1924 Mercedes Targa Florio
The car is based on the 1923 Indianapolis car, redesigned by Ferdinand Porsche.
DMG’s new chief designer Porsche had got off to an excellent start when he prepared this car for the 1924 Targa Florio. The engine, built in 1923, was completely done over and modified to include a number of innovations, like filling the exhaust valves with mercury for an improved heat abstraction.
Contrary to the regulations on the colouring of racing cars according to their nationality, this car was painted red instead of white, which was the official German livery . Reportedly, this was meant to stop spectators at the Targa Florio from recognizing the car as a competitor’s marque and throwing stones at it, a common practice at the time. Surely not only for this reason, the car was victorious with Werner at the steering wheel, once more demonstrating the capability of the supercharger.
This race also marked the DMG debut of Alfred Neubauer who was later to become race manager. The car was used in numerous races after its debut in the Targa Florio. For the 1924 Semmering race, Salzer fitted the Targa Florio chassis with a 4.5 litre engine, taken from 1914 GP and additionally equipped with a supercharger. Salzer could establish a record.
Story by DaimlerChrysler
In Detail
| submitted by | Richard Owen |
| engine | M 7294, Inline-4 |
| position | Front Longitudinal |
| aspiration | Supercharged |
| valvetrain | DOHC 2 Valves per Cyl |
| displacement | 1989 cc / 121.4 in³ |
| bore | 70 mm / 2.76 in |
| stroke | 129 mm / 5.08 in |
| compression | 4.5:1 |
| power | 94.0 kw / 126 bhp |
| specific output | 63.35 bhp per litre |
| bhp/weight | 136.81 bhp per tonne |
| redline | 4500 |
| body / frame | Pressed Steel Frame |
| driven wheels | RWD |
| front tires | 765 x 105 |
| rear tires | 765 x 105 |
| front brakes | Drums |
| f brake size | mm / in |
| rear brakes | Drums |
| r brake size | mm / in |
| steering | Worm & Nut |
| curb weight | 921 kg / 2030 lbs |
| wheelbase | 2700 mm / 106.3 in |
| front track | 1340 mm / 52.8 in |
| rear track | 1340 mm / 52.8 in |
| length | 3800 mm / 149.6 in |
| width | 1700 mm / 66.9 in |
| height | 1250 mm / 49.2 in |
| transmission | 4-Speed Manual |
| gear ratios | 2.42:1, 1.30:1, 1.22:1, 1.00:1, :1 |
| top speed | ~120 kph / 74.6 mph |
