Mercedes-Benz Remembers Automotive Historian Beverly Rae Kimes

MONTVALE, N.J., May 16, 2008 -- Beverly Rae Kimes began writing about automotive history in 1963, after receiving a master's degree in journalism from Pennsylvania State University. She wrote hundreds of articles and wrote or edited over twenty books in the field, including My Two Lives: Race Driver to Restaurateur with Rene. Dreyfus, the French racing champion of the thirties.

In 1986, Kimes was commissioned to author and produce The Star and The Laurel: The centennial history of Daimler, Mercedes and Benz 1886-1986. The book features over 850 photographs and details the technical developments and achievements in the history of the automotive industry made by Daimler, Mercedes and Benz.

Kimes was the longtime editor of Automobile Quarterly and most recently The Classic Car Club of America. She also frequently contributed articles to The Star, the magazine of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America.

As an accomplished writer, her work was recognized by many auto industry peers. She received the McKean Trophy of the Antique Automobile Club of American and was a four-time recipient of the Karl Benz Award given by Society of Automotive Historians for her work in Automobile Quarterly that included the following articles: "The Nash Story," 1978 (Cugnot article); "Ken Purdy, King of the Road," 1994; "Austie," 1999; and "The Story Behind the Marmon 12," 2004.

"We are saddened by the passing of Beverly and our condolences go out to her family, friends and colleagues," said Mike Kunz, manager of the Mercedes- Benz Classic Center in Irvine, CA. "Beverly's significant contributions will be forever lasting throughout the Mercedes-Benz organization."

About Mercedes-Benz USA

Mercedes-Benz USA, headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey, is responsible the sales, marketing and service of all Mercedes-Benz and Maybach products in the United States. In 2007, MBUSA achieved an all-time sales record of 253,433 new vehicles, setting the highest sales volume ever in its history and achieving 14 consecutive years of sales growth. More information on MBUSA and its products can be found on the Internet at www.mbusa.com and www.maybachusa.com.