- The model was the fastest production car in the world at the beginning of the 20th century
It is one of only five known surviving original examples of the world's first super sports car.
With a speed of up to 130 km/h, the Mercedes-Simplex 60 HP was the fastest production car in the world at the beginning of the 20th century and also triumphed in races.
Now this car, built in 1903 for Chron founder Alfred Harmsworth, is set to break another record – becoming the most expensive classic car ever sold at auction.
The guide price is “more than $10 million” (more than £7.9 million) and experts estimate the price could be as high as £8 million. The record for a pre-1930s car is currently held by a 1924 Hispano-Suiza H6C “Tulipwood” Torpedo, which sold for $9,245,000 (more than £7.3 million) in 2022 became.
The 60 HP will be offered at vintage car specialist Gooding and Company's Amelia Island Auctions in Florida on February 29th and March 1st. The sale is set to be led by British auctioneer and TV personality Charlie Ross, who described the car as “magnificent” and “magnificent”. truly historic'.
With a speed of up to 130 km/h, the Mercedes-Simplex 60 HP was the fastest production car in the world at the beginning of the 20th century and also triumphed in races
The car's guide price is “more than $10 million” (more than £7.9 million) and experts estimate it could fetch £8 million
The vehicle was built in 1903 for Chron founder Alfred Harmsworth
The auction house's president, David Gooding, said it was “one of the most important early cars ever brought to market.”
Alfred Harmsworth, the first Viscount Northcliffe, and his brother Harold, the first Viscount Rothermere, founded the Chron in 1896.
Alfred was not only a pioneer of popular journalism, but also a pioneer of automobiles. In 1900 he supported the Royal Automobile Club's 1,000-mile test, prompting RAC secretary Claude Johnson to write: “He immediately lent his purse to the club and supported the program in his papers at a time when other magazines made this as good as possible.” Deriding the car as an unpleasant and unnecessary toy for some crazy people.
Alfred also built a car collection at his home in Surrey and was among the first to order an HP 60. It is unknown how much he paid for it, but the auction house estimates it probably cost around $10,000 in 1903 dollar prices.
Between 1902 and 1905 around 102 Mercedes-Simplex 60 HP were built in Germany. The auctioneers say that while most racing cars of the period were “purpose-built monsters” and bore virtually no relation to production cars sold to the public, the HP 60 was able to do so by removing the rear seats and fenders and installing a lightweight two-seat body in be transformed into a competitive racing machine.
In 1903, Alfred's car, driven by early racers, set the fastest times at the Nice Speed Week in France and the Ballybannon Hill Climb in Northern Ireland.
A top view of the car. The 60 HP will be offered at classic car specialist Gooding and Company's Amelia Island Auctions in Florida on February 29th and March 1st
Soon after, it was fitted with the elaborate “Roi des Belges” (“King of the Belgians”) bodywork, as seen in our photos – a body style with rear bulges incorporating two bathtub-style seats used in luxury vehicles was at the beginning of the 20th century.
The car's registration number – A 740 – is one of the earliest issued by the London City Council, which began issuing registrations with “A 1” in 1903.
In the years before the First World War, Alfred used the car regularly, demonstrating its incredible performance to his friends and touring it across Britain and the Continent. He affectionately called it the “Old Sixty.”
After his death in August 1922 at the age of 57, the Mercedes was bequeathed to his 12-year-old son Alfred John Francis Alexander Harmsworth.
It was later restored and displayed at the Beaulieu Motor Museum in Hampshire for more than six decades. It also took part in the London-to-Brighton Veteran Car Run on several occasions.
Auctioneers said the car no longer runs, having been taken out of service in the late 1960s.