W165 Mercedes in exile

[Hans.ca]

This story was told once before but I think TimD did not see the original.
While growing up in Zurich, Switzerland during the WW2 I would be walking to school along the Forrlibuckstrasse, then a bit on the Harturmstrasse until I got to the Escherwyss Platz.Crossing this intersection to reach the Sihlstrasse, we would pass under a large railway viaduct. In the arches of the viaduct there where small work shops. The one of particular interest to me had two large wooden doors that would be open on any fine day. Inside there where 2 race cars parked side by side. These cars where painted red (swiss racing colour, but no white on it) and 2 mechanics worked on them every working day during the entire war. I could tell they where Mercedes, but at the time I did not know any more about them.
In March or April of 1946, just a 1/2 km away from where I lived, Caracciola was going to test a race car that he was going to take to the Indy 500. I heard about this and at 5 am one morning I managed to get past the police that had closed off the Industriestrasse so Caracciola could test his car. This street at that time was probably the only 4 lane highway in Switzerland. It had bicycle paths on each side and a centre media if I remember correctly. The street was
about 10 or 12 km long. All the side streets had been closed, nobody was allowed anywhere near, but that did not stop us.
Caracciola made only one run down and one run back. The thing I remember that there was an extra fuel tank, made of brass, mounted behind the headrest. It was exiting for us to see this car fly past us.
At Indianapolis Caracciola was thrown from his car in the southeast turn during practice. He was badly injured effectively ending his racing career.
Now wind the clock forward to 1992-4. While working in germany I visited the Nurburgring several times. One time we where able to visit the Nurburgring museum. The feature exibit was some mercedes race cars. Two of them looked familiar. They where the 1 1/2 liter W165 1939 Tripoly GP for voiturette class winning cars. The winner was Lang with Caracciola finishing second.
Now I wanted to know if they where the cars I walked past on my way to school during the whole war. I knew that a former editor for Powerslide, that I used to freelance for, was working in the PR departement of Mercedes in Switzerland. A short phone call and it was confirmed that they where the cars. Originally given to Caracciola by Mercedes and looked after by two german mechanics during the war.
I was told that the Americans tried very hard to get these two cars under the war material repatriation act after the war was finished but since they belonged to a swiss and located in Switzerland they had no chance.
Another little tidbit is that that viaduct was hit by one bomb sent to us by the british. No damage to the viaduct or the cars.

[djb]

Grutzi Hans, (I realize that I have surely misspelled grutzi...my father in-law is Swiss, but that is about all that I know.)

Thankyou for retelling the story. My knowledge of pre-war cars is limited, but I must admit that my interest is from a photographer's point of view of your mention of photographing drivers in the 50's and 60's.

I was intriqued by comments you made recently about working as a photojournalist, and I was wondering if there is any possibility of you placing some of your favorite shots from over the years onto a site that any of us could have access to. I work in the commercial field, but I have always wished that I had been a photographer in the years that you worked, when access was generally easier to events, and there weren't such a horde of press people like there are now.

I am acutely aware that you may not even want to digitalize any of your images, with the subsequent ease of copyright problems; I understand completely, but in any case, you have gotten me intriqued and interested in hearing more anectodes.

yours truly,
DJB

PS. My father in-law was born in '29 and has told stories of seeing British and American bombers over Baden during the war.

[TimD]

Thank you, Hans.

A delightful and intriguing story. You may of course rest assured that I am utterly green with envy! I mean, I spent my entire childhood being assured that no-one, but no-one was the equal of Regenmeister Rudolf Caracciola on the right day, by enthusiastic grandparents who had seen the Donington races.

In case anyone isn't familiar with the story of the special Tripoli Mercedes that Hans has described, it's a lovely example of Mercedes efficiency in the face of determined self interest.

The Italian racing authorities were getting so sick of seeing Alfa, Maserati et al being constantly defeated by the big Mercedes and Auto Unions that they announced with barely 6 months notice that the Tripoli GP would be run to voiturette rules. Libya being at that time an Italian protectorate, it came under the Italian governing body.

The announcement was made by the organisers confident in the knowledge that Alfa Romeo had a world-beating voiturette all ready to go, but that the Germans had nothing in the category to go racing with.

In six months, Mercedes designed, built and tested a voiturette special - the 1.5 litre W165.

And they duly swept all before them in the Grand Prix.

Fabulous cars, and a fabulous driver.

Again, thank you Hans.

[Neil C]

Thanks, Hans. It is just as amazing the second time. I, too would love to see some of your vintage photos.

[Ray Bell]

With Teutonic efficiency they built two rear axle ratios... and apparently only one of each.. or one of the higher ratio, at least. Caratsch was said to have fumed that Lang had the taller ratio, and thus the race was in his pocket from the start.

We saw this car demonstrated by Alan Jones at the AGP in 1985. How I'd love to have seen them, and their big brothers, in action... even if it made me twenty years older!