Contemporary Mercedes Sports Cars at the Cincinnati Concours

 

Starting in the 1950s, Mercedes Benz has been making outstanding sports cars. In order to highlight the full range of these masterful automobiles, the Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance team has created three classes of sports cars. Today's class is for the contemporary vehicles, those from 2005 to today. While there were only two that were on the Alt Park lawn they were both amazing. One was a 2009 SLR McLaren Sterling Moss. Built in honor of Moss's 1955 victory at the Mille Miglia and only 75 were made. This car has a 5.4-liter V 8 power plant that generates 641 horsepower.

The other sports car in this class was a 2009 SL550. This version of the iconic SL series introduced some new body designs and unique L-shaped headlights. This car runs on a 5.5-liter V 8 engine that punches out 382 horsepower. 

Later Mercedes Sports Cars at the Cincinnati Concours

 

Mercedes Benz has been making sports cars since the mid-1950s. Seeing that Mercedes was the featured marque at this year's Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance, the event decided to set up three sports car classes with the one posted here running from 1972 through 2005. This class included a 1987 560 SL. This car has a 5.5-liter V 8 engine that puts out 227 horsepower. This model was the last of the R107 line.

About 100,000 of the SL 500 models were manufactured between 2001 and 2012. This is an early 2002 model. This car has a five-liter V 8 engine that puts out 302 horsepower. It has a removable hard top and a hydraulic soft top along with an automatic pop-up roll bar. 

This 1993 600 SL is one of the most expensive and powerful of its era. Originally costing $122,900, it sports a six-liter V 12 engine that generates 389 horsepower.

Early Mercedes Benz Sports Cars at the Cincinnati Concours

 

With Mercedes Benz being the featured marque at this year's Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance it was pretty obvious that there were going to be some sports cars. And there were plenty. They were divided into three classes. This one is cars from 1955 through 1971 and includes what many see as the ultimate Mercedes sports car, a 1955 300 SL Gullwing coupe. Priced new at $6820, the car has a three-liter inline six-cylinder engine that makes 215 horsepower. At the time this was the fastest production car being made, topping out at 162 miles per hour. This car won the Best of Show Esprit de Sport.

This 1967 250 SL was one of about 5000 ever produced. The car has a 2.49-liter inline six-cylinder engine that puts out 148 horsepower. The current owner of this car bought it from the former owner of the Cincinnati Reds and found, in the trunk, a pennant from the 1975 World Series Champion season.

The original price of this 280 SL was $7900. It was the last of the "pagoda" removable hard tops. The car has a 2.8-liter inline six-cylinder engine that generates 195 horsepower. This is enough power to get it from zero to 60 in 7.6 seconds and gives it a top speed of 128 miles per hour.

A little fewer than 13,000 280 SLs were produced for the American market between 1967 and 1971, and this 1968 model is one of them. This car has been in the same family since new. It sports a 2.8-liter inline six-cylinder engine.

The entry level Mercedes sports car back in 1960 was this 190 SL. It was something of a "younger sibling" of the famed 300 SL. It has a 1.9-liter inline four-cylinder engine that puts out 104 horsepower. This is a European spec car.

Intended as the successor to the 190 SL and 300 SL models, this 1965 230 SL introduced the removeable "pagoda" top. It runs on a 2.3-liter inline six-cylinder engine that churns out 150 horsepower. It was the first sports car with an engineered "safety body."

Another European spec car with metric dials and Euro headlights, this is a 1960 190 SL. This one was a limited production six speed manual transmission. Otherwise, the underpinnings are the same as the 190 seen above. 

Early Pre-War Mercedes at the Cincinnati Concours

Mercedes Benz was the featured marque at this year's Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance. Seven different classes were presented on the grass at historic Alt Park with the oldest, pre-war vehicles getting a lot of the attention. Among them was the Best in Show winner, a 1936 540K Spezial Roadster. The K in the name stands for Kompressor which designates that this car has a supercharger. According to the owner, this car was found tucked away in a barn in Switzerland where it was being hidden from the Nazis. It has a 5.4-liter inline eight-cylinder engine that generates 180 horsepower.

