Product Description

In the galaxy of automobile makers, the star in Stuttgart shines brightly. Arising from the accumulation of technology, design, and sports, a firm was created in 1886 whose economic force has made it a player of international significance.The concise and compelling texts shed light on manifold aspects of Mercedes history, from engineering to the economic-political power exerted by this world-wide concern - richly illustrated with a variety of historical documents. Throughout the 600-page book, naturally, one thing stands out: the vehicle itself. Rainer Schlegelmilch's photographs veritably pay homage to the embodiment of the German dream car. The long series of models, complete with their technical specifications, the peaks of sporting successes, the story of the founders and the makers, the designers and the race car drivers - all this and more is gathered in this opulent volume.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #49254 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08-15
• Original language: English, German, French
• Binding: Paperback
• 600 pages

About the Author
There is a persistent rumour that Rainer Schlegelmilch's birth was initiated on the back seat of a Mercedes Benz 170V. Whether or not this is the source of his ongoing affinity to anything that has four wheels, his fascination with cras is vividly expressed in his photographs. How do you get from German and English phiology to automotive journalism? Chalk it up to car racing: the appearance of the Silver Arrows (Silberpfeile) in Spa, Zandvoort and at the Nurburgring, says the Germanist and Anglicist Hartmut Lehbrink. Numerous books on automobiles and racing penned by Lehbrink testify to the long-term impact of these early experiences.

Customer Reviews

A commemoration rather than reference book
This is an excellent book. Exemplary production (although I am not keen on "flexi" end covers) with lots and lots of marvellous, large colour photos. Unlike the big Jaguar history this separates the history from the pieces on the cars which for me makes it easier to use. The individual car commentaries are full and often surprisingly informative although for some reason the internal W and R codes are ignored except in the initial introduction. This is somewhat of an irritant and, along with the extremely sparse (and in German only) technical specifications renders this a beautiful "best of marques" commemoration rather than a reference book. However, in this niche it is hard to see how it could have been improved and is quite remarkable value.