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1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 Streamliner 'Monza'
This car was displayed here as a teaser for its planned auction in January 2025 in Stuttgart. As of this post (2025.07.24) this is the highest priced 2025 sale (€51,155,000 EUR). Scroll to (2) for auction info.
Serendipitously, a 1955 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Formula 1 Race Car, which is the same car design but with an open-wheeled body configuration, was shown later in the week at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. It's fun to note the same cockpit (mirrors, windscreen, steering wheel, seat) and right-side hood vent.
(1) The following is from an article in www.octane-magazine.com (link goes to the article which includes nice photos of the car's engine and cockpit):
$50 to 70m Mercedes-Benz W196 Streamliner heading to auction
Matthew Hayward ~ Friday 16th August 2024
RM Sotheby's has partnered with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum to bring 11 highly significant cars to auction, headlined by the 1954 Mercedes W196 Streamliner, raced by legends Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss in period.
Why the sale? Although the IMS Museum has thousands of unique and historic racing artefacts, not everything aligns with the Museum's mission. In an effort to not only raise important funding for the future of the museum, but refocus the museum to better reflect its goal of celebrating the history of this iconic motor circuit, it has decided to sell the last of the vehicles in its collection not directly connected to the Indianapolis 500 or Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
"Our Stories Behind the Spectacle capital campaign is helping to fund the complete reimagining of the IMS Museum, from new structural and state-of-the-art technology installations to interactive exhibits and experiences. The deaccession and sale of these artefacts are earmarked specifically to help us create a more robust endowment to be used for caring for our collection, ensuring our long-term financial viability and position as an internationally recognised cultural institution for years to come." - Joe Hale, President, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum
This W196 holds the unique distinction of being driven by two of motor racing's best drivers, Juan Manuel Fangio and Sir Stirling Moss. Originally featuring an open-wheel body, Fangio would pilot this car in a non-points race in Buenos Aires in 1954. Later on, this chassis would receive the iconic streamlined body work and was then driven by Moss at the 1955 Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
At the race Moss would achieve the fastest lap earning him one point in the World Drivers' Championship that year. Mercedes-Benz subsequently used the car as a practice and test car. This Mercedes-Benz was donated to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in 1965 directly from the factory, and is estimated to sell for $50,000,000–70,000,000.
(2) From RM Sotheby's Fall Catalog Detailing this Car for its Auction in Stuttgart, Germany
Do visit the RM Sotheby's link for this car while it lasts, which is typically some years, to see fantastic present and historic photos of the car.
1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen
€51,155,000 EUR | Sold
o Offered from the Collection of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum
o The first Streamliner-bodied W 196 R ever offered for private ownership
o One of four known complete examples mounted with the exquisite factory-built enclosed-fender Stromlinienwagen coachwork at the conclusion of the 1955 Formula One season
o Driven by future five-time Drivers' Champion Juan Manuel Fangio to victory at the 1955 Buenos Aires Grand Prix
o Piloted by celebrated driver Sir Stirling Moss at the 1955 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, achieving fastest lap; presented today with that streamlined bodywork
o Donated in 1965 by Mercedes-Benz to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) Museum, and now offered from 59 years of fastidious care by the IMS Museum
SHINE BRIGHT LIKE A DIAMOND
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. To be considered of optimal quality, every facet of the car's unique cut must emit a brilliance that leaves one speechless.
All of which informs our understanding of the current offering, the 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen, chassis number 00009/54. Rarely has a racing car emanated brilliance on so many levels. Yet, like any great car, the story of chassis number 00009/54 is not just that of a machine but one of men—and a more compelling group of racing luminaries would be nearly impossible to match. 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.
Rudolf Uhlenhaut—Juan Manuel Fangio—Stirling Moss—Tony Hulman. These four men form the arc of this W 196 R's story, from the hallowed grounds of Mercedes-Benz' Rennabteilung (Racing Department), to the stifling heat of Buenos Aires in January, to the brand-new high-speed banks of the Monza circuit, to one of the shrines of motorsport in Indianapolis.
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. The London-born Rudolf "Rudi" Uhlenhaut was hired by Mercedes-Benz straight out of school in 1931, and he spent the next five years proving his mettle in the production car department, increasingly recognized for his quiet demeanor, strong work ethic, and unusual sense of commitment. During this time Mercedes-Benz returned to racing, and in 1934 and 1935 the works team enjoyed great success, giving rise to the W 25 racecars known as the Silver Arrows, for their unfinished metal coachwork. Despite these initial successes, Stuttgart suffered a setback in 1936 when that year's new car failed to meet expectations, and changes were soon afoot.
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. Keenly aware of how little he knew about competition cars, Uhlenhaut threw himself into the assignment with characteristic zeal, learning the ins and outs of racecar behavior by privately testing the cars on the Nürburgring. 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 1937 car, the W 125. Uhlenhaut proceeded to the highly successful W 154 and W 165 racecar programs before war broke out in September 1939.
A NEW SILVER ARROW RISES FROM THE ASHES
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. As with most European marques, the company began with inexpensive and efficient models that assumed a pre-war design, being positioned for the common working man, while gradually delving into more luxurious offerings. With the introduction of the 300 S model in 1951, Stuttgart signaled its intention to resume the manufacture of luxury and sporting automobiles, and it came as no surprise that this growth would include a return to motorsports competition.
The company's return to the track began softly, with a new sports car called the 300 SL "Gullwing," which was created under the management of Rudolf Uhlenhaut. In its earliest W 194 iteration, the 300 SL created a stir in styling and competition that set the table for both further sports car racing, and series production of the popular W 198 300 SL Gullwing production model. But the most natural segway for Stuttgart's return to high-level racing was afforded by the FIA's odd cancellation of Formula One for 1952 and 1953, which was prompted by a lack of credible competition.
With this conundrum in mind, the FIA stipulated new Formula One regulations that would go into effect for the 1954 season. This advance notice gave all interested manufacturers well over a year to develop a suitable competition car. The new formula was relatively simple; it specified that normally aspirated engines could not exceed 2.5 liters, while blown engines were limited to a comical 750 cubic centimeters. Other than mandating a single centered seat, the rules for coachwork were unspecific.
Fritz Nallinger and his fellow directors at Mercedes-Benz recognized this new formula as a unique opportunity to return to the company's motorsports roots in grand prix racing, and with characteristic efficiency, a plan was put in motion to field the best possible car. A new, well-staffed Rennabteilung (racing department) was created, including a traveling factory team. At their disposal lay the full budget and managerial assets of Mercedes-Benz's considerable infrastructure.
As chief of the Experimental Department, Rudolf Uhlenhaut was the principal engineer overseeing the new grand prix model's development. He began with a truss-type narrow-diameter tubular space frame similar to the W 194 300 SL racing car's chassis. Dubbed the W 196 R, this chassis was equipped with front independent suspension via double wishbones, torsion-bar springs, and cutting-edge hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers. More significantly, the rear suspension was governed by a low-pivot swing axle that was personally developed by Uhlenhaut, a design feature that would later reappear in the 300 SL Roadster production car. Massive Alfin drum brakes were specified to keep the W 196 R grounded, and they were mounted inboard to lower unsprung mass.
Having run both supercharged inline eight-cylinder and V-12 engines during the interwar period, the racing department had several options to test, and eventually concluded that a straight-eight configuration displacing 2,494 cubic centimeters would deliver the most consistent power. Designed around a complex Hirth roller-bearing crankshaft, the engine was essentially two four-cylinder motors in unison, with two camshafts for each intake and exhaust. This jewel of an engine was equipped with racing components like dual ignition and dry-sump lubrication while featuring revolutionary desmodromic valve gear instead of standard valve springs; and Bosch high-pressure direct fuel injection that guaranteed reliable and smooth power application.
The purpose-developed M 196 engine initially developed a robust 257 horsepower, which was gradually improved over two seasons to 290 horsepower. The motor was positioned low in the front compartment, canted by between 20 and 37 degrees to save space, and coupled to a rear-mounted five-speed gearbox actuated by a single-disc dry clutch. The gearbox unusually featured synchros in the upper four gears, while a limited-slip differential ensured superior traction. Fuel was provided by tanks ranging in capacity from 107 to 199 liters, with compartmented baffles that reduced sloshing issues.
Since the new formula specified so few limitations to coachwork, Nallinger and Uhlenhaut concluded that a streamlined aerodynamic body with enclosed wheels would optimize high-speed courses, while an open-wheel grand prix body would be ideal for more twisting circuits. Sleek and purposeful, the W 196 R's torpedo-shaped open-wheel body was drawn up along lines that were largely conventional for the era.
The streamlined body, in contrast, was something truly unique. Low and wide, its smoothly curved coachwork featured minimal frills, being chiefly distinguished by a wide open-mouth grille, cooling inlets on the rear shoulder haunches, and molded character lines across the tops of the front wheel wells (a design cue that came to be characteristic across the 300 SL model line, lending a marvelous continuity among the marque's sports-racing cars). This was undoubtedly one of the most exquisite expressions of curve and stance ever pounded out, rivalling the most sensuous sports-racers and supercars for sheer visual appeal.
These streamlined bodies were built in extremely limited quantity by the racing department out of Elektron magnesium alloy, providing a shell even lighter than aluminum for a total weight of just over 88 pounds. The open-wheel bodies were also made of lightweight alloy, although coachwork production later shifted to steel bodies built at Sindelfingen.
The streamlined enclosed-wheel body was intermittently campaigned with the open-wheel grand prix-style body during the 1954 and 1955 racing seasons. The factory designation for the enclosed-wheel coachwork was Stromlinie, or Streamline, and today these cars are also known as Streamliner or Stromlinienwagen (streamlined car). With such powerful mechanical specifications and slippery lightweight coachwork, the W 196 R could exceed 186 mph, making it one of the fastest grand prix cars yet constructed.
1954: A PERFECT PLAN REALIZED
Of course, Alfred Neubauer, the longtime manager of the Mercedes-Benz racing team, knew that the W 196 R's success would be contingent on driving talent, so the decision was made early in development to contract the best array of available drivers. While two German drivers were initially signed, the veteran Karl Kling and the up-and-coming Hans Herrmann, the spotlight soon belonged to the third team member: noted Argentinian racing driver Juan Manuel Fangio.
