Mercedes-Benz - Stuttgart, Germany

Day 2 of our stay in Stuttgart and we headed over to the Mercedes-Benz Museum. A factory tour is also available but we were unable to attend due to it clashing with the Porsche factory tour the day before.

Next to the museum stands a large Mercedes-Benz dealership.

This museum is definitely the most comprehensive we visited, as it is a journey through the companies 100+ year history and highlights the significance of Daimler and Benz's achievements in motorising a carriage. It isn't just a display of motor vehicles but also tells the story of the company during key events in history.

We picked up our audio guide units and took the elevator to the top floor.

Like the Porsche Museum, this museum is an impressive piece of architecture. In particular, I found the elevator very space age and something from a science fiction movie.

Starting with the company's roots, we were introduced to the Daimler Motorised Carriage - the first car built by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach.

Next to it was the Benz Patent Motor Car, built by Carl Benz.

As we walked further, we spiralled down towards the ground the floor. Each level has vehicles of significance from each era up till the present day.

Here is a view of the dealership from the museum.

Cars that we see as classic cars today were considered race cars in their day.

Mercedes-Benz has a rich history in racing and here is a poster from the 1930's featuring the what looks like a W25 race car - the beginning of the Silver Arrow name.

In the years leading up to World War II, the Nazi party used racing as a means of promoting itself and associated race victories as a symbol of German might. Here is a trophy won by Mercedes-Benz driver Rudolf Caracciola at the 1939 German Grand Prix on the Nurburgring. Look closely and you will see the Nazi crest along with the name Adolf Hitler.

A selection of Silver arrows.

As we progressed towards the modern era, we were treated to an iconic car.

The 300SL with its gull wing doors - the father of the SLS AMG.

Here is a selection of notable Mercedes racing cars (and trucks).

There's the DTM C-Class.

The SLS AMG GT3...

Beautiful Group C prototypes like the Sauber C9...

...and the Sauber C11.

And just like the beautifully wide 911 GT1, there was the CLK GTR.

Finally, we end in the world of Formula 1.

Next time you see a set of RPF1's, remember that this is where they were used.

There are just too many photos to post, click here if you would like to see more.

Next stop, somewhere quite special to me.