Pebble Beach Concours 2011 – Mercedes-Benz

overview

Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
Mercedes on display

By the time the apex of the frenetic Monterey week is reached Sunday, eyes are bleary, wallets are growing ever thinner and bank accounts have suffered substantially. However, all the auction results, overpriced chic events and non-stop posing fade to background noise once Sunday morning arrives. It’s then time for THE global concours event – Pebble Beach.

Hardcore enthusiasts arrive well before 7 am to view the cars rolling onto the lawn under Pebble’s typically grey gloom. After a reprimand from a CHP officer for daring to try stepping out of my cab above the Lodge, I leap out a few hundred feet further up the road as the cabbie slows to about 6 mph. The enormous crush of cars was being hustled in an endless loop through the forest that made no sense at all.

Clear of the cab and with no damage I made may way past the stream of glorious entrants serenely idling, overheating or silently rolling down the final stretch of asphalt before entering the lush green 18th fairway. The selection of cars is jarring in an electrifying manner. It’s what Pebble’s organizers strive for all year and is what sets the event apart from any other. There were about 39 Mercedes on the field this year and we present most of them below. This group of images provides a good opportunity to learn about the cars, particularly the pre-war models.

Gallery

  • The year's poster car, the Moss/Jenks 1955 300 SLR.
  • 1908 Mercedes-Benz 150 HP Race Car.
  • Blitzen Benz valve train provides some mechanical art against the placid Stillwater Cove.
  • 1927 Mercedes-Benz SSK Open Two Seater.
  • 1906 Mercedes 120 HP Grand Prix.
  • 1908 Benz Grand Prix.
  • 1911 Mercedes 50 HP Maythorn Five Passenger Tourer.
  • 1915 Mercedes 28/60 HP Towncar.
  • 1929 Mercedes-Benz S Tourer.
  • 1929 Mercedes-Benz 710 SS Touringwagen.
  • 1928 Mercedes-Benz SS Tourenwagan.
  • 1931 Mercedes-Benz 370S Mannheim Cabriolet(?)
  • 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Mayfair Roadster Special Roadster.
  • 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster. The first MB painted (467)tunis beige!
  • 1934 Mercedes-Benz 380K Zapon Roadster.
  • 1943 Mercedes-Benz 770K Pullmann Limousine. The last 770 constructed and restored in just 365 days.
  • 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster.
  • 1939 Mercedes-Benz S Erdmann & Rossi Cabriolet. Unusual coachwork featuring many 500/540K elements.
  • 1962 Mercedes-Benz 300SL noted in the catalogue as an alloy(?) Roadster.
  • 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing.
  • 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster. Last year - disc brakes - alloy block and extensive accessories.
  • 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing. The first Gullwing entrusted to the European press corps.
  • The Spellman roadster deserves another look. Ready for a ski trip to the Alps.
  • 1927 Mercedes-Benz S Rennwagen.
  • 1969 Mercedes-Benz 600 Presidential Landaulet
  • 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300Sc Cabriolet.
  • 1936 Mercedes-Benz 290 Cabriolet A. You see all the 500/540k styling cues in this 290.
  • 1929 Mercedes-Benz S Erdmann & Rossi Cabriolet.
  • 1928 Mercedes-Benz S Murphy Roadster. Sold last year at Gooding almost to the day and now restored.
  • 1904 Mercedes 28/32 HP Rear Entrance Tonneau.
  • 1922 Mercedes 28/95 HP Targa Florio Race car.
  • 1911 Benz 200 HP "Blitzen Benz."

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