
Mercedes E-Class #7 Team Auto Bild Rally Paris-Peking 2007 Minichamps 1:43

Specifications
- Brand
- Mercedes
- Manufacturer
- Minichamps
- Scale
- 1:43
- Material
- Diecast
- Model Condition
- New Model
- SKU
- B66962263
- Year
- 2007
- Era
- 2000s
- Body Type
- Rally Models
- Vehicle Class
- Endurance Racing Specials
- Openable Parts
- No
- Packaging Condition
- New
- Model Type
- Race Models
- EAN / GTIN
- —
About the Mercedes E-Class #7 Team Auto Bild Rally Paris-Peking 2007 Minichamps 1:43
TL;DR: Minichamps' 1:43 diecast Mercedes E-Class reproduces the #7 Team Auto Bild entry from the 2007 Paris-Peking rally raid, a modern revival of the legendary marathon route. Sealed Zamak body, rally-spec livery, tampo-printed sponsor graphics. A distinctive endurance-rally subject rarely covered by mainstream diecast lines.
Long-distance rally raids revived the spirit of the original Paris-Peking marathon of the early 20th century, sending production-based cars across thousands of kilometers of varied terrain, and Auto Bild's magazine-backed team entered a Mercedes E-Class for the 2007 running rather than the purpose-built off-roaders more common in the field.
Paris-Peking as a Modern Endurance Rally Revival
Reviving a Historic Route
The original Paris-Peking race of 1907 sent early automobiles across largely unmapped roads between two continents, a feat still remembered as one of early motoring's defining challenges. Modern revivals of the route, run periodically since the late 1990s and 2000s, invite classic and modern cars alike to cover similar ground under contemporary rules, blending genuine endurance challenge with a nostalgic nod to the original adventure. Entrants face variable road surfaces, altitude changes, and logistics across multiple countries, conditions that test a car's durability as much as any closed-circuit race would.
Auto Bild's Team and the E-Class Entry
Auto Bild, the German automotive magazine, fielded a team under its own banner for the 2007 event, choosing a Mercedes E-Class rather than a dedicated rally-raid vehicle, a decision that reflected the event's mixed field of both specialist and production-based entrants. Running under car number 7, the team's E-Class carried sponsor graphics and rally equipment consistent with long-distance raid regulations, including auxiliary lighting and reinforced underbody protection visible in the livery's detailing. This casting documents a specific, somewhat overlooked chapter of E-Class history rarely covered by mainstream diecast lines focused on the model's regular production trims.
Rally Livery Printing on a Sealed Executive Sedan
Sealed Body Construction and Livery Wrap
Minichamps casts this E-Class as a sealed, one-piece Zamak shell rather than a hinged model, with the sponsor and rally-ID graphics tampo-printed directly onto the body. That continuous surface lets the Auto Bild branding and event decals wrap the doors and rear quarters without interruption from a panel seam, important given how densely packed rally-raid liveries tend to be with sponsor names, event logos, and car numbers competing for space across the bodywork.
Auxiliary Lighting and Underbody Detail
Rally-raid preparation typically adds auxiliary driving lights, roof-mounted equipment, and skid plating to a production sedan, and this casting reflects those additions where visible on the bodywork, molded as part of the shell rather than left as an unmodified street-spec E-Class. The wheels carry a rally-appropriate design distinct from the standard executive-sedan alloys, and ride height reads slightly raised compared to a stock E-Class, consistent with a car built to survive rough surfaces rather than smooth pavement.
A Rare Subject for Rally-Raid Collectors
Paris-Peking and similar long-distance raid entries rarely get diecast coverage compared to World Rally Championship stages or circuit racing, which makes this E-Class a genuinely uncommon find for collectors building a rally-raid theme. Pairing it with Dakar-era entries or other magazine-sponsored rally builds creates a shelf theme most collections never attempt, simply because so few manufacturers cover this corner of motorsport at 1:43. The E-Class basis also makes an interesting counterpoint to the purpose-built off-roaders that dominate most rally-raid collections, showing that production sedans occasionally took on the same challenge. That unusual pairing is worth seeking out.















