An iconic story
ONCE
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An iconic story
NOW
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An iconic story
ONCE
SEE MORE
An iconic story
NOW
SEE MORE
An iconic story
FOREVER
SEE MORE
ONCE
FOREVER
the next chapter of the mercedes tale
retold by Hemmels
Hemmels are the Mercedes custodians restoring classic cars to be as unique as every owner.
Our Approach
UPDATING TECHNOLOGY TO PRESERVE A LEGACY
We use the most pioneering automotive technology to make cars faster, safer, more comfortable and more powerful.
OUR PROCESS
Paying careful attention to every surface, texture, finish and function.
From the suspension to the stitching, your car is made to measure and tailored to meet your desires.
Our offer
Conserving history to shape the contemporary.
Technicians, artisans and experts. Our specialist team will support you at every step to see your vision crafted in metal.
our team
In a partnership that endures.
We’re with you from the first call, to your first drive and beyond. Rely on our exceptional aftercare to get your car serviced and maintained whenever you need, so it can be passed down to the next generation.
The shifting tides of a new world.
After the uncertainty of the ages gone before, the world is ready for a more optimistic future. A revolutionary spirit leads the way for further explorations, fresh perspectives and new understanding – a better way of living.
C R E A T O R S
190SL
Karl Wilfert & Walter Häcker
1955 - 1963
AUTOMOTIVE PIONEERS EMERGE
Against a backdrop of creativity.
For Mercedes-Benz, the infectious exploration of the postwar era inspired a period of innovation redefining a brand, a vehicle and a journey. They drive the wheels of change towards a future where form, function and purpose are on equal footing.
1954 - 1963
3 0 0 S L
Rudolf Uhlenhaut
The Mercedes-Benz W194 endurance racer produced for the 1952 Sportscar racing season was the inspiration for both the Uhlenhaut Coupe and the 300 SL. So called Gullwing because of the winged appearance of the doors, Rudolf Uhlenhaut’s out-of-this world designs encapsulates the futurism of the time.
Maximilian Hoffman
Maximilian Hoffman’s suggestion to produce a road-going version of the W194 was the catalyst for the production of the Gullwing and Roadster. He is credited for single handedly introducing European cars to the booming American automobile market.
From Hollywood boulevards to the Woodstock fields of Bethel.
“I HAVE A DREAM”
Martin Luther King JR
from sit-ins to the space race.
President KenneDY
“We set sail on this new sea because there is new knowledge to be gained.”
from the land of the free and across the globe.
New icons and heroes are emerging. A hunger for justice, purity, simplicity and joy is shaping humanity. On land, we dream of freedom. In space, we reach for the moon. Visions of lives full of grand adventure are becoming reality.
A pattern unfolds: experiment, break ground, forge new pathways.
Jack kerouac
"I was... between the east of my youth and the west of my future"
Kerouac inspires the beatnik generation to reject conformity. Baldwin awakens consciousness through creating poetry for the Black struggle. Kubrick captures anxieties about technology, the modern world and getting lost in the universe. Across all fields, artists and creators begin to question everything that had gone before.
1955 – 1963
1 9 0 S L
“Not fashion, but the best function should prevail. For in the end what is technically suitable is always beautiful.”
Karl wilfert
Karl Wilfert & Walter Häcker
Karl Wilfert and Walter Häcker join forces to design ‘the Gullwing’s little brother’ in the form of the 190 SL. They pioneer the body’s perfect proportions at a more affordable price than the 300 SL to help a wider American audience realise their dream of owning the most coveted car.
All around there is hope for a peaceful new age. For a fairer and more beautiful society.
Jan Rose Casmir
“There’s no way to describe the ’60s, but ‘humanistic’ comes close.”
Power is for the people. Flowers take the place of guns. There are attempts to unify with explosions of colour and symphony. Everyone is swinging to the beat of the same drum.
Shift dresses and shifting minds. Mod makeup and modern lives.
The cultures and countercultures of the young have always been a strong force for change. And throughout this era and beyond, the youth make horizons much broader in music, fashion, literature, film, architecture and design.
Rock star Elvis graces the silver screens. The Mondrian collection debuts at Yves Saint Laurent. The Hermes Kelly bag is popularised by Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco. Boundaries blur and legacies intertwine.
1967 - 1971
2 8 0 S L
“One aspect has always been important to me: things must be beautiful – and practical.”
– Paul Bracq
Paul Bracq
Around this time, Paul Bracq designs the 280 SL Pagoda with a linear and delicate silhouette. The iconic roof that gives the car its moniker offers plenty of space and visibility from the inside, while all importantly casting a cool and confident light from the view of passers by.
Béla Barényi
As the father of passive safety in automotive design, Béla Barényi had practical reasons to design the Pagoda’s unmistakable roof – as fortification in case of being overturned. The Pagoda stands as a true example that style and substance go hand in hand.
Forgoing conventions in music, attitude and lifestyle.
Life imitates art and art imitates life in vivid technicolour.
On and off the big screen, the elegance of Audrey Hepburn, the charisma of Marilyn Monroe, the rebellion of James Dean and the presence of Sidney Portier are opening the eyes of a generation to the power and possibility of storytelling. Representation matters. Fame is a double-edged sword. Influence can be used as a force for good.
Rising from grey obscurity to the brightest limelight ever witnessed, the Beatles, with their experimental approach to sound, visuals, production and performance, revolutionise popular culture and the zeitgeist itself.
On and off the big screen, the elegance of Audrey Hepburn, the charisma of Marilyn Monroe, the rebellion of James Dean and the presence of Sidney Portier are opening the eyes of a generation to the power and possibility of storytelling. Representation matters. Fame is a double-edged sword. Influence can be used as a force for good.
Giants of engineering revealed to an audience and revered by the world.
The Mercedes-Benz story is forever stitched into the fabric of the era. Recorded, protected and championed by the masterful makers at Hemmels.
“That time was the heyday of automobile engineering.”
Paul Bracq