There was a time in the late 1950s when the five-time Formula One champion Juan Manuel Fangio enjoyed a fame that transcended motorsport—when he was a true worldwide celebrity not unlike Lewis Hamilton today, and when grandstands rang out with passionate chants of "FONN-GEE-OHHH!"
Before he was a household name, in early 1954 Juan Manuel Fangio was merely a potential in transition, a burgeoning talent waiting to explode. Without a doubt, Fangio's credentials had already been established with his first Drivers' Championship for Alfa Romeo in 1951. But with the disintegration of the Alfa Romeo team during 1952 and the FIA's subsequent cancelation of Formula One in favor of Formula Two proceedings, Ferrari dominated the following two years of competition. Fangio toiled away patiently with the Maserati team, and in sports car racing. Victories came repeatedly, but further championships remained elusive, and having reached his early forties, there was a justifiable presentiment among racing fans that Fangio's best days were already behind him.
Fortunately for Fangio, his star had already been recognized by Stuttgart. Ever in search of the best driving talent, Alfred Neubauer could not help but remember Fangio's remarkable performance in an Alfa Romeo at the 1951 Swiss Grand Prix—achieving pole, fastest lap, and a 1st-place finish. Neubauer reached out to Fangio's agent and a contract for 1954 was signed with Mercedes-Benz. But as the 1954 season began, the new machine from Stuttgart still awaited completion. This led Fangio to continue racing for Maserati in the first two rounds of the 1954 Formula One season, winning the Grands Prix at both Argentina and Belgium. Following the Belgian Grand Prix, Fangio officially made the move to Mercedes-Benz.
In July 1954 the new Mercedes-Benz race cars made their highly anticipated debut at the French Grand Prix at Reims. Debuting a trio of W 196 R Streamliners, their very appearance inspired awe, looking unlike anything anyone had ever seen before in a Formula One race. Team drivers Fangio, Kling, and Herrmann would qualify 1st, 2nd, and 7th, respectively. Herrmann would go on to set the race's fastest lap while Fangio and Kling would achieve an impressive 1-2 finish. The race marked a resounding victory for Mercedes-Benz on its long-awaited return to racing.
Fangio qualified for the pole position start at the British Grand Prix in late July, but rainy conditions led to a 4th-place finish. The team returned to form at the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring in early August with a four-car team consisting of three open-wheel cars and one Streamliner. The race marked the debut of the open-wheel iteration of the W 196 R. Fangio earned pole position and would go on to win the race with Kling finishing 4th, each in open-wheel cars. A three-car team, all open-wheel, at the Swiss Grand Prix three weeks later brought nearly identical results, with Fangio again winning and Herrmann finishing 3rd.
At the Italian Grand Prix at the Monza circuit in early September, Mercedes-Benz entered two Streamliners and one open-wheel car after testing indicated that the closed-fender coachwork would be faster. In the race, a young British privateer named Stirling Moss behind the wheel of a Maserati 250F led late in the race 19 laps before retiring due to a cracked oil tank. Fangio in a Streamliner and Herrmann in an open-wheel car respectively cruised to 1st and 4th place finishes. The performance of the talented Englishman likely did not escape the attention of Rudolf Uhlenhaut and Alfred Neubauer.
Two weeks later the W 196 R cars were entered at a non-championship race, the Berlin Grand Prix, which was held at the AVUS circuit. With no points consequence, this was almost strictly a public relations demonstration for an enthusiastic German audience. Three Streamliners driven by Kling, Fangio, and Herrmann cruised to an easy 1-2-3 podium sweep.
At the Spanish Grand Prix in late October, the last race of the year, Fangio finished a team-best 3rd among a contingent of three open-wheel entries. The legend of Juan Manuel Fangio had grown; his second Drivers' Championship was in the books. The sheer and immediate potency of the Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Silver Arrow had been established, foiling Ferrari's attempt at a third straight Formula One championship in the process.
In the midst of this immediate show of dominance for the W 196 R, chassis number 00009/54, the car offered here, was completed. Originally finished as an open-wheel monoposto built on the 1954-specification 2,350-millimeter long-wheelbase chassis, and being designated with a 54 in its chassis number suffix (1955 cars have a 55 suffix), the car first began testing on 15 December 1954. For chassis number 00009/54, as well as for the victorious Mercedes-Benz racing team, even greater things were to come in the season ahead.
CHASSIS NUMBER 00009/54 IN COMPETITION: OPEN-WHEEL
For the 1955 season, the W 196 R was further developed to remain as competitive as possible. The engine was improved in numerous aspects, including the addition of a new intake manifold, and the decision was made to run the open-wheel grand prix bodies for almost all of the 1955 races. The revised cars were approximately 70 kilograms (154 pounds) lighter than their predecessors. Further testing demonstrated that the 1954 W 196 R had been significantly compromised by its Continental tires, so the rubber manufacturer was taken to task to deliver a better product, and their development during the off-season was a critical boon for the revised car.
The Rennabteilung again went after top driving talent, recruiting the upstart 25-year-old Brit from Monza, Stirling Moss, to join their stable of drivers. Moss eventually became a well-known celebrity in his own right, and one of the most famous of all the notable British drivers. Though his career would be prematurely cut short by an accident in 1962, he remained a forthright proponent of motorsports and a supporter of the automotive niche throughout his life, even serving as a brand ambassador for Mercedes-Benz in his twilight years. His lifelong contributions to the sport and Britain's motoring niche were recognized in 2000 when he was knighted by the future King Charles.
But during the early 1950s Moss was still steadily developing as a privateer, an evolution that had begun with his win at the 1950 Tourist Trophy. To the end of securing a spot on the Mercedes-Benz team, in 1953 he bought and raced a true Formula One specification car, the Maserati 250F. Though the 250F was somewhat unreliable in competition, Moss showed considerable promise during several impressive qualifying sessions, and Neubauer took note after the events of the 1954 Italian Grand Prix. By December 1954 Moss was hired and practicing in the W 196 R, familiarizing himself with the car's nuances while marveling at the Rennabteilung's team environment.
Moss later wrote of the Mercedes-Benz team, "Their thoroughness and thoughtfulness amazed me from the very beginning. It was like being in a different world...Every course where the cars raced was analyzed mathematically...Neubauer himself used to mark and time gearchanges, lap after lap...Drivers were listened to and respected, which often doesn't happen on other top teams...Nothing was too much trouble—and they were willing to try anything which might improve performance."
There was no doubt that Mercedes-Benz' commitment had come to fruition in 1954, and it was about to bear further fruit with Moss onboard. It was Fangio, however, that set the winning tone with a victory at round one of the 1955 Formula One season at the Argentine Grand Prix on 16 January 1955. Since the next Formula One points event on the calendar didn't arrive until late May, the team remained in Argentina to conduct some live-action testing during the Buenos Aires Grand Prix, as the Formula Libre race's lack of regulations proved to be a popular testbed for Formula One teams.
The Formula Libre Buenos Aires Grand Prix on 30 January 1955 would mark the first race for the car on offer, chassis number 00009/54, piloted by none other than Juan Manuel Fangio as car #2. According to Rennabteilung build sheets on file, as well as recent confirmation by Mercedes-Benz, chassis number 00009/54 was equipped with a "Sport 59" engine, apparently code for the 3.0-liter M196 engine, and fitted with an open-wheel monoposto body. One of the team's primary objectives for this non-Formula One event was apparently to test this new development of the M196 engine, which was positioned for use in the upcoming W 196 S sports car, the 300 SLR. Moss, Kling, and Herrmann joined Fangio—each racing an open-wheel car.
The Buenos Aires Grand Prix race format was a bit unusual: two separate heats of 30 laps each, with the winner determined by the fastest total aggregate time. While Fangio earned the pole position during a rainy qualifying session, Moss leapt out to lead the first heat. Fangio made his move during the 13th lap, briefly holding 1st place before being overtaken by Giuseppe "Nino" Farina's Ferrari 625, and this order held until the finish line with Fangio 10.5 seconds behind. During the second heat many drivers switched cars, and Fangio initially led before being passed by Moss, who went on to win the heat by three seconds in an exciting finish. Despite finishing 2nd in both heats, Fangio achieved the lowest total time of 2:23:18.9, besting Moss by 11.9 seconds, the 625 Ferrari by over half a minute, and Kling by nearly a minute, thus capturing the win for the Rennabteilung in this important first outing for chassis number 00009/54.
The victory gave Fangio a sweep of that season's races in his native country, having won the Formula One Argentine Grand Prix two weeks prior. The impressive finish at the Buenos Aires Grand Prix was commemorated in-period, with Mercedes-Benz commissioning a beautiful race poster by Anton Stankowski celebrating the 1-2-4 Fangio-Moss-Kling finish.
At the Monaco Grand Prix in late May, Fangio was given a new open-wheel car built on an extra short-wheelbase chassis (2,150 millimeters), and though he qualified for the pole, Herrmann then crashed the car in practice. The team's luck only got worse during the race, where three cars retired early with valve-gear failures and Moss struggled to a 9th place finish.
In June, Fangio and Moss roared to 1-2 finishes at both the Belgian Grand Prix and the Dutch Grand Prix before a number of grands prix were cancelled in response to the recent accident at Le Mans. When action resumed at the British Grand Prix at Aintree in mid-July, the Mercedes-Benz team dominated again, with the experienced home-court veteran Moss leading a four-car contingent to a commanding 1-2-3-4 finish (Moss-Fangio-Kling-Taruffi), the only quadruple victory in marque history.
This set the stage for the season's final contest—and 00009/54's final competition outing: the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in September.
CHASSIS NUMBER 00009/54 IN COMPETITION: STROMLINIENWAGEN
For 1955, the Monza circuit was rebuilt with a new high-speed bank that has since become legendary in motorsport. With this development, the Rennabteilung already knew the course would favor a Streamliner body, despite the fact that they had been running the open-wheel coachwork exclusively up to this point for the 1955 season. During testing at Monza in August, the team experimented with a new protruding nose piece for the Stromlinienwagen, but results were inconclusive. Ultimately, the medium-wheelbase chassis was chosen to be mounted with new length-adapted Streamliner coachwork in the original style, with the exception of a new air inlet next to the hood to feed the canted engine. Two such cars were built at Untertürkheim.
