Tag Archives: mercedes

1911 Mercedes Double Phaeton

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1911 Mercedes 22/40HP Colonial Double Phaeton

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Coral Gables, Florida | February 2025

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Daimler shifted to shaft drive in early 1908. The first such car was the 35hp, which was the successor to the chain-driven 35hp model before it. In 1909, the 35hp begat the 21/35hp, which in 1910 became the 22/40hp. Midway through 1913, it was renamed the 22/50hp. That car would be available through 1920.

Power is from a 5.6-liter inline-four rated at 40 horsepower. Mercedes would also offer a “Colonial” version that retained the dual chain drive of yore. That’s what this car has. It was probably necessary for the rough circa 1911 roads of Buenos Aires, where it was delivered new.

From Argentina, it entered the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum collection in 1971. It was restored thereafter, but that work is now showing its age. Some work is required, but that won’t stop RM from boasting about an estimate of $150,000-$250,000. More info can be found here.

Mercedes 17-Liter Rennwagen

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1908 Mercedes 150 HP Semmering Rennwagen

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Coral Gables, Florida | February, 2025

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The famous Brooklands circuit in England held some… Formula Libre-style races back in its heyday. This meant that the cars were not required to meet Grand Prix regulations. So Paul Daimler built a monster 15.4-liter inline-four. The entered one of these cars at the Semmering hill climb in Austria, winning it with driver Otto Salzer

The next year they updated the two “Semmering” cars built with that engine to a displacement of 17.3 liters. Output was rated at 150 horsepower, a monster sum for the time. Salzer won at Semmering again in 1909, setting a time that wouldn’t be bested again until 1934.

The car later made its way to Australia before heading to California in the 1950s. It was sold to the pre-Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum for $30,000 in 1964. It’s now offered from the museum with an estimate of $7,000,000-$9,000,000. RM says the car is a one-off, Mercedes own website says two were built. Click here for more info.

Mercedes 35 PS

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1910 Mercedes 35 PS Landaulette

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | December 2024

Photo – Bonhams

Mercedes: Wilhelm Maybach, Emil Jellinek, and Paul Daimler helped design the original Mercedes 35 HP in 1901. It was a revolutionary thing, and is often considered the first “modern car.” It’s what set Mercedes on the path of being one of the finest machines in the world. They’d team up with Benz in the 1920s.

35 PS: In 1908, a new 35 HP Mercedes appeared. While the original 35 HP model was chain driven, this new era of cars featured driveshafts. Even more modern. Built in 1908 and 1909, the 35 HP was powered by a 5.3-liter inline-four rated at, well, 35 horsepower. Top speed was around 43 mph.

This car wears landaulet coachwork, which was one of three styles offered by the factory. While it has been restored, it features a replacement engine from an earlier Mercedes displacing 8.5 liters. The body is also said to not be the original configuration. The estimate is $130,000-$250,000. More info can be found here.

Mercedes Indianapolis

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1923 Mercedes Type 122 Indianapolis Racer

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Munich, Germany | November 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

This is a Mercedes open-wheel race car. Not a Mercedes-Benz. Not a Mercedes-AMG. Mercedes. In 1922, Daimler started development of a racing engine for the 2-Litre European Formula, which the Indianapolis 500 was going to adopt for 1923. This meant Mercedes could go racing at the Brickyard.

That 2.0-liter inline-four was supercharged and was rated in period at 150 horsepower, but that is, by Mercedes’ own admission, what it made after a few years of development. On the grid at Indy, the motor put out about 125 horsepower with the supercharger engaged.

Mercedes sent four such cars to Indy for 1923. The competition history for this chassis, number 26913, includes:

  • 1923 Indianapolis 500 – 8th (with Max Sailer, although his nephew Karl Sailer drove relief from lap 73 through 200)

The American Mercedes Company held on to the car after the race, and it later changed hands a few times before finding itself entered in the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup. But it was too outdated and did not compete. In the 1950s it was the property of Henry Austin Clark Jr. In the late ’70s it was in a Japanese collection, from which it was purchased by Bernie Ecclestone in 1995. It moved to its current collection the following year.

The car got a $200,000 engine rebuild in 2011 and now has an estimate of $4,150,000-$5,500,000. It also comes with a spare period body. Click here for more info.

Mercedes 28/95 Sport

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1921 Mercedes 28/95 Sport

Offered by Aguttes | Brussels, Belgium | October 2024

Photo – Aguttes

Mercedes, in its pre-Benz days, launched the 28/95 model in 1914 – just prior to the outbreak of WWI. Like, they only got 25 cars out before the war came, so production stopped and then resumed, with another 550 built before 1924.

