“Two letters, one legend: SL”. The tactilely refinedtitle page of the new Mercedes-Benz Classic Magazine already promises plenty – readers can feel the radiator grille with their fingertips. It depicts the oldest sports cars with this magic model designation, the 1952 300 SL racing car (W 194) with chassis number 002. It all started with this model series and each SL generation that followed continued with the tradition, now spanning almost seventy years. Unsurprisingly then that this has not only created a history, but also stories about fans and their vehicles.
Mercedes-Benz Classic Magazine has collected no less than four articles centring around the title story of the current edition. It tells the story of Hans Werner Aufrecht, who describes the great pleasure of driving a 300 SL Roadster (W 198), the tale of Lilian and Christian Werner, who aim to take their 230 SL (W 113) to the starting grid of the legendaryCarrera Panamericana in Mexico next year, the story of Jürgen Müller, who raves about the eight-cylinder engine of his 450 SL (R 107), and the account of Wolfgang Rosenbaum, who owns not one, but two R 129 model series SLs. One thing becomes very clear from all of this: the SL legend lives on.
Artistically Staged Vehicle Details
Art enthusiasts will once again appreciate this issue of Mercedes-Benz Classic Magazine as the details of several vehicles have once again been skilfully staged: the Mercedes star of a 300 S Cabriolet A (W 188), the elegantly curved tensioning arm of a 300 d Cabriolet (W 189) soft top, the perfectly integrated C-network in-car telephone of a 560 SEL (W 126) and the delicately designed seat adjustment switches of the 221 model series S-Class almost seem as if out of this world. These elements – originating from several different decades – demonstrate the brand’s high standards in terms of transferring design-based precision to its vehicles. Photographer Igor Panitz created these images.
Graffiti Artist Dennis Klapschus’ Black S 500
Art, part 2: The 140 model series S-Class will be celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. On this occasion, Mercedes-Benz Classic Magazine visits graffiti artist Dennis Klapschus. He is well-known beyond Germany’s bordersfor his virtuoso handling of colours and spray paint cans. However, one item is a no-go: his own, black S 500. He enjoys this vehicle as part of his everyday life. How did he come to own it and what does Klapschus think of the saloon? Read all about it in the great article featuring multicoloured illustrations in Mercedes-Benz Classic Magazine.
More Than 4,500 Documents From The Brand’s History
Portrait: Gerrit Den Hollander has dedicated his time to a very special type of brand history. The Dutchman has been collecting brochures and leaflets as well as press and sales documents by Benz, Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and Mercedes-Benz for the past 40 years. It all adds up to a considerable collection. But the enthusiastisn’t keeping these treasures to himself, he is showcasing them to the worldwide community on his website. A genuine treasure trove, just a few clicks away.
Knowledge Test, World Tour, Club of America
These are not all the stories in the latest issue of Mercedes-Benz Classic Magazine. Others include:
- Which vehicle’s front end matches which rear end? A guessing game or test of your knowledge
- Around the world in five and a half years, covering over 250,000 kilometres – a Mercedes-Benz 190 (W 201) as the reliable partner of a young couple travelling to places far away
- “Luxury, perfection, safety and open-mindedness”: This sums up Tommy Amaker’s passion for Mercedes-Benz. He is a member of Mercedes-Benz Club of America and coaches the Harvard University basketball team
Mercedes-Benz Classic Magazine Issue 1/2021 will be published on 28th May 2021 in German and English. Subscribe to the hard copy or view it online at https://www.mercedes-benz.com/de/classic/classic-magazin-bestellen/.
This magazine – centring around classics, the brand’s history and the culture of automotive Mercedes-Benz classics – has been published since 2002. The magazine is designed on behalf of the company and produced by Looping Group. Number 62 is the current issue.
About Author
