A legend turns 100: Paul Pietsch, racing driver and publisher, celebrates this rare hundredth birthday on 20 June 2011.

Motor Presse Stuttgart honours its founder on this occasion with a classic car rally and regularity run with prominent participants that leads in two day stages from Freiburg  through the Black Forest to Stuttgart.

Mercedes-Benz is supporting the Paul Pietsch Classic as premium partner, and your servant is invited by Mercedes-Benz Belgiumto be present…

Hans Knol ten Bensel

The top-class field gathers on 17 June for the technical inspection at the Mercedes-Benz sales and service outlet inFreiburg, where the cars also will roll down the starting ramp on 18 June beginning at 8:30 a.m.

The Paul Pietsch Classic finishes on the afternoon of 19 June at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. The first vehicles are expected from 4 p.m.onwards after the final stage also has taken them through the Daimler Untertürkheim plant over the last kilometres. 

Undoubtedly, the drive through the grounds of the plant and the arrival at the museum will be a magnificent climax for participants and spectators alike…

Classic meets future

A special feature of the regularity run is the "Classic meets Future" part of the event: classic cars and research vehicles jointly compete here for the best times in the special trials.

In this "Classic meets Future" category Mercedes-Benz starts with two perfectly matched pairings: the legendary Mercedes 300 SL "Gullwing" of 1955 and the latest Mercedes SLS AMG E-CELL with electric drive.

The pioneering Diesel driven passenger car, the Mercedes 170 DS of 1952 goes head to head with the production-standard fuel cell car Mercedes B-Class F-CELL.

Historic gems…

Further gems with the star on the radiator enriching the field of the Paul Pietsch Classic will be the following ten Mercedes-Benz models from five decades: 170 S Cabriolet B (1950), 220 Cabriolet B (1951), 300d Cabriolet D (1958), 300 SL (1958), 190 SL (1959), 220 SEb Cabriolet (1964), 230 SL (1965), 280 SE 3.5 (1969), 500 SL (1985) and 300 CE-24 (1992).

Of course, a number of top people will take a seat behind the wheel: Mercedes-Benz racing driver colleagues Hans Herrmann, Jochen Mass, Dieter Glemser and Bernd Schneider will compete in honour of Grand Prix legend Paul Pietsch.

Needless to say we will report extensively on this event…

Hans Knol ten Bensel

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