It was the world's first purpose-built motor racing track and the spiritual cradle of British motor sport, hosting the country's inaugural grand prix. The daredevil mass overtaking on the 2.75-mile long, 100ft wide Brooklands circuit stunned the tens of thousands of spectators who came to marvel at the speeds achieved by the racing pioneers of the Edwardian era.
Brooklands' opening day in the summer of 1907 was heralded by the press as a "motor Ascot" with procedures based on horse racing. Cars were "shod" in a paddock. Jack Hutton, triumphed in the Montagu Cup, the big race of the day, covering the 30-mile course at an average speed of 82mph. He was driving his own Mercedes. After a couple of successful decades, Brooklands circuit, near Weybridge, Surrey, entered a long fallow stretch, outpaced by new ventures at Silverstone and Brands Hatch. Its heyday over, the track was never properly repaired after being bombed during the second world war. Now, following a refurbishment costing tens of millions of pounds, Brooklands has once again become one of the biggest attractions in south-east England, outside of London. Figures released in early October by VisitBritain revealed Mercedes-Benz World to have quadrupled its visitor numbers in the past year, making it the fastest growing free attraction in Britain (from 59,000 visitors when it opened in 2006).
It is a place where car enthusiasts can go giddy on the memories of past glories, ogle at the speeds achieved on the resurfaced track and, oh, perhaps buy a Merc while they are at it.
Mercedes-Benz World is a car museum, a track where anyone over 5ft can put a car though its paces, (the youngest driver to date is a seven-year-old girl) and also the company's biggest dealership in Britain. But Mercedes is keen to stress that a visit amounts to more than just a day out in a car showroom, as you can hear in this clip.
"This is a permanent motor show where you can drive our products on the track, off road, or on a skid pan. It is unique in the world," says Mercedes-Benz World managing director, Peter O'Halloran. "It is not just for car enthusiasts but all the family. I call it 'autotainment'."
For non-drivers, there is a restaurant, cinema, parkland, shop and museum. This is, O'Halloran suggests, a quest to popularise the Mercedes brand and steer people away from perceptions that the firm makes "haughty, inaccessible" cars. And he is keen to stress there is no hard sell. The sales staff stay out of the museum and away from the track where visitors, for between £35 and £150, can learn how to push a 525 brake horsepower, £125,000 car to the limit. There are designated spots on the twisty course for drivers to stop to be sick. "We like to think that if people get so excited by our products and say 'can we buy one?' and we were to say 'no' then it would not be much of an experience, so yes, we'll sell you a car," adds O'Halloran. In the current economic chaos, it seems likely that most adults will be happy to settle for looking round the museum and watching their children clamber over the showroom vehicles, which is free.
DaimlerChrysler, the then operating company of Mercedes-Benz, began refurbishing 155 acres of the original Brooklands site in 2004 attracted by its vicinity to London, the M25 and, no doubt, the fact that its cars adorn many nearby driveways.
On show is the world's first car model with an engine that "formed an organic part" of the vehicle. Built by Karl Benz in 1886, it has three oversized bicycle-style wheels, a metal racing green frame and wooden bench seats. Benz's wife, Bertha, bought bottles of fuel for the one-cylinder, 0.75bhp engine, at the chemist.
Nearby is a silver 300 SL Gullwing, which in 1954 was the world's fastest production car with a top speed of 160mph "depending on the gearing". Its lush red leather seats are complimented with red leather suitcases strapped in behind the driver by matching seat belts. Upstairs are a Le Mans and McLaren Mercedes Formula One car. There's even a Lewis Hamilton racing suit on sale in the shop in children's sizes. Looking at a Le Mans Mercedes is Vauxhall driver Karen Farmer, and her son Lewis, 11, who live in nearby Ashtead. "It used to be just fields here and it's very nice what they've done. The people are helpful and it's fun to look at a car that costs as much as a house. As for the cheaper, more everyday ones, I haven't even looked at the prices."
· Mercedes-Benz World at Brooklands is open to visitors from 10am to 6pm, 7 days a week. Admission is free. 0870 400 4000
