Vehicle Description
The Mercedes Benz SSK was heralded as the greatest sportscar to
come out of Europe in the 1930's, which stood for Super Sport Kurz
(or Super Sport Short) due to the short wheelbase classification.
It was designed and built by Ferdinand Porsche as his last
contribution to Mercedes-Benz before leaving his tenure there to
start his own design firm in 1931. Possessing a powerful 7.0L
Supercharged Straight 6-cylinder engine, it dominated the racing
circuits and hill climbs of its day leading to numerous competition
successes! Less than 40 SSK's were built throughout the entire
production run from 1928-1932, with fewer likely existing today,
usually tucked away in amongst the prestigious museum collections
throughout the world.
For this reason, numerous companies have tried to duplicate the
design and shape in replica form for collectors to own and enjoy.
Companies like Excalibur, Classic Motor Carriages, Fiberfab, etc.
have all borrowed the SSK's silhouette in some form, but none equal
the true profile and size of the original, nor came powered with
Mercedes drivetrains under the hood. A lifelong automotive builder
named Horacio Torrendell of Montevideo, Uruguay put his artistry to
work in the late-1980's by producing some of the finest
hand-crafted SSK replicas to date. His company, Automoviles
Torrelaro Ltda (later renamed Guitolar Ltda in approximately 1989),
had been in business since the mid-1960's producing many South
American cars of his own design using drivetrains supplied through
major manufacturers. Most of these specialty cars were sold through
established dealerships in limited quantities.
His Torrelaro SSK Roadster is truly a work of art considering the
amount of man hours involved, not to mention the materials used to
create it. Using measurements and patterns from a real, original
1930 Mercedes Benz SSK, Guitolar Ltda produced a near exacting
replica in wheelbase and width, all 100% crafted in stainless
steel! This included the complete chassis, floors, body, hoods, and
fenders! All by hand, one at a time. The body and chassis are built
by welded, unitary construction, and sold in kit form complete with
leather interiors, Jaeger instrumentation, headlights, wiring,
split windscreens, radiator, fuel tank, faux side exhaust (also
custom stainless construction), and 6 wheels (including spares).
The buyer would then choose a more modern Mercedes suspension and
drivetrain borrowed from the W114/ W115 platform to finish each
one.
This very special Torrelaro SSK Roadster is finished with a 1970
Mercedes W114 utilizing a 2500cc (2.5L) SOHC Inline 6 cylinder with
dual two-barrel Zenith 35/40 carburetors, 4-speed manual gearbox,
3.92 rear differential, along with the complete front and rear
suspension, power steering pump, power-assisted 4-wheel disc
brakes, driveshafts, torsion bars, springs, shock absorbers, etc.
with only the steering linkage and the propshaft to be modified to
match the shorter wheelbase. The result was a SSK replica that was
properly Mercedes equipped! There is no comparable replica on the
market, and most were sold through distributors in Germany and
United Kingdom upon completion. Records account for less than 30
units to have ever been created, as they came at an incredible
cost!
Our example was sourced in Germany many decades ago by the late
Fred Kemp and retained in his outstanding Kemp Museum collection of
hand-picked vehicles, mostly consisting of specialty Mercedes Benz
automobiles. It would join our museum collection after his passing
in July 2015, where it has been cared for and exercised annually
ever since. Since 2018, we have replaced the fuel pump and filter,
rebuilt the carburetors, replaced the ignition cap/rotor along with
fresh spark plugs, driveshaft center bushing, front & rear flex
plates (u-joints), and had the fuel gauge rebuilt by Williamson's
Instruments and a new fuel sending unit installed. It will show
some imperfections, as some areas of the body are showing aging of
the paint, but it continues to start and run with great ease! And
it certainly turns heads wherever it goes and is truly an
entertaining car to drive on the open road! It is titled as a 1970
Mercedes. Please call to visit more about adding to your own
collection. You likely won't see another anytime soon!!
