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1913 Mercedes-Knight 16/45HP Touring

1913 Mercedes-Knight 16/45HP Touring

1913 Mercedes-Knight 16/45HP Touring

The Mercedes-Knight racing car, with its sleeve-valve engine that used slide-valves instead of poppet valves, was only of peripheral importance as far as its main engine use was concerned, which was to power passenger cars. Still, it could score some notable achievements. Probably the most significant one – though not a victory – was the fifth place in the 1913 Indianapolis 500 mile race. Pilette entered his Mercedes-Knight as the smallest-displacement car in the starter field and was the last to qualify for a participation. All the same, he finished the race after 7 hours 19 minutes – without a pit stop – in 5th place. Another remarkable feature of this engine was its fuel consumption: 11.8 l/100 km.

Story by DaimlerChrysler

In Detail

submitted by Richard Owen
engine Watercooled, KN 1034 Inline-4
position Front Longitudnal
aspiration Natural
valvetrain 2 Sleeve Valves with Twin Ports per Cyl
displacement 4080 cc / 249.0 in³
bore 100 mm / 3.94 in
stroke 130 mm / 5.12 in
compression 4.0:1
power 33.6 kw / 45 bhp @ 1750 rpm
specific output 11.03 bhp per litre
driven wheels RWD
front brakes None
f brake size mm / in
rear brakes Inside Shoe Brakes w/Input Shaft Brake Band
r brake size mm / in
steering Worm & Nut
f suspension Rigid Axle w/SemiElliptic Springs
r suspension Rigid Axle w/SemiElliptic Springs
transmission 4-Speed Manual
gear ratios :1