Mercedes-Benz
May 8th, 2009 by NZ Classic Car
The Gullwing is making a comeback, the alternative door configuration is always popular on concept cars and custom rods, but now the comeback is for real. The Gullwing is now being built in Germany, it looks original but benefits from modern powertrain technology.
Gullwing GmbH is the company responsible for this heritage vehicle. They’re also the company building the latest AC Cobra, complete with gullwing doors of course. The design, as you can plainly see, is faithful to the original, but Gullwing has made some updates to the 1950′s engineering. The 3-litre, straight six, 215-horsepower powerplant of the original has been replaced with Mercedes’ latest 405-hp 5.5-litre V8 mated to a 7-speed automatic gearbox. Gullwing has also redesigned the chassis, suspension and brakes to deal with the extra power, and added an array of modern features from ABS to air-conditioning, capping off the authentic interior with a retro-styled radio/sat-nav unit.
Fully equipped, a “new” Gullwing comes with a €165k price tag, but you’ll have to wait 10 to 18 months for delivery, put down €50k in advance and hope they haven’t received more than 30 orders this year, because that is production capacity at the Gullwing factory in Dresden, Germany. There is talk of a manual six-cylinder version and of course a roadster.
March 26th, 2009 by NZ Classic Car
With its bicycle-looking spoked open wheels and roofless cabin, the Mercedes Benz F-Cell Roadster looks brand new and 100 years old at the same time. Designed by juniors at Mercedes the deliberate combination of old and new symbolises a rebirth of thinking about how to build and power cars.
The F-Cell Roadster is powered by a 1.2kW fuel-cell system. Using drive-by-wire technology and a joystick to control steering, the car is capable of up to 25km/h and has a predicted range of up to 350km. No doubt the car is high-tech, but 25km/h is hardly a usable speed on modern roads.
Aside from the historical design elements, the car includes a set of carbon-fibre bucket seats and a fiberglass front section based on Formula 1 race car bodies.
Altogether, it took over 150 trainees about a year to arrive at the final design of the radical F-Cell Roadster. Every element of the car has been designed from the ground up, including electronics, manufacturing mechanics and even the car’s interior features.
Of course there are no plans to put the car into production, but the technology represents Mercedes’ commitment to backing hydrogen fuel cells as an alternative to more conventionally accepted battery electric vehicles.
March 6th, 2009 by NZ Classic Car
Antique to Retro are holding a classics auction tomorrow at Bristol Field in Founders Heritage Park, Nelson. As part of the Antique to Retro Weekend, the auction will take place at 3pm, Saturday 7th March, viewing will commence from 9am Saturday morning.
There are some real gems going under the hammer including:
A 1949 Land Rover “80 with a 1.6 litre petrol engine.
An original condition 1972 Mercedes Benz 350SL in blue with hard and soft tops.
A 1924 BSA Motorcycle in excellent condition
A 1926 Essex Six 2.3 litre Touring car, restored in 1995
A rare 1930 Morris Minor with an 847cc overhead cam motor
A 1979 Audi 80 GLS in light metallic grey
A 1953 BSA C10 Motorcycle with a C11 motor
Assorted other parts and memorabilia
If you can’t get down to the event absentee and phone bids will be accepted.
To find out more about the Antique to Retro Weekend and auction. Click here to visit the website.
January 23rd, 2009 by NZ Classic Car
The Mercedes-Benz Geländewagen has been around for thirty years, and it has gone from its military roots to a off road toy for the wealthy and image conscious. First offered to the public in 1979, the G-Wagen has been continually refined over its run, and is still largely hand-built. The details have changed, there have been two rounds of revisions, but the aesthetics have remained unmistakeable for the entirety of the model’s run. A G-class has never been cheap, and it remains a pricey and utterly capable go-anywhere vehicle.
The Mercedes GL-class was supposed to replace the Geländewagen, but it has lost too much of the older vehicles rugged charm and has never proved as popular.
December 12th, 2008 by NZ Classic Car
Tim catches up with a fellow artist to view a classic ’80s Mercedes wagon used to transport artworks and surfboards
Mercedes-Benz cars have been collected as recognised classics throughout motoring history. Grand Prix Mercedes are now almost priceless, and even well looked after Mercedes-Benz saloons from the ’50s and ’60s fetch solid prices. If the car is a limousine specification model or a coupe then it is all the more sought after. But what of the common or garden Mercedes-Benz wagons?
Long used for big family luxury motoring, and often thrashed from years of alpine skiing adventures and beach holidays, the wagons are perhaps less likely to have survived in decent numbers — but then again, old Mercedes-Benz’s have always been known for being rugged and hardy.
Read the rest of this entry »June 19th, 2008 by NZ Classic Car
For lovers of late model AMG Mercedes, the Gold Portfolio and Ultimate Portfolio offer a veritable cornucopia of road-tests and feature articles from respected international motoring magazines. Everything’s here — from saloons to coupes, DTM racers to road-burning G-Wagens and the mighty SLR McLaren.
