Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft
Mercedes Simplex 60 hp

Why it matters

The 60 hp Simplex won the 1903 Gordon Bennett Cup in Ireland with Camille Jenatzy, the first major international victory for DMG and the Mercedes brand. It was a stopgap entry after a fire destroyed the intended 90 hp racing cars, and it is regarded as the forefather of later Mercedes racing and sports cars.

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

The car was developed as a powerful sports car alongside the 90 hp racing car and used the same Josef Brauner IOE four-cylinder engine in 9.2-litre form. Its debut at Nice in April 1903 was marred by Eliot Zborowski's fatal accident. Hermann Braun later set a 116.9 km/h record in a 60 hp.

On 10 June 1903 a fire at the Cannstatt plant destroyed the 90 hp racing cars three weeks before the Gordon Bennett race. DMG asked customers to return 60 hp cars, and Clarence Gray Dinsmore lent his; Jenatzy won the race in it.

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.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   Sports Car Market – 1903 Mercedes-Simplex 60HP "Roi des Belges" Level C

   • 102 Mercedes-Simplex 60HP cars built by DMG Cannstatt, late 1902–1905

   Accessed 2026-11-11
2. 2
   1903 Mercedes-Simplex 60 HP 'Roi des Belges' (Gooding) Level C Gooding & Company

   • One of Only Five Original 60 HP Mercedes Known to Survive

   Accessed 2026-11-12
3. 3
   1903 Mercedes 60 HP Roi Des Belges Level B Conceptcarz

   • only five 60 HP Mercedes have survived

   Accessed 2026-11-12
4. 4
   Mercedes-Simplex 60 hp "Gordon Bennett" racing car, 1903 Level A Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Mercedes-Benz Public Archive (Classic M@RS)

   • IOE valve arrangement
   • new four-cylinder engine
   • displacement of 9.2 litres
   • bore/stroke dimensions of 140 x 150 mm
   • maximum output of 65 hp/48 kW at 1060 rpm
   • 65 hp/48 kW at 1060 rpm
   • cross-braced frame made of pressed steel longitudinal members with a U-profile
   • water-cooled brakes on the rear wheels, the transmission output shaft
   • wheelbase extended by 300 mm to 2750 mm

   Accessed 2026-11-12