Rare Car Archive

Makes › Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft Germany › Mercedes › Mercedes Simplex 40 hp – W.K. Vanderbilt Jr. car · Historically significant · 1902

Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft
Mercedes Simplex 40 hp – W.K. Vanderbilt Jr. car

Vanderbilt's 1902 40 hp Simplex (record run Ablis–Chartres) – the fifth 40 hp built and regarded as the oldest surviving Mercedes, displayed in the Mercedes-Benz Museum

Still being researched: identification guide. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.

IDENTIFICATION CARD · DAIMLER-MOTOREN-GESELLSCHAFT MERCEDES SIMPLEX 40 HP – W.K. VANDERBILT JR. CAR 1902
No licensed photograph yet. Photographs are published only when their licence permits it.
1BuiltIndependently researched
0Chassis documentedin this archive
?SurvivingNot yet verified
Contents
  1. 01Overview
  2. 02Production & history
  3. 03Specifications
  4. 04Colours & options
  5. 05Individual cars
  6. 06Reference

01Overview

At a glance

Built
1 Built
Years
1902
Engine
Four-cylinder, in-line in pairs, T-head valves with two lateral camshafts · 6,785 cc / 6.8 LFactory: 6,785 cc
Power
29.8 kW / 40.6 PSFactory: 40 hp · converted
Top speed
80 km/hFactory: 80 km/h
Body
Not yet verified
Designer
Wilhelm Maybach with engine designer Josef Brauner
In this archive
Not yet verified
Surviving
Not yet verified

Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.

Why it matters

The Simplex 40 hp was the 1902 successor to the 35 hp, with a larger engine, a longer wheelbase and lower weight. It swept Nice race week in April 1902 and set a flying-kilometre speed of 103.4 km/h, 17 km/h faster than the 35 hp the year before.

How rare is it?

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

Model rarityNot yet assessed
Specification rarityNot yet assessed
Colour rarityNot yet assessed
Individual rarityNot yet assessed
Historical rarityOne-off 1 · Built1
Survival rarityNot yet assessed

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

02Production & history

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

What is countedFigureBasisStatus
Total model productionindividual car – collected by W.K. Vanderbilt Jr. in Cannstatt, March 1902 (Mercedes-Benz archive statement quoted) 11 Factory production Independently researched

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

History

Maybach and Brauner raised the engine from just under 6 to a good 6.5 litres, encapsulated the lower camshafts and added a second foot brake and water-cooled brakes. At Nice in April 1902 the four 40 hp cars took 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th in the La Turbie hill climb. Zborowski's Paris-Vienna result was nullified by an added 48-minute stop, and Werner set a Semmering record in September 1902 in the car of Clarence Gray Dinsmore.

In May 1903 a 40 hp finished 15th at the early stop of Paris-Madrid. The model's career as a racing car was short because the 60 hp and 90 hp followed in 1903.

Variants

How each version differs from the standard Mercedes Simplex 40 hp – W.K. Vanderbilt Jr. car.

No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.

03Specifications

Technical specifications

Engine

Engine familyNot yet verified
Engine codeNot yet verified
LayoutFour-cylinder, in-line in pairs, T-head valves with two lateral camshafts2
Cylinders42
Displacement 6,785 cc / 6.8 LFactory: 6,785 cc2S3 describes a 6.7-litre T-head four.
Bore 120 mmFactory: 120 mm2
Stroke 150 mmFactory: 150 mm2
Compression ratioNot yet verified
Fuel systemPiston-type carburettor2
Power 29.8 kW / 40.6 PSFactory: 40 hp · converted3Rating: manufacturer29 kW at 1000 rpm per the racing-car page; the model-series page lists 45 hp at 1100 rpm.
Power at 1,000 rpm3Model-series page gives 1100 rpm.
TorqueNot yet verified

Transmission & drivetrain

GearboxManual gearwheel thrust transmission, chain drive2
Gears42
Driven wheelsNot yet verified

Chassis, body & dimensions

ChassisU-section pressed-steel frame2
Front suspensionNot yet verified
Rear suspensionNot yet verified
BrakesNot yet verified
SteeringNot yet verified
Body constructionNot yet verified
Wheelbase 2,450 mmFactory: 2,450 mm3Model-series page lists 2450 or 2600 mm.
LengthNot yet verified
WidthNot yet verified
HeightNot yet verified
Front track 1,450 mmFactory: 1,450 mm2
Rear track 1,450 mmFactory: 1,450 mm2
Kerb weight 942 kgFactory: 942 kg3Racing-car page. Model-series page gives 1250 kg chassis weight.
Dry weightNot yet verified

Performance

Maximum speed 80 km/hFactory: 80 km/h2Model-series page range 75 to 80 km/h; racing car reached 103.4 km/h over the flying kilometre.
0–100 km/hNot yet verified
Fuel tankNot yet verified

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

04Colours & options

Factory colours & interiors

Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Factory options & codes

Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

05Individual cars

Chassis register

Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Competition history

Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Auction & sale history

Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

See one in person

Museums where an example of this car can be seen.

No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.

06Reference

Identification guide

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

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

  1. 1
    VanderbiltCupRaces.com – Direct from Stuttgart: The Two "Oldest Surviving" Mercedes Level C
    • 1 individual car – collected by W.K. Vanderbilt Jr. in Cannstatt, March 1902 (Mercedes-Benz archive statement quoted)
    Accessed 2026-11-11
  2. 2
    Mercedes-Simplex 40 hp, 1902 - 1903 Level A Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Mercedes-Benz Public Archive (Classic M@RS)
    • 4 / in-line (in pairs); 2 lateral camshafts
    • Number of cylinders 4
    • Total displacement 6785 cc
    • Bore x Stroke 120 x 150 mm
    • Fuel system piston-type carburettor
    • Drivetrain chains; gearwheel thrust transmission
    • 4-speed manual transmission
    • U-section pressed-steel frame
    • Front / rear track 1450 / 1450 mm
    • Maximum speed 75 - 80 km/h
    Accessed 2026-11-12
  3. 3
    Mercedes-Simplex 40 hp racing car, 1902 Level A Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Mercedes-Benz Public Archive (Classic M@RS)
    • 40 hp/29 kW at an unchanged rated speed of 1000 rpm
    • 40 hp/29 kW at 1000 rpm
    • wheelbase by 205 mm to 2450 mm
    • reduced vehicle weight of 942 kg
    Accessed 2026-11-12

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