1928 Mercedes-Benz 680S Torpedo Roadster (Saoutchik)

In an era when the Ford Model T was selling one million units per year on average, there was an alternate world of exclusive automobiles. Born out of the age of custom horse-drawn coaches, it was one of high fashion and fine engineering. One in which the elite could custom order the car of their dreams with a bevy of fine materials, many of which were sourced from colonies around the world. Many of these cars would go on to be exhibited by their owners at famed concours d’ elegance. These events were not only a showcase for the automobiles, but also for the high fashion of the day.

THE MERCEDES-BENZ TYPE S

Germany’s post-World War I depression necessitated a merger between Daimler and Benz, a process that began in 1925 and was formally consummated on 26 June 1926; the joined companies’ product lines, manufacturing, and management were integrated and rationalized. Most importantly, the marques’ competition in racing ended, and the combined companies’ performance development efforts were placed squarely behind the Mercedes, resulting in some of the most exciting, famous, and successful automobiles ever built. The immediate result of the renewed focus and the concentration of the engineering talents of Dr Ferdinand Porsche, Hans Nibel, and Fritz Nallinger was the Mercedes-Benz Type S. Developed as a successor to the 6,246-cubic centimetre Model K, it was an automobile that would forever establish the credentials of Mercedes-Benz at the pinnacle of high-performance luxury automobiles. As the post-war recession faded, it was succeeded by an era of prosperity and a new social freedom, the Jazz Age. The Type S, developed as a successor to the Model K, was vigorous, powerful, vibrant, and purposeful. It became a signature of the times and the pinnacle of aspirations that, in the Roaring Twenties, seemed accessible to all.

Displacing 6,789 cubic centimetres, the all-new Type S engine had larger valves, dual carburettors, a modestly increased compression ratio, and a larger supercharger that delivered 7-psi boost when engaged. Rated 26/120/180 horsepower, the numbers denoting the engine’s taxable, naturally aspirated, and supercharged horsepower ratings, it owed little more than its single overhead camshaft and six cylinders to the earlier K and its predecessors. The design ingeniously deals with one of the major problems of 1920s automobiles, flexible chassis. For the S, the Mercedes team designed a ‘unit’ engine and transmission with rigid mounts, providing cross bracing and a jointed torque tube drive to the back axle. The massive powerplant contributed its own rigidity to the chassis structure, which was completely revised.

Fitted with streamlined, lightweight, two- and four-seat open coachwork from Sindelfingen and Europe’s finest coachbuilders, it was a sports car for select, successful owners who prized quality, flair, and performance above all else. It also was exclusive, with only 124 Type S and 114 Type SS built.

CARROSSERIE J. SAOUTCHIK

This 1928 Mercedes-Benz 680 S, complete with its low-slung torpedo roadster body by Carrosserie J. Saoutchik, of Paris, is a perfect example of coachbuilding of the late 1920s. It showcases some of the more exotic materials available to the coachbuilders of the day. The hides used to create the lizard skin interior were supplied by Alpina, a company that sourced products from the French colonies in Southeast Asia. The beautiful trim wood, known as Purpleheart, was also sourced out of the French colonies in South America.

The engineering of the Mercedes-Benz S chassis provided the perfect platform for Saoutchik’s rakish designs. Born Iakov Saoutchik in the Ukraine, he founded his eponymously named firm in 1906, in Neuilly-sur-Seine. A cabinetmaker by trade, he quickly found success as a custom coachbuilder. Establishing himself by creating stylish designs coupled with high-quality workmanship, he took many risks with design and materials. Nicknamed the ‘Viollet-le-Duc’, after a famously creative French architect, he was obsessed by form and often used brightwork appliqué to highlight the strong lines of his coachwork. His background as a cabinetmaker is evidenced in the tight tolerances and body panel fits that can be seen on his creations. One of his favoured design features, the disappearing top, provides an elegant and innovative solution to hide the convertible top.

Mercedes-Benz Typ S по праву считают одним из лучших творений Фердинанда Порше (Ferdinand Porsche). Все началось с создания нового шестицилиндрового двигателя с компрессором, объемом 4,0 и 6,3 литра, для установки на большие автомобили компании, получившие названия, в зависимости от объема установленных моторов, Typ 400 и Typ 630. Компрессор на этих двигателях не работал постоянно, а включался для кратковременных ускорений лишь при полном открытии дроссельной заслонки.

При очень мощном и современном двигателе, конструкция шасси этих моделей была очень простой, тяжелой и архаичной. Первым шагом в ее модернизации было введение в 1926 году укороченного шасси Mercedes-Benz Typ 630 Modell K. Это улучшило показатели управляемости, но не решило всех проблем. Требовались кардинальные изменения, которые вскоре нашли свое отражение в новой конструкции — Mercedes-Benz Typ S.

Для большей устойчивости Порше опустил раму автомобиля, снизив центр тяжести, а для лучшей управляемости сдвинут назад двигатель. Объем силового агрегата был увеличен до 6,8 литров. На свет появился Mercedes-Benz 680 S.

Технический гений Фердинанда Порше сразу получил подтверждение. На первой же гонке в Нюрбургринге 680 S показал лучший результат. 25,6 километровая трасса со 172 поворотами определила принадлежность автомобиля к касте гоночных машин. Заложенный в двигателях потенциал позволил, увеличив его объем сначала до 7,0 литров, а затем до 7,1, довести мощность при работе с компрессором до 225 лошадиных сил. Кроме Mercedes-Benz S и SS были выпущены гоночные версии SSK и SSKL с укороченным и с облегченным шасси.

В конце 20-х годов не было принципиальных различий между мощными дорожными и спортивными автомобилями. Основное различие заключалось в типе кузова. В отличие от победителя Нюрбургринга, имевшего облегченный кузов, автомобиль с шасси №35949, показанный на иллюстрациях, был оснащен кузовом парижского ателье Jacques Saoutchik. Saoutchik построил только два кузова типа торпедо-кабриолет на шасси Mercedes-Benz 680 S и, как настоящий художник, наделил каждую работу своими неповторимыми чертами. Практически идентичные автомобили отличались, помимо цвета кузова, размером ветрового стекла, бамперами, световыми приборами, обивкой салона и материалом приборных панелей.