1903 Mercedes 60hp

This is a car that competed in the Vintage Trophy race at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1985.

It's The 1903 Mercedes 60hp of Roger Collings which has a 4-cylinder inline 9,236cc engine. It doesn't get a specific mention in the programme of the event, but when it competed in 1987 the programme said this about it:

'The oldest car at the meeting, Roger Collings' 1903 Mercedes, is well worth inspecting, although it really needs a contemporary car of another make alongside it to show off its advanced features. The use Roger Collings makes of his car today is quite amazing, the car is very successful in climbing muddy hills in trials, and is used a lot on the road. It has even been used as normal (if that is the right word) transport in London, utilising the M4 to get there and back. He has also driven it on the continent.'

Edwardian Cars

I took this photograph at the VSCC's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in July 1987.

On the right is Roger Collings' 1903 Mercedes 60hp, and the programme of the event said this about the car:

'The oldest car at the meeting, Roger Collings' 1903 Mercedes, is well worth inspecting, although it really needs a contemporary car of another make alongside it to show off its advanced features.

The use Roger Collings makes of his car today is quite amazing, the car is very successful in climbing muddy hills in trials, and is used a lot on the road. It has even been used as normal (if that is the right word) transport in London, utilising the M4 to get there and back. He has also driven it on the continent, and the car's racing number at this meeting is 207.'

On 5 November 2015 I showed a photograph of a similar Mercedes 60hp at Donington Park.

The car on the left isn't listed in the programme, but it's the 1908 Napier 60hp that was at the time owned by Trevor Tarring and Tony Jones. On 20 July 2015 I showed a photograph of this car at the 1992 Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park.