Mercedes-Benz 8/20 Torpedo “Jagdwagen” 1914 Serial number: W 13-43 Engine: in-line front longitudinally mounted 4-cylinder # 26605 Bore x stroke: 70 x 120 mm Capacity: 1 487 cc Timing gear: symmetrical side valves with two gear-driven camshafts Intake: one Stromberg carburettor Maximum power: 20 bhp @ 1 800 rpm Transmission: 4-ratio + R manual gearbox Clutch: leather cone Chassis frame: U-channelled steel side members Body: mahogany-covered torpedo by Schebera Heilbronn A/N Front suspension: solid axle Rear suspension: solid axle Wheelbase: 2 860 mm Front track: 1 300 mm Rear track: 1 300 mm Brakes: mechanical foot brake on the transmission Wheels: 20" artillery wooden wheels Tyres: 4.50/4.75/5.00 x 20 Performance: 60 kph (38mph) Production run: 1912-1914 Stubborn like all the successful pioneers, Karl Benz refused to see his competitors' achievements at the very end of the 1890s. A sale crisis opened his eyes in 1903. After a short experience with a new technical team he resigned but he came back late in the year and recruited a gifted young engineer named Hans Nibel. From 1905 onwards, the new Benz cars competed with the Mercedes both on the marketplace and on the tracks as in the 1908 French Grand Prix where the 150-bhp Benz was the potential winner. Although the Lautenschlager's Mercedes won, the Benz cars finished 2 and 3. The firm then designed and built the "Blitzen" (Lightning) fitted with an enormous 200-bhp engine in order to gain a lot of publicity in the period during which the Grand Prix were no longer organized. Alongside their racing and record cars, Benz produced touring cars designed by Hans Nibel. Until 1914 about twenty 4-cylinder types ranging from 20 to 75 bhp and two 6-cylinders were offered and were famed for their reliabitiy and strength. The car offered here had been bodied by a small coachbuilder named Schebera and located near Stuttgart at Heilbronn. This unique car was ordered by an Indian maharadja which explains why its speedometer is graduated in miles. A family company, the ancestors of Schebera were known for the suits of armour they made towards the end of the Middle Ages like the Vignale family in Italy. Their known-how is visible in the way they have shaped the bonnet, the radiator shell and the spotlights. The body is covered with mahogany planks like a boat hull. The rest of the body is finished in black. The thick canvass is beige with black carpets like the old mellowed, but in good condition, leatherwork of the seats and jump seats. The top of the doors and the dashboard had received a cane-finish which is partly original. The speedometer and the clock (with a centre-seconds hand) were made by Deutawerke in Berlin and Gerhardt. The other instruments are Benz-made : a water temperature gauge, an oil-pressure gauge and a petrol gauge. The headlamps were made by Gerhardt who also supplied the two small spotlights. On the right side is a "boa constrictor" horn. The lighting system is by Bosch and the magneto is an Eisemann apparatus. Thanks to the jump seats, this spacious car can accommodate six people. The car's original condition is thrilling. It reads only 2 529 miles on the clock, having been exposed for 45 years in a house in the State of New York. It had not been driven for several years and must be started again with attention and care. European title € 100/150 000