Review by James Black
March 31st, 2008 by NZ Classic Car
Very rare Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada
The Concorso d’Eleganza once again invites the world’s most attractive classic automobiles to Lake Como on the last weekend of April (25-27.04) for this highly traditional automotive beauty contest. “Our commitment to the event underscores the high regard in which we hold an automotive aesthetic that goes far beyond the bounds of brands and models,” says Karl Baumer, Chairman of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este and Director of BMW Group Mobile Tradition, of the BMW Group’s longstanding patronage of the Concorso d’Eleganza. Jean-Marc Droulers, President of Villa d’Este SpA, also looks
back with satisfaction on the collaboration with the BMW Group since 1999: “The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este today ranks as one of the outstanding events of its kind. I believe we can all be a little proud of that.”
Milestone of a longstanding tradition
This Bavarian-Italian partnership, as cultivated in the Concorso d’Eleganza, enjoys a longstanding heritage at BMW. One milestone of this tradition is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year – the BMW M1. It has prompted BMW to devote its 2008 Concorso exhibition to the iconic sports car that came from the drawing board of Italian stylist Giorgio Giugiaro. Alongside the production model, the various racing versions will also be on show at Lake Como.
The Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe
The unique ambience of Villa d’Este will once again provide the stage for a Rolls-Royce heading straight from its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show to the shores of Lake Como. The 101EX Experimental Car had already given a foretaste here of a potential new coupe model to come; now the fully-fledged Phantom Coupe is ready for presentation this year. The fourth member of the Phantom family is the latest, driver-oriented Rolls-Royce to emerge from the fold. In it the timeless proportions of a Rolls-Royce are combined with modern lines, cutting-edge materials and the finest interior finishes. A driving experience such as this enables long distances to be covered in relaxed yet pacy style.
Classic beauties
Once again, more than 50 stunning classics covering six decades of motoring history have been selected for the Concorso d’Eleganza. Urs Paul Ramseier, the Selecting Adviser responsible for choosing the vehicles that take part in the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, already provided a few tasters from this select field of participants in Geneva.
Streamlining: Mercedes-Benz 540 K Autobahnkurier (1938)
Just two streamlined coupe bodies were mounted on the chassis of the Mercedes-Benz 540 K. In 1938 this model was acquired by Dr. Ignacio Barraquer and remained in family ownership until 2004. Then the Autobahnkurier was purchased by Deborah and Arturo Keller and subsequently underwent complete restoration before being presented again in 2006. 70 years after its world premiere, the Mercedes-Benz 540 K Autobahnkurier makes its reappearance in Europe at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.
Winning type: Ferrari 166 MM Touring Berlinetta, 1949
Count Giannino Marzotto bought the Ferrari 166 MM from Enzo Ferrari. Touring provided it with an aerodynamic coupe body in Touring Superleggera construction. The car had been presented at the 1950 Geneva Motor Show, and Count Marzotto’s aim was to drive it to victory in the 1950 Mille Miglia. He was not happy with the output of the 166 MM, however, and so Ferrari gave him with a new V12 Type 195 Colombo engine. This proved a resounding success: Count Giannino Marzotto and co-driver Marco Corsaro in car no. 724 swept to victory in the 1950 Mille Miglia.
Sporting the spurs of this challenging “1,000-mile race”, the Ferrari was exhibited at the Turin Motor Show that immediately followed. Whereas Raymond Sommer had been less successful in the 1950 Le Mans race, Marzotto went on to win the Rome 3-hour race in 1950 as well. In the late 1950s the Ferrari was deployed in smaller races in the USA before being sold to an American collector in 1965 along with its original engine of 1949. The new owner kept the car until 2001. Today’s owner acquired it in 2003 and had it completely restored to its original condition.
Ahead of its time: the ATS 2500 GT (1963)
The mid-engine sports car built by Carlo Chiti and designed by Franco Scaglione must have caused a minor sensation at the 1963 Paris Motor Show. The ATS was not destined to be a commercial success, however, and only very few examples left the ATS automobile factory before it closed its gates permanently.
After the Paris Show, the ATS 2500 GT went to a French collection, where it remained until 1984. Its current owner managed to obtain the car in 2003 and will present it at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este with its original odometer count of just 1,300 kilometres.
Pininfarina’s yellow masterpiece: the Dino 206 Competizione (1967)
The Dino Competizione Pininfarina was unveiled for the first time at the 1967 Frankfurt Motor Show. This concept car, built on the basis of the Ferrari 206S chassis, remained in the Pininfarina Collection until 2007 – more than 40 years. Ferrari enthusiast James Glickenhaus succeeded in purchasing this exquisite one-off and, as its first owner, will present the car in complete original condition at Lake Como.
Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2008
Over the weekend of 25-27 April 2008, the splendid grounds of the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este and the Villa Erba in Cernobbio on Lake Como will once again be transformed into a unique backdrop for the most beautiful cars from eras past and the most flamboyant concept cars of today. First staged in 1929 at this same location, the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este today ranks as the world’s most tradition-steeped event of its kind.
After the event opening on Saturday for invited guests, Sunday sees the Concorso offering all car fans another chance to experience these dreams on wheels in the adjoining parkland of Villa Erba. In addition to the models presented the previous day, there will also be numerous other prestigious classics on display in special exhibitions. Admission to Villa Erba, which is located in Cernobbio on Lake Como, is 10 euros (single), 20 euros (family ticket) or 8 euros (concessions).
We will have photos from the 2008 event in May. In the meantime, enjoy the huge number of photos from the Concorso d’Eleganza from 1999 through to 2007 in our gallery below. Click any of them to view in higher resolution or to start from the first photo in the gallery click here.
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