The Silver Arrow back to the Klausen Pass

The revival of this famous event, which will be held from 27 to 29 September 2013, sees the return of the winning car in the last race of the original series in 1934 to the demanding stretch of road that winds its way up to the Klausen Pass. Roland Asch, German hill climbing champion and twice DTM runner-up, will be at the wheel of the one and only roadworthy W 25 worldwide.

“As Official Engineering Partner of the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team, IWC Schaffhausen has close links with modern-day motor racing,” explains Linus Fuchs, IWC Managing Director Switzerland. “At the same time, both partners are keenly aware of their roots and historic legacy. Engineers at both companies have chalked up some spectacular achievements in their respective fields and in the process helped to write technological history. The two domains remain bound together by a common passion for precision technology and an ongoing quest for maximum efficiency and performance. Our commitment to the company’s participation in the Klausen Hill Climb, which features classic vehicles and takes up where the original ten races between 1922 and 1934 left off, is a tribute to the origins of the Mercedes Silver Arrow.”

Ingenieur Chronograph Silver Arrow

In 1934 Rudolf Caracciola, driving a Mercedes-Benz W 25 in the racing car class, set up a record time of 15:22.20 minutes that has remained unbeaten. With its revolutionary, leading-edge technology, the Mercedes-Benz W 25 subsequently embarked on the remarkable series of victories that was to seal its legendary status. As part of the launch of its new Ingenieur collection in 2013, IWC Schaffhausen is devoting a very special timepiece to an equally special racingcar: the Ingenieur Chronograph Silver Arrow (Ref. 3785).

A spectacle on the Klausen Pass

Between 1922 and 1934, the world’s top racing drivers met up for a hill climb in central Switzerland that rapidly established itself as the most famous of its kind. Driving Grand Prix vehicles, unforgettable characters such as Rudolf Caracciola, Hans Stuck, Tazio Nuvolari and Louis Chiron hurtled up the 136 bends on the 21.5-kilometre gravel road to the top of the Klausen Pass. The race was held on ten occasions during this period, and any driver who covered the hair-raising stretch in record time was assured of fame and glory. Hill climb enthusiasts from all over the world descended on central Switzerland to witnessthe unique spectacle, and no other hill climb has ever exerted the same magical attraction. After being held on four occasions between 1993 and 2006 as the Klausen Hill Climb Memorial, the event will be celebrating its eleventh incarnation in the original format between 27 and 29 September 2013.