London to Brighton: Mercedes Simplex 28/32 PS (1904) driving report
We were on the road at the modern Methuselah
Reverence can be defined as the high regard, respect for the dignity, grandeur of a person, a being or a thing. However, the language experts probably weren't thinking of a 1904 Mercedes Simplex, a car older than any living person on this planet, and yours truly gets to drive it.
No wonder the words "honour" and "fear" were already dancing around in my brain days before my encounter with the very old sheet metal. And not waltzing, but rather techno. I've been in the car journalism business for 17 years now and have had a three-digit number of cars under my bum, right up to the Porsche 959 S.
Gallery: London to Brighton Veteran Car Run in Mercedes Simplex from 1904
But what awaits me in the run-up to the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run still makes me nervous. A Mercedes Simplex 28/32 PS from 1904, by far the oldest car I've ever got my hands on. Will I be able to drive it without embarrassing myself in front of the troops? Or even break it?
Fortunately, there are two things that lower my pulse on first contact: firstly, I'm driving the Simplex on a closed-off circuit in Brooklands in the UK. Secondly, Klaus is at my side. As a mechanic, he takes care of the Mercedes-Methuselah and patiently explains the details to me.
An emperor and only a little football
But first, let's find a DeLorean together and set the time travel clock back to 1904. Germany still wears black, white and red, calls itself an empire, has colonies and an emperor. In the emerging sport of football, FIFA is founded as well as clubs in Braunschweig, Freiburg, Leverkusen and a certain Westfalia Schalke. The third Summer Olympics are held in St. Louis in the USA, a joke event with a tug-of-war as part of a world exhibition. Highlights there: radio and the first photo booth.
In terms of mobility, the first powered flight was only just under a year before, and the railway provided the real excitement: in 1903, an electric AEG high-speed railcar reached an incredible 130 mph. The car, on the other hand, was still in its infancy: In 1906, just over 5,000 cars were built in the entire Reich, and only 10,000 cars were registered in total.
No wonder, because cars were incredibly expensive: for the 20,000 gold marks of the four-seater Simplex Phaeton in 1904, you could also get a very lavish villa. And the motorised carriages are not easy to operate, but if you have 20,000 gold marks to spare, a chauffeur who is also a mechanic is no problem. Just jump in, turn the key and off you go? That's not the case.
Simplex, not simple
This Mercedes (Emil Jellinek gave his daughter's name to the Daimler engine company) is not as simple as its name suggests. Although in many areas it already points to the modern age: Honeycomb radiator, low centre of gravity instead of motorised carriage and H gearstick, and mudguards that lived up to their name because in 1904 there was a lot on the roads, but hardly any tarmac.
In the absence of a windscreen, Simplex drivers were well advised to wrap themselves up to protect themselves from the weather and dust. A long leather coat, boots and goggles were usually the dress code. Let's take a look at some quick Simplex data.
| Mercedes Simplex 28/32 hp (1904) | |
| Wheelbase | 2,620 or 3,020 mm |
| Track width | 1,420 mm |
| Length double phaeton | 4,250 mm |
| Width double phaeton | 1,810 mm |
| Height double phaeton | 2,255 mm (with canopy closed) |
| Weight of the chassis | 1,000 kg |
| Unladen weight (vehicle weight) | 1,250 kg |
| Permissible total weight | 1,650 kg |
| Maximum speed | 60 km/h (37 mph) |
The other technical details: four-stroke, four-cylinder in-line engine, bore x stroke: 110 x 140 mm, 5,322 cc capacity, but still only 32 PS at 1,200 rpm. (The 28 denotes the actual rated horsepower at the time). Valve arrangement and number of valves: 1 intake, 1 exhaust / side-mounted (T arrangement), plus side-mounted camshafts and a camshaft drive via spur gears. The mixture is formed via piston carburettors, the petrol tank is located in front of the rear axle.
Filling up with petrol was not an option back then; the first proper petrol stations only appeared after the First World War. Until then, pharmacies and chemists helped out. Remember that when you're looking for an electric charging station again.
Klaus cranks
Now let's get started! Klaus adjusts the two levers on the steering wheel: One regulates the ignition timing, the other the idle speed. Set ignition to late. Open the tap for the main oil line. Manually build up the petrol pressure, i.e. pump. Incidentally, this is the only indicator instrument. Now crank and start the engine.
