When evaluating the merits of a so-called legendary racing car, it is imperative to assess it from every angle. Design considerations, engineering provenance, competition pedigree, races won, and drivers utilized all factor in. How successfully did it meet its design brief, and how enduring was its competition success? What was its post-racing life and its private ownership provenance, and what is its current quality? Finally, and not least of all, is the dynamism of its overall presence.
In effect, the halo collectible racing car is like a diamond. Rarely has a racing car emanated brilliance on so many levels. A London-born German engineer with a process so uniquely exacting it seems torn from the pages of a novel; an Argentinian racing veteran nearing the peak of his driving supremacy and worldwide celebrity; a young British driver of no less skill who would one day be knighted by the future King of England; and an American businessman raised to sell food who invested in Gasoline Alley and bought a ticket to immortality on the Brickyard.
Our story begins with a humble engineering student in Munich at the dawn of the thirties when Germany was undergoing some of the worst symptoms of the crushing Great Depression. During this time Mercedes-Benz returned to racing, and in and the works team enjoyed great success, giving rise to the W 25 racecars known as the Silver Arrows, for their unfinished metal coachwork. The promising Rudolf Uhlenhaut was promoted to director of the experimental department for racing, which was somewhat of a surprise given that he had no experience in racecar development.
He was to work under racing department director Dr. Fritz Nallinger, and in conjunction with racing team manager Alfred Neubauer. Team drivers marveled at how quickly Uhlenhaut became shockingly good, as he insisted on testing cars at racing speeds to properly replicate in-race conditions, occasionally even besting team-driver lap times in the process.
He was also the only Daimler-Benz engineer who routinely traveled with the racing team, and his direction led to key improvements for the car, the W Uhlenhaut proceeded to the highly successful W and W racecar programs before war broke out in September Upon resuming production following World War II, Mercedes-Benz faced the daunting task of contributing to rebuilding Germany while finding a profitable niche in the post-war economy.
