The W221 S-Class HYBRID takes centre stage at the exhibition in the basement of the magnificent Mercedes House at the Brussels Sablon...

The Mercedes S-class has always embodied the pinnacle of automotive technical innovation. When the oldest car builder in the world wanted to exhibit the technical development of the automobile, it was only fitting that it showed the history and evolution of its S-class model range in their beautiful House at the Brussels Sablon. A unique display, of which we tell you a bit more here...

Hans Knol ten Bensel

Belgian Royal heritage

Entering the house, you stand face to face with the magnificent 600 Pullman, which is the ceremonial car of the Belgian Royal Family, and which was used in the late sixties by King Bauduin.

The latest S-class HYBRID takes centre stage on the main exhibition two floors lower, with a transparent hood showing its state-of-the art hybrid technology. The visitor of the exhibition, which is open until the end of April 2010, gets an explanation of the hybrid technology on an adjacent panel and interactive display module.

The The 600 Pullman is flanked here by David Gérimont, Press Fleet, Heritage & Information Officer of the Press & Corporate Communications department at Mercedes-Benz Belgium Luxembourg NV / SA, who was mainly responsible for organising this exhibition...

Time walk....

The visitor then starts on a time walk admiring the different models, from the pre-war shaped W187 and the W111 “heckflossen”, right through to the W221. The cars on display are owned by members of the Mercedes-Benz Oldtimer Club and stem partly from the collection of Mercedes-Benz BeLux.  

The proud radiator of the W108 S-class. My father onwned such a model, of which we keep many fond memories...

Each car is well situated in his respective period by big background panels, showing the technological progress in its age.  (the first color television, the first animal in space, first man on the moon, etc.). These panels also show the innovations found in the S-class, like the safety cell, the curtain airbags, KEYLESS-GO… Especially the W108 and the W116 took my attention, as these two models were owned by my father, Theo Knol ten Bensel, also former president for many years of the Mercedes-Benz Oldtimer Club.

The W116 is also one of the cars my father owned, and the W116 is actually the first "S-class" as dubbed by the factory. On the wall panel one sees a large image of the first cellular phones...  

I fondly remember both cars, in which me and my father drove together many thousands of miles, the white W108 even at one stage acting as a press car in the …Tour de France. I remember that on a harpin in the Tourmalet, my father had to brake suddenly with his hand on the thin chromed centrally placed gearstick, which instantly broke off at its base. The rest of the étappe – with the coureurs still behind us, so we had to carry on on the narrow road towards the “col” – was negotiated in second gear, which we had fortunately succeeded to engage with a grip wrench! The successor, the W116, had a much more solid gearstick…     

...through innovation

Two double screens at the back of the exhibition show the latest innovations of the present S-class generation, Night View, Attention Assist, Split View, Speed Limit Assist or last but not least Cross Wind Stabilisation.

The latest S-class was also shown on a panel together with the latest innovations...  

Amateurs of model cars also find a large display of all the miniature S-class models, and on this site we will present some of these miniature S-class models more in detail in a next report.

The exhibition, whcih runs until the end of April next year,  is certainly worth a visit, and is a unique opportunity to admire the sheer opulance of the 600 Pullmann, and enjoy the marque tradition in the different radiator grilles.

A magnificent W 126 of the "house" Mercedes-Benz Belgium Luxembourg Heritage collection, with on the background panels images of the technical innovations at the time this car was built.   

The opening hours are Monday until Thursday and on Saturdays from 10 tot 20 h, and on Friday from 10 to 22 h, and you can visit the Mercedes House even on Sundays from 10 to 16 h...

Hans Knol ten Bensel

Photographers notes: all the pictures on this page, except the photo of the miniature cars, were taken using our personal Sony W170 at the opening night of the exhibition, under available light conditions at an ASA setting of 400. The small, flat camera was held for extra stability at eye level, using the optical viewfinder. (One sees my shadow making the photo of the modern S-class panel image). Only minimal color corrections were necessary with Photoshop, the small and compact W 170 handling the artifical light conditions and high contrasts very well. The photo of the miniature cars, provided by Mercedes, is taken with a Canon 350D.    

Passion for Innovation drives sthe oldest car builder in the world to keep its top-line S-Class at the pinnacle of automobile progress...