It’s no secret that I think many things were better in the nineties – not least your humble correspondent! But surely you would agree that documentaries were better when they had time & space to breathe? To make the best of the available footage – to inform through a simple intelligent script, calmly delivered.
If so, I think you will enjoy this new find from our friends at ‘Race Day Replay’. ‘The Mercedes-Benz Story 1886 – 1992’ makes full use of the Daimler archive to… well, do exactly what it says on the tin! It’s a great reminder that although we have have a lot of footage available to us these days, it’s better still to have it curated and properly presented.
Of course there is a LOT of racing content. The 1914 Grand Prix, the 1922 Targa Florio, Ards, Tripoli… and on & on. I particularly enjoyed the extended footage from the famous race that opened the new Nürburgring in 1984 – especially the in-car piece with Niki Lauda. But the stand-out for me – the WOW! moment – was the event to celebrate Bertha Benz on her 90th birthday.
After Jellinek’s new car dominated Nice Week in 1901, Paul Meyan of the Automobile Club de France stated, “We have entered the Mercédès era.”. This film is the story of that epoch.
Enjoy!
