1908 Mercedes 150 HP Grand-Prix

Prior to the merger of Daimler and Benz, a process that began in 1925 and was formally consummated on June 26, 1926, the two German companies acted independently and both gravitated to national and international competition.

Before the T-head Mercer Raceabout gestated in the fertile mind of Finlay Robertson Porter and the Roebling family in New Jersey, Benz in Germany created advanced sports cars designed by Hans Nibel and Georg Diehl. Among them was the 105 HP Prinz Heinrich that contested a touring car race devised by Prince Heinrich of Prussia. Its torpedo-shaped body with its 105 horsepower engine had a top speed of 135 km/h. Displaying their versatility, these cars (approximately ten examples were built) raced in the Vanderbilt Cup race of 1910 and in the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911, in which it finished 18th.

The Blitzen Benz of 1909, built in Mannheim by Benz & Cie, employed a 21.5-liter engine that developed approximately 200 horsepower. Driven by Victor Hémery of France on November 9th of 1909, it set a land speed record of 226.91 km/h (141.00 mph) at Brooklands, a record that was not exceeded for ten years by any other vehicle.

Mercedes, a brand in the Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (DMG), was co-founded by Gottlieb Daimler. Shortly after the passing of Mr. Daimler on March 30, 1900, Wilhelm Bauer contested the Nice-La Turbie hill climb. After hitting a rock on the first turn and trying to avoid spectators, Bauer crashed and lost his life. Following this tragic accident, DMG abandoned racing. It was a brief retirement (about a month) as DMG was enticed by a large sum of money by Emil Jellinek to build a sports car. Designed by Wilhelm Maybach, it was known as the Mercedes 35 hp, and eventually 36 examples were built.

In 1901, Jellinek won the Nice races, prompting the director of the French Automobile Club, Paul Meyan, to say, 'We have entered the Mercedes era.' Albeit, Mercedes was not a trade name for DMG automobile models until June 23, 1902, and officially registered on September 26, 1902.

The 35 HP Mercedes was followed by the Mercedes Simplex 28 HP Tourer, and one of the features of the Maybach design was the new honeycomb radiator that continues to this day. The pioneering British racer, E.T. Stead, drove a 40 HP to first place in the 1902 La Turbie Hillclimb near Nice, reaching speeds of more than 60 mph and beating Georges Lemaitre and Wilhelm Werner, who were driving similar models.

Three large-capacity engine models were offered in the first year before the smaller 3-liter Mercedes Simplex 18/22 was launched in 1903. The Simplex name, intended to indicate how easy the new model was to drive, disappeared from Mercedes automobiles in 1905.

The 1908 Mercedes 150 HP

When Grand Prix racing began in 1906, Mercedes entered a three-car team at LeMans, and Otto Salzer went on to win the 5th Ardennes race. The 1908 Mercedes 150 HP race car, known as 'The Brookland,' was based on the 1906 Grand Prix car. Its four-cylinder engine displaced 828 cubic inches and produced 150 horsepower.

At the 1908 American Grand Prix race at Savannah on November 26, 1908, three 150 HP Benz racing cars were entered, driven by Fritz Erle, Victor Hemery, and Rene Hanriot. Erle retired early due to mechanical issues, but Hanriot placed 2nd, and Erle finished 4th.

Salzer drove a 150 HP Mercedes Rennwagen in the unlimited class of the Austrian Semmering Hill Climb in 1908 and 1909, setting a course record in the latter year. In October 1909, it contested a Belgian event by 'The Red Devil,' Camille Jenatzy, and came in third in a very competitive field.

During the early 1920s, the post-World War I depression would necessitate a merger between Daimler and Benz, bringing a temporary end to their racing efforts, re-focusing their combined performance development efforts behind the Mercedes, resulting in the Model K and Model S (and subsequent SS, SSK, and SSKL) which would forever establish the credentials of Mercedes-Benz at the pinnacle of high-performance luxury automobiles.

by Dan Vaughan

Race Car
Chassis number: 874

In 1906, Mercedes developed a race car that came to be known as the 'Brookland' for its accomplishments at that famed racetrack. Only three of these cars were ever built, but together they established the model's long and victorious racing legacy. Of that triumvirate, the featured Mercedes Grand-Prix is the sole survivor. Racing at Brookland, this car set record speeds of 89 mph in the standing ten miles and 96 mph in the flying half mile. This car was based on the firm's 1906 Grand Prix car, and was driven to victory by Otto Salzer in the 'unlimited' class of the Semmering hill climb in Austria in 1908 and 1909. Salzer's 1909 run of seven minutes and seven seconds broke the course record by a considerable margin. In October of the same year, it was driven to 3rd position in an event near Brussels by the famed Belgian driver Camille Jenatzy, shortly before it was acquired by a party in England and shipped in December of 1909 to Sydney, Australia where it was to remain for many years.

On July 7th of 1908, Christian Lautenschlager drove one of the other two Brooklands to victory in the French Grand Prix with an average speed of 69 mph, while Otto Salzer set the lap record of 79 mph in the other at the same race. Both cars boasted 140 horsepower engines.

In late July of 1908, this car's engine capacity was increased to produce 150 horsepower, and both Lautenschlager and Salzer went on to pilot this car to victories in 1909. Also in 1909, Camille Jenatzy drove a 150 HP Grand Prix car in the World Championship race at Tervouten.

Renowned driver, Ralph De Palma, took this model to numerous victories as well, and gave it its well-deserved nickname, the 'Gray Ghost.'