It was the first Mercedes with four-wheel brakes (starting in 1923). The engine is a 7.3-liter inline-six that was rated at 90 horsepower in Sport form. And it was sporty: examples raced competitively at the Targo Florio.

This particular car retains a real 28/95 engine, transmission, and axles. It has a modified chassis (Sport cars had a shortened chassis and a lower radiator). This car has a radiator from a different Mercedes and a recreation body in the style of the Targa Florio cars. The estimate is $335,000-$555,000. More info can be found here.

Mercedes 10/40/65 Sports

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1924 Mercedes 10/40/65PS Sports

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | July 2024

Photo – Bonhams

Mercedes didn’t team up with Benz until 1926. But before that, Emil Jellink’s Mercedes produced some fine cars. Finer than most Benzes. Mercedes launched the 10/40hp in 1921 and would update it to the 10/40/65hp in 1924, the model’s final year of production.

Power is provided by a 2.6-liter inline-four that was rated at 65 horsepower with the supercharger engaged. This car was sold new in Germany and remained in Romania from essentially new until 1989, with about 30 years of that on museum duty.

It was 1989 that it came back to Germany and then the U.S., where it was restored in 1991. It was originally bodied as a cabriolet and now wears “SSK-lite” sports bodywork. It has an estimate of $100,000-$180,000. Read more here.

Force India VJM08

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2015 Force India VJM08B

Offered by Bonhams | Chichester, U.K. | September 17, 2022

Photo – Bonhams

Another Bonhams sale in England and another car from the former Force India reserves. The VJM08 was the car used by the Sahara Force India F1 Team during the 2015 season, during which the team employed drivers Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg. They upgraded the car to VJM08B spec after the first eight races. That upgrade was just revised aerodynamics.

Mercedes engines were used in conjunction with the VJM08 chassis. Mercedes, naturally, also used that power source, as did Williams and Lotus. This car no longer has an engine. It is chassis #2, and its competition history includes:

  • 2015 Australian Grand Prix – 10th (with Sergio Perez)
  • 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix – 13th (with Perez)
  • 2015 Chinese Grand Prix – 11th (with Perez)
  • 2015 Bahrain Grand Prix – 8th (with Perez)
  • 2015 Spanish Grand Prix – 13th (with Perez)
  • 2015 Monaco Grand Prix – 7th (with Perez)
  • 2015 Canadian Grand Prix – 11th (with Perez)
  • 2015 Austrian Grand Prix – 9th (with Perez)
  • 2015 British Grand Prix – 9th (with Perez)
  • 2015 Hungarian Grand Prix – 13th, DNF (with Perez)
  • 2015 Belgian Grand Prix – 5th (with Perez)
  • 2015 Italian Grand Prix – 6th (with Perez)
  • 2015 Singapore Grand Prix – 7th (with Perez)
  • 2015 Japanese Grand Prix – 12th (with Perez)
  • 2015 Russian Grand Prix – 3rd (with Perez)
  • 2015 United States Grand Prix – 5th (with Perez)
  • 2015 Mexican Grand Prix – 8th (with Perez)
  • 2015 Brazilian Grand Prix – 12th (with Perez)
  • 2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – 5th (with Perez)

It can now be yours, as a roller of course. The estimate is $60,000-$82,500. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $89,919.

McLaren MP4-17

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2002 McLaren-Mercedes MP4-17

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | St. Moritz, Switzerland | September 17, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

McLaren-Mercedes was a pretty solid chassis/engine combo in Formula One about 10-20 years ago. The MP4-17 was actually used in two slightly different configurations over two seasons. There was the initial car (later retroactively dubbed “MP4-17A”) that was used for 2002, and there was 2003’s updated car, the MP4-17D.

This chassis (#06) debuted in 2002 and was later upgraded to “D” spec. Power is from a 3.0-liter Mercedes-Benz V10 good for 845 horsepower. The competition history for this chassis includes:

  • 2002 European Grand Prix – 3rd (with Kimi Raikkonen)
  • 2002 British Grand Prix – 14th, DNF (with Raikkonen)
  • 2002 French Grand Prix – 2nd (with Raikkonen)
  • 2002 German Grand Prix – 11th, DNF (with Raikkonen)
  • 2002 Hungarian Grand Prix – 4th (with Raikkonen)
  • 2002 United States Grand Prix – 3rd (with David Coulthard)
  • 2002 Japanese Grand Prix – 18th, DNF (with Coulthard)
  • 2003 Australian Grand Prix – 1st (with Coulthard)
  • 2003 San Marino Grand Prix – 2nd (with Raikkonen)
  • 2003 Spanish Grand Prix – 20th (with Raikkonen)
  • 2003 Monaco Grand Prix – 7th (with Coulthard)
  • 2003 Japanese Grand Prix – 2nd (with Raikkonen)

The car was also used as a test car here and there. Once its competitive career was over, the car was backdated to “17A” spec, in which it currently exists. It is expected to sell for between $2,200,000-$2,750,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $2,136,444.

