ROME – For once there is no need for a navigator to find the right address. Just arrive in Stuttgart and ask for Mercedesstraße: even the children know that at number 10 of this street, next to the gates of the main plant, there is the Mercedes Museum, a St. Peter’s car where every year – at least before the era Covid – thousands of enthusiasts go on pilgrimage.
Inside the imposing building in the shape of a double helix, just like a gigantic DNA, the whole history of the brand is contained, since in 1886 Carl Benz designed the first car. More than 160 cars of all types: from the oldest to the legendary racing specimens, to concept cars yet to be shipped to production. All arranged in 12 rooms for a total of 16,500 square meters where the ceilings extend for 33 meters without any support, with the sunlight coming in forcefully through 1800 triangular glass plates. Even the most experienced of explorers would get lost in the meanders of the palace, were it not for the fact that the route has been divided – in perfect Teutonic style – into two great journeys that correspond to two different narratives: Legend and Collection.
Legend in turn is developed in seven productions, arranged chronologically. The first two are dedicated to the origins and in fact they are called Pioneers – The Invention of the Automobile e Birth of the Brand, where the first really represents the prehistory of the car, when in the late 19th century Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach designed one of the first test vehicles for their small, high-speed internal combustion engine, the so-called Grandfather Clock. The saddle car – so called – was not only the first petrol vehicle, but also the first motorcycle in the world.
After prehistory the story begins, that is dedicated to the birth of the brand, where the Simplex 40 PS was exhibited, the oldest still existing Mercedes produced after Wilhelm Maybach’s 35 PS, the first car in the world of the modern era.
In the third production of Legend, entitled Times of Change, Diesel and Supercharger, those vintage cars are exhibited that make even those who are not passionate about engines shine bright eyes. Just to name one: the 26/120/180 PS Model S Touring a high-performance sports car that in 1927 ushered in the era of the S model series and of which 146 units were produced. The emotions also continue in the fourth section Post-war Miracle – Form and Diversity, dedicated to
German economic miracle after the Second World War, a miracle to which Daimler-Benz contributed significantly. Cars like the Adenauer or the Ponton – the basic model at the time – were at the top of the wish list of German citizens. In this exhibition one of the most famous cars in Mercedes history is exhibited: the 300 SL Coupé, better known as the Gullwing, that is Seagull’s wings due to its doors that opened from the bottom upwards. Presented in 1954, it was based on the 1952 racing version, so much so that its 215 hp 6-cylinder was able to project it at a maximum speed of 260 per hour.
The period between the sixties and eighties is described in the fifth exhibition, Visionaries – Safety and the Environment. A pivotal era during which men like design engineer Béla Barényi wrote an important chapter in the history of the car, developing the passenger safety cell. The queen of this section is undoubtedly the 230 SL, better known as Pagoda and the world‘s first sports car with a robust interior and crumple zones. Its 150 hp 6-cylinder engine was able to make it reach 199 km / h. 19,831 were produced between 1963 and 1967.
Finally, the last two productions of Legend are entitled New Start – The Road to Emission-free Mobility e Silver Arrows – Races & Records. The first is dedicated to the beginning of the great social and political changes, where a greater sensitivity to environmental issues acquires social importance. The response to these challenges translates into many technical solutions: the optimization of internal combustion engines and the development of alternative propulsion systems such as battery electric drive and fuel cell up to the production phase mark milestones on the road to mobility without emissions.
The successes in racing are instead part of the latest set-up (Silver Arrows – Races & Records). Since the first car race in 1894, Mercedes-Benz has repeatedly used sports competitions to demonstrate the performance and reliability of their cars. The pride of this set-up are the memorable “Silver Arrows”, which have become part of the history of motorsport of all time.
Once the long Legend journey is over, provided that they still have the strength, visitors can enter the other great narrative, the one called Collection. Unlike Legend where artificial light dominates, here the Mercedes wonders are shown in daylight in an order that is no longer chronological but topical, through 4 Galleries: Voyagers, Carriers, Helpers and Celebrities. While in the first three the entire journey of the star’s vehicles designed for travel and transport is exhibited, such as the first Buses or Car Transporters or the ancestors of commercial vehicles, the fourth Gallery named Celebrities has a completely different flavor: the automobile straddling the two world wars, which quickly became a status symbol, remaining the prerogative of rich and powerful men for a long time. Then representative cars such as the Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman State, a fully armored limousine with a raised roof produced in 1965. A car used for more than 30 years by Kings and Queens, Chancellors and Presidents on state visits, which comfortably seated on the seats rear in black leather decided the fate of the Old Continent and the fate of today’s European citizens. A destiny also written by the pen of Mercedes-Benz.
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