Mercedes Brings Iconic Super Sports Cars to Pebble Beach

Celebrating more than 100 years of super sports cars heritage, Mercedes-Benz announced it will bring eight of its iconic vehicles to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, which takes place on August 12-15. There will also be the whole lineup of E-Klasse vehicles, a Sony Gran Turismo 5 gaming sled, and Maybach display in addition to SLS AMG test drive.

A privately owned 1902 Simplex that is being driven 1,500 miles to Pebble Beach and a 300SLR "Uhlenhaut Coupe" from the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, are included on the list.

Other super sports cars from the manufacturer’s history include a 1929 SSK; 1952 W194 300SL; 1955 W196 300SLR "Uhlenhaut Coupe;" 1956 W198 300SL; 1970 C111-II; 2011 SLS AMG; and the 2011 SLS AMG GT3 that is expected to make its racing debut later this year.

The Mercedes Simplex, first launched in 1902, won numerous hill climbs and road races. The 1902 on display is fitted with a 28 horsepower engine and is the oldest known Simplex on the road today. Built from 1928 to 1932, the Mercedes-Benz SSK, short for Super Sport Kurz, was known as the "White Elephant". The SSK had a large displacement 300 horsepower motor, which boasted a top speed of 120 mph.

The 1952 W194 300SL, built in just nine months, marked the debut of the "Sport" and "Light" era, coming with the iconic 'gullwing' doors. The 1955 300SLR "Uhlenhaut Coupe," named after Mercedes-Benz chief engineer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut, was a closed roof version of the famous 300SLR racecar. Only two Uhlenhaut Coupes were built.

The 1956 W198 300SL is the standard production version of the 1952 W194 racecar. Built from 1954 to 1957, only 1400 300SL 'Gullwing' coupes were produced.

Finally, the C111 vehicles were a technological “tour-de-force”, Mercedes-Benz says, and claimed nine speed records. Several technical and safety innovations made their debut on the C111s ranging from ABS, advanced front suspension later integrated into the S-Class, and turbo diesel engines.