| GERMANY |
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| Two new – and very different – Mercedes models were displayed at the Berlin Motor Show in March 1934. One was the 130, Mercedes-Benz's first production car with a rear-mounted four-cylinder engine which developed 26 hp from a displacement of 1.3 liters. The other was the 500 K, an imposing, elegant sports car with supercharged eight-cylinder engine; with the supercharger engaged, it developed 160 hp from a displacement of 5,018 cc.
The 500 K was the successor to the 380 presented only one year earlier, and a descendant of the tremendously powerful, supercharged S, SS, SSK and SSKL sports cars – genuine muscle cars, as we would call them today, and virtually invincible in motor sport. The first 500 K – "K" for Kompressor = supercharger, to distinguish it from the 500 sedan without supercharger – had been designed as an elegant two- or four-seater sports car with roadster and cabriolet bodies tailored at the Daimler-Benz plant in Sindelfingen. The new supercharged Mercedes sports car appealed to well-heeled buyers because it was not only powerful but also more elegant, more comfortable and easier to handle than its predecessors – features welcomed in particular by the growing number of lady drivers. Daimler-Benz had laid the foundations for this type of car as early as 1933 by introducing the 380, the first Mercedes-Benz sports car with swing axle. It was the first car that pampered its occupants with independent wheel suspension; the latter featured a sensational world first, a double-wishbone front axle that combined with the double-joint swing axle introduced in the 170 as early as 1931. In this ground-breaking design, wheel location, springing and damping were for the first time separated from each other, creating a new level of precision in straight line stability. In its essence, this front axle, fitted like the rear axle with coil springs, has remained the design model for generations of automobiles throughout the world to this day, and it also featured in the 500 K, of course. With the exception of first gear, both the standard four-speed and the optional five-speed transmissions were synchronized. A single-plate dry clutch linked the engine with the powertrain which transmitted engine power to the rear wheels. The car rolled along on wire-spoke wheels which were as elegant as they were robust. All these features combined to permit a top speed of 160 kilometers per hour – a dream for sports cars in that day and age. The penalty was paid in the form of fuel consumption: between 27 and 30 liters were blown through the carburetor on 100 kilometers. The 110-liter tank in the rear gave the car a decent radius of action. To meet the individual wishes of the demanding customers, three chassis variants were available for the 500 K: two long versions and one short wheelbase. The long variant, the so-called normal chassis with the radiator directly above the front axle, served as the backbone for the four-seater cabriolets "B" (with four side windows) and "C" (with two side windows) and, at a later stage, also for touring cars and sedans. The roadsters, the two-seater cabriolet "A" (with two side windows) and the ultra-modern, streamlined Motorway Courier, the first car with curved side windows and classified by the manufacturer as a sports sedan, were set up on a chassis on which radiator, engine, cockpit and all rearward modules were moved 185 millimeters back from the front axle. This configuration was a concession to the zeitgeist, a small trick that created the visual impression of a particularly long front-end and, therefore, the desired sporting appeal. The most ravishing model of this species was the two-seater 500 K special roadster launched in 1936, a masterpiece in terms of its styling, with inimitably powerful and elegant lines. It has been filling onlookers with enthusiasm to this day, reflecting, as it does, the spirit of its day and age as well as the design perfection of the 500 K models. The short-wheelbase chassis was used only for a few two-seaters with special bodies. On these models, the radiator was back right above the front axle, and the models carried the designations 500 K sports roadster, sports cabriolet and sports coupe. No matter what version of the 500 K you look at, the elegance of its body sends people into raptures even today: every single one had been given its own, unparalleled personality by the ingenious coachbuilders in Sindelfingen. Only a few customers opted for bodywork tailored by independent bodybuilders to their own wishes especially since the Sindelfingers rose above themselves in accommodating the customers' special wishes, for instance for individual fender versions, rear-end designs or interior appointments. Within two years, 342 units of the 500 K were produced. In response to the virtually insatiable craving for performance on the part of well-heeled customers all over the world, the 500 K was replaced in 1936 by the 540 K with supercharged 180 hp engine. This model was sold to 319 motoring enthusiasts. The history of supercharged Mercedes-Benz cars goes back to World War II and has its roots in aero engine production. Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft had introduced mechanical air compressors which supercharged the engines and thereby compensated for the power loss of aero engines at higher altitudes, ensuring their stable performance. |
| TL 1934 500k motorway courier TR 1935 Sports Sedan White car 1936 Special Roadster Brown car 1936 500k Roadster Red car 1936 500k Convertable |
| Two examples of the Mercedes 1938 540K |
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| The Porsche story starts in the late 1940's, as automotive engineer Ferdinand Porsche builds the 356/1 Roadster. The sports car was in part spawned from his Volkswagen Beetle project, thus sharing the familiar 'bug-eyes', rear engine, horizontally opposed cylinder configuration, and air cooling. The early 356's began production with the 356 Gmund, in, well, the town of Gmund, Austria. After those first 52 cars, full production began and the model was known simply as the 356. Incidentally, the name came from the project number - Ferdinand Porsche's company had carried out 355 previous engineering projects.
