Endurance Benz

Minichamps 1/43 Mercedes 300 SEL 6.8
24 Hours Spa-Francorchamps 1971
Heyer/Schickentanz

Finally, the wait is over for Mercedes endurance racing fans. Minichamps finally released this Mercedes in 1/43 scale and everything was done really well. They did justice to the car this time by replicating it right. The grills, the door handles, the decal placing and wheels are all done well. This diecast will bring nostalgia in your veins as it clearly depicts the cars of the late 60's and early 70's. Minichamps must really love this car as they again, milked the casting, to make similar versions of this car. Still, having said all that, I think that this car is a must have for all Mercedes-Benz afficionados. This car won the Minichamps diecast of the year award in 2006.




In 1971, Mercedes-Benz AMG was preparing for its racing debut in the 24-hour endurance race at Belgium 's Spa-Francorchamps circuit. The Mercedes-AMG team had prepared a Mercedes 300 SEL 6.9 for the event but it was severely damaged during practice just two weeks before race day.
Instead of Mercedes-AMG 's racing career being cut short, this signaled the beginning of the Mercedes-AMG success story. The completely demolished car was painstakingly taken apart and reassembled. The new drivers, Hans Heyer and Clemens Schickentanz, had barely enough time for a test drive. But the rest is history: Heyer and Schickentanz won their class and came in second overall.