Mercedes-Benz at Pebble Beach Automotive Week 2024

Mercedes premiers three new cars and honors four classics

By Bruce Brown Published August 8, 2024

Mercedes two-liter Targa Florio race car driven by Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 racing driver George Russell in Imola, Italy, before the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in May 2024. — Mercedes two-liter Targa Florio race car driven by Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 racing driver George Russell in Imola, Italy, before the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in May 2024. Mercedes-Benz / Mercedes-Benz

You can count on beautiful and classic vehicles to draw crowds, such as the turnout for the Mercedes-Benz 300 Gullwing when it was first on display at The International Motor Sports Show in New York in 1954. Mercedes will bring four iconic cars to the Tour d’Elegance on August 15, 2024, during Pebble Beach Automotive Week, where it will also introduce three new Maybach and AMG cars.

The significance of Pebble Beach Automotive Week

Maybach Zeppelin DS 8, 1932, studio photo from the front right. — Maybach Zeppelin DS 8, 1932, studio photo from the front right. Mercedes-Benz / Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes is making the most of Pebble Beach Automotive Week, a premier enthusiast event. The three new vehicles to be seen for the first time include the Mercedes-Maybach SL, Mercedes-Maybach S 680 Edition Nordic Glow, and a special limited edition of the Mercedes-AMG GT3.

Recommended Videos

In addition, Mercedes will bring four classic cars that helped define Mercedes-Benz’s role on racetracks and luxury estates.

Mercedes-Benz icons at the Tour d’Elegance

Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Formula 1 race car with open wheels, 1955. — Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Formula 1 race car with open wheels, 1955. Mercedes-Benz / Mercedes-Benz

Pebble Beach attendees will be able to see the following Mercedes vehicles on display:

1924 Mercedes two-liter Targa Florio race car: The fully restored car on display won the race.
1932 Maybach Zeppelin DS 8: This flagship luxury car produced 200 hp with its 7,922 cc engine.
1955 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Formula 1 race car: Driver Juan Manuel Fangio drove this car to win the World Championship in 1954 and 1955
1970 Mercedes-Benz experimental vehicle C111-ll: This innovative super sports car, recently restored by the Mercedes Classic Center, had a four-rotor Wankel engine that powered it to 186 miles per hour.

Mercedes-Benz C 111-II experimental vehicle with four-rotor Wankel engine, 1970. Mercedes-Benz / Mercedes-Benz

Topics

News

A Digital Trends Contributing Editor and Contributor for TheManual.com, Bruce Brown writes e-mobility reviews and covers…

Auto

Surprise finishes for the F1 2024 Qatar Grand Prix Sprint and Qualifying event

Norris returned a favor, even though the team told him not to do it.

Formula 1 race cars during the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix.

The F1 2024 Qatar Grand Prix Sprint race on November 30, 2024, and the Qualifying event for the December 1 Grand Prix were both competitive with unexpected finishes. McLaren driver Lando Norris moved aside to let teammate Oscar Piastri finish first in the Sprint race, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen surprised everyone, including himself, when he won the pole position in the Grand Prix starting grid.
Qatar Sprint race results
Only six of the 24 Grand Prix races in 2024 were scheduled to include Sprint races. F1 includes Sprint races to add excitement to the weekend and give the drivers and teams a chance to pick up extra Championship points. The first eight finishers win sprint race points. The winner gets eight points, and each successive finisher gets one less. The driver who comes in eighth then gets one point.

In Saturday's Sprint race, McLaren's Lando Norris was leading when, just before crossing the finish line, he slowed down, moved over, and allowed teammate Oscar Piastri to win.

Auto

Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix 2024 preview: the team title is on the line

At this point, the Constructors' Championship is McLaren's to lose

Formula 1 race cars during the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix.

The penultimate Grand Prix of the 2024 F1 season takes place in Doha, Qatar, from November 29 to December 1. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen wrapped up the F1 Drivers' Championship on November 23 at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, but the Constructors' Championship is still up for grabs.
Why the Qatar Grand Prix is a tough race
Temperatures and tight turns. The Qatar Grand Prix is held at Lusail International Circuit in the desert bordering the Persian Gulf in the Middle East. Even though it's a night race, last year's temperature was in the upper 80s, which added to the drivers' discomfort. The race is seven weeks later on the calendar this year, and temperatures are forecast to be in the low 70s. That should help.

The Qatar Grand Prix is held at Lusail International Circuit, a 3.37-mile track designed for motorcycle racing. During last year's race, several drivers were penalized for track limit violations. Track limit violations usually occur in corners when all four wheels are outside the track, even for a fraction of a second, which usually happens when one or more cars are trying to overtake another.
The F1 Constructors' Championship standing
Most F1 fans root for drivers who compete for the Drivers' Championship, but the Constructors' Championship is more significant for the teams financially. Drivers win Championship points when they finish in the top 10 places in a race, starting with 25 points for the winner and gradually dropping to 1 point for the tenth-place finisher. Constructors' points consist of the combined points of the two drivers on the team. At the end of the season, the F1 Organization pays financial awards to teams based on the Constructors' points.

Auto

2024 F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix results: Russell wins the race, Verstappen wins the Championship

Russell's win took a backseat to Verstappen's fourth Drivers' Championship

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen signaling his fourth F1 Drivers' Championship.

Mercedes driver George Russell won the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday, November 23. Russell drove masterfully, but Red Bull's Max Verstappen's fifth-place finish, one place ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris, got more attention because it locked in Verstappen's F1 World Drivers' Championship for the season. With Verstappen's fourth consecutive F1 crown, he joins a small group of drivers in F1's 75-year history.
Verstappen's Championship win
Max Verstappen started the 2024 race season as a continuance of 2023, when he dominated, winning 19 of 22 races. Midway into the season, after the June 23 Spanish Grand Prix, Red Bull's car wasn't as competitive as previously. The McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes drivers took the top step on the winners' podium until the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on November 3, when Verstappen won.

McLaren's Lando Norris was closest to Verstappen's Drivers' Championship points total and was going fast. Before the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Verstappen was 63 points ahead of Norris. With only three races left in the season. Given how points are distributed, all Verstappen had to do to wrap up the Championship was to beat Norris. And he did.
Las Vegas Grand Prix Race Results
When George Russell won the Austrian Grand Prix on June 30, it was only the fourth time another driver had won besides Verstappen. Russell's LVGP win certainly counts, and Mercedes team Principal Toto Wolf praised Russell's driving as "from another planet," but his victory pales in comparison to Max's winning the championship.