Karl Benz’s company granted exclusive sales rights for Benz vehicles in France to Émile Roger in 1888, leading to successful sales and marking the beginning of international expansion. A single Benz competed in the 1894 Paris–Rouen race, finishing 14th in 10 hours and 1 minute. In the 1908 French Grand Prix, Benz scored second and third behind the winning Mercedes. The “bird-beaked” Blitzen Benz, based on Grand Prix cars but with an engine intended for airships, set land speed records, reaching 228.1 km/h (141.7 mph) in 1911.
After the Great War, in 1921, Benz licensed the design of the Rumpler Tropfenwagen, a teardrop-shaped car. Benz also became involved in Grand Prix motor racing from 1923, introducing the mid-engine layout to the sport at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. These cars, built in part by Rumpler engineers, used a 1,991 cc inline six engine producing 60 kW (80 hp) and demonstrated “impeccable roadholding” at speeds over 140 km/h.
The Mercedes Simplex of 1902, a purpose-built production race car, dominated racing for years, leading the Daimler company to adopt the name for its products. In 1908, and again before the First World War, the DMG Mercedes 18/100 GP won the French Grand Prix, finishing 1–2–3. In the US, Mercedes won the Elgin Trophy with Ralph DePalma in 1912 and 1914.
After the war, Ferdinand Porsche was recruited by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and became chief engineer in Stuttgart. Mercedes made an effort to win the Targa Florio with several cars and engine configurations, painting them red to blend in with Italian entries. Giulio Masetti won the event in 1921 with a pre-war 4.5 liter GP car. Mercedes also entered the 1923 Indianapolis 500 with three supercharged cars. Christian Werner added a second Targa Florio win for Mercedes in 1924, with a post-war 2 liter supercharged car. The inaugural 1926 German Grand Prix at AVUS in Berlin was won by Rudolf Caracciola as a “privateer” with a modified Mercedes GP car.
Following the merger of Daimler and Benz in 1926, production was split between the companies' facilities, and factory Grand Prix racing efforts were discontinued until the 1930s. Ferdinand Porsche continued as chief engineer, later succeeded by Hans Nibel in 1929. Designs were numbered in a new scheme, with the Mercedes-Benz W06 becoming known as the S-Series, with later versions designated Super Sport and Super Sport Kurz (SSK). These Porsche designs, with large 7 liter engines supercharged up to 300 hp, were raced by customers, including Rudolf Caracciola, who won the 1931 Mille Miglia and the 1931 German Grand Prix.
An AIACR European Championship for drivers was introduced in 1931, based on three major Grands Prix. Races were run to Formula Libre regulations. Winning cars were the Bugatti Type 51 and the Alfa Romeo P3. Rudolf Caracciola drove an Alfa Romeo in 1932, winning two third places and the German Grand Prix. Ferdinando Minoia became the 1931 champion by simply entering and finishing all three races, while Tazio Nuvolari won the 1932 championship.
New Grand Prix rules for 1934 limited engine weight and capacity, prompting Daimler-Benz to re-enter Grand Prix racing with a multi-year factory effort. Both Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union introduced cars with around 300 hp from 3 liter engines. These cars, soon called the Silver Arrows, dominated from the 1935 Grand Prix season to 1937, with Rudolf Caracciola becoming European champion in 1935, 1937, and 1938, and Bernd Rosemeyer winning in 1936 for Auto Union. For the 1938 season, engine size was limited to 3 liters, but the Silver Arrows continued to excel.
The traditional color for German racing cars was white, but Mercedes cars at the 1920s Targa Florio were painted red, and some streamlined constructions were made from unpainted sheet metal, earning them the nickname "Silver Arrow." When new Grand Prix rules were announced for 1934, Daimler-Benz decided to re-enter racing despite the Great Depression. The Mercedes-Benz W25 and Auto Union A appeared in silver, and soon were called Silver Arrows. They set speed records up to 435 km/h (270 mph). The Mercedes team was guided by Alfred Neubauer.
After the war, Mercedes considered entering Formula One with the W165, but decided instead to focus on sportscars with the W194 "300 SL" in 1952. An update to the W165 was the W195. In 1951, Mercedes entered three pre-war W154s into the Buenos Aires Grand Prix, finishing second and third in each heat. Juan Manuel Fangio) joined Mercedes in 1954, and the team recorded a 1–2 victory at the French Grand Prix. Fangio) went on to win the 1954 Championship.
In 1954, Mercedes-Benz returned to Formula One with the technologically advanced W196. Juan Manuel Fangio) won the championship, and in 1955, Fangio) and Stirling Moss won 6 of the 9 rounds, finishing first and second in the championship. Mercedes also won the 1955 World Sportscar Championship with the 300 SLR. The team discontinued racing at the end of 1955 to focus on road car development, a decision commonly attributed to the 1955 Le Mans disaster.
Mercedes returned to motorsport as an engine supplier to Sauber in 1994, and then McLaren in 1995. McLaren and Mercedes-Benz won both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships in 1998, with Mika Häkkinen. Lewis Hamilton won the Drivers' Championship with McLaren in 2008. Mercedes returned to Formula One as a factory team in 2010, buying the 2009 championship-winning Brawn GP team. The team won eight consecutive Constructors' Championships from 2014 to 2021, and seven Drivers' Championships.
Mercedes also enjoyed success in sportscar racing, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1952 and the World Sportscar Championship in 1955. They returned to sportscar racing in 1985 as an engine supplier to Sauber, winning Le Mans in 1989 and 1990. They also competed in the FIA GT Championship with the CLK GTR in the late 1990s. Mercedes-Benz also competed in rallying in the late 1970s and early 1980s, achieving success in long-distance rallies. They also supplied engines to the DTM touring car series and Formula Three.
Gallery · 3 related images
