It was 1930 when Rudolf Caracciola achieved sixth place in the overall ranking of the Mille Miglia with a Mercedes-Benz SSK, and it was a year later when he won the event in a Mercedes SSKL.  Since then, Mercedes and the Mille Miglia have been enduringly linked, whether it be the numerous victories achieved by Mercedes vehicles over the years or the company's current sponsorship support of the event. 

Today, in celebration of the start of the 2008 Mille Miglia, Mercedes has published a look back at the history and various highlights of the event, including Stirling Moss' and Denis Jenkinson's record-setting 1955 victory in a 300 SLR and Flaminio Valseriati's pair of modern victories in 1989 and 1997 while piloting a 300 SL.  In addition, Mercedes has also outlined the route and time table for this year's events, including what models will be competing and on display, so if you're planning on attending or want to learn more about what you're missing, there's plenty to keep you occupied.

To learn more about Mercedes-Benz at the 2008 Mille Miglia Storica, keep reading for the official press release.

Enjoy.



OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE


Tradition Revisited: Mercedes-Benz at the 2008 Mille Miglia

• Many cars from Mercedes-Benz are icons of automotive history
  
  
• Some of them owe their fame to the Mille Miglia
  
  
• Mille Miglia Storica from May 15 to 18, 2008
  
  

The purpose of automobiles is to overcome distances and bring people together, any time, anywhere. But the days when cars were little more than an engine mounted on four wheels are long since gone. Exceptional automobiles also satisfy high expectations with respect to their performance, safety, comfort and value retention. The ideal car will combine desirable features such as these to create a very special quality experience.

In 1886 the automobile was independently invented by Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler. Since that time, Mercedes-Benz has consistently created and produced automobiles whose brand-specific fascination combined with a traditional sense of responsibility has made many of them icons of automotive history.

We take great pleasure in the enduring fascination classic cars convey, and in the enthusiasm shown by private and institutional collectors all over the world. More than 120 years of automotive passion are both an incentive and a commitment for Mercedes-Benz to continue the great tradition of the brand, and to continue producing outstanding automobiles in the years ahead. Our heritage is a long Now.

The original Mille Miglia was a race in which the will to win gave rise to many an automotive highlight. Rudolf Caracciola (1931) and Stirling Moss (1955 in record time) won this extremely demanding race for Mercedes-Benz in its original Brescia – Rome – Bresciaformat. There were also several second places and class victories in other years. These major successes are reason enough for Mercedes-Benz to support the present Mille Miglia as a main sponsor. This is where the brand’s aura of more than 120 years standing comes to the fore.

Performance, safety, comfort and value retention – the culture of driving at its best

Racing and rally drivers expect their cars to deliver the performance, reliability and safety they require. Our other customers also look for long-term economic efficiency in their vehicles, as well as traditional Mercedes-Benz comfort.

Mercedes-Benz has consistently aimed to offer cars with a finely tuned blend of the required qualities – all at the highest possible level, of course, and without neglecting or placing undue emphasis on any significant criteria. This harmony and constant innovation in automotive design is the product of intensive research, development and testing – a performance output that dates from the high ideals established by Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler. In the interests of its customers, whether in motor sport or everyday traffic, Mercedes-Benz stays the course. The Mercedes-Benz star continues leading the way on roads from anywhere to everywhere.

Mercedes-Benz and the Mille Miglia

The Mille Miglia was and is one of the most fascinating events in the automotive calendar – both in its original form as a road race and in its present form as an endurance rally. Mercedes-Benz has helped to write the history of this major event with numerous legendary vehicles and drivers, and this tradition continues to this day.

As the inventor of the automobile, Mercedes-Benz once again wishes all the participants an extremely enjoyable Mille Miglia Storica!

26th Mille Miglia Storica from May 15 to 18, 2008

The history of Mercedes-Benz and that of the Mille Miglia are closely linked. The original event was held from 1927 to 1957 – and was studded with some major victories and several second places for the Stuttgartbrand. The following drivers helped to write the history of the Mille Miglia in a Mercedes-Benz:

1930: Rudolf Caracciola achieves sixth place in the overall ranking with a Mercedes-Benz SSK.

