Approaching the corner at the end of the main straight on the Mercedes-Benz Untertürkheim test track, near Stuttgart, we briefly witness 130kph. Lifting off, the supercharger's banshee howl abates, giving a brief moment of quiet serenity before the quick, dreadful realisation that the rod-actuated drum brakes aren't as up to the task of shedding speed as convincingly the supercharged 7-litre straight-six engine is at gaining it.
We're not on the full, high-speed test track today, the famous banked corner at the top end is closed (though we did manage to get a few shots on there earlier with a member of the Mercedes-Benz team driving), but even this shorter track is quite enough to get an idea of just how heroic - or, more likely, unhinged - racing drivers were in the 1930s. Alongside the straight that we've just driven along, behind high fencing to hide Mercedes-Benz's modern prototypes from view, are the grounds for Stuttgart's American football team, named The Silver Arrows - which is somewhat fitting, given the car I'm driving today.
It's a Mercedes-Benz SSKL, albeit one wearing an unpainted, streamlined body. This machine, built on a genuine 1931 chassis, is an exact recreation of the car with which privateer racer Manfred von Brauchitsch arrived at the 1932 Avusrennen in Berlin. It still looks unusual today, but back in 1932 it must have appeared other-worldly, its unique, hand-shaped bodywork marking a significant departure from the conventional SSKL.
Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av Classic & Sports Car.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av Classic & Sports Car.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
A Breath of Fresh Air- Alfa Romeo's exotic, V8-powered Montreal was like nothing the marque had made before, but can it compare with a Porsche masterpiece, the 911S 2.4?
The stereotype of the ItaloGermanic automotive rivalry is that the Latin car will be brilliant to drive, but poorly built and ergonomically flawed, while the Teutonic will be the opposite. Yet these 2+2 sports coupés both ran against orthodoxy. In the Montreal, Alfa Romeo created an outlandish-looking two-door more comfortable, more powerful and more refined than anything it had produced for decades. Meanwhile, Porsche continued to refine its back-to-front, austere and increasingly aged 911. Neither took a traditional development path, but both created thrilling and individual cars that have echoed through the decades.
Daring to be diminutive
AMC's Gremlin and Pacer, and Ford's much-derided Pinto, led America's response to the threat of imported European compacts
THE LONG WAY ROUND
There is a great tradition of overland trips by Land-Rover, but the tale of this 70s Aussie epic and the car itself was discovered by chance
Handsome cab
The Phantom V limousine marked the beginning of the end for coachbuilder James Young, but this Rolls-Royce represents the craft at its very best
DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES
Racing for their own F1 teams brought some drivers success and an enduring legacy. For others, it turned into a nightmare
20 30 LITRES CYLINDERS, 400BHP......AND MORE THAN A CENTURY OLD
Thunderous torque, flame-spitting stub-exhausts, white-knuckle thrills - and hopefully no spills - aboard a trio of Edwardian racing titans
ICON.
The three top-selling vehicles in the USA in 2023 were pick-ups, topped by the Ford F-Series. This is the truck that started it all
Blurred Lines
lan 'Del' Lines blended the V8 burble of Triumph's open GT with real practicality in his Stag V8 saloons and estates
Home of the brave
The innovative Silverstone proved a hit with keen amateur drivers. To mark its 75th, Healey's club racer returns to the circuit for which it is named
PLAYING ALL THE ANGLES
Alfa Romeo's wild RZ eschewed the jellymould styling of the period to offer a striking, wedge-shaped take on open-topped performance motoring
