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!!
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!!