Mercedes-Benz SSK

The Mercedes-Benz SSK, internal type W06, was a short-wheelbase supercharged roadster built by Mercedes-Benz from 1928 to 1932. Its name abbreviates the German Super Sport Kurz, meaning Super Sport Short, because it shortened the chassis of the earlier Modell S to make the car lighter and more nimble in short races and hillclimbs. Ferdinand Porsche designed it as the last car he made for the company before leaving to found his own firm. A supercharged seven-litre straight-six gave it a top speed of about 200 km/h, and Rudolf Caracciola won the 1931 Mille Miglia and the 1931 German Grand Prix in one. Only 33 were built, about half of them as racing cars, and the few surviving originals are among the most valuable cars in the world.