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ottobre 31, 2019 - Mercedes-Benz

Four gold awards for Mercedes-Benz at "Auto Bild Klassik" readers' awards

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Mercedes-Benz received the “Goldener Klassiker” (golden classic) award no less than four times on 29 October 2019: Readers of the “Auto Bild Klassik” magazine voted the S-Class series 126, introduced in 1979, in the saloon category, the series R 129 SL, presented in 1989, in the cabriolet and roadster category, and the G-Class, which has been rolling off the production line for the past 40 years, in the cross-country vehicle category, as their favourites. The fourth award in the “Discovery of the year” category went to the spectacular barn find in Florida that uncovered a 1954 300 SL “Gullwing” (W 198). ALL TIME STARS, the #mercedesbenz Classic vehicle trading platform, sold this outstanding classic at Techno Classica 2019 in Essen.

Stuttgart. “We are proud and grateful that we received four gold awards from ‘Auto Bild Klassik’ readers this year,” Christian Boucke, Head of #mercedesbenz Classic, is delighted to report: At the “Goldener Klassiker” (golden classic) award ceremony on 29 October 2019 at the Stuttgart-based Porsche Museum, three series and an individual vehicle of the brand with the star received the renowned prize.

The following persons accepted the awards at the award ceremony: Alexandra Süß, Head of #mercedesbenz Classic Archives and Collections (W 126), Patrik Gottwick, responsible for ALL TIME STARS (300 SL barn find), Julia Höfel, Head of #mercedesbenz Classic Communications (R 129) and Peter Schoren, Head of G-Class Sales and Product Management (G-Class).

Around 100 candidates in a total of twelve categories took part in this year’s “Goldener Klassiker” (golden classic). Readers of the specialist magazine cast their vote to nominate winners. The year 2019 saw the tenth edition of the “Goldener Klassiker” (golden classic).

Original ALL TIME STARS barn find

Mercedes-Benz’s success with series that are celebrating an anniversary in 2019 is overwhelming: In this context, the brand came out top in three of five categories. In the saloon category, the 126 series S-Class (40th anniversary) was successful and in the cabriolet and roadster category, the R 129 series SL (30th anniversary) beat the competition to the top spot. In the cross-country vehicle category, the G-Class (40th anniversary) was voted to the top spot, a vehicle to which #mercedesbenz Museum is currently paying its due respect as part of the “G-Schichten” (G stories) special exhibition.

Readers voted in favour of a 300 SL “Gullwing” in its original “barn find” condition as the “Discovery of the year”. This vehicle from the ALL TIME STARS portfolio, the #mercedesbenz Classic vehicle trading platform, triggered a massively positive reaction at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in Florida at the beginning of March 2019: the 300 SL with chassis number 43 was built in Stuttgart in 1954 and delivered to Miami (Florida, USA) at the end of the same year. In the 1960s, the super sports car had been prepared for a new paint job that it never got. Instead, the vehicle was parked in a garage only to be rediscovered in 2016. After its rediscovery, ALL TIME STARS added the vehicle to its portfolio and successfully sold it at the vehicle’s first presentation in Europe at the 2019 Techno Classica specialist exhibition in Essen.

Classic with a star in three editions

ALL TIME STARS was established as a start-up in 2015 and is consistently expanding its product range: The focus of #mercedesbenz Classic’s vehicle trading platform is on vintage cars and modern classics with a low mileage and only a few previous owners. Vehicles within the portfolio are thoroughly checked according to 160 criteria and receive a Classic Data audit certificate. From a technical standpoint, they correspond at least to a grade of 2 for their condition – that is to say, good to very good.

ALL TIME STARS offers classics with the star in three editions: The Concours Edition comprises modern classics and vintage cars in rare original condition and with low mileage that have been elaborately restored by #mercedesbenz Classic experts in Fellbach. The Collectors Edition comprises vehicles in good technical and cosmetic condition. Their patina gives them a particularly special character. Finally, the Drivers Edition offers vehicles in good technical condition that still offer potential for restoration work – they are perfect for all lovers of classic vehicles who want to drive their young classics or vintage cars on a daily basis.

