TODAY 6 FEB Exclusive Mercedes-Benz News

...introduced. Large white letters on the wooden sides of the Lo 2750, as the racing car carrier was simply known, spell out the words “Mercedes-Benz Rennabteilung” (“Mercedes-Benz Racing Department”). The brochure published at the time optimistically states that the vehicle possesses a “wealth of appointments”. Among other things, this meant that the instrument panel had switches for the lamps and the electric turn signal, as well as a speedometer and kilometre counter, an oil indicator display, a fuel regulator, a glow plug and start switch, and a socket for a hand-held lamp. Comfort as we would define it today cannot be found in the Lo 2750. Despite this drawback, this type of racing car carrier transported a number of winning vehicles. In June 1934 the new W 25 Silver Arrow with a supercharged engine won the International Eifel Race on the Nürburgring, marking the beginning of a series of victories that would continue until 1939. The racing car carriers were always on hand. After each victory they proudly paraded the Silver Arrows on their loading platforms through the streets.

The model shown here is based on a truck of 1936. Through extensive restoration work, the former water-spraying truck of the Munich municipal sanitation department was converted into a racing car carrier that exactly matches the historical models. The star on the radiator grille now shines as proudly in the sun as though the truck had actually accompanied the historic victories of Rudolf Caracciola, Manfred von Brauchitsch, Hermann Lang and Luigi Fagioli.

Current Actros trucks serve as racing car carriers for Formula 1 and DTM

The current racing car carriers of the Mercedes-Benz Actros series have also transported winning cars. For Formula 1 races, for example, they have carried the racing cars of Lewis Hamilton, who became the world champion for Vodafone McLaren-Mercedes in 2008.

Despite his young age of 24, Hamilton is one of the most successful Formula 1 drivers of all time, having won eleven Grand Prix races to date.

In the upcoming racing season, they will be performing their crucial services for the new Mercedes-Benz works team, Mercedes Grand Prix. The Actros racing car carriers also transport the AMG Mercedes C-Class cars of DTM (German Touring Car Championship) drivers like Paul Di Resta, Ralf Schumacher, Bruno Spengler and Gary Paffett to racetracks throughout Europe.

Today, the drivers of the Mercedes-Benz racing car carriers climb up five steps to reach the spacious Megaspace cab, where they sits high above the traffic in their own heavenly world. The driver’s area sports an impressive array of switches and displays. The Actros rolls along quietly and comfortably- a far cry from its predecessors. The onboard refrigerator is there for the driver’s use, who also benefits from an air conditioner and a parking heater. What’s more, a high-quality bed with a point-elastic slatted frame provides the driver with the kind of sleeping comfort they are accustomed to at home. For morning preparations, there is a mirror and a towel rack.

Today’s safety systems’ performance would have been considered science fiction in the past

Like today’s racing cars, the Actros is extremely safe. In addition to the vast array of standard-fitment safety equipment found in the Actros, the Mercedes-Benz racing car carriers also feature an extensive safety package that includes stability control, roll control and a lane assistant, as well as a vehicle-ahead proximity control system that comes with Active Brake Assist.

This emergency braking assistant automatically initiates an emergency braking manoeuvre if a rear-end collision is imminent. No racing car currently has such safety technology. When viewed from the perspective of 1934 or 1955, the electronic assistants are pure science fiction: What is taken for granted today was not even conceivable back then.

The upper level of the Actros trailer has room for two racing cars in a row, which are lifted into and out of the truck on a lifting platform. The lower level has lots of room for toolboxes, some of which are in roll containers so that they can be taken out at the racetracks for work at the pit stops. The side wall can be folded down, and additional material is stowed in externally reachable storage compartments.

The racing car carriers of 2009 are wonders as well, except they no longer happen to be blue in colour.