Mercedes shows autosporthistorie at Techno Classica
Posted on 27-03-2014 at 15:50 by autoblogger – 9 Comments”
Everything has Mercedes-Benz from the shelves for its autosporthistorie to show up on the Techno Classica. The largest klassiekerbeurs of Europe opens its doors in Essen, germany.
As always, Mercedes the most well-kept hall with this year’s theme is ‘120 years of motorsport’. In a beautiful showcase is the list of the first ever Grand Prix car through to the latest Formula 1 car, and everything in-between. Also the DTM and Le Mans cars got a spot in this historical panorama.
Racing was in the early years of the sport, especially from recordritten between cities, towns and villages in the sunny south of France. For that purpose built by the then firm of Benz from 1900 special race cars. The Mercedes Simplex from 1902, that at the Techno Classica, marks the period in which Mercedes-powerful was in the recordjacht. The Simplex pulled the 40 hp from a 6.5-litre four-cylinder engine and had a top speed of 112 km/h. So shortly after the invention of the car at all were that incredible performance.
Also in Germany was recordritten place over long distances between major cities, encouraged by Prinz Heinrich von Preussen, the autogekke brother of the German emperor. Who wanted the league to the development and use of the car stimulate. Dedicated Mercedes a model that has the nickname “Prinz Heinrich Spezialtourenwagen”. The car completed in 1908, a trip of over 2,000 kilometres from Berlin through Budapest and Vienna to Munich. Also in 1909 and 1910, the prince recordproeven which to him were called.
In the meantime it was also directly against each other, racing in attendance. At the time, the circuits will simply shut down sections of roads between cities, sometimes tens of kilometers, mostly unpaved. Actually exudes the circuit of Le Mans today, still that atmosphere. For this Grand-Prix-races Mercedes cars like the Grand Prix Rennwagen 1914 on the Techno Classica. This has a 4.5 litre four cylinder with 106 hp and 180 km/h top speed. Mercedes won that year, the GP of France and also made the places 2 and 3.
The ample attention for technical development and the great achievements which the Germans managed to achieve culminating in the famous Silberpfeile. The model W25 from 1934 laid the foundation for this illustrious era. The W25 had a achtcilinder in-line engine which in the course of his career grew from 3.4 to 4.7 litres. The power was thanks to a compressor 354 to 494 hp. Men as Manfred von Brauchitsch and Rudolf Caracciola chased the car to a top speed of around 300 km/h.
The competition with the cars of competitor Auto Union and changed regulations led, in 1939, the W154. That had a V12 with two compressors and 465 hp and knew that also on the 300 km/h to reach. The year 1939 was also the end of the era of the Silberpfeile.
In the fifties, it took a Mercedes to the scene of international motorsport. At the start of the Grand Prix season in 1954, the state of Mercedes at the start with the W196, with 2.5-liter direct injected achtcilinder in line with 256 hp. Because the circuit of Reims in France, a real hogesnelheidsbaan is developed by Mercedes for the season opener a streamlined variant, the W196 R Stromlinien-rennwagen, of which more than 300 km/h which is impressive. This was later in Monza deployed. For the other races given the car a body with free-standing wheels. Both cars are in the exhibition at the Techno Classica. Especially the Stromlinien-car looks now, still very impressive.
Unfortunately, it took Mercedes after the season 1955 already retired from the international motor racing because of the dramatic accident of Pierre Levegh at Le Mans. That black page overshadowed the year 1955, but it wasn’t Mercedes look back on a year in which it had dominated in both the Grand Prix as the long-range sportwagenraces.
Only decades later would Mercedes back to sport-prototype cars in the international GT racing and Le Mans. But also, when it was a Le Mans not a success, despite the dominance in the other GT races outside the large 24-hour weekend. More about that in a future article.
With thanks to Robert van den Oever and Maarten van der Pas for this guest article!
Gallery: Mercedes 120 years of motorsport
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