Jump to content

Probably the most important Grand Prix car ever


John Z. Goriup

Recommended Posts

Advertisement (gone after registration)

1955 W196R Grand Prix racer.

 

Debuted at the '54 French Grand Prix with a streamlined ( enclosed wheels ) aluminum body, specifically designed for the two high-speed circuits that year, i.e. Reims & Monza, the open-wheeled version shown here waa first shown and raced at the '55 European GP at the Nürburgring in '55.

 

The horrific LeMans disaster in '55 cut short M-B's season short since management withdrew the company from all motorsports effective immediately, but prior to that decision W196Rs had won every race in which they were entered in'55 except Monaco.

 

The car shown, owned by the Mercedes Museum and maintained in amazingly original condition, Ser.#00013, is one of the last of this model to be produced, and was raced by Juan Manuel Fangio, who won the Dutch GP in this car, and who also drove it to 2nd place at the British GP at Aintree.

 

When you think back to the time this car was conceived and built, one must consider the fact that all Mercedes facilities had been utterly & totally destroyed in the war and were nothing more than bombed-out piles of rubble in summer of '45 when the war finally came to an end, and that the industrial miracle of designing and producing the first genuinely modern, new & subsequently completely dominant post-war GP car came a mere 9 years after complete destruction and loss of staff…….a historic and remarkable achievement.

 

Thanks to Mercedes-Benz for releasing the car for public viewing at some of the most prestigious vintage races and Concours worldwide - photographed at the '15 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

 

To further annoy those who may not be quite as enthusiastic about internal combustion, I'm posting the five images seperately to retain max. image quality.

 

JZG

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

  • Like 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

next image.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

…..and another.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

One more.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

The final image, and some specs:

 

2.5 liter in-line eight- cylinder motor angled at 37 degrees from vert. with central drive, dual overhead cams with desmodromic ( positive valve actuation, no valve springs ) valve mechanism and mechnical fuel injection - initially developing 257 HP which was eventually developed to 290 HP at models end. Differential mounted gearbox, aluminum finned, cast-iron lined brake drums and twin A-arm independent front suspension with swing axles in the rear. 

 

Thanks for looking,

 

JZG

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

  • Like 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

Many thanks for this.

 

In my mind, Mercedes Benz always impresses, at least in their serious cars. I have owned (for a very long time) a W123 and I still own a W126 that only sees three seasons (I am realistically expecting it to go forever). The engineering is unequalled in my experience. So too this W196

Link to post
Share on other sites

This is probably not the optimum way to handle this, but I'd like to continue the above post by adding 5 new images because fortuitous circumstances, not likely to be repeated anytime soon made this pairing of unique events and subsequent posts possible. 

 

I spent last weekend in Los Angeles and among other things visited the spectacular "new" Peterson Automobile Museum, and there, in it's full majesty, in the so-called 'Precious Metal' collection consisting of only silver-metallic painted cars, was an original, race-winning example of the enclosed, streamliner-bodied version sister car to the above W196R open wheel M-B GP racer of '1955, on temporary loan from the Indianapolis Speedway Museum. To see one of these exceedingly rare, historic racers in the metal is a cultural event in its own right, to see both versions up close and to be able to photograph them a few months apart is tantamount to the second coming.

 

Hard to believe that this car and the above example are identical cars under the skin, save for a difference in length of wheelbase, since the streamliner was used primarily for the high-speed circuits such as Monza and Reims, where stability was more important than nimbleness. The incredibly beautiful lines of the enclosed body effectively conceal the brute force and speed of this car that so utterly dominated Formula 1 racing in the day. 

 

JZG

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Link to post
Share on other sites

The 2nd image.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Link to post
Share on other sites

3rd image

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Link to post
Share on other sites

….the side view.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Link to post
Share on other sites

….and the final photo, showing pretty much the only view this car's competitors ever saw.

 

Thanks for looking

 

JZG

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

  • Like 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...