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Chassis:
The fifteenth and final Mercedes-Benz W154 constructed was first raced by Manfred von Brauchitsch during the 1939 Belgrade Grand Prix. He finished second behind Tazio Nuvolari in the Auto Union. On that very day France and Great Britain declared war upon Germany, bringing all international racing to a halt. After the War, chassis '15' was bought together with a sister car by Romanian Joska Roman. He rolled this car in a hill-climb. The fuel tank cracked and the subsequent fire mostly damaged the tail of the car.
Some years later the car was sold by Roman's son to a Switzerland based collector. He had the car fully restored. It subsequently passed through various hands before it was acquired by the current owner, a prominent Florida-based collector, in 2006. 'Wagen 15' was restored once more and made its restoration debut at the 2009 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. Later in the year it was shown at Pebble Beach to celebrate 75 years of the Silver Arrow. Exactly seventy years after it was first raced, it was again put through its pace during a demonstration run at Lime Rock Park.
(Source: Automobile Historique #6)
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