Travel Back To 1967 As A Porsche Engineer Tackles The Ring In A Mercedes Sedan

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

A series of incredible photos have been unearthed, showing what is believed to be a Porsche engineer wringing out a Mercedes sedan on the Nurburgring.

Imgur user Rexhardwick writes that the photos are

“A set of kodachromes shot by a Porsche engineer as he took a mercedes sedan around the Nurburgring in 1967. Descriptions are transcribed directly from the notes on the original slides. I’ve acquired his life’s work as a photographer and I am looking for any information about this man.”

It’s startling to think that these photos were taken by hand while driving the ‘Ring, which was even more deadly in the pre-Lauda crash era than today. The changes and improvements made in the name of safety are evident in the sparseness of the track’s landscape, and the lack of familiar devices like Armco barrier and fencing.






Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

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  • Replica Replica on Apr 08, 2014

    GoPro - circa 1967

  • Segfault Segfault on Apr 08, 2014

    Wow, great shot of the infamous corkscrew turn. Anyone know what the uphill turnoff is (where there appear to be a couple of cars lined up)?

    • See 1 previous
    • Vega Vega on Apr 09, 2014

      That is the Steilstrecke, a shortcut for the Karussell. The picture was taken at the right hander immediately before the Karussell.

  • Carson D At 1:24 AM, the voyage data recorder (VDR) stopped recording the vessel’s system data, but it was able to continue taping audio. At 1:26 AM, the VDR resumed recording vessel system data. Three minutes later, the Dali collided with the bridge. Nothing suspicious at all. Let's go get some booster shots!
  • Darren Mertz Where's the heater control? Where's the Radio control? Where the bloody speedometer?? In a menu I suppose. How safe is that??? Volvo....
  • Lorenzo Are they calling it a K4? That's a mountain in the Himalayas! Stick with names!
  • MaintenanceCosts It's going to have to go downmarket a bit not to step on the Land Cruiser's toes.
  • Lorenzo Since EVs don't come in for oil changes, their owners don't have their tires rotated regularly, something the dealers would have done. That's the biggest reason they need to buy a new set of tires sooner, not that EVs wear out tires appreciably faster.
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