Dear Ultimatecarpage.com visitor,
From 1934 onwards Grand Prix racing was very much a German affair; Mercedes-Benz dominated and only compatriots Auto Union were able to challenge them. The enormously powerful racing cars created in this era still baffle to this day. By 1937 the unlimited supercharged engines produced well over 500 bhp for which the primitive tires and suspension design were no match. Something had to be done to slow the cars down and for 1938 a displacement limit of 3-litre for blown engines was introduced. Mercedes-Benz' answer to this challenge was the exquisite W154, which featured a brand new V12 engine. The beautiful twin-cam, supercharged engine produced a hefty 460 bhp to the end of its development span. In the following two seasons W154s won 11 of the 16 races they competed in. The W154 pictured in our feature gallery was regularly raced in 1938 and 1939, and was eventually used by the great Juan Manuel Fangio after the War.
The Italians were tired of seeing thir cars beaten by the 'Silver Arrows' and late in 1938 decided to have the next edition of the prestigious Tripoli Grand Prix run under 'voiturette' regulations. With a 1.5 litre displacement limit, these were very literally 'small (Grand Prix) cars'. Both Maserati and Alfa Romeo had competitive cars for this class making an Italian victory highly likely. Mercedes-Benz however was determined to defend their 1938 win. In order to take part in the race they constructed a 'voiturette' racer of their own, the W165. It was created by combining a new V8 engine with slightly smaller version of the W154 chassis. Two cars were entered and due to the very limited time available, the second car was completed on the boat to North Africa. It was more than sufficient and the Germans scored a smashing 1-2 victory. It was the only time these cars were ever competitively raced. Our detailed article on the W165 is illustrated with images of Hermann Lang's winning example.
Enjoy the links:
1938 - 1939 Mercedes-Benz W154 - Images, Specifications and Information
1939 Mercedes-Benz W165 - Images, Specifications and Information
Regards,
Wouter Melissen