Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft
Mercedes Simplex 90 hp racing car

Why it matters

The 90 hp was DMG's first thoroughbred racing car, separated from production models, with a very large oversquare IOE four-cylinder engine. Its 1903 debut at Paris-Madrid was poor and the cars were then destroyed in the Cannstatt fire, but the 1904 version set the absolute land speed record of its time.

How rare is it?

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

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

History

The first car was delivered on 18 April 1903 and six 90 hp cars started the Paris-Madrid race, which was stopped at Bordeaux after fatal accidents; the best was Jenatzy in eleventh place. Observers blamed the small radiator. On 10 June 1903 the Cannstatt factory fire destroyed all the cars intended for the Gordon Bennett race.

For 1904 DMG built a revised car with 165 mm bore and 11,974 cc, two side camshafts and a foot accelerator. On 27 January 1904 William K. Vanderbilt set an American mile record of 148.5 km/h at Daytona, and on 19 May Baron de Caters reached 156.5 km/h at Ostend. In the Gordon Bennett Cup in June 1904 Jenatzy was second and de Caters third.

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
   Mercedes 90 hp racing car, 1903 Level A Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Mercedes-Benz Public Archive (Classic M@RS)

   • decidedly oversquare, i.e. short-stroke, design
   • four-cylinder engines
   • total displacement of 12,711 cc
   • bore and stroke were 170 x 140 mm
   • output of 83.8 hp/61.6 kW at 1050 rpm according to surviving original records
   • 83.8 hp/61.6 kW at 1050 rpm
   • wheelbase extended by 240 mm to 2690 mm
   • vehicle weight of 1000 kg, limited by the regulations

   Accessed 2026-11-12