For the many car clubs that are on display at the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix 2024, there aren’t too many that are loosely associated with a Formula 1 team.
 
And while the Mercedes Benz Club of Victoria isn’t exactly part of the F1 team, they are still heavily associated with the brand – often being invited to the German-based headquarters.

Boasting a huge membership base of more than 1100 Mercedes owners and enthusiasts, the club has come leaps and bounds from when it was founded in the late 1970s by a couple of friends.

Having grown significantly in more than 40 years, the club mainly specialises in social events and monthly meetings, with many of the members considering each other as family. 
 
“We have a thousand people at the car club but it's a very close knit family where many of us know each other well and we’re all friends,” Club Social Officer Sara Salib said.

“It’s become a bit of a family group and that’s why it’s a really cool club to be involved with.

“We feel a bit like a community as well because even if you don't know someone we had, you know, even yesterday, but we have a range of people involved.


“A lot of people think that Mercedes Benz cars are for old people, but we have members of all ages. Even 19 to 20-year-olds who purchase these cars and have that same thought, only to come to the club and discover we have all age groups.

“And the wealth of knowledge that many people have in the club is fantastic because they can support others and provide advice and help, which adds to our community-valued mantra.
 
“That's the beauty of our club - there are a lot of members that are actively involved and hold different positions.

“Coming to the Australian Grand Prix, which is something the club has been doing since around 2010, you often get a lot of Mercedes fans coming and talking to us. Whether it’s about their own car or about the F1 – we get a lot of visitors, which is awesome.”

While the Australian Grand Prix is a big deal for the car club, it is just a small part of the club’s annual offerings - with monthly meetings, cars and coffee runs, frequent displays and the monthly magazine just some of the elements. 

However, the biggest event for the car club is its Concours d'Elegance – an event where more than 250 Mercedes are on display and are even judged.

We used to do the Concours every year, but now we've pushed it out to every two years and that's definitely the biggest event,” Salib explained.

“There are different categories that can be entered with a variety of quality. The car doesn't have to be in mint condition to be eligible.
 
“It’s a huge event. An entire oval field just with display cars and just with Mercedes Benz, It’s truly wonderful.”
 
Get more information on the Mercedes Benz Club of Victoria here.