Van man gets historic choice

Arguable the longest bow drawn via a limited edition since the Carla Zampatti Ford Laser of the 1980s, Mercedes-Benz is offering Vito buyers the chance to purchase a piece of history. The 100-strong run of Blue Arrow Vitos celebrate the 50th anniversary of Mercedes-Benz van manufacturing and draw their name from a specially-built racecar transporter.

The Blue Arrow is available in the Vito 115 Van and Crew Cab in both compact and extra long variants and includes 'Jasper Blue' metallic paint, 16-inch alloy wheels, Blue Arrow decals, electric and heated side mirrors, leather trim wheel and gear shift lever and comfort seats with armrests for driver and front passenger at no extra cost.

The original Blue Arrow -- named after its distinctive blue paintwork -- was developed 1954/55 F1 season by legendry Benz racing boss, Alfred Neubauer, to transport the world famous Mercedes-Benz ‘Silver Arrow’ Race cars between Stuttgart and racetracks across Europe.

The vehicle, which was equipped with an engine from the 300 SL Gullwing model, ceased usage when Mercedes-Benz withdrew from Formula 1 at the end of the 1955 season after winning ten out of thirteen races and with two world championships titles under its belt.

After this there was no further use for the racing car transporter, which at the time was only two years old. Since it was too heavy to go on display in the Mercedes-Benz Museum, it was pressed into service by the road testing department before eventually being scrapped in 1967. In the early 1990s, restorers decide to resurrect the Blue Arrow -- seven years and 6000 working hours later a replica was built.

Pricing for the Blue Arrow Vito is as follows: