The Black Sea Circle Rally, 16 days and 7,000 kilometers (4,350 miles) of unknown terrain on Europe’s few remaining dirt roads. The Black Sea Circle will bring you to the easternmost spots on the continent, right up to the borders of the Orient, all in one car with the only help coming from your own team.

But there’s a catch.  Don’t think you’re going to be enlist the latest and greatest G-Class Six wheeler to get you through.  The rally has specific rules on what kind of cars can enter.  It must have either an engine smaller that 1.2 liters, be older than 20 years, a two wheeler with an engine smaller than 125cc or again over 20 years old or to spice things up a bit, be a commercial vehicle (ie. fire truck, two truck, etc.)

One of the latest cars to complete this challenge was a S 123 and thanks to their Daimler post, we have photos from their journey.  Check them out in the gallery below.

Via: Daimler (German Only)

The Peking-Paris rally is regarded as one of the world’s most demanding classic car rally events. Since 1907, the Peking-Paris rally has only taken place five times. Follow husband and wife team Dirk and Alexandra along with their 1958 Mercedes-Benz model 219 “Ponton” as they make their way along the 7,610 mile route that starts in Beijing, China (previously Peking) and ends in Paris, France.

On March 30, 2013 six female Daimler employees crossed the finish line of the “Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles” – a Moroccan desert rally exclusively for women. Exhausted but satisfied, the Mercedes-drivers captured top positions with their standard production transporters in the rally’s most important rankings.

Check out the video below to see what it was like for racers to push their limits during the 2,500 km six stage desert race.

Slightly modified Mercedes-Benz Vito and Sprinter vehicles convince

Both the two Mercedes-Benz Vito 4×4 models and the Sprinter driven by the skilled trades team were all standard production vehicles. The all-wheel-drive models, which were modified only slightly for the desert race, finished the rally without any problems to speak of and displayed an outstanding traction, in spite of the extremely demanding conditions they had to face. The fuel-efficient four-cylinder diesel engine (OM 651) introduced in the Vito in 2010 was very impressive in terms of its driving performance.

The third rally vehicle – a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4×4 – was equipped with a standard three-liter diesel engine with an output of 140 kW (190 hp), a manual transmission, and an ex works all-wheel-drive system with open central and axle differentials.

The “Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles”: a race for a good cause

As was the case in the previous three years, physically fit female Daimler employees with a basic knowledge in French were welcomed to apply to take part in the “2013 Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles”. This year, however, it was the first time that two craftswomen, who were selected via a tender in a skilled crafts and trades magazine, had the chance to participate in the rally.

The “Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles” is organized by women for women. The race, which is run under the patronage of King Mohammed VI of Morocco, covers a total distance of 2,500 kilometers and consists of six stages, two of which are marathon segments that each last two days. A total of 300 women from 20 countries took part in this year’s race. The “Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles” offers no prize money; instead, all proceeds from the competition (sponsorships and participation fees) are donated to projects that help the people of Morocco.

A medical convoy makes its way through the country during the race, stopping along the way to provide medical assistance to nomads living in remote areas. This year the participating physicians conducted more than 6,000 consultations during the race and also performed over 100 operations on site.

The smart fortwo was built for city streets, perfect for parking, extremely efficient, and easily customizable.  We often see the smart fortwo with widebody kits, lowered suspension, bright and sometimes interesting paint jobs, we’ve even seen one with wings.  What we haven’t seen, until now, is a smart fortwo rally car.

However, they all pretty much follow a basic pattern of what can be done, and the extent of their modifications is rather limited. Well, not with this Smart, which has been turned into a Dakar Rally-ready off-roader, which really looks the part. Its builder, Jose Luis Alvarez says he completely reengineered the city bound fortwo with fully independent front and rear suspension with plenty of travel, a wider track in both the front and back, and subtle body modifications.  The modified fortwo rally car is extremely light, tipping the scales at just 750 kg, or 1,653 lbs.

