W196

Lore & Background

The W196's delayed debut at the 1954 French Grand Prix saw the introduction of the aerodynamic closed-wheel aluminium 'Type Monza' streamliner body for the high speed track at Reims. Juan Manuel Fangio and Karl Kling claimed a 1–2 finish, and Hans Herrmann posted the fastest lap. The same body was later used only three more times: in the 1954 season at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone and the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, where it picked up its nickname, and in the 1955 season again at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

In total the 'Type Monza' won three races (the 1954 French Grand Prix, 1954 and 1955 Italian Grand Prix), all with Fangio at the wheel. These three Grands Prix have remained the only races won by a closed-wheel car in Formula One history. A conventional open-wheel version was introduced for the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. Fangio won this and the two following GPs in Switzerland with the 'open wheel' version and Italy on the closed-wheel 'Type Monza', securing his 2nd World Championship.

At the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, the low-mounted Mercedes air-intake clogged with leaves, costing the race to Mike Hawthorn in a Ferrari, and leading to the intake's relocation atop the hood. In the shortened 1955 Formula One season, the W196 won every race except the Monaco Grand Prix, where Hans Herrmann crashed in practice and the other three team Mercedes cars failed to finish. A highlight for driver Stirling Moss was his finish 0.2 seconds ahead of stable mate Fangio at his home event, the British Grand Prix, his first GP win, a race where Mercedes romped home with a 1–2–3–4 finish.

After capturing the two world championships it competed in, Mercedes withdrew from motorsport at the end of the 1955 season.

Reader's Guide

The W196 was front mid-engined, with its long longitudinally mounted engine placed just behind the front axles. A welded aluminium tube spaceframe chassis carried ultra-light Elektron magnesium-alloy bodywork. Extra wide diameter drum brakes too large to fit inside 16" wheel rims were used, mounted inboard with short half shafts and two universal joints per wheel. Torsion bars fitted inside the frame's tubes were used in the double wishbone front.

The rear used a low-roll center system featuring off-centered beams spanning from each hub to the opposite side of the chassis crossing one-another over the centerline. Despite its strong reliability and good track performance, drivers Fangio and Moss described the car in MotorSport magazine as being 'a bit difficult to drive, with a tendency for snap oversteer'. The W196 was so advanced and ahead of its time, that the narrow tyres available at the time simply could not fully handle the car's exceptional performance and potential.

Did You Know?

• The W196 was the only F1 car with such advanced fuel technology, giving it a considerable advantage over the other carburetted engines.
• The 300 SLR (W196S) was a 2-seat, 3-litre sports racer derived from the W196 R F1 car, sharing most of its drivetrain, chassis, and Mercedes-Benz M196 engine.