Mercedes-Benz W 165

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Jackie Stewart in the Mercedes-Benz W 165 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed ​​2014
Mercedes-Benz W 165

The Mercedes-Benz W 165 is a racing car from Mercedes-Benz from 1939 . It was specially developed for the Tripoli Grand Prix on May 7, 1939 .

technology

The W 165 complied with the regulations of the so-called Voiturette class (according to which the Formula 1 races were organized from 1947 to 1953 , and later those of Formula 2 ), which stipulated a limitation of the displacement to 1.5 liters. The V8 engine designed by Albert Heeß with a cylinder bank angle of 90 °, two overhead camshafts per cylinder bank and 4 valves per cylinder produces a maximum of 187 kW (254 hp) at 8250 rpm from 1492  cm³ . With a two-stage supercharger and an explosive fuel mixture (86.0% methyl alcohol , 8.8% acetone , 4.4% gasoline and 0.8% diethyl ether , then also known as "sulfur ether "), a liter output of 125  kW (170  hp ) was achieved he set standards back then. It consumes 137 liters of fuel per 100 km.

The type M 165 engine block was a welded steel construction in which each cylinder bank was welded to both the surrounding cooling water jacket and the cylinder head . He weighed 195 kg. The crankshaft rotated in roller bearings . The two camshafts per cylinder bank were driven by gearwheels, and the valves hanging in the cylinder head in a V shape were operated by rocker arms. The high-voltage magneto ignition made it possible to dispense with a generator and a battery.

The power was transmitted to the five-speed manual transmission on the rear axle ( transaxle ) via a cardan shaft .

Gran Premio di Tripoli 1939

After the rule changes for the prestigious race at the Autodromo della Mellaha in Tripoli , in which only vehicles of the Voiturette class were allowed to be used, Mercedes-Benz developed the completely new car between September 1938 and May 1939 in just eight months to complement the previous one To offer competitors Maserati and Alfa Romeo Paroli, which the new displacement class should accommodate. At the beginning of April 1939, the first test drives were undertaken at the Hockenheimring, and on May 7th, Mercedes-Benz achieved a double victory at the 13th Gran Premio di Tripoli with the new W 165. Hermann Lang won the almost two-hour race (394.2 km, 30 laps of 13.14 km), for which around 30 cars had started, with an average of 197.79 km / h ahead of his teammate Rudolf Caracciola , followed by Emilio Villoresi ( Alfa Romeo ) and Piero Taruffi (Maserati).

A further successful series of the W 165 was prevented by the Second World War . After the war, the W 165 would have been eligible to compete in Formula 1, but Mercedes-Benz decided not to participate.

Technical specifications

W 165 (1939) Technical specifications
Engine: 8-cylinder V-engine
Bore × stroke: 64 × 58 mm
Displacement : 1492 cc
Compression: 6.5: 1
Power: 187 kW (254 hp) at 8250 rpm *
Max. Torque : 245 Nm (25 mkp) at 6500 rpm
Crankshaft : stored five times
Motor control: two overhead camshafts per cylinder bank, 4 valves per cylinder
Mixture preparation: 2 Solex suction carburettors
Charge: 2 horizontally arranged Roots blowers
Cooling: Water, additional fuel cooling
Transmission: 5-speed
Chassis : Oval tube frame made of chrome-nickel-molybdenum steel with 5 cross members
Front suspension: Double wishbones with coil springs
Rear suspension:  De-Dion axle with torsion bar suspension and trailing arms
Shock absorber : hydraulic
Brakes: hydraulically operated drum brakes, 360 mm diameter
Wheelbase : 2450 mm
Track width (v / h): 1338/1280 mm
Dry weight : approx. 715 kg
Tank volume: 250 l
Empty weight , full tank: approx. 905 kg

* Edler / Roediger give an output of 270 HP at 7800 rpm in "Die Deutschen Rennfahrzeuge", Halwart Schrader mentions in "Silver Arrows - The legendary racing cars 1934 to 1955" an output of 356 HP, which is however unlikely.

See also

literature

  • Halwart Schrader: Silver Arrows - The legendary racing cars 1934 to 1955 , HEEL Verlag GmbH, Königswinter 1995, ISBN 3-89365-428-3 .
  • Karl Heinz Edler / Wolfgang Roediger: The German racing vehicles , Fachbuchverlag Leipzig 1990, ISBN 3-343-00435-9 .

Web links

Commons : Mercedes-Benz W 165  - Collection of Pictures, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. Mercedes-Benz W 165 (1939)