1928 Mercedes Benz S Tourer
edited by David Barth, 26 November 2008.
Courtesy "The Auto Collections" showroom at the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino in Las, Vegas, Nevada, USA. Photos were
taken 18 November 2008.
The historical information presented below is from "Imperial Palace Auto Collection" by Ralph Engelstad, owner of the
hotel/casino and the automobiles until his death in 2002.
Chassis number: 35947
Engine number: 71819
Commission number: 40647
This car was originally owned by the famous Al Jolson and, subsequently, by noted designer Brooks Stevens. The car was
purchased from Brooke Stevens by Don Williams in 1990 in mint, original condition. In 1991 the car was
completely restored by Mike Fennel Restorations.
The 6.8 Liter "S" models were built from 1927 through 1928 and were
the victorious favorites of world famous drivers. They also scored highly at international auto salons where experts
proclaimed this model "the last word in motor car design." The type S was the ultimate supercar of the late 1920's,
driven by Barney Oldfield, Zeppo Marx, Al Jolson, and Harold Vanderbilt, among others.
The Type S is one of the first
models produced after the 1926 merger of Daimler and Benz brought the genius of Dr. Ferdinand Porsche to bear on the
Mercedes road cars. The long, long hood shrouds a 6.8 Liter straight-six, single overhead cam engine, supercharged,
with dual carburetors. In an effort to stiffen the long, narrow, ladder-type frame, the engine and four-speed
transmission were integrated into a single, massive unit.
At the time these photos were taken, the price was not specified, but inquiries were welcome.
History of Mercedes:
Daimler and Benz joined forces in 1926 to combine their car design and manufacturing talents in Cannstatt, Germany. It
was with Daimler Benz that Wilhelm Maybach and Paul Daimler were engineers.
An important figure in the history of Daimler Benz was entrepreneur and playboy, Emil Jellinek, who purchased cars and
then made recommendations for their improvement. Between 1896 and 1900 he purchased approximately 46 cars.
The recommendations he made that Daimler Benz acted on were to move the engine from the middle to the front and
increasing the number of cylinders from two to four. It was Emil Jellinek, who asked the company to name the new model,
"Mercedes," after one of his daughters. That model entered 1901 Nice Week, a competition which included a long-distance
race, a sprint, and a hillclimb. Mercedes won all three events. These and other wins helped make Mercedes a commercial
success.
Multi-millionaire William Kissam Vanderbilt had purchased one of the earliest Mercedes cars in 1901. Three years later
he bought a powerful Type 90 racer and took it to Ormond Beach, Florida, where he covered the flying mile at a
speed of 92 mph, traveling faster than any man before him. Sales increased even more, making Mercedes the best-selling
imported car in America.
Another Mercedes enthusiast was multi-millionaire John Jacob Astor whose fortune had been earned in Manhattan real
estate. He bought a 1909 Mercedes, the first year that the three-pointed star appeared on the radiator. Astor went down
with the Titanic in 1912. His 1909 Mercedes remained in a Bronx warehouse for about 40 years. Later, it was moved to
the family estate in Florida. It was in Florida where it was purchased by the Imperial Palace Auto Collection.
The following photos were taken 23 November 2006.
