The Mercedes Simplex is a car from Mercedes-Benz, built from 1902 to 1909, when a car was a rich man's adventure and every maker was a workshop. Under the bonnet: 5315 cc/9236 cc (1902 to 1909) in-line 4.
Where it came from
The Mercedes Simplex was an automobile produced from 1902 to 1909 by the Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (DMG, Daimler Motor Society, a predecessor of Daimler-Benz and Daimler-Chrysler). It continued the use of the Mercedes name as the brand of DMG, rather than Daimler. The Mercedes Simplex was designed by Wilhelm Maybach in Stuttgart, Germany. It featured powerful engines whose power ranged from 40 to 60 hp.
Its large and wide body had a low center of gravity. A highlight of the Simplex family was the model 60 hp. With this car Mercedes laid the foundation of a new car segment, the super-luxury class with an imposing touring Saloon body, it was unlike anything else at the time and quickly established itself well with royalty and aristocrats. Its immense size and luxuries were to set the milestones for the development of this segment, which was continued on by numerous models over the next 70 odd years, including the 630, 770 "Großer Mercedes", 300 "Adenauer" and terminating in 1981 with the demise of the 600 "Großer Mercedes". All these models occupied the absolute top segment in the automotive world, along with brands such as Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Cadillac and other demised luxury car manufacturers.
Under the skin
Power comes from 5315 cc/9236 cc (1902 to 1909) in-line 4; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. It weighs 1250/1400 kg. It shifts through a 4-forward/1-reverse. The wheelbase is 3540 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
Its family tree is legible: it took over from the Mercedes 35hp. Its contemporaries in the catalogue — the Panhard & Levassor type B tonneau, the Fiat 10 HP, the Packard Model 30 — show what else the money bought that year. Nearby in the Mercedes-Benz catalogue sit the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL and the Mercedes-Benz C124.
What it costs now
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Mercedes Simplex has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.