When practice for the race ensued a month later, the medium-wheelbase Streamliner was found to be twitchy at high speeds. Fangio then assumed the use of a spare Streamliner built on an original long-wheelbase chassis from 1954, and Moss quickly requested an identical car, so Neubauer contacted the workshop and ordered a Streamliner to be delivered to Monza as soon as possible. A spare long-wheelbase chassis, number 00009/54, was mounted with a Streamliner body and immediately dispatched to Monza.
Mercedes-Benz would send eight cars, nearly all their running W 196 Rs, to what would be the model's swan song in competitive racing. Of the eight cars sent to the track, four cars were entered by Mercedes-Benz for the race, with Fangio and Moss competing in W 196 R Streamliners and Kling and Piero Taruffi behind the wheels of W 196 R open-wheel monopostos.
This car, chassis number 00009/54, was the aforementioned long-wheelbase Streamliner delivered on request for Moss after the medium-wheelbase Streamliners had been declined by Fangio and himself. Stirling Moss, driving under #16, would pilot chassis number 00009/54 in the race. Fangio would secure pole position, with Moss securing 2nd starting position just three-tenths of a second behind Fangio. Kling would qualify 3rd, and Taruffi 9th; the advantage of the Streamliner bodywork at the fast Monza track was evident.
From the start, Fangio and Moss held their 1-2 start. Moss would take the lead from Fangio in the 9th lap of the race, but it was short-lived, as Fangio would regain the lead in lap 9 and retain 1st position for the remainder of the race. Moss would go on to hold onto 2nd through lap 18, when he was forced to pit to replace the windscreen, dropping him down to 8th by the time he rejoined the race. Moss would climb to 7th but was soon forced to retire due to a failing piston in cylinder five after completing 27 laps. Completing just over half the race, Moss was still able to achieve the race's fastest lap at an impressive 2:46.900 in chassis number 00009/54. His average speed of 215.7 km/h on lap 21, while attempting to make up ground following his early pit stop, earned him one point towards the Formula One Drivers' Championship.
Karl Kling would retire from the Italian Grand Prix shortly after Moss, pulling out of the race with a defective cardan shaft after 32 laps. Fangio would go on to win, tailed closely by Taruffi just seven-tenths of a second behind. The impressive 1-2 finish—a fitting bookend to the W 196 R Stromlinienwagens— triumphant 1-2 victory at their debut outing, the 1954 French Grand Prix at Reims—would not be replicated again by Mercedes-Benz as a constructor for 58 years, with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at the 2014 Malaysian Grand Prix.
At the conclusion of the 1955 Formula One season, Fangio captured his second straight World Drivers' Championship, with Moss finishing 2nd, sealing the W 196 R Silver Arrow's legend in the process. Moss, meanwhile, had captured two World Sportscar Championship victories in the 300 SLR, including his storied win at the 1955 Mille Miglia in the #722 car with co-driver Denis Jenkinson. This proved to be enough to edge out Ferrari for a narrow championship victory in sports car racing. Significantly, the 300 SLR, internally designated the W 196 S, was the two-seat sports car development of the W 196 R; the 300 SLR benefitted from a larger 3.0-liter motor, the likes of which had been proven in chassis number 00009/54 in Buenos Aires.
The W 196 R's pedigree was now unimpeachable. In two seasons the model had won three championships in two different racing series. In 12 appearances at Formula One points events the W 196 R had won a commanding nine times, and it won two additional non-points races, totaling 11 victories in 14 starts. This 78 percent represents an incredible winning rate by any measure. It is also important to note that the World Constructors' Championship had not yet been created; had it existed, Mercedes-Benz surely would have won this title, as well.
AT THE END OF AN ERA
Having demonstrated that they could dominate on the track Mercedes-Benz chose to make a graceful exit once again from motor racing after 1955, bowing out for the next few decades—and further ensuring that the remarkable legend of the W 196 R would never be forgotten.
At the conclusion of 1955, 10 different complete W 196 R examples remained in running order, including four with Stromlinienwagen coachwork. Fourteen chassis had been built in total, designated with numbers 1 to 15. (Chassis numbers 1 and 15 were eventually scrapped, and number 11 was never actually assigned to a chassis.) In October 1955, Mercedes-Benz held an official ceremony to retire the W 196 R, publicly shrouding the cars in dust sheets before transferring them to the company's museum in Stuttgart. Following the completion of its competition duties but prior to being stored, chassis number 00009/54 had been—in keeping with common post-race procedure—partially dismantled and equipped with a new engine, among other items. While the Daimler-Benz Museum initially retained all 10 remaining W 196 R examples, four cars were eventually donated to prestigious museums around the world, including chassis number 00009/54.
The post-racing path of chassis number 00009/54 was set in motion in September 1964, when a contingent from the Mercedes-Benz Club of America visited the marque's Untertürkheim plant in Stuttgart. As detailed by a wealth of correspondence on file, during this visit, a conversation ensued between the club's Wilhelm "Bill" Spoerle and the manufacturer's Dr. -Ing Friedrich Schildberger about donating a race car to the "planned new museum on the grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway."
A German immigrant who once worked in NSU's motorcycle racing division before the war, Mr. Spoerle had moved to Indianapolis in 1956 to work on racing cars, taking a position at the nascent Dreyer Motorsports for several years. Eventually lured away by Anton "Tony" Hulman Jr. in 1963, Spoerle became the Restoration Manager at the relatively new museum at the Brickyard. By the time of Spoerle's visit to Untertürkheim he was already working for Tony Hulman, and he surely realized there could be no better place for a W 196 R donation than the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
Tony Hulman was a typical example of one of motorsports— classic archetypes—the colorful business-savvy impresario who has arrived at racing rather late in life and by accident, but is bitten by the bug and comes to love it. From Terre Haute, Indiana, Hulman was the scion of a fortune built on an eponymous grocery distribution business. He worked his way up through the family business, eventually becoming president in 1931, while excelling in imaginative marketing approaches such as the ad campaign for the firm's Clabber Girl baking powder.
The Brickyard had fallen into a surprising state of disrepair by late 1941 when racing was canceled after the attack on Pearl Harbor. After the war, the track's owner, former World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker, was content to sell the circuit to whomever might want it, for any use at all. But former three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Wilbur Shaw was adamant that the Brickyard should only be sold to someone intending to keep it open for racing. After searching high and low, Shaw found Hulman, who officially purchased the speedway in November 1945, and quickly set about renovations for the planned 1946 Indianapolis 500, the first post-war edition of the legendary race. Hulman continued to regularly improve the course over the years, while notably founding the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation, a separate non-profit organization created in part as the financial/business facade for the new IMS Museum.
As Mercedes-Benz president Walter Hitzinger and chief engineer Dr. Nallinger explained in a March 1965 letter to Hulman, "In view of the special significance of Indianapolis in the history of automobile racing and also in particular view of our own company's contribution, we have now decided to give you a 2.5 litre streamlined car, Type W 196, built in 1954, as a gift for exhibition in your museum." Mercedes-Benz had a tie to America's greatest race, having won the race in just its fifth running in 1915 when Ralph DePalma drove a Mercedes to victory in what proved to be one of just a handful of Indianapolis 500 wins for a European manufacturer.
Dr. Schildberger set about re-commissioning the W 196 R so that it could be driven during an official presentation at the Brickyard, which was planned for the weekend of the 1965 Indianapolis 500. For this exhibition, Mercedes-Benz ordered 50 gallons of Esso (Exxon) racing fuel to be delivered. The Stromlinienwagen was shipped through the port of Baltimore in late April and trucked to Indianapolis.
Officially donated to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation on Sunday, 30 May 1965, the Mercedes-Benz made two appearances during the weekend. The first came at an informal presentation after the annual driver's meeting, where the car was demonstrated by Peter DePaolo in honor of the Mercedes victory 50 years earlier by his uncle, Ralph DePalma. The following day DePaolo again took the wheel before Monday's feature race, after the car had officially been presented to the IMS Museum by Mercedes-Benz.
LIFE IN RETIREMENT
For almost six decades, the W 196 R has been fastidiously stored and maintained by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, occasionally being invited to attend important exhibitions, such as the 1996 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, the 2003 Canadian International AutoShow, and the grand re-opening of the redesigned Petersen Automotive Museum in December 2015. The car participated in the first Velocity Invitational (then called Sonoma Speed Festival) event at Sonoma Raceway in 2019, and it was then shown at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance once again in 2020.
The W 196 R has been displayed at the IMS Museum periodically, including the 2020-2021 "From the Vault" exhibition; when not on display, it was part of the Basement Collection VIP tours of the Museum's vehicle storage location. From July 2022 to January 2023, chassis number 00009/54 was again shown at the Peterson Automotive Museum as part of the "Andy Warhol: Cars — Works from the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection" exhibit. Most recently, it was part of the Mercedes-Benz display at the 2024 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. In the interest of a true educational mission, however, the car has never been submitted for judging at concours events.
The Streamliner has been treated to two mild bouts of sympathetic freshening during its more recent lifetime, first undergoing a refinish in the correct DB 180 Silver Metallic in 1980, with race #16 in white roundels, as per the 1955 Monza livery when driven by Stirling Moss. In late 2015, in preparation for its display at the Petersen Museum, the car received a second refinishing of the coachwork by the esteemed experts at Canepa Motorsports in Scotts Valley, California, and it continues to be a startling testament to the brilliance of the Stromlinenwagens at Monza.
There is no small irony in the fact that this W 196 R has spent so many decades in the care of the IMS Museum. For at the end of the 1955 season, according to motoring historian Karl Ludvigsen in his book Mercedes-Benz: Quicksilver Century, some minds at Mercedes-Benz wondered how the model might fare in the Indianapolis 500. Initial research and development calculations were undertaken to create performance projections. But after these initial calculations were made, the pursuit was dropped in the face of anticipated high costs and a lack of pure necessity. The W 196 R had achieved everything it was built to do; no further campaigning was necessary. Its shocking form, however, inspired a number of Indianapolis 500 hopefuls—perhaps most notably Jimmy Daywalt and the Sumar Special—to incorporate elements of its streamlined design into their own cars for 1955.