2019 “Goldener Klassiker” (golden classic) winners in all twelve categories

  • Small cars and compacts: Citroën 2CV (1949)
  • Saloons: #mercedesbenz S-Class series 126 (1979)
  • Sports cars and coupés: VW-Porsche 914 (1969)
  • Cabriolets and roadsters: #mercedesbenz SL series R 129 sports car (1989)
  • Off-road vehicles: #mercedesbenz G-Class series W 460 (1979)
  • Classics of the future – technology: Land Rover – ClearSight Ground View
  • Classics of the future – motoring pleasure: Porsche 911 Turbo (992)
  • Classics of the future – design: Porsche 911 Speedster (991)
  • Innovation of the year: Arbeitsgemeinschaft Historische Fahrzeuge (historic vehicles committee)
  • Discovery of the year: #mercedesbenz 300 SL “Gullwing” series W 198
  • Restoration of the year: Porsche 917-001, Porsche AG
  • Persons of the year: Tino Ertel and Thomas Turnwald

The winning vehicles in the eight, model-series-specific categories were showcased at the award ceremony on 29 October 2019.

Mercedes-Benz S-Class series 126

Forty years ago, the #mercedesbenz S-Class series 126 celebrated its premiere. The luxury-class saloon is a pioneer of modern design and a technology trendsetter with airbags, optimised aerodynamics and consistent weight reduction. From its presentation at the International Motorshow Germany (IAA) in Frankfurt am Main in September 1979, the 126 series was produced until 1991. In twelve years, a total of 818,036 saloons were produced and between 1981 and 1991, 74,060 SEC coupés (C 126) rolled off the production line. This makes the 126 series the most successful luxury class series in Mercedes-Benz’s history. Nowadays, series 126 saloons are amongst the brand's most popular modern classics.

Mercedes-Benz SL R 129 series sports car

The R 129 series #mercedesbenz SL celebrated its premiere 30 years ago in March 1989 at the Geneva Motor Show. Between 1989 and 2001, a total of 204,940 units of the sports car were built. Its design bears the trademarks of former #mercedesbenz head designer Bruno Sacco with clear-cut lines and straightforward surfaces, a slightly wedge-shaped body and bold accents. However, the SL with outstanding aerodynamics is also a technology vehicle featuring innovations, such as the automatically folding out roll bar, integral seats and the ADS Adaptive Damping System. Throughout the twelve years in which it was produced, the R 129 series always remained appealing and at the cutting edge. Today, R 129 series SLs are sought-after modern classics. ALL TIME STARS, the #mercedesbenz Classic vehicle trading platform, regularly offers particularly appealing vehicles of this series.

Mercedes-Benz G-Class

Forty years ago, #mercedesbenz presented a cross-country vehicle that would become a legend of the brand. The G-Model, nowadays known as the G-Class, was developed in cooperation with Steyr-Daimler-Puch and initially impressed with maximum off-road capabilities for leisure-time and challenging everyday use. However, the G soon became an #automotive icon – also thanks to its continuously improved development – impressing both off road as well as along boulevards. Since 18 October 2019, the new special exhibition at #mercedesbenz Museum entitled “G-Schichten” (G stories) has been telling the unique success story of the brand’s longest-serving series on the basis of eleven vehicles and numerous other exhibits. The exhibition is anticipated to last until April 2020.

Mercedes-Benz 300 SL “Gullwing” barn find

This 300 SL “Gullwing” (W 198) with chassis number 43 sparked a passion in visitors to the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance 2019 in Florida, the first time the vehicle had been on show to the public: The coupé that had been rediscovered in 2018 remains in its original “barn find” condition, exactly like when ALL TIME STARS, #mercedesbenz Classic’s vehicle trading platform, took charge of it at the end of 2018. The gullwing sports car had originally been shipped to Miami in 1954 and was only registered for ten years. Its first two owners also used the super sports car in regional races while its third owner used it as a sporty everyday vehicle. The 300 SL had been prepared for a new paint job at the beginning of the 1960s, yet the work was never carried out. The vehicle’s attachments were removed when it was parked in a garage in Florida in primed condition. Today, the “Gullwing” is a completely original “barn find” with a unique patina: The body, glass components, grey leather interior, drivetrain, wheels ─ even the “Englebert Competition” tyres are all as you would have found them when the vehicle was initially delivered. Attachments have been refitted for exhibition purposes.