 Perhaps the most unique vehicle on the Alt Park lawn was this Mercedes ordered replica of the 1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen. This is largely considered to be the first true, practical automobile. This belt driven motorized tricycle has a 53 cubic inch, single cylinder four-stroke engine. It generates two-thirds of one horsepower.

This large luxury car is a 1938 320 Cabriolet B. Its numbers matching engine is a 3.2-liter inline six-cylinder power plant that produces 73 horsepower.

An Honored Collector at the Cincinnati Concours

 

In 2005 when their daughter was getting married, Larry and Carol Pumphry, through a twist of fate, discovered Packards. This led to some research and then to collecting various 1937 12-cylinder Packard automobile. As is their tradition, the Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance celebrated the Pumphrys and their Packards as this year's Honored Collector with a special exhibit. Among the 1937 Packards on display was a Twelve 1508 LeBaron. When new this car cost $5900 and sports a 473 cubic inch engine that puts out 173 horsepower. This car has been a winner at the famed Pebble Beach Concourse d'Elegance.

Sitting on a long 144-inch frame, this Twelve 1508 seven passenger was once considered a parts car before the decision to restore and save it. It has the same 473 cubic inch V 12 engine.

Here is a Twelve 1507 convertible coupe that is number 238 of 1300 Packards manufactured in 1937. It is one of only 69 convertible coupes that were made with only about 25 still known to exist. It, too, has the same 473 cubic inch engine.

This Twelve 1507 Victoria convertible is one of 45 to have been produced in 1937 and one of only 12 or so known to still exist. Sporting the same 473 cubic inch V 12 engine it also features "Safe-T-Flex" independent front coil suspension. 

Future Classics at the Cincinnati Concours

 

It is often difficult to predict which cars are going to eventually be considered a classic. Did people at the time realize the impact the Ford Mustang would have or how long the Chevrolet Corvette would continue to enthrall drivers? Maybe, but nothing could be certain. The Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance, like others around the world, try to predict which cars will be future classics and have created a class for their best guesses. The Future Classics class included a 2016 BMW M4 GTS. Only 803 of these were built world-wide. It sports a 3.0 liter inline six-cylinder engine that pours out 493 horsepower. This allows the car to go from zero to 60 in 3.6 seconds and to hit a top speed of 190 miles per hour. Note that this top speed is electronically limited.

Here is a 2019 Porsche GT3 RS Coupe. These cars were made for only one year and sport a 4.0 liter flat/boxer six-cylinder engine that churns out 520 horsepower. This carries the car from zero to 60 in 2.8 seconds and achieves a top speed of 197 miles per hour.

When Dodge introduced the Viper in 1992 it sent shock waves through the automotive industry. Here was the first new American sports car in ages. This 2016 model is an American Club Racing (ACR) version that runs on an 8.4 liter V 10 engine that powers out 645 horsepower, giving it a top speed of 177 miler per hour.

Introduced in 2001, the Aston Martin Vanquish became the latest in a long line of luxury sports cars from this British car maker. Here is a 2014 model. It has a naturally aspirated six liter V 12 engine that has 565 horsepower. It can go from zero to 100 kilometers (or 62 miles) per hour in 3.9 seconds, hitting a top speed of 186 miles per hour. The luxury is evident in the fact that the interior took seven hides and over one million stitches to make.

A true super car, this 2017 Pagani Huayra roadster uses a six-liter V 12 engine specially designed by Mercedes-AMG for this car. It puts out 750 horsepower which allows it to go from zero to 60 in 2.8 seconds and to reach a top speed of 238 miles per hour. 

