<< Prev Page 2 of 2 Despite all the successes the W154 was continuously developed. Throughout the 1938 season the size and location of the fuel tanks was altered as was the shape of the body. Over the winter the V12 engine was completely reworked. Although the specifications changed little, the engine was now considerably stronger and sported a two-stage Supercharger for a more even power delivery. The new V12 was labelled M163 and in many sources the 1939 Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix cars are incorrectly referred to as W163s. In fact the cars fielded that year were the same W154 chassis as used in 1938 although fitted with a new engine and an even slippier body. From the outside they are easily recognizable by the much smaller, oval grill. The M163 produced 480 bhp and did not share the M154's taste for oil.
By 1939 the competition had caught on especially the Auto Union Type D proved a formidable adversary. Nevertheless the W154 maintained its winning ways and this time also clinched the Pau Grand Prix. Hermann Lang was the man of the season, scoring four victories out of a possible seven. The 1938 champion Caracciola won the all important German Grand Prix. From September 1939 onwards most racing was suspended. After the War the W154 was wheeled out a few times. One example was raced at Indy in 1947 and 1948 but the complicated machine proved too much to handle for the small private effort. Mercedes-Benz shipped several examples to Argentina for two Formula Libre races and were also faced with technical problems. The fuel available in these difficult times stood no comparison with the explosive brews used in 1938 and 1939, which caused the delicate engines to run very poorly.
It is believed that a total of fifteen W154 were built by Mercedes-Benz. Together they scored 11 wins in 16 outings. The third chassis was never used in 1938 and 1939. The last car did race as it was part of the fruitless expedition to Argentina. Chassis 3 may have been used as a record breaker alongside chassis 11 which first served as a Grand Prix car and was later fitted with a fully enveloping body. Fitted with larger engines these machines were capable of speeds well in excess of 430 km/h. Today the presence of at least nine of the cars is known, which contrasts starkly with the very limited number of Auto Union survivors. << Prev Page 2 of 2
Despite all the successes the W154 was continuously developed. Throughout the 1938 season the size and location of the fuel tanks was altered as was the shape of the body. Over the winter the V12 engine was completely reworked. Although the specifications changed little, the engine was now considerably stronger and sported a two-stage Supercharger for a more even power delivery. The new V12 was labelled M163 and in many sources the 1939 Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix cars are incorrectly referred to as W163s. In fact the cars fielded that year were the same W154 chassis as used in 1938 although fitted with a new engine and an even slippier body. From the outside they are easily recognizable by the much smaller, oval grill. The M163 produced 480 bhp and did not share the M154's taste for oil.