Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft
Mercedes 100 hp / 90 hp Grand Prix racing cars

Why it matters

These were the first Mercedes racing cars of the 1913 season and were improvised rather than designed for racing: Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft fitted new aircraft engines into a chain-driven chassis because it had no purpose-built racing engine ready. The cars gave the factory practical experience before the 4.5-litre Grand Prix car of 1914.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

After the end of the manufacturers' boycott, DMG at first worked through its Belgian importer Theodore Pilette. His entries were refused for the A.C.F. Grand Prix, which only accepted cars entered directly by the factory, but were accepted for the Grand Prix de France near Le Mans on 5 August 1913.

Four Mercedes started. Pilette drove the 100 hp car with the four-cylinder aircraft engine, Lautenschlager and Salzer the 90 hp cars with the six-cylinder engine, and Elskamp a 37/90 hp car. Pilette was in contention for the win until a puncture near the end dropped him to third. Salzer finished fourth and Lautenschlager sixth. The six-cylinder cars suffered torsional vibration from their long stroke and four-bearing crankshaft.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

Both versions had a pointed radiator, tapered longitudinal frame members, wire-spoke wheels with a central nut and chain drive to the rear axle. The two engines can be told apart by the exhaust manifolds on the left side of the car: four for the four-cylinder 100 hp, three for the six-cylinder 90 hp.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   Mercedes 100 hp Grand Prix racing car, 1913 – Mercedes-Benz Classic M@RS archive Level A

   • 4 vehicles in the 1913 DMG race delegation (three aero-engined)

   Accessed 2026-11-11
2. 2
   Mercedes 100 hp Grand Prix racing car, 1913 Level A Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Mercedes-Benz Public Archive (Classic M@RS)

   • four-cylinder aircraft engine G 4 F
   • 9.2-litre four-cylinder aircraft engine G 4 F
   • cylinder dimensions of 140 x 150 mm
   • overhead camshaft driven by a vertical shaft
   • peak output of 100 hp/74 kW at 1350 rpm
   • 100 hp/74 kW at 1350 rpm
   • all four Mercedes cars still had a chain drive to the rear axle

   Accessed 2026-11-12
3. 3
   Mercedes 90 hp Grand Prix racing car, 1913 Level A Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Mercedes-Benz Public Archive (Classic M@RS)

   • six-cylinder DF 80

   Accessed 2026-11-12