Down to the sea in a Mercedes
On the evening prior to the Run I went down to the garage at the Gloucester Hotel in Kensington to look at this fine Mercedes-Simplex which had been brought from Germany, together with the 1899 two-cylinder 10 hp Benz (with its remarkable pointed prow adorned with gilled cooling tubes) that the Museum’s Curator, von Pein, was to drive. The engine, of 110 x 140 mm (5,320 cc), has its four side-valve cylinders in pairs. The carburetter is on the offside, the water pump, feeding to the heads through a fine polished brass two-branch riser pipe, and the magneto, driven by exposed “mangle-gears”, on the near-side, where the rather small exhaust manifold is also situated, with a hot-air muff surrounding it that originally connected to the carburetter by a cross feed.
The chassis is sprung on undamped half-elliptic springs and final drive is by encased side chains. The clutch is presumably of scroll-type and there are four forward speeds, changed by a long right-hand outside lever, inboard of the equally massive hand-brake. There are the anticipated four pedals (clutch, brake, combined clutch and transmission brake, and throttle), with another tiny one for opening the exhaust cut-out. The fascia carries ten oil drip-feeds, now seemingly inoperative, a pump on the right for initially putting air into the petrol tank, with manometer gauge beside it, while the driver has before him a lubricator pump with short handle for replenishing the sump.
The body is a doorless tourer, nor are there any windscreens, so the cape-cart hood that will cover the rear seats only is more for show than protection. The buttoned leather upholstery appears to be original but the body has no maker’s name-plate. Two big brass Phare Ducillier headlamps, by the SGDC (“Mors Concours Paris 1900”), and a brass oil rear lamp constitute the lighting arrangements, and the Mercedes-Simplex runs on varnished wood-spoked wheels with detachable rims shod with 920 x 120 ribbed Continental tyres, a couple of Dunlop spares being strapped to the side of the car. Running normally at 1,200 rpm, the engine gives a top speed of around 45 mph. Sitting high behind a four-spoke steering wheel with the ignition and throttle quadrants above it, the driver looks down on the wide bonnet, brass radiator, and very wide leather-valanced front mudguards. To warn others of his passage there is a modern horn supplementing the expected bulb hooter.
Sunday morning dawned fine and although the Mercedes required a tow-start from the 230TE, it was soon running well and, apart from a little clutch slip, took us to Brighton in just about three hours, the engine never stopping in those 57 miles. Hills were taken easily in top or third speed, the latter’s pinions singing shrilly, and when traffic permitted (and it wasn’t too bad this time) the old car simply rushed along, although it was a hard chore for my driver, Herr Brommer. But if we had a swift run, ending in spring-like sunshine, to the coast, the young Collings girls must have simply flown, for they arrived first in the 1903 racing trim Sixty Mercedes, receiving warm congratulations from HRH The Duke of Kent (who had driven the vast 1903 De Dietrich), and all of us, and the title of the fastest girls in Brighton…!
The second car to arrive was the Eastmead’s 1900 Stephens. It was generally agreed that, with the good weather and efficient Police control, this was one of the most enjoyable of “Brightons”. Richard Noble got a great ovation as he arrived at the wheel of Lord Montagu’s 1903 De Dion Bouton, Lord Montagu came in on the great 190322 hp Daimler tonneau I drove in 1981 and went off to be filmed, and as von Pein got there in the Benz, hardly used since a rebuild by the Daimler-Benz Museum, it was a good day for us. It only remained to make the long haul back home in a willing and convenient Honda Accord, the Run over for another year. Some notes are appended by a colleague who saw the veterans coming over the finishing line. — W.B.
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Yet again, Roger Collings’ Mercedes made the fastest run to Brighton, taking a little over two hours on its trouble-free trip, and crewed (as W.B. has commented) by sisters Amanda and Sally
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Two examples of the English Mechanic make finished, one a 1903 steamer owned by Dr A. Sutton, and the other a 1904 two-cylinder Petrol, entered by Mrs J. Shawe. These vehicles were built from instructions in 56 weekly parts in the magazine of the same name.
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In a furious attempt to beat the 4 pm deadline, the crew of a 1902 Rochet-Petit had to resort to muscle-power to reach the finish banner. They hit their peak velocity crossing the line — and then discovered that they could not stop the car. It eventually came to a halt with much application of shoe-leather to tarmac.
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A number of cars sported accessories which are not to be seen nowadays — several had wicker umbrella tubes attached to the bodywork, while more than one of the earlier cars were equipped with “sprags” — that invaluable pivoted stick which trailed on the Bound and prevented the can rolling backwards during hill-starts. In fact, Von Pein’s 1899 Benz had four.