This is a very special success story extending over the past few decades. For the past and, for a time, the present of SL history, from the 300 SL (W 198 series, 1954 to 1957) to the R 129 SL series (1989 to 2001), are concentrated in the person of Sacco in a way that cannot be said of anyone else at Mercedes-Benz.
The creation of the new ‘Super Mercedes’ with the internal designation W 150 began at around the end of 1936 and can be attributed to two circumstances: on the one hand the increased demand from industry and government circles for a more modern premium vehicle, and on the other hand the realisation that the existing ‘Super Mercedes’ model with its conservative suspension including rigid axles at the front and rear plus a chassis of the type found in the very early days of the automobile no longer met the standards laid down by Daimler-Benz AG.
Mercedes 24/100/140 PS, 1924-1926. Mercedes-Benz 24/100/140 PS, 1926-1928. Mercedes-Benz 24/100/140 PS Typ 630, 1928-1930.
Paul Daimler left DMG in 1922 in disagreement with the Supervisory Board. It had called for easier-to-sell models in the lower price ranges, whilst Daimler wanted a new model with eight cylinders. His successor was Ferdinand Porsche, who had come from Austro Daimler.
The glittering motorsport history of the Mercedes-Benz brand is a big focus of Mercedes-Benz Classic. Participation in the ADAC Eifelrennen at the Nürburgring is one of the ways it is honouring this heritage: from 9 to 11 September 2011, drivers and fans will be joining together to celebrate a festival of historical motor racing, which is now in its fourth year in this format.
In February 1935 the then Daimler-Benz AG presented the Mercedes-Benz 150 Sports Roadster (W 30 series) at the International Automobile and Motorcycle Show (IAMA) in Berlin. The new car was positioned in the model range as a compact sports car with the potential for a bigger series – but in the end only a very few examples were actually built. The exact number is unknown.