Porsche began one of its many traditions with the 356, namely keeping a fundamental model and subtly changing it, while also offering many choices. The 356 came as a Coupe, Cabriolet, Roadster, Roadster Hardtop, and Speedster, as well as having numerous engine choices. The car evolved into the 356 A, then 356 B, and finally 356 C. After almost 20 years of only 356 production (aside from race cars such as the legendary 550 Spyder) Porsche introduced what was to be its defining car, the 911. The 911 was a clear evolution of the 356, sporting the same rear engine / rear wheel drive configuration, air cooled horizontally opposed engine, but sported 6 cylinders instead of 4. The 911's engine grew from 2.0 to 2.2 to 2.4 to 2.7 liters of displacement within 10 years. Variations grew on the 911 as well, with the basic 911 and later 911 T, the intermediate 911 E, and the top of the range 911 S, with special models such as the 911 Carrera RS 2.7 sometimes offered as well. A 356-like replacement was also crafted, the 912, which was basically a 911 with a 356's 4-cylinder engine. In the early 70's, the 914 was introduced, a small open top sports car, which was developed in partnership with VW (Volkswagen). The car was successful commercially, yet the 911 was still the company's main seller, which was then known as the 911 SC. Porsche was worried that the 911 might not be able to sustain the company, so they introduced the 928 as its eventual replacement, a V8 'grand tourer,' with more luxury and less sport. Although the 928 was long lived and went through its evolutions, it never did replace the 911. At around that time, the 924 also appeared, a 4-cylinder car built in conjunction with VW (as with the 914 a few years earlier). The 924 grew into the 944, another front engined 4-cylinder car, which itself eventually evolved in the 968. The 924 and 944 has Turbo versions, internally known as the 931 and 951, respectively, while the 944 and 968 offered Convertible versions as well. Back to the 911: in the late 70's, the 911 Turbo Carrera was introduced, known internally as the type 930. After a few years, it became known simply as the 911 Turbo, a model that's still with us. By now, the 911 also had a 911 Targa, half-coupe, half-convertible featuring removable roof panels and extended use of glass. By the 1980's, the 911 would also spawn a 911 Cabriolet (or Convertible). At the time, the 911 could be identified as the 911 3.2, again based on its engine displacement. At the end of the 1980's, a new 911 was introduced, the 964 (the internal type, such as 964, is often used by enthusiasts to identify 911's? unfortunately, before the 964, no such naming system was in place, so engine displacement is used). The 964 introduced an innovation from Porsche's 959 supercar, namely all-wheel-drive, in the Carrera 4 (that is, driving all 4 wheels). Again, the Carrera's base Coupe offering was accompanied by a Targa, Convertible, and Turbo. The 911 would then develop into the 993 in the mid-90's, which many regard as the epitome of the 911: timeless styling, small size, and the last of the air cooled engines. This generation's 911 Turbo sported all-wheel-drive for the first time in a Turbo, harnessing the ever-growing power. The 993 gave way to the 996 in the late 90's, which brought many changes, introducing non-'bug-eye' headlights, water cooling, and a larger overall size - changes which many Porsche enthusiasts did not take well to. The fact that the newly introduced mid-engined Boxster roadster, a lower-priced model, shared the 996's looks also did the new 911 no favors. Regardless, the 996 overcame, with brilliant models such as the practical-supercar 911 Turbo, the outrageous 911 GT2 and the purist 911 GT3. And thus we come to the present day and see the Porsche lineup revitalized in 2004 with the 997, which has been introduced in 911 Carrera and 911 Carrera S forms. Porsche (in another Porsche-VW project) also hopped on the SUV bandwagon with the technically impressive Cayennes (V6 Cayenne, V8 Cayenne S, and V8 Twin-Turbo Cayenne Turbo)? and, perhaps in penance for this bleak act, unleashed the astonishing Carrera GT supercar. While that covers the production models, a large part of the Porsche allure is built on its racing exploits. Along the way, Porsche has developed some remarkably successful racing cars, notably the 550 Spyder in the 50's, the 917 and 935 in the 70's, the 956 and 962 in the 80's, and the 911 GT1 in the 90's. Naturally, the 356 and 911 - along with most other production models - were also involved in motorsport all along, with practically every model having some type of racing derivative. |
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| PORSCHE 356 |
| PORSCHE CARRERA |
| PORSCHE 911 TURBO |
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| AMG's 5.4-liter supercharged SL55 V-8 as well as the SL600 twin-turbo V-12 are rated at 493 horsepower, with the SL55 making 516 pound-feet and the V-12, 590. And the upcoming SL65 AMG's 6.5-liter twin-turbo V-12 ups horsepower to 612. The SLR, assembled only in left-hand-drive versions by McLaren in Woking, England, retunes the SL55 supercharged V-8 to 626 horsepower and 575 pound-feet.
Is that extra thrust worth three times the price of the SL55, which only takes another 0.6 second or so to reach 60 mph? That's too rational a question for this car. The point (besides to link itself with McLaren, a decade after archrival BMW did) is to shave a half-ton-plus off those heavy-metal Benzes with a high-tech carbon-fiber body. Ninety-five percent of the body structure is carbon fiber, and curb weight is 3733 pounds. The SLR is the closest thing to a Formula One McLaren Mercedes MP4 you can buy. Or, as Mercedes says, the SLR "easily keeps pace with a roadgoing race car," while carrying a couple of golf bags in its trunk . The car's controversial nose is designed to evoke the McLaren Mercedes MP4. That dual nature is confusing. The car's styling is, to use a euphemism, controversial. Its long dash-to-axle distance, low two-seat cabin, short rear deck, and F1-inspired nose trades good looks for functional style. Other details, like the scissors-style doors (a practical reference to the legendary 300SLR Uhlenhaut coupe's gullwings), single-piece carbon-fiber bucket-seat shell, and pop-up rear-deck spoiler/airbrake, suggest something that might require an F1 pilot's license to drive smoothly--until you get behind the wheel, flip up a cover on the gearshift knob to press the starter button, and shift it into drive. A five-speed electronically controlled automatic, with TouchShift, is the only transmission available. |
| THE 21ST CENTURY SLR MCLAREN MERCEDES |