At the start of this year we visited the Mercedes-Benz and Porsche museums in Stuttgart. The two treasures gave a more than impressive insight into the history of both German prestige manufacturers. We presented ourselves with the challenge of putting together a Top 3 for each museum, an almost impossible task. Still it worked, and we came to an impressive selection, which is located among the hedgerow that many other masterpieces form within the museums.
Our Top 3 in the Porsche museum
Within the Porsche museum, from the first minute the visitor becomes a partaker of the beautiful and versatile history of the manufacturer from Zuffenhausen. The entire collection, with of course the necessary beautiful 911 variants, is under the skin, but we will not leave the following three Porsches unmentioned.
718 W / RS Spyder and 917 KH Coupé
One of the pearls in the successful 718 saga, in which various mountain races and international road rallies were won. This 718 W / RS Spyder from 1962 is impressive, and given the appeal of the other Exponats in the museum, this is quite a feat. More than 200 HP, a 1.991 cc 8-cylinder boxer engine, the combination of agile and powerful shapes and above all: the start of the eight-cylinder era at Porsche. One step higher on our ladder is the icon with which Gijs van Lennep and Helmut Marko won Le Mans in 1971 and thereby also raised the distance driven to record heights. Magical competition car with a magnesium frame and the 12-cylinder 4.907 cc boxer engine that generated 600 HP. Top: 360 kilometers per hour. Legendary.
The very first car with the name Porsche
The very first car to be built under the name Porsche and saw the light of day on 8 June 1948, was the 356 No. 1 Roadster. . The front and rear axle, as well as the non-synchronized gearbox were from Volkswagen. This Porsche debut was built in Gmünd - the first Porsche factory - and was allowed on 1.131 July 35 on public roads. An Einzelstück, which stands on one because of the historical value and the lines.
Three special cars in the Mercedes-Benz museum
Compiling a top 3 from the opulent range of passenger cars, sports cars and beautiful transport vehicles in the Mercedes-Benz museum seems - just like with Porsche - almost impossible. Yet we describe three meaningful cars from the collection, which revealed so many more impressive vehicles.
Mercedes-Benz C111
Lonely and at height. Or at a lonely height. It depends on how you look at it. We looked at this fantastic C111 - for research purposes and unfortunately never taken in series production - again with an open mouth. If this exotic had gone into series production, it would have become one of the leading cars. Shown to the public in 1969, still enchanting today. A pioneer in four companies for more Mercedes-Benz innovation. The copy in the Mercedes-Benz museum tells why. And why the fan craved series production. Beautiful.
The 300 SLR Uhlenhaut coupé
For the 1956 racing season, the Uhlenhaut coupé was developed based on the 300 SLR. We find one of the only two copies produced in Stuttgart, and we feel the magic of seeing this pearl. The car, which was built in 1955, was never used for racing purposes, but was allowed to color in public roads with its graceful shapes and impressive 8 cylinder 2.982 cc engine, which developed more than 300 HP. Top speed was also phenomenal for the 1950s: 290 kilometers per hour. With the hinged doors, an advance was already taken on the later Gullwing. In all facets this is a beautiful Mercedes. And the most beautiful super sports car in history.
Of historical interest: the Benz Patent car
The first car with a patented combustion engine. This type of engine evolved, of course, and today is still a major leader in the world of powertrains. The definitive start of the car with combustion engine is marked by this Benz. We made a deep and glowing bow for the Patent Motorwagen, which was fitted with a water-cooled single-cylinder engine with a capacity of 954 cc. And moved on three large wheels.
You will soon be reading an extensive report about the treasure houses of Mercedes-Benz and Porsche Auto Motor Klassiek.
Almost impossible to name three from a wonderful collection of these two beautiful museums, chances are that today you will make another choice for another reason, but I can still agree with this choice.
In any case, a visit to these museums is very worthwhile, also for people who superficially look at a car because the whole atmosphere in these museums exudes quality and a sense of design, as does the Audi museum, in contrast to the museum of the user. . Schlumpf that is much larger and shows a lot of cars but that grand atmosphere is completely missing, you will also find atmosphere at Ferrari and Lamborghini but these museums are a lot smaller, of course I can say worth it because I have a nice car trip made.