It should now be very evident that chassis number 00009/54 is a diamond of extraordinary cut, emitting a brilliance that is almost impossible to fathom. The car is one of just 14 chassis built, and it is believed to be one of just 10 known complete examples surviving at the conclusion of the 1955 Formula One season. Of those, this example was one of only four mounted with the magnificent Streamliner coachwork at the conclusion of the 1955 Formula One season. It was an integral component of the factory racing campaign that saw Mercedes-Benz capture two Formula One Drivers' Championships in as many attempts, and one World Sportscar Championship during the same period.
Further driven to victory by Fangio at the 1955 Buenos Aires Grand Prix, and to the fastest lap by Stirling Moss at the 1955 Formula One Italian Grand Prix at Monza, this W 196 R had been piloted by two of history's most famous and accomplished racing drivers. Following one of the most successful competition campaigns imaginable, the car was retired to the stately in-house collection of Mercedes-Benz before being donated nine years later to the equally respected Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, whose collection includes some of the finest racing cars the world has ever seen.
Chassis number 00009/54 represents only the second W 196 R ever offered for private ownership, and the sole example offered with the magnificent Streamliner coachwork. Presented in its proper Monza livery from the 1955 Italian Grand Prix, and documented with a trove of period materials, chassis number 00009/54 has moreover never been formally presented for judging or driven in any vintage events; it should experience a rapturous welcome at any of the major events for which it is eligible. Ideal for display at flagship concours d'elegance like Pebble Beach or Villa d'Este, the magnificent W 196 R will surely also experience great acclaim at significant marque events worldwide. Note that after many years of static display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, chassis number 00009/54 will require careful recommissioning prior to starting or driving.
The future caretaker can take pride in ownership of a bona fide competition legend that is one of Formula One's most successful models ever, bar none. Absolutely astonishing in every respect, from its advanced, powerful engineering and truly singular coachwork to its remarkable history—driven by two of the biggest names in motorsports, this W 196 R Stromlinienwagen is a gem without parallel. It now awaits the expected ardor of Formula One enthusiasts, dedicated marque collectors, and lovers of the all-but-unobtainable—sure to redefine our very understanding of what is possible.
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The RM Sotheby's auction preview at the Monterey Conference Center was a delight!
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We saw so many great vehicles and sights during Monterey Car Week!
Church of the Holy Spirit, or Church of the Holy Ghost (Püha Vaimu kirik) is a medieval Lutheran church in the old town district of Tallinn.
Building of the church probably started sometime during the first half of the 13th century, and the church is mentioned in written sources for the first time in 1319. The construction of the proper temple was completed in 1380.
In 1630, the tower received its current appearance, which however is a reconstruction as the tower was ravaged by fire in both 1684 and 2002. The church was the first church in Estonia to hold services in Estonian, and the first extracts of the catechism to be published in Estonian were printed here in 1535.
The church has a plain, white-washed exterior with crow-stepped gables and an octagonal tower with the reconstructed renaissance spire.
Tallinn, Estonia, 2018
Leica M240, Noctilux-M ASPH
Flux Capacitor, DeLorean Motor Car
The flux capacitor, which consists of a rectangular-shaped compartment with three flashing Geissler-style tubes arranged in a "Y" configuration, is described by Doc as "what makes time travel possible." The device is the core component of the time machine.[2]
As the time machine nears 88 mph, light coming from the flux capacitor begins pulsing more rapidly until it becomes a steady stream. Doc originally conceived the idea for the flux capacitor on November 5 1955, when he slipped while hanging a clock in his bathroom and hit his head on the sink.[2] A similar, but more primitive, steam-powered flux capacitor is also seen in the chimney headlamp of Doc's second time machine, the Time Train, at the end of Back to the Future Part III.[4]
Although the films do not describe exactly how the flux capacitor works, Doc mentions at one point that the stainless steel body of the DeLorean has a direct and influential effect on the "flux dispersal", but he is interrupted before he can finish the explanation.[2] The flux capacitor requires 1.21 gigawatts of electrical power to operate, which is roughly equivalent to the power produced by 15 regular jet engines.
The instruction manual for the AMT/ERTL DeLorean model kit says: "Because the car's stainless steel body improves the flux dispersal generated by the flux capacitor, and this in turn allows the vehicle smooth passage through the space time continuum."
Source: Wikipedia
When F-86Ds were upgraded to the F-86L configuration, an AN/ARR-39 datalink receiver was fitted, which had a blade-like antenna sticking out of the fuselage just forward of and below the starboard wing. The AN/ARC-27 command radio of the F-86D was replaced by an AN/ARC-34 set. An AN/APX-25 identification radar was added, and a new AN/ARN-31 glide slope receiver was provided.
All Follow-On aircraft were brought up to F-86D-45 standards before starting with the electronics upgrades, including the installation of the drag chute in the tail. In the F-86L, two protruding cooling air intakes were added to the fuselage sides just aft of the wing, replacing the older recessed cooling ducts. The same J47-GE-33 or J47-GE-17B engine of the F-86D was retained, but the F-86L was fitted with the F-86F-40 wing, with twelve-inch wingtip extensions and "6-3" leading edge extensions with slats. The wingspan and wing area were 39.1 feet and 313.37 square feet respectively. The new wing improved the handing ability and provided better turning at high altitudes. The reconditioned F-86Ls retained the armament of twenty-four rockets of the F-86D.
The first flight took place on December 27, 1955. That particular aircraft had just the SAGE equipment installed, and the first conversion incorporating all of the Follow-On changes did not fly until May of 1956. A total of 981 F-86Ds were modified to the F-86L configuration. After conversion in 1956-57, F-86Ls were issued to most of the ADC wings that were using the F-86D. First to receive the F-86L was the 317th FIS at McChord AFB, which first received the planes in late November of 1956. The service of the F-86L with the ADC was destined to be quite brief, since by the time the last F-86L conversion was delivered, the type was already being phased out in favor of the Convair F-102A and F-106A delta-winged interceptors. The last F-86Ls left ADC service by 1960.
It should be noted that F-86L aircraft were also assigned to the 196th FIS, which was an integral part of Air Defense Command. The 196th FIS was based at Ontario ANGB, and the successor unit is the Guard refueling unit currently based at March Field. (Source: Ray V. Miller).
During the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, six ANG F-86L squadrons were on alert. The last F-86Ls were withdrawn from ANG service during the summer of 1965.
-March Field Air Museum website (www.marchfield.org/)
This is the current configuration of my ride of the past 8 years. This is my prize possession. The tires are flat and the brakes disconnected because I am putting it in storage before a long separation.
PictionID:41566306 - Title:Seversky P-35 Photo of the original SEV-3XAR (X-2106) in sea plane configuration - Catalog:15_002867 - Filename:15_002867.TIF - Image from the Charles Daniels Photo Collection album "Seversky, Republic and P-47"----PLEASE TAG this image with any information you know about it, so that we can permanently store this data with the original image file in our Digital Asset Management System.----SOURCE INSTITUTION: San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive
As well as time/date/24-12hour you can (optionally) configure a reminder to put a red (rubbish) or yellow (recycle) bin out on the street, on a bi-weekly schedule
Airbus A321-211
MSN 1021
EC-HUH 'BENIDORM' (IBERIA's first Airbus A321, delivered as EC-HAC 03/06/1999) ✈
IBERIA Líneas Aéreas de España
IBE IB
Copyright © 2011 A380spotter. All rights reserved.
Navigate to the configuration page, then click [GO] Type your new password twice and then click [Next]. The Internet connection type will be automatically detected, then click [Next]. Enter the PPPoE Username and the Password provided by your ISP.
Land Cruiser Engine Configurations en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_F_engine
There are two basic engines for the FJ series: the type F engine and the type 2F engine. There are numerous diesel configurations starting from 3.0L–4.0L. Diesel engines are available and usually come from regions where the predominant fuel is diesel.
Type F
Used from 1955-1974, the Type F engine made the FJ famous: not the most efficient but virtually impossible to break! It was (and is) commonly known to run 500,000–600,000 miles without a problem. It was constructed as a 3.9 liter naturally aspirated, in-line six cylinder engine. The F series of engines were deliberately engineered to be similar to GMC L6 OHV 235 engines but improved upon its inspiration to suit the FJ’s needs.
Type 2F
Running from 1975–1988, The 2F improved on the F, increasing engine size to 4.2L. This engine is a little bit more efficient and powerful than the F engine, but it still has the same feel that FJ drivers love.
This configuration fits inside my living room without rearranging much furniture, height can be extended to twenty feet, outside. Set up and take down in less than ten minutes.
One day, I'll actually buy a computer that is ready to go the instant I turn it on. One that doesn't require four hours to fight with the OS over whether there's a wireless card inside and, more importantly, which one is it.
(Oo, even better. Once I finally finished? The inverter for the screen died. So I have to replace that, too. Whee! Thank goodness for eBay)
The most significant architectural historic element of Montalbano, Elicona is the castle which dominates a haphazard and tortuous medieval urban fabric, meandering up and down the alleyways, molding itself to the configuration of the rocky promontory.The little houses constructed in sandstone are filled with authentic history, although in certain places a sense of abandonment is felt which should disappear with the planned restoration works.Erected on pre-existing Byzantine and Arab structures, the upper part of the castle is comprised of a Norman-Suevian fortress, while the lower part is made up of a fortified Suevian-Aragonese palatium (palace).The upper part, a rectangular fortress, is enclosed on its two extremities by two towers, one with a square plan and the other, typically Suevian, with a pentagonal plan, which functions as a donjon.The embattled perimeter walls date back to the Suevian period, and represent the most important and best preserved a saettiere defensive configuration in Sicily. The date 1270 still engraved in the cover of the large cistern is evidence of its Angevin phase.Instead it is to Frederick II of Aragon that we owe that reconstruction of the edifice and its transformation from fortress to regiae aedes, royal residence for summer sojourn (1302-08). The sovereign had eighteen large windows open on to the perimeter walls above the Suevian embrasures as well as a considerable number of portals and gates. Thanks to the modifications executed by the Aragonese king, the castle of Montalbano is one of the most coherent and harmonious of the Sicilian Middle Ages. The most extraordinary element in the entire castle is the royal chapel of the Byzantine era, which according to some scholars preserves the remains of Arnaldo da Villanova, one of the most important personages of his time. Physician, alchemist and religious reformer suspected of heresy, he died in 1310, and his numerous stays in Montalbano with king Frederick are well documented.
