On paper, the Mercedes-Benz 220 was far from sporting. Its workaday 2.2-liter straight-6 was no fireball, and it had to be rowed hard to overcome a not-inconsiderable curb weight of 1,334 kilograms (2,941 pounds). But in that weight lay strength, and the model became an unexpected hit on the rally stage, particularly in top-spec fuel-injected form. It proved just the tool for punishing long-distance events, winning the 1960 Rallye Monte-Carlo.
Finnish hot-shoe Rauno Aaltonen was also a fan, no doubt influenced by his father owning a Mercedes-Benz dealership in his hometown of Turku. Alongside Pentti Siutla, Aaltonen campaigned a Mercedes-Benz 220SE in the 1960 Jyväskylän Suurajot, or Rally of the 1000 Lakes, bringing the car home in 7th overall.
He hoped to repeat the success the following year, this time paired with Väinö Nurmimaa, but the promised Works car never materialized. His father sourced a brand-new example — said to be chassis 014930 — straight from the showroom floor, and the car was hastily modified for competition. The registration plates from the previous car — EH 220 — were fitted, along with a lightweight rear bench, stiffer springs and a front bumper sourced from a Kaiser. Small compensation came from the factory in the form of eight 15-inch steel wheels.
What followed was a stunning win for both Aaltonen and the Mercedes-Benz, as the big saloon was steered to overall victory ahead of 59 other finishers, completing the rally more than five minutes ahead of the Citroën ID 19 of Pauli Toivonen and Jaakko Kallio.
This 1961 Mercedes-Benz 220 SE represents a fascinating period in its competition history and could be the perfect companion for long-distance tours and historic rallies.
SCM Analysis
Detailing
| Vehicle: | 1961 Mercedes-Benz 220 SE Saloon |
| Years Produced: | 1959–68 |
| Number Produced: | 66,000 |
| Chassis Number Location: | Stamped on firewall |
| Engine Number Location: | On block, right side |
| Club Info: | Vintage & Classic Car Club |
| Website: | http://www.rallytheglobe.com |
| Alternatives: | 1959–65 Jaguar Mk II 3.8, 1959–62 Volvo PV 544, 1959–66 Morris/Austin Mini Minor |
This car, Lot 107, sold for $85,905 (€82,800), including buyer’s premium, at RM Sotheby’s Munich, Germany, auction on November 26, 2022.
There are probably as many motivations in motorsports as there are participants, but they can generally be reduced to a few categories. Some people really care about winning; others enjoy the excitement and camaraderie of the events. Some are driven to improve their driving abilities and push their personal envelopes, while others want to strut their financial and social status. Some simply love to remember the history and vicariously relive the experiences of their driving heroes. There is another reason that is sometimes lost in over-analysis and psychobabble: fun. Simple, grinning, laughing, heart-pounding, unbridled fun. Optimizing your lap times can be rewarding, but it is work; flinging an old car sideways at 40 mph on a gravel road and nailing the throttle is just plain enjoyable.
Vintage rallying events and the cars that are appropriate for them are different in Europe and the U.S. Over here, vintage rallies tend to be open-road tours, with genteel driving over an interesting route, comfortable accommodations with a party every evening, and a mellow, car-enthusiast vibe. In Europe it’s a bit different. The accommodation and social sides are still there, but the emphasis is on competition, with both sedate paved-road sections and more-intense backroad stages, where you must really start flinging a car around if you want to finish well. In the U.S., you enter the car that meets the organizer’s criteria of age and historical interest, while in Europe both the car and the drivers need to be properly prepared to go rallying. It’s a whole different world.
Good old days
Though events like the Monte Carlo rally have been around since the earliest days, automobile rallying as we know it didn’t get going until well after World War II. As economies rebounded, driving enthusiasts looking for something more challenging than a Sunday drive but short of circuit racing found the answer in rallying. It was a chance to drive like a madman without attracting the police and without needing a highly prepared car or much specialized gear. Through the 1950s and into the ’60s, European rallying grew like crazy but remained relatively accessible.
In the 1970s and ’80s, rallying changed. Advancing technology allowed faster cars, and promoters discovered spectators would pay to see cars that looked like those in the showroom being driven at insane speeds. By the early ’80s, international-level rallying had become fully professional and attracted more spectators than Formula One. The “Killer B” cars of the mid-1980s were so extreme and dangerous that they were effectively outlawed, but professional rally driving continued as an extreme form of motorsport.
Vintage rallying has little to do with that. There tends to be a class for the next-gen cars into the ’80s, but mostly it involves pre-war and what are called “classic” rally cars: those from the ’50s through the mid-’70s, before all-wheel drive or big horsepower. Also, before roll bars in closed cars and serious race preparation. In the Early Classic and Classic groups, even before wide tires. What this means is that they are not very fast. The most competitive 1962 rally car wouldn’t stand a chance against a modern family SUV. And that is exactly the point: Vintage rallying is about having fun. Going fast is entirely relative.
An authentic experience
Which brings us to our subject car, effectively a bone-stock 1960 Mercedes 220 SE sedan with racing seats, raised suspension and stiff springs. Its 4-speed manual transmission still uses the column shifter, for heaven’s sake! It makes 120 horsepower in a 3,000-pound package running on six-inch-wide tires. Even in the day, this was anything but fast. But the Mercedes is well-balanced, civilized and unbreakable, all of which counted for a lot in the long-distance, stamina-testing, press-on-regardless rallies where it triumphed.
For those of us “of a certain age,” there are few more cherished memories than learning car control by pitching the skinny-tired cars available to us sideways on loose surfaces and trying to hang on. Though we imagined ourselves true hooligans for doing it, the reality was relatively benign; we really weren’t going very fast and the consequences of messing up usually weren’t serious. Today’s performance cars are simply too technically advanced to allow drivers to get into that much trouble. Even if you turn off the assists, the traction levels are so high (and the body-repair costs so intimidating) that such joyful innocence is not available. It is, though, if you choose to buy something like this old Mercedes and go vintage rallying.
Drivable history
There is also a collector aspect to the proposition that can add substantial pleasure and enduring value to owning these cars. I am not aware that there is a hard “history and provenance” requirement for cars participating in many of these rallies, but as always, the better the car, the more easily admittable it is in prestige events. I will estimate that roughly half of this car’s market value rests in its victory at the 1961 Rally of the Thousand Lakes. You could take an old 220 SE and build the equivalent car for half the money, but it just wouldn’t be the same.
As far as I am concerned, this car hits the sweet spot in most aspects. It has excellent provenance and would be comfortable and easy to drive, inexpensive to maintain and utterly dependable. It is powerful enough to be fun, competitive with its peers, and safe enough that your spouse doesn’t need to worry. Mostly, it would be a giggle to drive; a chance to go be a hooligan again, even with gray hair and responsibilities. That can count for a lot, so I’d say this was fairly bought. ♦
(Introductory description courtesy of RM Sotheby’s.)
