1954 - 1955 Mercedes-Benz W196 Streamliner - Images, Specifications and Information

Click here to download printer friendly version

Every one of the first six seasons of the F1 championship were dominated by a single make, the first two years Alfas 158/159 'Alfettas' could not be matched, with a subsequent rules change to Formula 2 regulations saw Ferrari dominate with the 500 F2 and 625 F2 in 1952 and 1953. For the 1954 season the rules were changed once more, either 750cc engines with forced aspiration or 2500cc engines with natural aspiration. This was the right time for Mercedes-Benz to enter GP racing again, exactly 20 years after the first Mercedes-Benz GP car, the all conquering W25.

The W196 introduced at the 1954 Reims Grand Prix not only looked like nothing else on the grid but under its streamlined body it was filled with innovations as well. The straight 8 cylinder engine was tilted 37 degrees resulting in smaller frontal area. There were no valve springs closing the valves as the W196 was equipped with a desmodromic valve operating systems, with one camshaft opening the valves and a second one closing them again. Bosch direct Fuel Injection developed for the 300 SL was used, a similar technology as found in the four time 24 Hours of Le Mans winning Audi R8, 45 years after it was first introduced. To decrease the unsprung weight the drum brakes were moved inboard. The W196 was as complex as it pre-war cousins and as successful.

Fangio drove the W196 to its maiden victory at its first Grand Prix, with his team mate Kling just a couple of meters behind him, the third place finishing Ferrari however was more than a lap behind. The low drag streamline body that had been so successful on the high speed Reims circuit blocked Fangio's view of the front wheels at Silverstone in the next Grand Prix. Not being able to point the streamlined W196 to the corners' apexes, he finished a 'lowly' fourth. For the Nürburgring GP a new open wheeled bodywork was ready, it didn't look quite as good as the streamlined version of the W196 but it was just as purposeful. Fangio went on to win the 1954 and 1955 World Championships. In 1955 Moss lead three other W196s to victory in the British Grand Prix at Aintree.

Various versions of the W196 were built during its lifespan, the streamlined version for highspeed tracks like Avus, Reims and Monza, a more conventional bodied version for the road racing tracks. Of that normal bodied version a short wheel base version was built for the 1955 season, and an even shorter one for the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix with outboard brakes for cooling reasons.

The 1955 season was the most tragic season in motorsport history, with a Mercedes-Benz 300SLR flying into a grandstand at Le Mans, killing 87 people. At the end of the season Mercedes-Benz withdrew again from motorsport and did not make an all conquering return 20 years later in 1974 as many fans had hoped. Mercedes-Benz' two years in F1 can be described by a Julius Caesar quote; 'veni, vidi, vici' (I came, saw and was victorious).

Pictured is one of the four Streamliners constructed, which is currently part of the Mercedes-Benz museum collection. It is seen here being driven by Hans Herrmann, one of the car's original drivers. The occasion was the fiftieth anniversary of W196, celebrated at the 2004 Nürburgring Old Timer Grand Prix.