1931: Rudolf Caracciola wins with a Mercedes-Benz SSKL.

1952: The teams of Karl Kling with Hans Klenk and Rudolf Caracciola with Ernst Kurrle take second and fourth place respectively in the overall ranking with two prototypes of the 300 SL.

1955: Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson in a 300 SLR are victorious in the record time of 10 hours 7 minutes and 48 seconds, with an average speed of 157.65 km/h. Juan Manuel Fangio – also driving a 300 SLR – achieves second place. In the GT class over 1.6 liters, John Cooper Fitch and Kurt Gesell win first place with a 300 SL. Helmut Retter and Wolfgang Larcher win the diesel class with a Mercedes-Benz 180 D.

Since 1977 the Mille Miglia Storica has been held in memory of the original event. Now in the form of a classic car rally, the Mille Miglia Storica has itself become a worldwide classic among historic events.

Every year Mercedes-Benz also takes part in the new event, fielding works teams and private owners who add flair to the proceedings with a number of original classic cars. In the Mille Miglia Storica, various teams have continued the success story of the Mercedes-Benz brand:

1986: Klaus Schildbach and Jörg Netzer gain victory with an SSK from 1929.

1989: Flaminio Valseriati and Bernardo Favero win with a 300 SL.

1997: Flaminio Valseriati and his wife Fulvia Sabbadini win with a 300 SL prototype from 1952.

Mercedes-Benz models such as a 300 SL prototype, several 300 SL, a 300 SLR, a 220a or the original 180 D which won the best in class in 1955 will once again enthrall the spectators at this year’s Mille Miglia Storica. Furthermore, a Mercedes-Benz Type SS will be part of the lineup for the first time. We are looking forward to Jochen Mass being once again at the wheel of the 300 SLR while Mika Häkkinen and Jean Alesi will each one drive a 300 SL “Gullwing”.

The 2008 Mille Miglia Storica

Following the old tradition, the 2008 Mille Miglia consists of three stages. Both the program and the route itself are derived from the original races of the past. Each year the event can be described as a unique public festival with a motor racing atmosphere, as thousands of classic car enthusiasts make their way to Brescia.

The first car will leave the starting line at 7.30 p.m. on Thursday, May 15, 2008. This moment is always preceded by a profound hush, as a sign of the respect felt by all the spectators in the square. All the other classic cars then start off into the night in rapid succession. Via Verona and Ostiglia, the first stage takes the field to its first destination of Ferrara, where the first cars will arrive after midnight.

On Friday, May 16, 2008 at 8.00 a.m. the race continues towards Rome. En route the field of historic racing cars will cross Ravenna, the Republic of San Marino, Urbino and Terni before the first entrants are expected in Rome from 7.45 p.m. The route passes through wonderful landscapes, for the Mille Miglia Storica is all about maximum enjoyment: in addition to the pleasure of driving a classic car, the participants see the most beautiful parts of Italy and are able to savor the fine food and wines for which the country’s cuisine is justly famous.

On Saturday, May 17, 2008 the participants will need to rise early, as the first cars will already start off for the third stage at 6.30 a.m. The route will take them through Viterbo, Siena, Florence, Bologna, Modena, Reggio Emilia and Mantua before coming full circle in Brescia from 10.30 p.m. onwards. Once again the teams will be welcomed by a huge crowd of classic car enthusiasts, after covering 1000 miles in three days. Although the conditions are nowadays not as arduous as they once were, it is certainly no easy matter to cover this route in an automotive classic.

Even though today’s teams cover the traditional routes of the Mille Miglia rather more sedately in their legends-on-wheels – routes on which the battle for victory was once a merciless business – these old racing cars nonetheless evoke fascinating memories of the grueling events held in the past. Their undying appeal primarily lies in the fact that they represent the outstanding technical expertise of their era. And with this aura, every single vehicle – whether a muscular thoroughbred or an exquisite lightweight – makes its own contribution to the extraordinary legend of the Mille Miglia.

Program

Thursday, May 15, 2008: Stage