By: Carlos Antón Adam (@Carlosax31)
On May 15, 16, 17 and 18, the Mille Miglia 2014 will take place, the regularity rally that pays tribute to the legendary speed race held on Italian roads between 1927 and 1957.
On this occasion, and coinciding with the main sponsorship of the event by Mercedes-Benz, more than thirty classic units of the star will participate in this exciting regularity rally that completes the round trip route between the cities of Brescia and Rome.
The fact that so many Mercedes-Benz are participating is a seal of guarantee of the brand. There is no better endorsement than to see how Mercedes with between 57 and 87 years old, travel the same route they traveled when they were practically new. At that time Mercedes-Benz managed to win the Mille Miglia on two occasions: the first in 1931 with the Mercedes S SKL of Caracciola and Sebastian, and the second when Moss and Jenkins aboard a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR, won the victory in 1955.
In addition to this regularity competition for vehicles that competed in any of the original 1000 Miglia between 1927 and 1957, in 2014 there is the first edition of the "Mercedes-Benz tribute to Mille Miglia" test, which is governed by the same rules, and completes the same route as the competition of vehicles of the original 1000 Miglia, but with two variants. The first is that the participants of this new "Mercedes-Benz tribute to Mille Miglia" will start one hour later than those of the main competition. While the second difference, and the most notorious, is the type of vehicles admitted in this competition, which are all those Mercedes-Benz vehicles manufactured between 1958 and 1981, in addition to those sports cars more modern than 1981, after selection by the organization.
The involvement of the Stuttgart brand in the organization of both the Mille Miglia, carried out by Mercedes-Benz Classic, and the new "Mercedes-Benz tribute to Mille Miglia", which is sponsored by the subsidiary of the star in Italy, is absolutely brutal.
Michael Bock, Director of Mercedes-Benz Classic, justifies all this work by stating: "Our participation is a reminder of how closely the Mercedes-Benz brand is connected to the history of the Mille Miglia, which was perhaps the toughest urban race in the world in its day. Adding, "This year there is a special significance to our active role in maintaining this unique bond, which combines motorsport success with innovativeness, passion with rivalry. That's because we are dedicating 2014 to commemorate the magical moments of 120 years of Mercedes-Benz."
