Limited serie of 40 pieces only

Mercedes-Knight 16/45 PS — an automobile with extraordinary engineering

The Mercedes-Knight 16/45 PS belongs to a particularly fascinating period in Mercedes history. Produced until 1923, it was equipped with a highly unusual engine using the “Knight” sleeve-valve system, a technology developed by American inventor Charles Yale Knight.

Unlike conventional engines of the period, this system did not use traditional poppet valves. Instead, cylindrical sleeves moved within the cylinders to control the intake and exhaust processes. This arrangement allowed the engine to operate with remarkable smoothness and quietness, qualities that contributed greatly to the reputation of the Mercedes-Knight.

Chassis 20190, also identified by Commission No. 25939 and fitted with engine No. 53505, has a particularly well-documented history.

The car was ordered by the Husum Motors Corporation of New York from the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft in Stuttgart. It was loaded onto a ship bound for New York on 8 July 1922. The order included an unusual requirement: the car was to be supplied without complete wheels, but only with the hubs intended for wire-spoke wheels.

Around 1924, the car was acquired by the American painter and illustrator Peter Helck. It is highly likely that he was its first private owner. A passionate enthusiast of historic automobiles, Helck kept the Mercedes-Knight for several decades.

On 1 April 1987, the car was sold by the Helck family to John C. Worth II of Maryland. A few years later, in 1990, it was in London, where it was offered for sale by the renowned dealer Charles Howard.

The car subsequently continued its journey through Europe. After spending time in Hungary, it was eventually acquired in 2010 by a German collector from a specialist dealer. It remains today one of the most treasured automobiles in his collection.

More than a century after it was built, this Mercedes-Knight 16/45 PS remains an exceptional survivor from an era when manufacturers were still experimenting with different engineering solutions in their search for better automobile engines.

The Ilario 1:43 scale model

References IL175 to IL178 represent chassis 20190 in different configurations, including versions with the soft top raised or lowered.

Each model has been created with particular attention to the proportions, details and distinctive characteristics of this remarkable Mercedes-Knight.

Through this automobile, Ilario pays tribute not only to a remarkably preserved Mercedes of historic importance, but also to a technology that has long since disappeared and which helped define the distinctive character of the Mercedes-Knight for almost fifteen years.