Stuttgart – From 27 to 28 August 2011, Mercedes-Benz, together with the official Brand Club as well as friends of the brand, will be celebrating the anniversary of the birth of the motor car. Organised under the banner "Mercedes-Benz & Friends celebrate 125 years of innovation", the largest Mercedes-Benz gathering ever is scheduled to take place at the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin. In addition to test drives and passenger rides, as well as workshops and entertainment for children and young people, the colourful summer festival will celebrate the history of the brand with a programme of events which will also include exhibitions and a variety of stage shows.

The Tempelhof airport, which was closed in 2008, has an apron area measuring more than 250,000 square metres, all of which will be put to full use by the event to accommodate more than 1800 Mercedes-Benz-branded vehicles as well as a number of different driving circuits. In addition to vintage and classic passenger cars, members of the official Mercedes-Benz Club and Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts will also exhibit a variety of historic commercial vehicles. Owners will have the opportunity to present their lovingly cared-for vehicles, which include a number of truly rare items of automotive history, to the Berlin public on both the Saturday and Sunday.

Further highlights of the weekend will include the "Racing Legends": some of the legendary Silver Arrows, dating from the 1930s and 1950s, will be brought to Berlin from the Mercedes-Benz Classic collection for demonstration drives by famous racing drivers. "The brilliant history of the Silver Arrows will be brought to life with a demonstration of their impressive engine sound and incredible driving dynamics", explains Michael Bock, Head of Mercedes-Benz Classic and Director of Mercedes-Benz Museum GmbH. "It is not often that these racing cars are driven in public, so this will be a true highlight of the programme of events in Tempelhof."

There will also be a variety of opportunities for test drives and passenger rides on the airport apron, enabling visitors to experience first hand the latest technologies to be implemented in passenger cars, commercial vehicles and racing cars. Alternative drive systems, the world of motorsport and the topic of safety will be the focus of the Driving Events. It will even be possible to take vehicles from the current model range, including the B-Class F-CELL and the A-Class E-CELL, for test drives through city traffic.

A particularly special driving experience will come courtesy of the smart electric drive, which is bound to generate a great deal of excitement thanks to its agility and dynamism. A ride in one of the original DTM vehicles around a thrilling racing circuit, meanwhile, is also likely to be one for the thrill-seekers. Mercedes-AMG will also provide passengers taking part in its Driving Events with the opportunity to learn more about a variety of technical features, such as the Ride Control suspension, PRE-SAFE brakes, Speedshift and dynamic seats.

Fans of trucks and vans will be able to witness impressive demonstrations of the Telligent® stability control system in the Safety Truck, as well as Adaptive ESP® in the Safety Van. Meanwhile, Unimog will enable visitors to experience how the all-terrain vehicle copes with the rough road surface test track as well as other obstacles.

Past as well as future innovations will be the subject of the exhibitions which will take place in two hangars of the heritage-listed airport building. Mercedes-Benz innovations of the last 125 years will be on display in the "Historic Innovation" exhibition, organised by the official Mercedes-Benz Brand Club and based around a select number of specific vehicles. Practical demonstrations, workshops and information stands will provide further details as well as a fascinating insight into the topic.

In the "Future Innovation" hangar, the link between 125 years of innovation and the innovations of the future will be established, courtesy of alternative drive systems and futuristic designs. The Concept A-CLASS, Viano Vision Pearl, the new Actros and the one-off design study based on the all-terrain Unimog U 5000 will be on hand to illustrate the future of passenger car and commercial vehicle design. Fuel cell drives, and also battery electric and hybrid drives, will show the wide spectrum of future drive systems.

The summer festival celebrating the history and future of the brand will be rounded off with a colourful programme of events for children and families featuring the widest possible variety of activities, such as the children's driving school for mobile kids, bouncy castles, mini races and much more. The Piazza will also have an inviting programme of entertainment comprising competitions, music, interviews as well as prize contests to pass the time. The Saturday evening will be rounded off with a pleasant sundowner event featuring a series of music performances on stage.

In this way, the "Mercedes-Benz & Friends celebrate 125 years of innovation" event will create bridges between the past and the future of innovation. Some 125 years ago, Carl Benz submitted his patent application for the Benz Patent Motor Car to the Patent Office in Berlin. Now Mercedes-Benz is returning to Berlin to celebrate together with Berliners. It should be noted that no parking facilities will be available at the event site, and visitors are therefore recommended to travel to the Tempelhof station using the S-Bahn (suburban rail network) and the U-Bahn (underground rail network). Access to the event will be via the Tempelhofer Freiheit.

Vehicle owners can still submit applications until 31 July 2011 at www.mercedes-benz-classic.com/tempelhof.