The large-volume engine takes up its work with a gentle diesel sound (although it is a petrol engine). Now quickly switch the ignition back to early and adjust the idle speed. Klaus and I get onto the box. I realise where the term "dashboard" comes from. Like organ pipes, several sight glasses are lined up on the piece of wood. With their help, the mechanic can monitor the oil flow depending on the temperature. Hence the term "lubricator". The used oil must be drained and replaced every 200 kilometres (124 miles).
To put it very simply: Much of what takes place automatically in the combustion engine today still has to be regulated manually in the Simplex. This makes it all the more clear to me what an advance the invention of the electric starter in 1911 was. In the early ancestors of the car, you still had to get your fingers dirty. No wonder that electric cars were not uncommon until around 1920: Simple and clean operation, or steam-powered cars in the style of rail transport. It was technological freedom over 100 years ago.
And just like today, the constant improvement of petrol cars and the expansion of the infrastructure ensured the breakthrough. But back to the Simplex: there are two brake pedals: For the transmission input shaft and transmission output shaft (I only need this one, the one on the right. The other is a kind of downhill engine brake), with the narrow accelerator pedal in between. On the side is a mechanical handbrake that acts on the rear wheels. Next to it is the second long lever for operating the four-speed gearstick.
The clutch pedal is on the left, with a fifth pedal on the far left for opening the exhaust flap to hear whether the engine is running smoothly and to warn people about the car. The power is transmitted via chains. The clutch is a spring band clutch, the gearbox a gearwheel transmission.
Test drive for eternity
Put it into first gear now, Klaus tells me. Release the handbrake. Take your foot off the brake pedal and the clutch, slowly step on the accelerator. A jolt goes through me and the Simplex, the 1,250-kilogramme vehicle rumbles into motion. The big petrol engine gets going, I try to engage second gear with the accelerator. It still grinds. Fortunately, second gear is enough for the small circuit.
Before the bends, I ease off the throttle to slow down. What is the speed here? It won't be more than 30 km/h (18 mph). There's no speedometer or rev counter. Unfortunately, the bends are not exactly generous. I turn the steering wheel like crazy, and with a lot of pressure and an editor hanging halfway out of the car, Madame Simplex is persuaded to change direction.
There's no doubt that moving a 120-year-old car is work, but every damn metre burns itself indelibly into your brain. After four laps, I'm still glad to hand the Simplex back into Klaus' hands, because we still have something to do...
The "London to Brighton Veteran Car Run" traditionally takes place on the first Sunday in November. The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run (LBVCR) is the world's longest-running event for classic vehicles. Only classic cars built up to and including 1904 are allowed to take part, with more than 300 two-, three- and four-wheeled vehicles setting off from Hyde Park at sunrise each year. The vehicles are powered by steam, batteries, petrol - or muscle power: since 2017, historic bicycles (mostly penny-farthings) have also been allowed to take part.
From London to Brighton
The LBVCR dates back to 1896, when the "Emancipation Run" was held to celebrate an increase in the maximum speed allowed for road vehicles in England to 19.2 km/h (12 mph). A red flag is symbolically torn in two at the start. This is reminiscent of the repeal of the "Red Flag Act" of 1865, which for a long time required a person with a red flag to walk in front of self-propelled road vehicles (initially steam-powered) and warn passers-by.
Gottlieb Daimler also takes part in the premiere of the "Emancipation Run" 128 years ago. As Gottlieb's heirs, we cover the 60-mile route in around five hours without any problems. At the wheel: Marcus Breitschwerdt, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Heritage GmbH. Fortunately, because even on a Sunday morning, London's city traffic is no fun.
I sit comfortably in the back and defy the influences of nature. It's not raining, but it's drafty, even though we're travelling at 25 mph at best. Nevertheless, my gaze wanders over the countless other participants and the southern English countryside. Some are sitting in front (!) on tricycles, with the rider behind them. Others are travelling four abreast in even smaller cars or even in a steam car with a stoker, who occasionally lets its whistle blow.
My arms are constantly waving, so many people are standing along the track and enjoying the ancestors of our cars. This positive craziness and love of old metal, including specially cordoned-off roads, can only be found in the UK. So here's a hot tip from me: visit London on the first weekend in November and go to Hyde Park early on a Sunday. It's well worth it.
On the road in a classic car:
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