Force India VJM-04

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2011 Force India-Mercedes VJM-04

Offered by Bonhams | Chichester, U.K. | July 9, 2021

Photo – Bonhams

You don’t often see “current” F1 cars coming up for sale (although we did just feature a 2010 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes). This is one of the most recent such cars I can remember coming up for public sale. And it’s being offered directly from Force India’s successor team, what is now known as Aston Martin F1.

Force India was formed ahead of the 2008 season by Vijay Mallya after buying the Spyker team, and they were around through 2018 when the company was purchased by Lawrence Stroll and renamed Racing Point (which has since been rebranded as Aston Martin). The VJM04 was from the team’s third full season as a constructor and featured a 2.4-liter Mercedes V8 as well as a McLaren-sourced seven-speed gearbox. This car also had a Kinetic Energy Recovery System. Unfortunately, this one is a roller. No drivetrain included.

The competition history for this chassis, 02, includes:

  • 2011 Australian Grand Prix – 10th (with Paul di Resta)
  • 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix – 10th (with di Resta)
  • 2011 Chinese Grand Prix – 11th (with di Resta)
  • 2011 Turkish Grand Prix – 23rd, DNF (with di Resta)
  • 2011 Spanish Grand Prix – 12th (with di Resta)
  • 2011 Monaco Grand Prix – 12th (with di Resta)
  • 2011 Canadian Grand Prix – 18th, DNF (with di Resta)
  • 2011 European Grand Prix, Valencia – 14th (with di Resta)
  • 2011 British Grand Prix – 15th (with di Resta)
  • 2011 German Grand Prix – 13th (with di Resta)
  • 2011 Hungarian Grand Prix – 7th (with di Resta)
  • 2011 Belgian Grand Prix – 11th (with di Resta)
  • 2011 Italian Grand Prix – 8th (with di Resta)
  • 2011 Singapore Grand Prix – 6th (with di Resta)
  • 2011 Japanese Grand Prix – 12th (with di Resta)
  • 2011 Korean Grand Prix – 10th (with di Resta)
  • 2011 Indian Grand Prix – 13th (with di Resta)
  • 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – 9th (with di Resta)
  • 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix – 8th (with di Resta)

So yeah, it ran the whole damned season with Paul di Resta. And had eight top 10 finishes and only one accident (Canada). Despite its lack of podiums, it’s still a pretty incredible machine. And it carries a nostalgic “classic” Force India livery. The pre-sale estimate is $120,000-$180,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Withdrawn.

Update: Sold, Bonhams Goodwood 2022, $105,560.

McLaren MP4-25

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2010 McLaren-Mercedes MP4-25

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Silverstone, U.K. | July 17, 2021

Photo – RM Sotheby’s (OBVIOUSLY)

Booo your lame watermark, RM Sotheby’s. I have no patience for that kind of old-school internet garbage. Anyway, this one-car auction will be a pretty remarkable opportunity for some well-heeled individual to acquired the first-ever F1-race-winning car driven by Lewis Hamilton to come to market.

The dude has won 98 races. 98! And that’s as of this writing… he’ll probably have a few more by the time this thing sells. But this isn’t one of the boring, show-killing Mercedes Silver Arrows, this is a McLaren. From back when Lewis actually had to try. The 2010 season was a good one. Five drivers won races, but it was kind of a toss-up as to who would win every week. Vettel won the championship with Red Bull, but Alonso was right there in a Ferrari. Hamilton was fourth in the driver’s championship, just ahead of his teammate Jenson Button.

The MP4-25 was powered by a Mercedes FO 108X 2.4-liter V8. Hamilton won three races in 2010, including the Turkish Grand Prix in this car. It is unclear what other races it competed in, as RM has yet to publish a full lot description. The pre-sale estimate here is $5,000,000-$7,000,000. It’s also unclear who is selling the car and how, if it isn’t McLaren themselves, it escaped the factory’s control. The world in which a random person propositions a major F1 team to purchase a previous season’s race-winning car is quite a different world than the one in which I spend my days. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $6,503,035.