, and it was also the first car that began to approach a modern concept, forever supplanting the concept of a carriage with wheels.
In March 1901 the most important international motoring event of the time took place in Nice: the "Semaine de Nice".
The new Mercedes 35 PS proved to be unbeatable in all the tests to pass, obtaining great visibility. The newspaper of the time "La Presse" wrote that "the French manufacturers do not offer anything comparable at present" ... and in that period France represented the most performing and modern in terms of cars!
In 1901 two other models saw the light: the 12/16 PS and the 8/11 PS.
The great and unexpected success put the Daimler plant in Cannstatt in crisis, which was unable to fulfill all the orders. It was the "Belle Epoque" and in high society, driving a Mercedes, or being accompanied in a Stella car was a must! A charm that has never faded, which today as then continues to accompany Mercedes cars.
With absolute certainty, the Daimler-Mercedes 35 PS marked a radical change in automotive engineering. This car was designed with the intention of enhancing performance, thanks to a high-performance engine that enhanced the characteristics of a lightweight chassis. Furthermore, for the first time, passenger safety was beginning to be put at the center of the project.
The long wheelbase of the car and the low center of gravity were innovative and avant-garde solutions at the time. Paul Meyan, the President of the Automobile Club de France in those years, enthusiastic about the 35 PS commented: "We have entered the era of Mercedes!".
In 2019, the Stella style center presented a concept car to pay homage to the famous Mercedes 35 PS and idealize the transition to a new era in design and technology.
In the prototype of the "Vision Mercedes Simplex" the principle that inspired Daimler and Benz, the DNA of Mercedes, is strongly present: "to set new standards, today as yesterday to design the new tomorrow of mobility".
TECHNICAL NOTES
The 35 PS engine was one of the first to have a light aluminum alloy crankcase.
The bench supports were of a particular aluminum alloy containing a small percentage of magnesium. The cast iron monobloc, 4 cylinders in line, was born from the coupling of two twin-cylinder units with integrated heads.
The distribution had two lateral camshafts that operated the exhaust and intake valves were driven by a series of gears connected to the flywheel. It should be noted that previously the intake valves opened due to the vacuum inside the cylinders. Power was provided by two jet carburettors, which were manually adjusted from the driver's seat. The cooling system used a honeycomb radiator (Maybach) which was a real innovation, as with the same size, it considerably increased the surface to be cooled.
The chain-type transmission used a 4-speed gearbox with a grid lever. The band clutch was self-adjusting.
The U-section steel sheet chassis made it possible to contain its weight, furthermore a whole series of modifications requested by Jellinek himself greatly increased the stability of the car.
The drum braking system worked only on the rear wheels, but was extremely efficient. There was an additional brake acting on the drive shaft.
The rigid axle suspensions with semi-elliptical leaf springs, inclined steering column and studied in a particular way allowed a discreet comfort, absorbing at best the roughness of the road surface.
MODELS
35 PS - 5,918 litres 35 CV at 950 rpm. 75 km / h
40 PS - 6,560 litres 40 CV at 1000 rpm. 112 km / h
65 PS - 9,293 litres 65 CV at 1100 rpm. 118 km / h
90 PS - 12,700 litres 90 CV at 1200 rpm. 165 km / h
Mercedes Grand Prix, Mercedes Simplex and Mercedes Gordon-Bennet versions also belong to the same family, designed by Wilhelm Maybach.
In summary: the 35 PS was a competition car from which a series production was derived, and since its presentation it set new standards in automotive design, opening a new concept of transport!
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