Retro Classics in Stuttgart, Germany
From 12th to 14th of March there will be the annual classic car fair Retro Classics in Stuttgart.
Besides several exhibitions like 100 Years of Alfa Romeo or 200 Years of Peugeot, you can see presentations of the Schörghuber Group, Mercedes-Benz Design Center, Prototypenmuseum (the Museum of Prototypes) in Hamburg. On different auctions classic cars will be sold and you can of course also see motorcycles and trucks and you can learn about electric engines during the last 150 years.
There will of course be an international car parts market too on the Retro Classics and lots of entertainment like fashion shows and music.
Lovers of Porsche sports cars can not only see the latest model, the Porsche Boxster Spyder, but also its predecessors, the Rometsch Spyder, the Mathé Porsche and the Porsche Typ 64.
Mercedes-Benz W 120/121
From 1953 to 1962 442,963 Mercedes-Benz W 120/121 Ponton Cars were manufactured. The model names were 180 and 190. The 180 was a fairly small car that can be compared with nowadays C-class, and the 190 with the E-class. The models looked very similar but the 180 still had the pre-war four-cylinder 1.8 L engine, whereas the 190 had a new four-cylinder 1.9 L engine with a top speed of 140 km/h. The cars were a totally new series of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars produced after WW2. Both models were also available with a diesel engine. They were sold as 4-door saloons. The mid size cars had a wheel base of 104.3 in (2,649 mm) and a kerb weight of 2,690 lb (1,220 kg). From 1955 a convertible model was also available, the 190 SL.
The Mercedes-Benz SSK
As loud as an angry wild beast and even faster than that is the Mercedes-Benz SSK. SSK stands for Super Sport Kurz (Super Sports Short) due to the short wheel base of 116 in. This was to make the car more agile for racing. The car was designed by Ferdinand Porsche before he founded his own company. From 1928 to 1932 only 33 cars were built, about half of them as racing cars. With a top speed of 120 mph the Mercedes-Benz SSK was the fasted car of its time. The engine was a supercharged seven litre straight-6 engine producing 200-300 metric horsepower. Not only in the hands of racing driver Rudolf Caracciola, was the car driven to victory in numerous races. Many cars were crashed during those races and the parts used for over 100 still existing replicas. Only four or five original cars still exist. As you can imagine they are some of the most sought after cars in the world. A replica of the SSK is now built in Uruguay.
Specifications:
- Manufacturer – Mercedes-Benz
- Production – 1928-1932
- Engine – 7069 cc straight-6
- Wheelbase – 116 in (2,950 mm)
- Length – 167 in (4,240 mm)
- Width – 67 in (1,700 mm)
- Height – 68 in (1,730 mm)
- Kerb weight – 3,750 lb (1,700 kg)