Il castello Svevo-Aragonese rappresenta l’elemento architettonico più illustre del luogo. Fulcro del centro storico, domina il suggestivo borgo medioevale, irregolare e tortuoso, che si adatta alla conformazione del promontorio roccioso.
Fu edificato e fortificato dall’Imperatore Federico II di Svevia intorno all’anno 1210 su preesistenti costruzioni bizantine ed arabe, raso al suolo a seguito di una rivolta popolare nel 1233, venne ricostruito tra il 1302 e 1308 dal re Federico II d’Aragona, e trasformato in reggia aedes, residenza reale per i soggiorni estivi, raggiungendo in quel tempo il massimo splendore. Egli trasformò il corpo svevo da fortezza a reggia, donandogli quell’imponenza elegante e composta che ne fanno un unicum nel suo genere, per cui il castello è costituito in alto da una piazzaforte normanno-sveva e in basso dal palatium fortificato svevo-aragonese.Sui lati corti spiccano due torri, una rettangolare, l’altra pentagonale. Nei vasti ambienti definiti da muri incisi da eleganti portali in pietra, si scorgono le zone un tempo adibite alla guardia, ai magazzini, alla rappresentanza, agli alloggi reali.L’elemento più straordinario dell’intero castello è la “cappella reale”, riconoscibile come “tricora” o “cuba” di epoca bizantina, caratterizzata da tre absidi, di cui le due laterali ricavate direttamente nello spessore delle mura e da tracce di affreschi. Qui, secondo il Fazello (1490-1570), sembra abbia avuto sepoltura Arnaldo da Villanova, medico, alchimista e riformatore religioso, morto intorno al 1310 e del quale sono attestate numerose presenze a Montalbano insieme al re Federico.
In Business Class on European flights, Lufthansa keeps the center seat empty for your personal comfort.
In the redesigned new european cabin the center seat does not feature a fold down table anymore (due to the seat design) which was a nice feature of the older configuration.
The baseline 4x4 configuration of the SMTV family, the Mk401A short bed is the mobile and versatile vehicle ready to move all types of cargo across any sort of terrain you can throw at it.
Features include opening doors and top hatch, a cab capable of seating 2 minifigs with body armor and headgear, foldable gunner’s bench, turning front wheels, a center-pivoting rear axle, and spare tire with lift arm.
As with my other builds, this is made with all purchasable parts and can be built in real life.
If you're interested in this build, a file can be found here:
1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 Streamliner 'Monza'
This car was displayed here as a teaser for its planned auction in January 2025 in Stuttgart. As of this post (2025.07.24) this is the highest priced 2025 sale (€51,155,000 EUR). Scroll to (2) for auction info.
Serendipitously, a 1955 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Formula 1 Race Car, which is the same car design but with an open-wheeled body configuration, was shown later in the week at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. It's fun to note the same cockpit (mirrors, windscreen, steering wheel, seat) and right-side hood vent.
(1) The following is from an article in www.octane-magazine.com (link goes to the article which includes nice photos of the car's engine and cockpit):
$50 to 70m Mercedes-Benz W196 Streamliner heading to auction
Matthew Hayward ~ Friday 16th August 2024
RM Sotheby's has partnered with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum to bring 11 highly significant cars to auction, headlined by the 1954 Mercedes W196 Streamliner, raced by legends Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss in period.
Why the sale? Although the IMS Museum has thousands of unique and historic racing artefacts, not everything aligns with the Museum's mission. In an effort to not only raise important funding for the future of the museum, but refocus the museum to better reflect its goal of celebrating the history of this iconic motor circuit, it has decided to sell the last of the vehicles in its collection not directly connected to the Indianapolis 500 or Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
"Our Stories Behind the Spectacle capital campaign is helping to fund the complete reimagining of the IMS Museum, from new structural and state-of-the-art technology installations to interactive exhibits and experiences. The deaccession and sale of these artefacts are earmarked specifically to help us create a more robust endowment to be used for caring for our collection, ensuring our long-term financial viability and position as an internationally recognised cultural institution for years to come." - Joe Hale, President, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum
This W196 holds the unique distinction of being driven by two of motor racing's best drivers, Juan Manuel Fangio and Sir Stirling Moss. Originally featuring an open-wheel body, Fangio would pilot this car in a non-points race in Buenos Aires in 1954. Later on, this chassis would receive the iconic streamlined body work and was then driven by Moss at the 1955 Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
At the race Moss would achieve the fastest lap earning him one point in the World Drivers' Championship that year. Mercedes-Benz subsequently used the car as a practice and test car. This Mercedes-Benz was donated to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in 1965 directly from the factory, and is estimated to sell for $50,000,000–70,000,000.
(2) From RM Sotheby's Fall Catalog Detailing this Car for its Auction in Stuttgart, Germany
Do visit the RM Sotheby's link for this car while it lasts, which is typically some years, to see fantastic present and historic photos of the car.
1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen
€51,155,000 EUR | Sold
o Offered from the Collection of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum
o The first Streamliner-bodied W 196 R ever offered for private ownership
o One of four known complete examples mounted with the exquisite factory-built enclosed-fender Stromlinienwagen coachwork at the conclusion of the 1955 Formula One season
o Driven by future five-time Drivers' Champion Juan Manuel Fangio to victory at the 1955 Buenos Aires Grand Prix
o Piloted by celebrated driver Sir Stirling Moss at the 1955 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, achieving fastest lap; presented today with that streamlined bodywork
o Donated in 1965 by Mercedes-Benz to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) Museum, and now offered from 59 years of fastidious care by the IMS Museum
SHINE BRIGHT LIKE A DIAMOND
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. To be considered of optimal quality, every facet of the car's unique cut must emit a brilliance that leaves one speechless.
All of which informs our understanding of the current offering, the 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen, chassis number 00009/54. Rarely has a racing car emanated brilliance on so many levels. Yet, like any great car, the story of chassis number 00009/54 is not just that of a machine but one of men—and a more compelling group of racing luminaries would be nearly impossible to match. 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.
Rudolf Uhlenhaut—Juan Manuel Fangio—Stirling Moss—Tony Hulman. These four men form the arc of this W 196 R's story, from the hallowed grounds of Mercedes-Benz' Rennabteilung (Racing Department), to the stifling heat of Buenos Aires in January, to the brand-new high-speed banks of the Monza circuit, to one of the shrines of motorsport in Indianapolis.
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. The London-born Rudolf "Rudi" Uhlenhaut was hired by Mercedes-Benz straight out of school in 1931, and he spent the next five years proving his mettle in the production car department, increasingly recognized for his quiet demeanor, strong work ethic, and unusual sense of commitment. During this time Mercedes-Benz returned to racing, and in 1934 and 1935 the works team enjoyed great success, giving rise to the W 25 racecars known as the Silver Arrows, for their unfinished metal coachwork. Despite these initial successes, Stuttgart suffered a setback in 1936 when that year's new car failed to meet expectations, and changes were soon afoot.
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. Keenly aware of how little he knew about competition cars, Uhlenhaut threw himself into the assignment with characteristic zeal, learning the ins and outs of racecar behavior by privately testing the cars on the Nürburgring. 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 1937 car, the W 125. Uhlenhaut proceeded to the highly successful W 154 and W 165 racecar programs before war broke out in September 1939.
A NEW SILVER ARROW RISES FROM THE ASHES
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. As with most European marques, the company began with inexpensive and efficient models that assumed a pre-war design, being positioned for the common working man, while gradually delving into more luxurious offerings. With the introduction of the 300 S model in 1951, Stuttgart signaled its intention to resume the manufacture of luxury and sporting automobiles, and it came as no surprise that this growth would include a return to motorsports competition.
The company's return to the track began softly, with a new sports car called the 300 SL "Gullwing," which was created under the management of Rudolf Uhlenhaut. In its earliest W 194 iteration, the 300 SL created a stir in styling and competition that set the table for both further sports car racing, and series production of the popular W 198 300 SL Gullwing production model. But the most natural segway for Stuttgart's return to high-level racing was afforded by the FIA's odd cancellation of Formula One for 1952 and 1953, which was prompted by a lack of credible competition.
With this conundrum in mind, the FIA stipulated new Formula One regulations that would go into effect for the 1954 season. This advance notice gave all interested manufacturers well over a year to develop a suitable competition car. The new formula was relatively simple; it specified that normally aspirated engines could not exceed 2.5 liters, while blown engines were limited to a comical 750 cubic centimeters. Other than mandating a single centered seat, the rules for coachwork were unspecific.
Fritz Nallinger and his fellow directors at Mercedes-Benz recognized this new formula as a unique opportunity to return to the company's motorsports roots in grand prix racing, and with characteristic efficiency, a plan was put in motion to field the best possible car. A new, well-staffed Rennabteilung (racing department) was created, including a traveling factory team. At their disposal lay the full budget and managerial assets of Mercedes-Benz's considerable infrastructure.
As chief of the Experimental Department, Rudolf Uhlenhaut was the principal engineer overseeing the new grand prix model's development. He began with a truss-type narrow-diameter tubular space frame similar to the W 194 300 SL racing car's chassis. Dubbed the W 196 R, this chassis was equipped with front independent suspension via double wishbones, torsion-bar springs, and cutting-edge hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers. More significantly, the rear suspension was governed by a low-pivot swing axle that was personally developed by Uhlenhaut, a design feature that would later reappear in the 300 SL Roadster production car. Massive Alfin drum brakes were specified to keep the W 196 R grounded, and they were mounted inboard to lower unsprung mass.
Having run both supercharged inline eight-cylinder and V-12 engines during the interwar period, the racing department had several options to test, and eventually concluded that a straight-eight configuration displacing 2,494 cubic centimeters would deliver the most consistent power. Designed around a complex Hirth roller-bearing crankshaft, the engine was essentially two four-cylinder motors in unison, with two camshafts for each intake and exhaust. This jewel of an engine was equipped with racing components like dual ignition and dry-sump lubrication while featuring revolutionary desmodromic valve gear instead of standard valve springs; and Bosch high-pressure direct fuel injection that guaranteed reliable and smooth power application.