Based on their 1960s race cars, this 2024 Ferrari Daytona SP 3 is part of the company's Icona series. Only 599 were made at a price of $2.25 million each. It has a mid-mounted 6.5-liter V 12 engine that is the most powerful internal combustion engine the company has ever made, putting out 829 horsepower. This allows the car to scoot from zero to 60 in 2.85 seconds and to reach a top speed of 211 miles per hour.

Here is a 2012 Aston Martin V 12 Vantage. It has a six-cylinder V 12 engine that produces 510 horsepower giving it 510 horsepower. That's good enough for a zero to 62 time of 4.2 seconds and a top speed of 190 horsepower. This car has been featured in movies.

This is a 2025 Ferrari Purosangue. This is the Italian car maker's first four door, four seat production car. Don't think it's your typical family car, though. This gem is powered by a 6.5-liter V 12 that pushes 715 horsepower. It can go from zero to 60 in 3.3 seconds and has a top speed of 193 miles per hour. That's getting to the grocery store in a hurry.

Here is a 2026 Porsche GT3 touring. It is based on their GT3 track car and features a four-liter flat/boxer six-cylinder engine that generates 504 horsepower. It can go from zero to sixty in 3.7 seconds and has a top speed of 194 miles per hour.

This is a 2020 Ferrari 488 Pista, the last of the fully gas powered, track oriented V 8 Ferraris. Pista means "track" in Italian and this car was made to honor the many racing successes for the company. It runs on a 3.9-liter twin turbo V 8 and pounds out 711 horsepower. It has a zero to 60 time of 2.7 seconds and a top speed of 211 miles per hour.

Called the "Last Call" to honor the last of the V 8 Dodge automobiles, this 2022 Charger Scat Pack Widebody has a 392 cubic inch V 8 engine that achieves 485 horsepower. These cars came standard with only a front seat. The rear seat was an option that cost a whopping $1. 

Sports Cars at the Cincinnati Concours

 

Sports cars have always fascinated people. The thought of going fast and zipping through curves makes a lot of people smile. The organizers of the Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance are no different. They have stocked their Contemporary Sports class with some excellent vehicles, including a 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulla Spider Veloce. These were the last of Alfa's classic series 101. This particular car is #853 of a limited edition of 1091. It sports a 1570 cc inline four-cylinder engine that generates 128 horsepower.

How do you follow a legend? Well, for Jaguar it was with the XJS. This 1994 convertible was near the end of a 21-year production run that started by using the E Type's V 12 engine. By the time this car hit the road they had switched to a four liter inline six-cylinder power plant that churned out 219 horsepower.

Speaking of the legend, this is it, a Jaguar E Type, which was marketed in the USA as a XKE, the XK being an engine designation. This is at the end of the Series 1 cars and is often referred to as a Series 1A. Its engine is a 3.8 liter inline six-cylinder.

Here is another British road going gem, a 1967 Austin Healey 3000. Over 3000 of these were built in 1967 with most being exported to the USA. It is referred to as a "Big Healey" because, instead of a four-cylinder engine, it has a 2912 cc inline six-cylinder motor that churns out 150 horsepower.

Another British 1967 model is this Lotus Elan Series 3 SE. This car exemplifies the Lotus principle of "Simplify, then add lightness." It has a 1558 inline four-cylinder engine that punches above its weight class making 126 horsepower.

A mix of Italian design and American muscle created this 1970 DeTomaso Mangusta. The "Mongoose" has stunning Italian influenced design that was penned by American Peter Brock and sports a Ford sourced 3.0 liter inline six-cylinder engine that pours out 493 horsepower. Only 401 were ever produced with an estimated 250 remaining.

Here is a 1973 Porsche Carrera 2.7 RS. These cars were built for homologation in Group 4 racing. This is one of the first batch of 500 made and it is driven by a 2.7 liter, rear mounted flat or boxer style six-cylinder engine that makes 210 horsepower.

This is a 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet. With a 3164 cc, rear mounted flat/boxer six-cylinder engine that spits out 282 horsepower, it's little surprise that the current owner attends rallies with this car.