Mercedes W196 R: The Legend of the Silver Arrow

12 June 2023 Redazione News, Racing Cars

Words Carlo Brema / Photos courtesy of Bonhams Auction

1934 marked an important turning point for the world of motorsport. It is in this precise moment that the notorious Mercedes Silver Arrows were born, a nickname that from then on will identify the maximum expression of the concept of performance for the three-pointed star. Baptized precisely because of the color, or rather the lack of it (hence the base of the bodywork left raw to save a few grams), it is however time to make a small leap forward in time, more precisely in the year 1954, when the evolution of the Silver Arrows took the form of the W196 R, which over the course of two years succeeded in the incredible feat of winning 9 of the 12 races in which it took part.

The architects of this glorious feat are champions such as Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss, all made even more important on a global level since it was the return to motor-racing after the Second World War and a forced break that saw Mercedes away from competitions since 1939. The 50s had brought fresh air in any form and the birth of a new maximum category, called Formula 1. With a regulation that provided a cylinder capacity limit set at 2,500 cc for naturally aspirated engines and 750 cc for supercharged ones, Mercedes aimed high and gave birth to the W196 R, powered by a 2,496-cc 8-cylinder direct injection engine, with power ranging from 260 to 290 horsepower. Aerodynamically capable of cutting through the air, the W196 R had a ground clearance of just 13 centimeters and a reticular structure in magnesium tubes, which gave it considerable rigidity, but also great lightness (the weight of the structure was just 36 kg).

The W196 R was also declined with a body with covered wheels, called Carenata or Tipo Monza, particularly suitable for races in which dedicated aerodynamics would have made the most of the high speeds. At the time it was in fact possible to choose which layout to use in the various appointments on the calendar, allowing drivers and teams to better evaluate the aerodynamic efficiency of the Carenata and the open wheel one. It didn’t always go as planned, just look at the difficulties encountered in the 1954 Silverstone GP, a situation soon reversed in the following three races in Germany, Switzerland and Italy the same season. Fangio’s victory at the Monza GP in 1955 also allowed him to reconfirm himself as world champion.