The purpose-developed M 196 engine initially developed a robust 257 horsepower, which was gradually improved over two seasons to 290 horsepower. The motor was positioned low in the front compartment, canted by between 20 and 37 degrees to save space, and coupled to a rear-mounted five-speed gearbox actuated by a single-disc dry clutch. The gearbox unusually featured synchros in the upper four gears, while a limited-slip differential ensured superior traction. Fuel was provided by tanks ranging in capacity from 107 to 199 liters, with compartmented baffles that reduced sloshing issues.
Since the new formula specified so few limitations to coachwork, Nallinger and Uhlenhaut concluded that a streamlined aerodynamic body with enclosed wheels would optimize high-speed courses, while an open-wheel grand prix body would be ideal for more twisting circuits. Sleek and purposeful, the W 196 R's torpedo-shaped open-wheel body was drawn up along lines that were largely conventional for the era.
The streamlined body, in contrast, was something truly unique. Low and wide, its smoothly curved coachwork featured minimal frills, being chiefly distinguished by a wide open-mouth grille, cooling inlets on the rear shoulder haunches, and molded character lines across the tops of the front wheel wells (a design cue that came to be characteristic across the 300 SL model line, lending a marvelous continuity among the marque's sports-racing cars). This was undoubtedly one of the most exquisite expressions of curve and stance ever pounded out, rivalling the most sensuous sports-racers and supercars for sheer visual appeal.
These streamlined bodies were built in extremely limited quantity by the racing department out of Elektron magnesium alloy, providing a shell even lighter than aluminum for a total weight of just over 88 pounds. The open-wheel bodies were also made of lightweight alloy, although coachwork production later shifted to steel bodies built at Sindelfingen.
The streamlined enclosed-wheel body was intermittently campaigned with the open-wheel grand prix-style body during the 1954 and 1955 racing seasons. The factory designation for the enclosed-wheel coachwork was Stromlinie, or Streamline, and today these cars are also known as Streamliner or Stromlinienwagen (streamlined car). With such powerful mechanical specifications and slippery lightweight coachwork, the W 196 R could exceed 186 mph, making it one of the fastest grand prix cars yet constructed.
1954: A PERFECT PLAN REALIZED
Of course, Alfred Neubauer, the longtime manager of the Mercedes-Benz racing team, knew that the W 196 R's success would be contingent on driving talent, so the decision was made early in development to contract the best array of available drivers. While two German drivers were initially signed, the veteran Karl Kling and the up-and-coming Hans Herrmann, the spotlight soon belonged to the third team member: noted Argentinian racing driver Juan Manuel Fangio.
There was a time in the late 1950s when the five-time Formula One champion Juan Manuel Fangio enjoyed a fame that transcended motorsport—when he was a true worldwide celebrity not unlike Lewis Hamilton today, and when grandstands rang out with passionate chants of "FONN-GEE-OHHH!"
Before he was a household name, in early 1954 Juan Manuel Fangio was merely a potential in transition, a burgeoning talent waiting to explode. Without a doubt, Fangio's credentials had already been established with his first Drivers' Championship for Alfa Romeo in 1951. But with the disintegration of the Alfa Romeo team during 1952 and the FIA's subsequent cancelation of Formula One in favor of Formula Two proceedings, Ferrari dominated the following two years of competition. Fangio toiled away patiently with the Maserati team, and in sports car racing. Victories came repeatedly, but further championships remained elusive, and having reached his early forties, there was a justifiable presentiment among racing fans that Fangio's best days were already behind him.
Fortunately for Fangio, his star had already been recognized by Stuttgart. Ever in search of the best driving talent, Alfred Neubauer could not help but remember Fangio's remarkable performance in an Alfa Romeo at the 1951 Swiss Grand Prix—achieving pole, fastest lap, and a 1st-place finish. Neubauer reached out to Fangio's agent and a contract for 1954 was signed with Mercedes-Benz. But as the 1954 season began, the new machine from Stuttgart still awaited completion. This led Fangio to continue racing for Maserati in the first two rounds of the 1954 Formula One season, winning the Grands Prix at both Argentina and Belgium. Following the Belgian Grand Prix, Fangio officially made the move to Mercedes-Benz.
In July 1954 the new Mercedes-Benz race cars made their highly anticipated debut at the French Grand Prix at Reims. Debuting a trio of W 196 R Streamliners, their very appearance inspired awe, looking unlike anything anyone had ever seen before in a Formula One race. Team drivers Fangio, Kling, and Herrmann would qualify 1st, 2nd, and 7th, respectively. Herrmann would go on to set the race's fastest lap while Fangio and Kling would achieve an impressive 1-2 finish. The race marked a resounding victory for Mercedes-Benz on its long-awaited return to racing.
Fangio qualified for the pole position start at the British Grand Prix in late July, but rainy conditions led to a 4th-place finish. The team returned to form at the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring in early August with a four-car team consisting of three open-wheel cars and one Streamliner. The race marked the debut of the open-wheel iteration of the W 196 R. Fangio earned pole position and would go on to win the race with Kling finishing 4th, each in open-wheel cars. A three-car team, all open-wheel, at the Swiss Grand Prix three weeks later brought nearly identical results, with Fangio again winning and Herrmann finishing 3rd.
At the Italian Grand Prix at the Monza circuit in early September, Mercedes-Benz entered two Streamliners and one open-wheel car after testing indicated that the closed-fender coachwork would be faster. In the race, a young British privateer named Stirling Moss behind the wheel of a Maserati 250F led late in the race 19 laps before retiring due to a cracked oil tank. Fangio in a Streamliner and Herrmann in an open-wheel car respectively cruised to 1st and 4th place finishes. The performance of the talented Englishman likely did not escape the attention of Rudolf Uhlenhaut and Alfred Neubauer.
Two weeks later the W 196 R cars were entered at a non-championship race, the Berlin Grand Prix, which was held at the AVUS circuit. With no points consequence, this was almost strictly a public relations demonstration for an enthusiastic German audience. Three Streamliners driven by Kling, Fangio, and Herrmann cruised to an easy 1-2-3 podium sweep.
At the Spanish Grand Prix in late October, the last race of the year, Fangio finished a team-best 3rd among a contingent of three open-wheel entries. The legend of Juan Manuel Fangio had grown; his second Drivers' Championship was in the books. The sheer and immediate potency of the Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Silver Arrow had been established, foiling Ferrari's attempt at a third straight Formula One championship in the process.
In the midst of this immediate show of dominance for the W 196 R, chassis number 00009/54, the car offered here, was completed. Originally finished as an open-wheel monoposto built on the 1954-specification 2,350-millimeter long-wheelbase chassis, and being designated with a 54 in its chassis number suffix (1955 cars have a 55 suffix), the car first began testing on 15 December 1954. For chassis number 00009/54, as well as for the victorious Mercedes-Benz racing team, even greater things were to come in the season ahead.
CHASSIS NUMBER 00009/54 IN COMPETITION: OPEN-WHEEL
For the 1955 season, the W 196 R was further developed to remain as competitive as possible. The engine was improved in numerous aspects, including the addition of a new intake manifold, and the decision was made to run the open-wheel grand prix bodies for almost all of the 1955 races. The revised cars were approximately 70 kilograms (154 pounds) lighter than their predecessors. Further testing demonstrated that the 1954 W 196 R had been significantly compromised by its Continental tires, so the rubber manufacturer was taken to task to deliver a better product, and their development during the off-season was a critical boon for the revised car.
The Rennabteilung again went after top driving talent, recruiting the upstart 25-year-old Brit from Monza, Stirling Moss, to join their stable of drivers. Moss eventually became a well-known celebrity in his own right, and one of the most famous of all the notable British drivers. Though his career would be prematurely cut short by an accident in 1962, he remained a forthright proponent of motorsports and a supporter of the automotive niche throughout his life, even serving as a brand ambassador for Mercedes-Benz in his twilight years. His lifelong contributions to the sport and Britain's motoring niche were recognized in 2000 when he was knighted by the future King Charles.
But during the early 1950s Moss was still steadily developing as a privateer, an evolution that had begun with his win at the 1950 Tourist Trophy. To the end of securing a spot on the Mercedes-Benz team, in 1953 he bought and raced a true Formula One specification car, the Maserati 250F. Though the 250F was somewhat unreliable in competition, Moss showed considerable promise during several impressive qualifying sessions, and Neubauer took note after the events of the 1954 Italian Grand Prix. By December 1954 Moss was hired and practicing in the W 196 R, familiarizing himself with the car's nuances while marveling at the Rennabteilung's team environment.
Moss later wrote of the Mercedes-Benz team, "Their thoroughness and thoughtfulness amazed me from the very beginning. It was like being in a different world...Every course where the cars raced was analyzed mathematically...Neubauer himself used to mark and time gearchanges, lap after lap...Drivers were listened to and respected, which often doesn't happen on other top teams...Nothing was too much trouble—and they were willing to try anything which might improve performance."
There was no doubt that Mercedes-Benz' commitment had come to fruition in 1954, and it was about to bear further fruit with Moss onboard. It was Fangio, however, that set the winning tone with a victory at round one of the 1955 Formula One season at the Argentine Grand Prix on 16 January 1955. Since the next Formula One points event on the calendar didn't arrive until late May, the team remained in Argentina to conduct some live-action testing during the Buenos Aires Grand Prix, as the Formula Libre race's lack of regulations proved to be a popular testbed for Formula One teams.
The Formula Libre Buenos Aires Grand Prix on 30 January 1955 would mark the first race for the car on offer, chassis number 00009/54, piloted by none other than Juan Manuel Fangio as car #2. According to Rennabteilung build sheets on file, as well as recent confirmation by Mercedes-Benz, chassis number 00009/54 was equipped with a "Sport 59" engine, apparently code for the 3.0-liter M196 engine, and fitted with an open-wheel monoposto body. One of the team's primary objectives for this non-Formula One event was apparently to test this new development of the M196 engine, which was positioned for use in the upcoming W 196 S sports car, the 300 SLR. Moss, Kling, and Herrmann joined Fangio—each racing an open-wheel car.
