In the 1954 and 1955 seasons, the first Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows of the post-war period dominated all Grand Prix races. The Mercedes-Benz W196 compete in twelve Grand Prix and achieve nine victories for Stuttgart, including four double victories and one 1-2-3-4 victory.
Car number 6 won the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring with Juan-Manuel Fangio on August 1, 1954 and also the Swiss Grand Prix in Bern on August 22, 1954. It is the only post-war Silver Arrow in private ownership.
In 1998 we had the chance to buy this car. It is the only post-war Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow in private ownership in the world. We were obsessed with the idea of seeing this race car drive again. The car was not driven for decades and had to be completely dismantled in order to ensure 100% safety for the driver and car during use. At the same time, the untouched, original charisma and substance should be preserved, i.e. i.e., no surface was allowed to be changed or painted, and no screw was to be replaced. The decision as to who should do this job for us was made relatively quickly. In order to safely reach our goal, we simply had to do this job ourselves and commissioned Jürgen Kassen and his team to do it. There was great support from Karl Lemberger, who supported us in his free time with his incredible knowledge. Karl Lemberger also looked after and used the Mercedes-Benz factory silver arrows in the factory collections for many years.
After twelve crazy months of intense, passionate and detail-obsessed work in the workshop, the work was completed. The reactions of the public at the racetracks in Goodwood, at the first historic Grand Prix in Monaco and at Pebble Beach in the USA were more than compensation for the many sleepless nights and the tireless efforts of our people. We are repeatedly approached by people who saw the vehicle back then. A car that visitors to these events still love to talk about today. Once you’ve experienced it, you’ll never forget it!
