
This is German heating industrialist Herr Viessmann's new-build 1908-type Mercedes based upon an original chassis, gearbox, countershaft etc with a faithful repro engine made for him by the Daimler-Mercedes Classic division. Beyond is Ben Collings in the genuine 1908 GP Mercedes. Note the discreet camera wagen mit crew on the left...

Tony Dron in the Mercedes Museum's faithful 08 Benz. He shared the driving with Jochen Mass. Good guys...

VSCC luminary Roger Collings with George Daniels in the 07 Itala 'Floretta' - road-equipped as it has been for many years now - and running perfectly.

Big banger - the repro engine of the Viessmann 08 Mercedes. Boom-boom...

What in period might be described as "an involuntary stop" for the newly completed Mercedes after a countershaft key locking the left-hand sprocket in place had sheared. The village church of - I think - Bellengreville had seen such cars before...100 years before...to the day.

Herr Viessmann, Michael, Volker and Manfred from Mercedes revive their rebuilt 08 car. The electric start is - of course - absolutely non-standard, but my goodness wasn't it welcome!

...and then there were the loony VSCC guys - this is the 1911 Sunbeam which threw its right-front tyre in a fast left-hand, slightly downhill, curve. Manfred and Volker of Mercedes-Benz doing the work after the owner and his pal had just flat run out of strength - when we arrived they confessed to a couple of hours' struggle with the rigid-walled cover having left them "totally knackered". Manfred is chief mechanic on the Mercedes' collection cars, while Volker has a reputation for being able to make anything at the drop of a hat from a split-pin to a guided missile. At Goodwood the following weekend Manfred told us "I sink if Volker vent to Afrika on a bicycle he vould come back viz a car!". More good guys...
...and by the way, while these lovely 'then and now' comparisons have been posted before, here's the 1908 Porthos negotiating the village-centre crossroads in Envermeu in 1908, followied by the self-same buildings shot from as near as I could get to the original photographer's position (only at street level) exactly 100 years later...


...and finally, how's this for a fearsome lightweight special - the GN with JAP V8 air-cooled aero engine...

All photos Copyright: The GP Library
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