The Buenos Aires Grand Prix race format was a bit unusual: two separate heats of 30 laps each, with the winner determined by the fastest total aggregate time. While Fangio earned the pole position during a rainy qualifying session, Moss leapt out to lead the first heat. Fangio made his move during the 13th lap, briefly holding 1st place before being overtaken by Giuseppe "Nino" Farina's Ferrari 625, and this order held until the finish line with Fangio 10.5 seconds behind. During the second heat many drivers switched cars, and Fangio initially led before being passed by Moss, who went on to win the heat by three seconds in an exciting finish. Despite finishing 2nd in both heats, Fangio achieved the lowest total time of 2:23:18.9, besting Moss by 11.9 seconds, the 625 Ferrari by over half a minute, and Kling by nearly a minute, thus capturing the win for the Rennabteilung in this important first outing for chassis number 00009/54.
The victory gave Fangio a sweep of that season's races in his native country, having won the Formula One Argentine Grand Prix two weeks prior. The impressive finish at the Buenos Aires Grand Prix was commemorated in-period, with Mercedes-Benz commissioning a beautiful race poster by Anton Stankowski celebrating the 1-2-4 Fangio-Moss-Kling finish.
At the Monaco Grand Prix in late May, Fangio was given a new open-wheel car built on an extra short-wheelbase chassis (2,150 millimeters), and though he qualified for the pole, Herrmann then crashed the car in practice. The team's luck only got worse during the race, where three cars retired early with valve-gear failures and Moss struggled to a 9th place finish.
In June, Fangio and Moss roared to 1-2 finishes at both the Belgian Grand Prix and the Dutch Grand Prix before a number of grands prix were cancelled in response to the recent accident at Le Mans. When action resumed at the British Grand Prix at Aintree in mid-July, the Mercedes-Benz team dominated again, with the experienced home-court veteran Moss leading a four-car contingent to a commanding 1-2-3-4 finish (Moss-Fangio-Kling-Taruffi), the only quadruple victory in marque history.
This set the stage for the season's final contest—and 00009/54's final competition outing: the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in September.
CHASSIS NUMBER 00009/54 IN COMPETITION: STROMLINIENWAGEN
For 1955, the Monza circuit was rebuilt with a new high-speed bank that has since become legendary in motorsport. With this development, the Rennabteilung already knew the course would favor a Streamliner body, despite the fact that they had been running the open-wheel coachwork exclusively up to this point for the 1955 season. During testing at Monza in August, the team experimented with a new protruding nose piece for the Stromlinienwagen, but results were inconclusive. Ultimately, the medium-wheelbase chassis was chosen to be mounted with new length-adapted Streamliner coachwork in the original style, with the exception of a new air inlet next to the hood to feed the canted engine. Two such cars were built at Untertürkheim.
When practice for the race ensued a month later, the medium-wheelbase Streamliner was found to be twitchy at high speeds. Fangio then assumed the use of a spare Streamliner built on an original long-wheelbase chassis from 1954, and Moss quickly requested an identical car, so Neubauer contacted the workshop and ordered a Streamliner to be delivered to Monza as soon as possible. A spare long-wheelbase chassis, number 00009/54, was mounted with a Streamliner body and immediately dispatched to Monza.
Mercedes-Benz would send eight cars, nearly all their running W 196 Rs, to what would be the model's swan song in competitive racing. Of the eight cars sent to the track, four cars were entered by Mercedes-Benz for the race, with Fangio and Moss competing in W 196 R Streamliners and Kling and Piero Taruffi behind the wheels of W 196 R open-wheel monopostos.
This car, chassis number 00009/54, was the aforementioned long-wheelbase Streamliner delivered on request for Moss after the medium-wheelbase Streamliners had been declined by Fangio and himself. Stirling Moss, driving under #16, would pilot chassis number 00009/54 in the race. Fangio would secure pole position, with Moss securing 2nd starting position just three-tenths of a second behind Fangio. Kling would qualify 3rd, and Taruffi 9th; the advantage of the Streamliner bodywork at the fast Monza track was evident.
From the start, Fangio and Moss held their 1-2 start. Moss would take the lead from Fangio in the 9th lap of the race, but it was short-lived, as Fangio would regain the lead in lap 9 and retain 1st position for the remainder of the race. Moss would go on to hold onto 2nd through lap 18, when he was forced to pit to replace the windscreen, dropping him down to 8th by the time he rejoined the race. Moss would climb to 7th but was soon forced to retire due to a failing piston in cylinder five after completing 27 laps. Completing just over half the race, Moss was still able to achieve the race's fastest lap at an impressive 2:46.900 in chassis number 00009/54. His average speed of 215.7 km/h on lap 21, while attempting to make up ground following his early pit stop, earned him one point towards the Formula One Drivers' Championship.
Karl Kling would retire from the Italian Grand Prix shortly after Moss, pulling out of the race with a defective cardan shaft after 32 laps. Fangio would go on to win, tailed closely by Taruffi just seven-tenths of a second behind. The impressive 1-2 finish—a fitting bookend to the W 196 R Stromlinienwagens— triumphant 1-2 victory at their debut outing, the 1954 French Grand Prix at Reims—would not be replicated again by Mercedes-Benz as a constructor for 58 years, with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at the 2014 Malaysian Grand Prix.
At the conclusion of the 1955 Formula One season, Fangio captured his second straight World Drivers' Championship, with Moss finishing 2nd, sealing the W 196 R Silver Arrow's legend in the process. Moss, meanwhile, had captured two World Sportscar Championship victories in the 300 SLR, including his storied win at the 1955 Mille Miglia in the #722 car with co-driver Denis Jenkinson. This proved to be enough to edge out Ferrari for a narrow championship victory in sports car racing. Significantly, the 300 SLR, internally designated the W 196 S, was the two-seat sports car development of the W 196 R; the 300 SLR benefitted from a larger 3.0-liter motor, the likes of which had been proven in chassis number 00009/54 in Buenos Aires.
The W 196 R's pedigree was now unimpeachable. In two seasons the model had won three championships in two different racing series. In 12 appearances at Formula One points events the W 196 R had won a commanding nine times, and it won two additional non-points races, totaling 11 victories in 14 starts. This 78 percent represents an incredible winning rate by any measure. It is also important to note that the World Constructors' Championship had not yet been created; had it existed, Mercedes-Benz surely would have won this title, as well.
AT THE END OF AN ERA
Having demonstrated that they could dominate on the track Mercedes-Benz chose to make a graceful exit once again from motor racing after 1955, bowing out for the next few decades—and further ensuring that the remarkable legend of the W 196 R would never be forgotten.
At the conclusion of 1955, 10 different complete W 196 R examples remained in running order, including four with Stromlinienwagen coachwork. Fourteen chassis had been built in total, designated with numbers 1 to 15. (Chassis numbers 1 and 15 were eventually scrapped, and number 11 was never actually assigned to a chassis.) In October 1955, Mercedes-Benz held an official ceremony to retire the W 196 R, publicly shrouding the cars in dust sheets before transferring them to the company's museum in Stuttgart. Following the completion of its competition duties but prior to being stored, chassis number 00009/54 had been—in keeping with common post-race procedure—partially dismantled and equipped with a new engine, among other items. While the Daimler-Benz Museum initially retained all 10 remaining W 196 R examples, four cars were eventually donated to prestigious museums around the world, including chassis number 00009/54.
The post-racing path of chassis number 00009/54 was set in motion in September 1964, when a contingent from the Mercedes-Benz Club of America visited the marque's Untertürkheim plant in Stuttgart. As detailed by a wealth of correspondence on file, during this visit, a conversation ensued between the club's Wilhelm "Bill" Spoerle and the manufacturer's Dr. -Ing Friedrich Schildberger about donating a race car to the "planned new museum on the grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway."
A German immigrant who once worked in NSU's motorcycle racing division before the war, Mr. Spoerle had moved to Indianapolis in 1956 to work on racing cars, taking a position at the nascent Dreyer Motorsports for several years. Eventually lured away by Anton "Tony" Hulman Jr. in 1963, Spoerle became the Restoration Manager at the relatively new museum at the Brickyard. By the time of Spoerle's visit to Untertürkheim he was already working for Tony Hulman, and he surely realized there could be no better place for a W 196 R donation than the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
Tony Hulman was a typical example of one of motorsports— classic archetypes—the colorful business-savvy impresario who has arrived at racing rather late in life and by accident, but is bitten by the bug and comes to love it. From Terre Haute, Indiana, Hulman was the scion of a fortune built on an eponymous grocery distribution business. He worked his way up through the family business, eventually becoming president in 1931, while excelling in imaginative marketing approaches such as the ad campaign for the firm's Clabber Girl baking powder.
The Brickyard had fallen into a surprising state of disrepair by late 1941 when racing was canceled after the attack on Pearl Harbor. After the war, the track's owner, former World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker, was content to sell the circuit to whomever might want it, for any use at all. But former three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Wilbur Shaw was adamant that the Brickyard should only be sold to someone intending to keep it open for racing. After searching high and low, Shaw found Hulman, who officially purchased the speedway in November 1945, and quickly set about renovations for the planned 1946 Indianapolis 500, the first post-war edition of the legendary race. Hulman continued to regularly improve the course over the years, while notably founding the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation, a separate non-profit organization created in part as the financial/business facade for the new IMS Museum.
As Mercedes-Benz president Walter Hitzinger and chief engineer Dr. Nallinger explained in a March 1965 letter to Hulman, "In view of the special significance of Indianapolis in the history of automobile racing and also in particular view of our own company's contribution, we have now decided to give you a 2.5 litre streamlined car, Type W 196, built in 1954, as a gift for exhibition in your museum." Mercedes-Benz had a tie to America's greatest race, having won the race in just its fifth running in 1915 when Ralph DePalma drove a Mercedes to victory in what proved to be one of just a handful of Indianapolis 500 wins for a European manufacturer.
Dr. Schildberger set about re-commissioning the W 196 R so that it could be driven during an official presentation at the Brickyard, which was planned for the weekend of the 1965 Indianapolis 500. For this exhibition, Mercedes-Benz ordered 50 gallons of Esso (Exxon) racing fuel to be delivered. The Stromlinienwagen was shipped through the port of Baltimore in late April and trucked to Indianapolis.
