The Mercedes-Benz that participated in the 1924 Targa Florio is back on the road Italpress news agency.

STUTTGART (GERMANY) (ITALPRESS) – 100 years after Mercedes won the legendary Targa Florio in Sicily on April 27, 1924, the 2-liter Mercedes racing car used at the time is back on the road. Mercedes-Benz Classic restored the car from its collection to high levels of authenticity. It will be presented at major international events in 2024. This racing car, with its characteristic red color, is the highlight of 130 years of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport. “In 1924, with this amazing racing car, Mercedes made motorcycling history. A century later, the car can be seen running again in its original form, which means that the Mercedes-Benz Classic makes history. Because something like this is only possible thanks to the combined expertise of the Mercedes-Benz Classic Centre, the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archive and a strong network of experts. This impressive project makes the creative power of our company visible, from its origins in 1886 to the future,” said Marcus Breitschwerdt, Head of Mercedes-Benz Assets.
In the early 1920s, the Targa Florio was the flagship event in European motor racing. It gave German companies an important opportunity because, after the First World War, they had previously been excluded from participating in the European Grand Prix. Mercedes took second place overall in 1921 and an individual win with Mercedes in 1922. In 1924, the brand returned to competition with a new racing car. This car was based on the designs of Paul Daimler. Ferdinand Porsche, technical director and head of development at Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft since April 1923, developed it until it was ready for racing. The racing team traveled from Stuttgart to Sicily with four 2-liter racing cars with locally developed engines. Mercedes entered three of these race cars in the Targa Florio and Coppa Florio. The exception was the red pattern, which was actually reserved for Italian cars: the aim was to prevent the interference of Italian fans during the race. At that time, German racing cars were painted white.

photo: Mercedes-Benz Italia press office

(ITALPRESS).