Mercedes-Benz at London to Brighton Veteran Car Run
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1902 Mercedes-Simplex 40 PS
1904 Mercedes-Simplex 28/32 PS
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Mercedes-Benz
4th November, 2010
- Only vehicles built before 1904 are eligible to take part
- Around 500,000 spectators expected to line the route
- Two Mercedes-Simplex cars to be with 550 cars for the 96-kilometre course
The first week-end in November hosts a firm fixture in the international classic car calendar: the world-famous
London to Brighton Veteran Car Run in England. At the 2010 event, to be held on 7th November, "Mercedes-Benz
Classic" will be entering two vehicles – a 1902 Mercedes-Simplex racing car and a 1904 Mercedes-Simplex touring
car.
The 2010 event will take place just a couple of months before celebrations get underway to mark the 125th
anniversary of the invention of the automobile in January 2011. Not long after Carl Benz invented the first
automobile in 1886, automotive design took the decisive step from what was essentially a motorised carriage to
something resembling the modern vehicle – of which the Mercedes-Simplex cars are two outstanding examples.
The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run is held exclusively for vehicles built before 1904. The oldest car to
enter this year’s event dates from 1894. The annual event marks the Emancipation Run of 14th November 1896, which
was organised in celebration of a new law that raised the maximum permitted speed for automobiles from walking
pace of 6.4 km/h (4 miles per hour) to 22.4 km/h (16 miles per hour). The new law also abolished the requirement
that vehicles be preceded by a man waving a red flag.
This year the annual event, held over a 96-kilometre (60-mile) course, has attracted 550 vehicle entries. As
many as 500,000 spectators are expected to line the route. The start is in London’s Hyde Park, where the first of
the vehicles will depart at sunrise, calculated by the Meteorological Office to be at 7.04 a.m. this year. From
there, the cars will head to a 'check point' in Crawley, before setting out on the second half of the route
towards the Channel coast and the finishing line on Brighton’s grand promenade, Madeira Drive.
All vehicles will take part in an eve-of-event concours from 11.00 a.m. until 3.00 p.m. on London’s Regent
Street on Saturday, 6th November 2010, when each car will be individually introduced and spectators will have an
opportunity for closer inspection.
Mercedes-Simplex: the modern automobile
The two Mercedes-Benz Classic cars taking part this year come from the company’s own collection. From 1901 to
1905, Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft had a range of automobiles bearing the Simplex designation at
Stuttgart-Untertürkheim. These vehicles had two things in common: they were all designed by Wilhelm Maybach, and
they were superior to all other cars of the day. For they embodied the decisive design step that elevated them
from motorised carriage to purpose-built car.
The most notable technical features of the Mercedes-Simplex were its four-cylinder, front-mounted engine with
cylinders cast in pairs, the U-section pressed steel frame, a low centre of gravity, honeycomb radiator and
inclined steering column. These features are what lent the vehicle the familiar car-like appearance that
distinguished it from contemporary carriage-type automobiles. Along with the 38/40 hp Mercedes-Simplex, the 28/32
hp was the more compact automobile.
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Technical data for the 38/40 hp Mercedes-Simplex racing car
Year of construction: 1902
Cylinders: 4 (in-line)
Displacement: 6,558 cm3
Output: 40 hp (29 kW) at 1,050 rpm
Top speed: approx. 75 km/h
Technical data for the 28/32 hp Mercedes-Simplex touring car
Year of construction: 1904
Cylinders: 4 (in-line)
Displacement: 5,315 cm3
Output: 32 hp (24 kW) at 1,200 rpm
Top speed: approx. 60 km/h
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