Alvarez’s plan was to enter the Dakar Rally, with two modified smart for two rally cars, plus a Honda CRF-450. Unfortunately, Alvarez does not have the necessary funds at the moment, and has had to put his racing plans on hold.

Bettina Singhartinger and Andrea Spielvogel, two female Daimler AG employees, left Stuttgart in their Mercedes-Benz Viano 4matic today to join the official lineup for the Aicha des Gazelles women’s rally. After a short sea-crossing from Sete, France to Tangiers, Morocco, followed by the team presentation and technical verification on 18 March, the Aicha des Gazelles Rally will start off and end in Essaouira on Morocco’s Atlantic coast on 27 March 2010. “I have enormous respect for the challenges to come,” says Andrea Spielvogel, who works in information technology. Her colleague Bettina Singhartinger, a communications employee, adds: “This is probably the greatest adventure I have ever let myself in for.” Another highlight awaits them even before the start of the rally: the ship with all the participants and equipment will be the very first to dock in the newly constructed harbor in Essaouira. The king of Morocco has also confirmed that he will be present to welcome the rally participants in person.

The Aicha des Gazelles Rally

The “Aicha des Gazelles Rally 2010” is organised by women for women, and its patron is the king of Morocco. A total of 30 mainly African nations are taking part. The route covers a distance of almost 2500 kilometres, and there are seven stages. In contrast to other competitions of this kind, the key requirement of the Rallye des Gazelles is navigation using only maps, coordinates and a compass – without the aid of GPS. It is not the fastest team that wins, but rather the team that finds the shortest route between the checkpoints in the given time. There are penalty points if a detour is taken, technical assistance is requested or any checkpoints are missed out. Overnight stops during the two marathon stages of the rally are spent in the desert. Helping each other is very much in the spirit of this rally, which has a humanitarian purpose. All the takings go to a charity which subsidises mobile clinics, orphanages and the construction of wells in Morocco. The “Gazelles” also bring many tons of donated items to Morocco with them each year, and these are distributed during the rally.

Daimler AG employees taking part in the rally

Vehicles from Mercedes-Benz were already successful in this rally last year. In the 19th event of this series, the world’s only rally for women, the two professional drivers Jeanette James and Anne-Marie Ortola achieved first place in their category in a Mercedes-Benz Viano 4matic. This Irish/French duo also won the separate ranking for first-time participants in their class. This year the two professionals will be driving for Daimler again – this time in an all-wheel drive Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4×4.

The opportunity for the two amateurs Andrea Spielvogel and Bettina Singhartinger to be at the starting line is due to an in-house competition organised by Daimler AG. “Lady racing drivers wanted!” – this was the online announcement in January with which Daimler invited its female employees to apply for a place in the Aicha des Gazelles desert rally. More than 200 responded, and twelve of these were eventually shortlisted. Andrea Spielvogel and Bettina Singhartinger emerged as the final winners.

The Viano 4matic and Sprinter 4×4 as rally vehicles

Andrea Spielvogel and Bettina Singhartinger will drive a Mercedes-Benz Viano 4matic for Daimler in this year’s rally. This all-wheel drive, standard specification vehicle was already used in last year’s rally, and has only been given a complete technical overhaul and minor racing modifications for this year’s event. Items in the list of “extras” for the 110 kW (150 hp) four-cylinder diesel Viano include a rollover cage, bucket seats, harness seat belts, an aluminium underbody guard and special sand tyres. Bettina Singhartinger: “Last year the team won the event in this vehicle, and the Viano stood up to the challenge with no problems.”

The second rally vehicle, a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4×4, will be driven by Ortola and James. This Sprinter panel van is powered by the standard three-litre diesel engine developing 140 kW (190 hp), and has an automatic transmission, all-wheel drive available ex factory, and open centre and inter-axle differentials.

Modified for action in the desert: special tyres, rollover cage, bucket seats, underbody guard.