1912 Mercedes Model 28/50 PS Town Car

The financial backers of the Daimler Motoren Gessellschaft Company felt that it was best to focus on stationary engines. This did not stop Gottlieb Daimler and his colleague Wilhelm Maybach from experimenting with automobiles. By 1895 they had put several models into production. Though very new to the automobile production business, they were able to offer five different engines, each with several types of bodies. What was lacking early on was a sporty model. This void was filled when Emile Jellinek, an Austrian-born entrepreneur and Daimler agent, offered his services. He had raced a Daimler in the 1900 Nice Automobile Week, but came away disappointed and wanting a faster vehicle. He pressed the company to build a lightweight vehicle with a powerful engine. Hoping to entice the company even further, he undertook an order of 36 such cars. One stipulation with the order was that he was to be given the exclusive sales franchise for Austro-Hungary, France, Belgium and America. Another part of the deal was the naming rights - to be named for his eleven year-old daughter Mercedes. Daimler Motoren Gessellschaft accepted the terms.

The resulting Mercedes cars had a front-engine design with power being sent to the rear wheels via a chain. The engine sizes ranged from six to nine liters giving 40 to 60 Pferdestarke (German for horsepower and abbreviated PS). A smaller 1760cc, 8PS cars were also made available.

In 1905, the 15/20 PS became the first Mercedes vehicle to use shaft drive, a design feature that would soon find its way throughout the company's model range. The large sporting cars, however, continued to use chains.

The Daimler factory was rewarded for their endeavors in 1908 when Christian Lautenschlager won the French Grand Prix while driving a 140-hosrepower Mercedes.

Designed for the track, the Mercedes cars were equally suitable for boulevard driving. European heads of state began using them for official travel, including Kaiser Wilhelm Ii and King Leopold of Belgium.

From early on, the American market was important for the Mercedes Company. By 1904, a quarter of Mercedes production was being sent to America. It was not long before a plant was established at Long Island City, New York to aid in production. After a factory in 1907, U.S. production ceased.

The 1912 Mercedes 28/50 PS Town Car
This Mercedes was most likely sent to the United States in chassis form and delivered to Brewster & Co. where it received its town car body. The early history of the car is not known; some believe that its original owner may have been John Jacob Astor IV who lost his life on the Titanic in 1912. Official records state that this car was delivered in bare chassis form to London, England in 1913. It carried engine number is 16081. After its stay in England, it was sent to New York City in 1914.

In 1937, the car was purchased by Alec Ulmann. The next owner was Charlie stitch. By 1991, it was in the care of a Japanese collector. It returned to the United States six years later. Its stay in the US was brief, as it was soon sent to the Automuseum Deventer in the Netherlands. The next owner was a Massachusetts collector named Howard Fafard, before coming into the care of its present owner.

The car has an older restoration. There are period Westinghouse air shock absorbers, a four-speed manual transmission, water-cooled driveshaft brake, and a wheelbase that measures 135 inches. The engine is a T-head four-cylinder engine (cast in pairs) rated at 50 horsepower.

In 2011, the car was offered for sale at the Hershey Auction presented by RM Auctions. It was estimated to sell for $225,000 - $275,000. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $253,000 inclusive of buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2011