Mercedes-Benz Type S 1928-1932

The Mercedes-Benz SSK is a roadster built by German automobile manufacturer Mercedes-Benz between 1928 and 1932. Its name is an acronym of Super Sport Kurz, with the last word being the German for "short", a reference to the fact that the car was based on the earlier Mercedes-Benz S, but with 19 inches (480 mm) chopped from the chassis to make the car lighter and more agile for racing. It was the last and greatest car designed for the company by the brilliant engineer Ferdinand Porsche, before he left to pursue the foundation of his own company. The SSK's extreme performance—with a top speed of up to 120 miles per hour (190 km/h), it was the fastest car of its day—and numerous competitive successes made it one of the most highly regarded sports cars of its era.The S/SS/SSK line was one of the nominees in the penultimate round of voting for the Car of the Century award in 1999, as chosen by a panel of 132 motoring journalists and a public internet vote.

Fewer than 40 SSKs were built during its production span, of which about half were sold as Rennwagen (racing cars). Fitted with a supercharged seven litre straight-6 engine producing 200–300 metric horsepower (150–220 kW) and over 500 lb·ft (680 N·m) of torque (depending on the state of tune), it was driven to victory in numerous races, including the 1929 500 Miles of Argentina, the 1929 and 1930 Cordoba Grands Prix, the 1931 Argentine Grand Prix, and, in the hands of legendary Grand Prix racing driver Rudolf Caracciola, the 1929 British Tourist Trophy race, the 1930 Irish Grand Prix, the 1931 German Grand Prix, and the 1931 Mille Miglia.

Many were crashed while racing and subsequently cannibalised for parts, and as a result there are now almost 100 replicas using components donated from original vehicles. Only four or five entirely original models remain, and their scarcity and rich heritage make them among the most sought after cars in the world; a 1929 model was auctioned at Bonhams in Chichester in September 2004 for UK£4.17 million (US$7.4 million), making it the second most expensive automobile ever sold. Another SSK, a streamlined "Count Trossi"-bodied version owned and restored by fashion designer Ralph Lauren, has won best of show at both the 1993 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and the 2007 Concorso D’Eleganza Villa d’Este.

[SIZE=1]Souce: wikipedia.org[/SIZE]

Mercedes-Benz Type S #2

Mercedes-Benz Type S #3

Too hard to find atm but I have a publication (very old Autocar?) containing the factory recommended service & maintenance requirements of the SSK. In view of today this is a truly sobering list of demands, in both frequency and extent, not to mention expense.

It culminates in what amounts to virtually a full dismantle & rebuild of the entire mechanical system in the vehicle, not merely of the motor itself, and all this scheduled at the level of mileage before which the average modern hatchback would see its first service.

Yeah, but but an average modern hatchback wouldn't win the Mille Miglia. :)

[quote=nota;919551]Too hard to find atm but I have a publication (very old Autocar?) containing the factory recommended service & maintenance requirements of the SSK. In view of today this is a truly sobering list of demands, in both frequency and extent, not to mention expense.

It culminates in what amounts to virtually a full dismantle & rebuild of the entire mechanical system in the vehicle, not merely of the motor itself, and all this scheduled at the level of mileage before which the average modern hatchback would see its first service.[/quote]

i'd be very grateful if you could have a go at looking for it when you'll have more time... it'll surely be a very interesting read