Mercedes-Benz Cyprus (North)

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    • A-Class

      A-Class Coupé, Saloon

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      The A-Class

      Between temptation and reason.

    • B-Class

      B-Class

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      The B-Class Sports Tourer

      Designed to fit your life

    • C-Class

      C-Class

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      The C-Class Saloon

      Experience a car like no other

    • CL-Class

      CL-Class

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      The CL-Class Coupé

      A masterpiece from Mercedes Benz

    • CLC-Class

      CLC-Class

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      The CLC-Class Sports Coupé

      Dynamism at its most alluring

    • CLK-Class

      CLK-Class

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      CLK-Class Cabriolet

      Dynamism at its most alluring

    • CLS-Class

      CLS-Class

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      The CLS-Class Coupé

      The technology of seduction

    • E-Class

      E-Class.

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      The E-Class Saloon

      See Mercedes-Benz in a new light.

    • G-Class

      The G-Class

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      The G-Class Cabriolet

      A modern classic

    • GL-Class

      GL-Class

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      The GL-Class Off-Roader

      Off-road driving with on-road feel.

    • M-Class

      M-Class

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      M-Class Off-roader

      Refined power.

    • R-Class

      R-Class

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      The R-Class SUV Tourer

      The new form of space travel

    • S-Class

      S-Class

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      The S-Class Saloon

      Looking ahead, driving ahead

    • SL-Class

      SL-Class

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      The SL-Class Roadster

      The legendary sports car

    • SLK-Class

      SLK-Class

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      The SLK-Class Roadster

      All you need for an enjoyable drive

    • SLR

      SLR

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      The SLR Coupé

      The rebirth of a legend

The blue miracle

The concept
A blessing for the racing department.
Connoisseurs quickly recognise that the central part of the driver’s cab – from the windscreen to the rear edge of the door – came from the 180 production car. The structure is just a little wider. The front end, slightly bulging and steeply sloping, featured a cooling-air inlet in the SL style and decorated with the Mercedes star. The rounded front end was framed by short wings, unmistakably borrowed from the 180 model, with integrated headlights and fog lamps. The front end was completed by a three-part sweeping chromed bumper extending far into the sides with large bumper horns.

The engineers succeeded in creating a technical masterpiece. They built a one-off vehicle with origins that were easy to identify. Whether it was bodywork, engine or frame, the racing-car transporter was a thoroughbred Mercedes. From the upper edge of the seat, the rear section of the cab arched outwards and tapered towards the centre. It featured two large glass rear windscreens, which curved at two levels – the pride and joy of the glass specialists. The rear-end cab design formed a nose-shaped dome to precisely enclose the front end of an SLR or Formula One car.

Behind the cab, mounted in a low position ahead of the front axle, the transport section of this remarkable vehicle started – in an avant-garde design in keeping with the rest of the vehicle. The frame, engine, radiator, axles and tank were all hidden underneath cladding. The aerodynamically styled front and rear wings covered the wheels and, with their flowing lines, unobtrusively joined load and carrier to form a harmonious unit. The front and rear wings were linked by panelling sweeping obliquely inwards and upwards and connecting to the load platform. This set-back section between the axles offered space for two spare wheels, each attached at an angle on either side – and quickly accessible when required. An ingenious design feature was a tripod fixed to each of the hub caps of the spare wheels. The tripods served the purpose of supporting the U-shaped two-part ramp rails for the racing cars. The cars were secured on the platform in fixed, upward-curving rails and held down by steel ropes. During transport, the ramp rails were tightly secured between the wheel rails.

The rear end of the vehicle was fully panelled in a style similar to the rear-end design of the 300 SLR and was completed by a chromed single-piece bumper.

So there it was, in mid-1954, measuring 6750 mm in length, 2000 mm wide and just 1750 mm high. Its extravagant bodywork – naturally in Mercedes-Benz blue – exuded dynamism and power. "For us in the racing department, this vehicle was a real blessing," recalled a former member of staff. "It meant that we often had a couple of hours more time to complete final modifications and adjustments to the racing cars with even greater care and under less time pressure. In the same vein, a damaged or defective car could be returned to the factory more quickly, giving us more time for repairs. At the end of each race, cars were dismantled and inspected; damaged parts were replaced or repaired and the car itself was adapted to meet the requirements of the next race and the next driver."
The blue miracle
Moving boldly forward
Tradition of perfection
Futuristic concept
Star in the paddocks
Comeback
Technical data