A few comments after viewing a pre-view disk furnished by GearheadDVDs.com.
The “Mercedes Benz – In Pursuit of Excellence” DVD is 92 minutes long and organized into eight sections. In summary, the disk is professional in look and sound. It is a review of the early history of the Mercedes company and its founders. As examples of the “Excellence” mentioned in the title, a few cars are given some detailed treatment: the Gullwing, The Mercedes 600, and some of the pre-war racing cars. The disk is not a review of Mercedes cars and does not discuss other Mercedes models.
The first section presents the history of the Mercedes Benz company, the origins of the company, and the accomplishments of Daimler and Benz as inventors and businessmen.
Next is the history of the Silver Arrow racing cars. Other sections cover the Gullwing and the Mercedes 600. It was interesting to learn that an unrestored Gullwing in good condition commands about the same price as a restored car. Nice to know that preservation and originality are being rewarded.
A tour of the Classic Center in Germany and the Mercedes archives make up two other sections. Another covers the holdings of The Hidden Garage, the building in which Mercedes houses its collection of over 500 cars, some of which rotate in and out of the Mercedes Museum. Unfortunately the cars are under protective covers. A tour of the Mercedes Museum is the final chapter.
The DVD is professional in image and sound quality. It features a voice-over narration and three Mercedes representatives: the Director of the Archives; the head of the Classic Center; and a Chief Engineer. They all have in-depth knowledge of their areas.
The camera cuts back and forth from the speaker to views of what is being discussed. The images are mostly stills. I found the Archive section a little long with a bit too much talking by the head of the Archive.
Racing fans will like the views of the pre-war racing cars including the W25, W125, W165 and others. Formula 1 fans will not see very much as the disk is concerned with early history. The Archive and Museum sections focus on the early days although the current restoration activities of the Classic Center is discussed.
It would have been helpful to North American viewers if references to kilometers and kilograms were also given in miles and pounds.
Some shots in the racing section show a racing car moving around a track or road. The view is composed of a still shot of the car moving along a still photo of the track. The car wheels do not move and the whole thing looks a little silly, more like the opening graphics of Monty Pythons Flying Circus. Disappointed that archival footage was not used. This almost cartoonlike composite is used in several places on the disk. A film shot of a 60’s sedan racing along a European street is one of the most exciting images on the disk. Unfortunately, it lasts only a few seconds.
The Hidden Garage was new to me as I didn’t even know it existed. Would have liked have seen some of the 500 classics with covers off but perhaps the Mercedes does not permit showing individual automobiles.
Those who are looking for particular models such as 190 SL’s, Pagodas, W107, W114 or the many others produced by MB over the years will not find them on this disk. A W113 Pagoda does drive by in the opening and closing credits but it’s gone in a few seconds.
The disk is not a history of Mercedes cars except for early racing, the Gullwing, and the Mercedes 600. As an historic resource, the disk could be a nice addition to a Mercedes collection to sit alongside the books and magazines. The disk has the advantage of motion and sound. Those familiar with the Mercedes story will not learn much new here but it is nice to see the inside of the archives and the Museum if you have not visited these sites.
The disk at $19.95 plus shipping seems competitively priced and is nicely packaged. The clips on the geraheaddvds.com website give a good taste of the full disk. Perhaps the producer will consider a series on individual Mercedes models. Maybe the W113 Pagodas will be first: great history, near perfect classic elegance, and ready for its closeup.
Richard M
Thanks to gearheaddvds.com for the pre-view copy.
