This unique 1938 Mercedes-Benz Gelandesport 170VS is the only remaining example of 10 specially built by the factory to compete in the 1938 Duetsche Alpenfahrt, an arduous three-day race spanning 38 mountain passes through the Alps and 1,600 kilometers beginning in Munich, Germany, and finishing in Vienna, Austria.
The 1920s had been glory years for Mercedes-Benz in international racing, but as the German economy began to falter under the growing weight of post-war reparations and the looming worldwide depression, more localized motorsport events began to proliferate. Interest grew in racing events, requiring competitors to traverse not just a single hill but entire series of mountain passes through the Alps, often spanning several days of competition.
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The 1920s had been glory years for Mercedes-Benz in international racing, but as the German economy began to falter under the growing weight of post-war reparations and the looming worldwide depression, more localized motorsport events began to proliferate. Interest grew in racing events, requiring competitors to traverse not just a single hill but entire series of mountain passes through the Alps, often spanning several days of competition.
