The Mercedes Benz Survivors

Mercedes was more fortunate than Auto Union in terms of cars that have survived. With foresight the cars were split up and stored in several different locations before the war ended. In addition, Mercedes is located in Stuttgart which was in the US occupation zone. As a result their cars stood a better chance of being retained as opposed to being sequestered in the bowels of some warehouse used to house war reparation material. The Mercedes Silver Arrow cars owned by collectors, museums and the factory are summarized below.

The W25 Cars of 1934, 1935 and 1936 – Four cars from this era survive and all are owned by the factory. Car 6 (chassis 105196) is in Mercedes Benz Stuttgart museum. Car 4 (chassis 105194), is the car in which von Brauchitsch won the 1934 Eifelrennen. The car is currently being restored to be driven later in 2009. MB also owns chassis 142207 which is the AVUS streamliner and another chassis with a separate body but no numbers.

Louis Sugahara, in his book Mercedes Benz Grand Prix Cars 1934-1955, provides the following additional information on cars 4 and 6:

“This W25 … is Car 4 and bears the chassis number 105194/4 ("10105194/4" is inexplicably stamped on the plate). The car was raced extensively until the German Grand Prix of July 28, 1935, mounted with the 1934 M25A engine. After that, restoration work was carried out, probably to commemorate the first car, but it is regrettable that the job seems to have been a halfhearted effort. The badge on the radiator grille, which was on all of the 1934 cars, is replaced by the painted three-pointed star, the windscreen design differs from that of the 1934 version, and the louvers on the outer panel below the exhaust pipe are missing. Until 1997, the Swiss Museum of Transport and Communication in Lucerne displayed another W25 - Car 6 (Chassis No. 105196/6) - that also had no headrest or fairing. Car 6 is the very car that was proudly displayed, after restoration, at the entrance of the 1935 Berlin Motor Show. In 1935 it was again converted into a racing version, but after the Italian Grand Prix on September 8, it was modified into the prototype body, to be exhibited at a Mercedes-Benz dealership in London in October. After being returned to Daimler-Benz, the car fortunately survived the war, and then in the late 1950s or early 1960s, together with a cache of exciting historical records, it was donated to the Swiss Museum of Transport and Communication.”

The W125 Cars of 1937 – Sugahara reports that a total of five cars from this year still exist. Considering that only eleven examples were built this is a remarkable survival rate. One car is in private hands, chassis 166365/2. It was discovered in Poland and owned by a Japanese collector until 1995. It is now in the hands of British collector Bernie Ecclestone. The factory owns the remaining four cars. Chassis 166372/9 is in hillclimb configuration and currently on long term loan to the French National Motor Museum – Schlumpf Collection in Mulhouse. Chassis 166368/5 is on display at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart and chassis 166369/6 is at the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center at Fellbach along with record car chassis 190816/11.

The W154 Cars of 1938 and 1939 – Fourteen cars of this type were built before the war started and an additional car was completed after the war. Eight of the pre-cars have survived along with the post-war car. This high survival rate is generally credited to Alfred Neubauer who believed it would be a short war and he took steps to secure cars so that they could be quickly reactivated after the war. Neubauer (incorrectly) assumed that the war would be concentrated on Germany’s eastern front because Germany and Russia had signed a non-aggression treaty. It made sense in his mind therefore that the cars should be shipped to countries east of Germany.

Louis Sugahara relates, in detail, the fascinating stories surrounding many of these cars. It is interesting to read how cars were located and how they were treated. One interesting example for Americans is Car 9 (chassis 189439/9) which was relocated to Czechoslovakia in 1939, found around and drifted around Europe until 1947 when it was sent the US. It was quickly refurbished by Californian Tommy Lee and made appearances in the Indianapolis 500 races of 1947 (car #46) and 1948 (car #31) but was DNF in both cases. The engine and body were then removed and unsuccessful attempts were made in 1949, 1950 and 1950 to enter the remade car at Indy. The car continued through a series of refurbishments and restoration until finally in the late 1980s the chassis was reunited with its post-war engine and body and faithfully restored. In 2004 the car was believed to be in the hands of a German collector.

The table below summarizes Sugahara’s records for all the W154 cars but the enthusiast is encouraged to obtain a copy of Mercedes Benz Grand Prix Cars 1934-1955 and enjoy the colorful stories that Sugahara tells for all the cars.

    
Chassis 189431/1 – Wrecked and scrapped in August 1939
Chassis 189432/2 – Wrecked and scrapped in August 1938
Chassis 189433/3 – Retained by Daimler-Benz during the war, presently unaccounted for
Chassis 189434/4 – Wrecked and scrapped in July 1939
Chassis 189435/5 – Wrecked and scrapped in June 1939
Chassis 189436/6 – Located in Poland, on display at French museum without body
Chassis 189437/7 – Located in Romania, restored believed to be in US
Chassis 189438/8 – Said to be sent to be in Poland, presently unaccounted for
Chassis 189439/9 – Sent to Czechoslovakia, restored but present owner unknown
Chassis 189440/10 – Sent to Czechoslovakia, on display at museum in Prague
Chassis 189441/11 – Retained by Daimler-Benz during the war, at MB museum in Stuttgart
Chassis 189442/12 – Located in Berlin car lot after the war, at MB museum in Stuttgart
Chassis 189443 – Not built (unlucky number 13), chassis later used for car /16
Chassis 189444/14 – Displayed at Deutsches Museum in Munich
Chassis 189445/15 – Sent to Romania, now located at Collier Museum Naples, FL USA
Chassis 189446/16 – Assembled after the war, on display at French museum

Note: Some authors use the confusing terminology “W163” for the W154 or at least certain versions of the W154. “The 163 actually refers to the M163 engine which was also used in the W154 for the 1938 season. That engine was fueled by a witch's brew of 86% methyl alcohol, with nitro-benzine, acetone and sulphuric ether mixed in giving the engine a whopping 2 mpg,” according to writer Denis David (www.ddavid.com/formula1/mercedes-w163.htm).

The W165 Cars of 1939 – Two examples of this model still exist and both are owned by the factory. Car 1 (chassis 449546) is at the Classic Center in Fellbach and Car 2 (chassis 449547) is at the Stuttgart museum.

I wish to gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Josef Ernst of Mercedes-Benz Global Communications in Stuttgart. His guidance, review and comments contributed to making this information both accurate and current.

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