Name this car....

[hektor]

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1996 cc supercharged

82.8 mm stroke

126.8 kw / 170 bhp @ 7000 rpm

85.17 bhp per litre

780 kg kerb weight

180+ kph

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[wlaidlaw]

Correct Hektor. It has always puzzled me why Mercedes had so infrequent success with this Ferdinand Porsche designed GP car and its earlier versions, against the Fiats, Delages, Bugattis, Sunbeams, Millers, and Alfa Romeo P1's of the period. Its power figures are quite competitive albeit it is a bit on the heavy side. I think both the FIAT and the Sunbeam only weighed around 680 kg but the FIAT only was quoted as having 130 BHP. However I think this figure was for the non-supercharged version as the suspiciously similar Sunbeam is quoted as having 180 BHP. The Alfa P1 was quoted at 200 BHP for 2 litres but I think those are Italian shetland ponies, as our much later 1935 Le Mans 8C-2600 Corsa is still only quoted as 200 BHP but feels more. 

Your turn. 

Wilson

[stuny]

A lot of clues.  1923 Mercedes Kompressor Sports Car?

[wlaidlaw]

Not a sports car, a little later but correct make. 

Wilson

[hektor]

First eight cylinder Mercédès.  This was the first car designed by Ferdinand Porsche in his new capacity as the chief designer of the Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, and it was fitted with the first eight cylinder engine designed for the company’s road vehicles. In the 1924 race at Monza however, the car turned out to be problematic and very difficult to control. Count Zborowski, one of its drivers, lost his life in this race. This car scored its greatest triumph when it won the 1926 German GP with Caracciola at the wheel.

I will let Wilson post the final photograph, but here is the car on its way to Monza in 1924.  Can you imagine that trip, at that time, in that truck on those roads.

 

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[wlaidlaw]

Here is the original car, on loan to the Porsche Museum from Mercedes. I rather like that Mercedes tend to leave many of their exhibit cars with quite a lot of their original patina of use, instead of obsessively restored (often to far better condition than when originally built), as in many manufacturer's museums. I was collecting a new Boxster S from the factory for my brother. He could not drive at the time due to his right leg being in plaster from a motorcycle accident.

This was an interesting experience as the UK dealer, through whom the car had been ordered as a LHD model, had in error, only transmitted two of the three pages of the fax with the order specification. I refused to take delivery of the Boxster because it was now built to the wrong spec and as most of the missing items would have been installed during build, not correctable. A huge row then erupted between Porsche and the dealer as to who was going to pick up responsibility for the mistake. The car would have been very difficult to sell on, as it was to UK spec (mostly), had been registered with the UK authorities but with left hand drive and had no in car audio, phone connection or GPS amongst other faults. In the end my brother and I negotiated over 20% discount on the sticker price ("to take it off their hands", we assume the discount being split between Porsche and the dealer). When I got down to France, I then just had a local car audio shop install a Sony radio with a GPS screen and bluetooth phone facility. 

Wilson

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Edited April 18, 2022 by wlaidlaw

[Rona!d]

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In the background Sascha (the car, not the man in shorts) which caused the trouble with Castiglioni (too light, too small for an Austro-Daimler) and let Porsche move on to Mercedes. The idea behind Sascha let Porsche later make cars which built their great reputation making cars with a good power/weigth ratio.

[hektor]

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[wlaidlaw]

Holden Body Chevrolet Fleetmaster? 

Wilson

[stuny]

Wilson -

While in the Air Force my close friend built WWII aircraft models, and expertly used an airbrush to make the models look well used with mud spry and carbon from the exhaust. However, he kept his Corvette and Avanti (he still has the Avanti which he's had since new) in better than "left the factory" condition.

[hektor]

1 hour ago, wlaidlaw said:

Holden Body Chevrolet Fleetmaster? 

Wilson

Sorry Wilson.  Not so.

[Rona!d]

Holden FJ 

[hektor]

Spoken like a true Aussie.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_FJ   It seemed as though in the fifties in Australia everyone had an FJ.  My family kept one in town for running around.  By the sixties they were all at the wreckers to be bought for five quid.  A simple basic car, what we all need today to "save the planet"!!!

[Graham (G4FUJ)]

58 minutes ago, hektor said:

  A simple basic car, what we all need today to "save the planet"!!!

Absolutely!

[Rona!d]

Name the (aussie?) caravan would have been a true challenge 😉

You are right, a simple basic car is hard to find in todays western world market. To many changes and new models. Even at makers who once built a reputation on simple basic cars. Might not become any better during a technology shift to electric vehicles.

[stuny]

If it's still made, India's Ambassador comes to mind.

[NigelG]

Would the rear wheel spats imply an FJ “special” rather than “standard”?

I’m not sure what the factory vs aftermarket options were but I’ve not seen an FJ with them (but then I’ve not seen that many - I don’t get to visit  my brother in WA that often…especially recently 🙄)

[wlaidlaw]

1 hour ago, stuny said:

If it's still made, India's Ambassador comes to mind.

Stuart, 

The Hindustani Ambassador is no longer made since 2014, although quite a few still around as taxis. We had that as our "chauffeur driven" car for the whole of our first trip to India in 2005. Its development progress, over the 55 years since it was designed as the Morris Oxford series III, appeared to be to replace the sweet running if somewhat feeble BMC B series engine, with a very rough and noisy 4 cylinder 1.8 litre Izuzu diesel, normally used to drive the drum on cement mixer trucks. Not really much of an improvement. I think the shock absorbers on the one we were in, may also have dated from the mid 1950's. 

Wilson

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Hallo,

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[Rona!d]

vor 2 Stunden schrieb NigelG:

Would the rear wheel spats imply an FJ “special” rather than “standard”?

I’m not sure what the factory vs aftermarket options were but I’ve not seen an FJ with them (but then I’ve not seen that many - I don’t get to visit  my brother in WA that often…especially recently 🙄)

The wheel spats do not automatically imply an FJ "special" as the ones I know came without them. The specials had mostly interior extras and a partly a different front grille. Maybe they were an extra to order or aftermarket stuff.

FJ 225 FJ Special Sedan – Released October 1953. Same as the FJ Standard sedan except for many cosmetic changes. The “Special” FJ had rear passenger assist straps, chrome instrument surrounds, deluxe leather seat trim, armrests, front door courtesy switches, dash facia grille extending to glove box, window winders and the new two-tone finish that continued for many years afterwards, colours available also extended to 12.

[hektor]

7 hours ago, NigelG said:

Would the rear wheel spats imply an FJ “special” rather than “standard”?

I’m not sure what the factory vs aftermarket options were but I’ve not seen an FJ with them (but then I’ve not seen that many - I don’t get to visit  my brother in WA that often…especially recently 🙄)

Nigel, I have never seen an FJ with spats and assume they were an aftermarket option.  Likewise the eyelids on the headlights.  The sun-visor above the windscreen was as you might imagine a very popular accessory on all cars before the introduction of air-conditioning.  Louvres in the back window was also common.