<< Prev Page 2 of 3 Next >> The W165 chassis and suspension was pure W154 but at about 4/5 scale. The frame consisted of two large oval-tube side-members reinforced by five cross-members. Suspension was by double wishbones and coil springs at the front and a DeDion axle with torsion bars at the rear. The V8 engine was mounted in the chassis at a six degree angle to help the propellor shaft clear the driver's seat on the left. The seat itself was mounted off-set to the right. The power was fed to rear wheels by a five-speed gearbox that was mounted transversely behind the final drive. The tiny package was tightly wrapped in an aluminium body, again similar to that of the latest W154.
Little over four months after the project started the first of the three proposed W165s was completed. On April 10th, less than a month before the Tripoli race, the testing commenced at Hockenheim. Chief engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut and Works drivers Rudolf Caracciola and Hermann Lang all tried the new Voiturette racer. Amazingly it was Uhlenhaut who set the fastest lap of the day. After the successful first test, Mercedes-Benz confirmed the entry of two W165s for the Tripoli Grand Prix for team-leader Caracciola and 1938 winner Lang. It was still very much a race against the clock for the Germans; the second car was completed on the boat to the Italian colony.
During the practice sessions the two drivers tried both cars and Lang set the faster time, closely followed by his team-mate. However, it was not the fastest time. Luigi Villoresi set that in his streamlined Maserati. Lang was told to set a blistering pace in the early stages and come in for tires and fuel halfway through the race. In what was considered the better of the two chassis, Caracciola started with a more conservative pace and picked up places as the competition, pushed beyond their limits by Lang, retired. Despite his lengthy tire change, Lang managed to keep Caracciola well behind him to clinch a spectacular one-two debut victory for the W165. Mercedes-Benz had driven their point home; nothing could stop the Stuttgart steamroller. << Prev Page 2 of 3 Next >>
The W165 chassis and suspension was pure W154 but at about 4/5 scale. The frame consisted of two large oval-tube side-members reinforced by five cross-members. Suspension was by double wishbones and coil springs at the front and a DeDion axle with torsion bars at the rear. The V8 engine was mounted in the chassis at a six degree angle to help the propellor shaft clear the driver's seat on the left. The seat itself was mounted off-set to the right. The power was fed to rear wheels by a five-speed gearbox that was mounted transversely behind the final drive. The tiny package was tightly wrapped in an aluminium body, again similar to that of the latest W154.