“They Said I Could Never Finish; So I Finished First.”
Ewy Rosqvist, winner of the 1962 Argentinian Touring Car Grand Prix with Ursula Wirth in a Mercedes-Benz 220 SE.
Stumbled upon this very cool 1962 Mercedes-Benz 220 SE Matchbox at my local Walmart. Not a bad way to invest $1. Ewy’s story is legendary. She was the first female Touring Car Grand Prix Winner, proving the “experts” wrong and breaking barriers along the way. This little toy is worth having simply as a reminder that anything is possible with hard work, dedication and believing in yourself.
From Mercedes-Benz Classic (Daimler:AG): “The first race for Rosqvist and Wirth in their top-end Mercedes-Benz 220 SE (W 111) Saloon was the four-day Swedish Rally to the Midnight Sun (12 to 16 June 1962) where they immediately secured the women’s cup. They took 6th place in the 22nd Rajd Polski (2 to 6 June 1962) and then came in 12th in the Liège–Sofia–Liège Rally (29 August to 3 September 1962) before going on to win the Argentinian Touring Car Grand Prix. Ewy Rosqvist and Ursula Wirth won all six stages of this 4,624-kilometre race in course records, triggering enthusiastic celebrations on their arrival in Buenos Aires. It was probably the biggest success in Ewy Rosqvist’s glittering career. To seal this victory Ewy Rosqvist not only succeeded in dominating the race, she also increased the average speed from 121.234 km/h to 126.872 km/h compared to the previous year’s winning duo (Walter Schock and Manfred Schiek in a Mercedes-Benz 220 SE).”
See the full story at https://media.daimler.com/marsMediaSite/en/instance/ko.xhtml?oid=9919981