1908 Mercedes-Benz Brookland

Acquired from the factory following the October 1909 Belgian competition; fitted the car with enlarged Michelin tires before onward delivery to a London address.

Young heir to a prominent Australian retail fortune based in Sydney; no competition use recorded during his ownership.

Covent Garden Street, London dealer through which the car was exported to Australia.

Melbourne owner who apparently removed the factory seats; car sat dormant until the next acquisition.

Revived the car and fitted salvaged aircraft metal seats; the car was illustrated in a 1947 Australian motoring publication and was last noted at an Australian veteran rally in early 1955 during this ownership period.

Santa Barbara-based collector and heir to a significant early Ford Motor Company investment; retained the car as part of a notable West Coast collection until its institutional sale.

Acquired on behalf of the museum by Tony Hulman for $30,000; housed there for roughly six decades with occasional outings to external events.

Fellow Sydney-area millionaire who entered the car in competition before selling it onward.

Pottery business proprietor in Melbourne's Brunswick suburb who raced the car personally and also had driver Rupert Jeffkins campaign it.

Car was purpose-built for this Austrian hillclimb; competed with the original smaller engine before factory upgrade.

Car was driven to the venue under its own power; the 7-minute-7-second record reportedly endured for 15 years.

Held near Brussels; Jenatzy, known as 'The Red Devil,' drove against strong international opposition.

Event south of Sydney; owner Smith drove the car in this local competition.

Melbourne Mercedes dealer staged an impromptu comparison with a current model; the 1908 car's victory drew considerable crowd amusement.

Car traveled from the Indianapolis museum to England as part of a group of significant vehicles on display at the event.

Featured in the Vanderbilt Cup Era Race Cars class as a non-competitive exhibition entry.

Factory replaced the original engine with a new, uniquely built 17.3-litre unit producing approximately 150 PS — the sole example of its type ever constructed. Engine assigned number 820.

Confirmed by factory correspondence; carried out following the first Semmering victory and in advance of the 1909 season.

Fitted with larger-diameter Michelin tyres mounted on standard production rims prior to sale to the London trade.

Carried out after the Tervuren event, before handover to Milnes-Daimler.

Car recommissioned after a period of dormancy; aircraft-salvaged metal seats fitted to replace the missing original seating.

Work carried out by or under Lyndon Duckett following his purchase.

Mechanical recommissioning completed in preparation for the auction sale; car confirmed to start readily and run with strong power.

Timing is recent but no precise date given in the catalogue.