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1931 Mercedes-Benz SSK Sport II news, pictures, and information | ||
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The Mercedes-Benz SSK was the fastest production car in the world when it was introduced. Power came from a six-cylinder supercharged overhead cam engine and only 38 examples were produced with 13 still in existence.
The Sport/2 had a factory-built body designed to take full advantage of all the chassis had to offer. The extraordinary long hood and cowl, the imposing V-core radiator, the large Bosch headlamps, a heavily louvered hood retained by leather straps, small folding windshields and the abundance of gauges shout speed, performance and style.
This SSK Sport/2 was originally sold to Count Carlos Levy Broglio of Paris, France on September 30th of 1930. Later it was returned to the factory and updated with a larger supercharger and special oil pump. In this form it was raced throughout Europe until 1934. In 1938 it was sold to an American, Alastair Bradley, who brought it to the United States for daily use. The current owners acquired the car in 1986 and have maintained it in original condition since.
In 1928 the Mercedes SSK was introduced and commonly referred to as 'The Mighty Mercedes' and 'The Fastest Sports Car in the World'. The name SSK stands for Super Sport Kurz, German meaning short. The naming convention for the SSK typically has numbers associated with them, such as 700 and 710. This represents the engine capacity, 7.0 liter and 7.1 liter respectively. It used a modified version of the Ferdinand Porsche designed S-type chassis that, when compared with the S and SS models, was about 19 inches shorter. The K-Type was mechanically identical to the four-seat 'touring' car, the SS. The vehicle had been lowered and the engine moved back to capitalize on better weight distribution. The vehicle was powered by a variety of engines including the 7.1 liter supercharged engine that produced 225 horsepower, and later 250 horsepower. There was room for a driver and passenger, spare tires, and tools.
The bodywork was mostly handled by the factory but often outfitted by European and American coachbuilders such Murphy.
The final series was the SSKL. By drilling holes in the chassis, the weight of the vehicle was decreased even further, although weakened the frame causing many to break. The engine became more powerful, now producing 300 horsepower. It was successfully campaigned in 1931 but a year later was unable to challenge modern vehicles like the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300.
During its production run, lasting from 1928 through 1932, between 31 and 35 examples were built with around half being factory-designated Rennwagens, or race cars.
By Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2006
blog comments powered by DisqusThe bodywork was mostly handled by the factory but often outfitted by European and American coachbuilders such Murphy.
The final series was the SSKL. By drilling holes in the chassis, the weight of the vehicle was decreased even further, although weakened the frame causing many to break. The engine became more powerful, now producing 300 horsepower. It was successfully campaigned in 1931 but a year later was unable to challenge modern vehicles like the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300.
During its production run, lasting from 1928 through 1932, between 31 and 35 examples were built with around half being factory-designated Rennwagens, or race cars.
By Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2006
 1931
Mercedes-Benz
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| Tags | |
| Bosch headlamps, V-core radiator, 1931, 1931 Mercedes-Benz, SSK Sport II | |
| Mercedes-Benz: 1931-1940 |
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