Officially donated to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation on Sunday, 30 May 1965, the Mercedes-Benz made two appearances during the weekend. The first came at an informal presentation after the annual driver's meeting, where the car was demonstrated by Peter DePaolo in honor of the Mercedes victory 50 years earlier by his uncle, Ralph DePalma. The following day DePaolo again took the wheel before Monday's feature race, after the car had officially been presented to the IMS Museum by Mercedes-Benz.
LIFE IN RETIREMENT
For almost six decades, the W 196 R has been fastidiously stored and maintained by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, occasionally being invited to attend important exhibitions, such as the 1996 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, the 2003 Canadian International AutoShow, and the grand re-opening of the redesigned Petersen Automotive Museum in December 2015. The car participated in the first Velocity Invitational (then called Sonoma Speed Festival) event at Sonoma Raceway in 2019, and it was then shown at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance once again in 2020.
The W 196 R has been displayed at the IMS Museum periodically, including the 2020-2021 "From the Vault" exhibition; when not on display, it was part of the Basement Collection VIP tours of the Museum's vehicle storage location. From July 2022 to January 2023, chassis number 00009/54 was again shown at the Peterson Automotive Museum as part of the "Andy Warhol: Cars — Works from the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection" exhibit. Most recently, it was part of the Mercedes-Benz display at the 2024 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. In the interest of a true educational mission, however, the car has never been submitted for judging at concours events.
The Streamliner has been treated to two mild bouts of sympathetic freshening during its more recent lifetime, first undergoing a refinish in the correct DB 180 Silver Metallic in 1980, with race #16 in white roundels, as per the 1955 Monza livery when driven by Stirling Moss. In late 2015, in preparation for its display at the Petersen Museum, the car received a second refinishing of the coachwork by the esteemed experts at Canepa Motorsports in Scotts Valley, California, and it continues to be a startling testament to the brilliance of the Stromlinenwagens at Monza.
There is no small irony in the fact that this W 196 R has spent so many decades in the care of the IMS Museum. For at the end of the 1955 season, according to motoring historian Karl Ludvigsen in his book Mercedes-Benz: Quicksilver Century, some minds at Mercedes-Benz wondered how the model might fare in the Indianapolis 500. Initial research and development calculations were undertaken to create performance projections. But after these initial calculations were made, the pursuit was dropped in the face of anticipated high costs and a lack of pure necessity. The W 196 R had achieved everything it was built to do; no further campaigning was necessary. Its shocking form, however, inspired a number of Indianapolis 500 hopefuls—perhaps most notably Jimmy Daywalt and the Sumar Special—to incorporate elements of its streamlined design into their own cars for 1955.
It should now be very evident that chassis number 00009/54 is a diamond of extraordinary cut, emitting a brilliance that is almost impossible to fathom. The car is one of just 14 chassis built, and it is believed to be one of just 10 known complete examples surviving at the conclusion of the 1955 Formula One season. Of those, this example was one of only four mounted with the magnificent Streamliner coachwork at the conclusion of the 1955 Formula One season. It was an integral component of the factory racing campaign that saw Mercedes-Benz capture two Formula One Drivers' Championships in as many attempts, and one World Sportscar Championship during the same period.
Further driven to victory by Fangio at the 1955 Buenos Aires Grand Prix, and to the fastest lap by Stirling Moss at the 1955 Formula One Italian Grand Prix at Monza, this W 196 R had been piloted by two of history's most famous and accomplished racing drivers. Following one of the most successful competition campaigns imaginable, the car was retired to the stately in-house collection of Mercedes-Benz before being donated nine years later to the equally respected Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, whose collection includes some of the finest racing cars the world has ever seen.
Chassis number 00009/54 represents only the second W 196 R ever offered for private ownership, and the sole example offered with the magnificent Streamliner coachwork. Presented in its proper Monza livery from the 1955 Italian Grand Prix, and documented with a trove of period materials, chassis number 00009/54 has moreover never been formally presented for judging or driven in any vintage events; it should experience a rapturous welcome at any of the major events for which it is eligible. Ideal for display at flagship concours d'elegance like Pebble Beach or Villa d'Este, the magnificent W 196 R will surely also experience great acclaim at significant marque events worldwide. Note that after many years of static display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, chassis number 00009/54 will require careful recommissioning prior to starting or driving.
The future caretaker can take pride in ownership of a bona fide competition legend that is one of Formula One's most successful models ever, bar none. Absolutely astonishing in every respect, from its advanced, powerful engineering and truly singular coachwork to its remarkable history—driven by two of the biggest names in motorsports, this W 196 R Stromlinienwagen is a gem without parallel. It now awaits the expected ardor of Formula One enthusiasts, dedicated marque collectors, and lovers of the all-but-unobtainable—sure to redefine our very understanding of what is possible.
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The RM Sotheby's auction preview at the Monterey Conference Center was a delight!
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We saw so many great vehicles and sights during Monterey Car Week!
Ultimate Builder Classes
The following are the class definitions for the 5 classes that we are hosting at our 13 round series.
Free Style – Any motorcycle frame configuration or drivetrain combination. Your imagination is the only restriction. Must run and stop.
Modified Harley – Must have Harley manufactured frame and engine cases. Frame must maintain stock configuration so modifications are limited to smoothing ie; molding welds and joints, welding in filler panels or cutting excess tabs. Swingarm kits and fat tire conversions are acceptable.
Performance Custom – Race inspired styling with performance enhancing engine modifications. Any motorcycle frame configuration and drivetrain combination. Judging will be focused around drag racing ie; strtched out ‘Busa, Bonneville racers and highly modified sportbikes.
Retro Mod – Any modified bike, with any drive train on any chassis configuration that is 25 years or older. Great class for older Harley’s where the frame was cut to rake or stretch as well as a class for Café Racers from the Ton-Up era.
Modified Street Class – Must have Major OEM ie; Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Polaris, Triumph etc manufactured frame and engine cases. Harley is not allowed in this class. Frame must maintain stock configuration so neck may not be cut to rake or stretch. Designed for mild customs without frame configuration modifications and stretched swing arms. Cruisers are allowed to use hardtail sections.
Awards and Prizes
Freestyle Class – 1st Place Cash Prize: $2,500 per UBCBS
Modified Harley Class – 1st Place Cash Prize: $1,500 per UBCBS
Performance Custom Class – 1st Place Cash Prize: $1,000 per UBCBS
Retro Mod Class – 1st Place Cash Prize: $1,000 per UBCBS
Modified Street Class – 1st Place Cash Prize: $1,000 per UBCBS
Award plaques will be given out to motorcycles finishing in second and third place in the three judged categories at each UBCBS.
Just took some time tinkering around with my firefox configuration. Now I got it exactly the way I like it.
In 2012 we received from NASA an order for 6 new models of International Space Station. NASA requested to modify our current model in order to represent the latest changes and additions to ISS so the model will depict the most current and updated configuration.
The foam lining in the transit cases for modified models was adjusted accordingly to accommodate the models and new separate elements.
Along with the order of 6 modified models for NASA we also produced one model in luxury edition for CERN, which was shipped to Geneva, Switzerland and receive excellent feedbacks for its accuracy and versatility.
Visit www.lifeinscale.net/ISS_model-2012_configuration.asp for more information.
This is a photograph from the 4th and final round of the 2017 Pat Finnerty Memorial 5KM Road League which was held in Belvedere House and Gardens, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, Ireland on Wednesday 24th May 2017 at 20:00. This is the final round and consequently some of the decisions around the final configuration of the category prizes are still open for resolution. The Road League is promoted and organised by Mulligar Harriers Athletic Club and sponsored by local sponsors including O'Brien's Renault dealership. This is a very well established as an annual event which takes place on every Wednesday night in the month of May. Tonight's weather was absolutely wonderful. Warm summer air filled the Belvedere area as the runners were treated to perfect summer weather. Just under 200 participants took part in the race which runs a traffic free course over a mix of road and hilly forest trail. Congratulations are due to all of the Mullingar Harriers club who put this excellent series together.
Timing and event management was provided by http://www.myrunresults.com/. Their website will contain the results to today's race.
The full set of photographs is available at: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/albums/72157684232399025
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BUT..... Wait there a minute....
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I ran in the race - but my photograph doesn't appear here in your Flickr set! What gives?
As mentioned above we take these photographs as a hobby and as a voluntary contribution to the running community in Ireland. Very often we have actually ran in the same race and then switched to photographer mode after we finished the race. Consequently, we feel that we have no obligations to capture a photograph of every participant in the race. However, we do try our very best to capture as many participants as possible. But this is sometimes not possible for a variety of reasons:
►You were hidden behind another participant as you passed our camera
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►We simply missed you - sorry about that - we did our best!
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Location: Brgy. Pob. 1 City of Sto. Tomas, Batangas
Owner Name: JAC Liner Inc.
Bus No: 8906
Classification: Air Conditioned
Area of Operation: Provincial Operation
Model: Yutong ZK6122HD9
Body: Zhengzhou Yutong Bus Co. Ltd.
Seating Configuration: 2x2
Transmission: Manual (6 gears forward & 1 reverse)
The most significant architectural historic element of Montalbano, Elicona is the castle which dominates a haphazard and tortuous medieval urban fabric, meandering up and down the alleyways, molding itself to the configuration of the rocky promontory.The little houses constructed in sandstone are filled with authentic history, although in certain places a sense of abandonment is felt which should disappear with the planned restoration works.Erected on pre-existing Byzantine and Arab structures, the upper part of the castle is comprised of a Norman-Suevian fortress, while the lower part is made up of a fortified Suevian-Aragonese palatium (palace).The upper part, a rectangular fortress, is enclosed on its two extremities by two towers, one with a square plan and the other, typically Suevian, with a pentagonal plan, which functions as a donjon.The embattled perimeter walls date back to the Suevian period, and represent the most important and best preserved a saettiere defensive configuration in Sicily. The date 1270 still engraved in the cover of the large cistern is evidence of its Angevin phase.Instead it is to Frederick II of Aragon that we owe that reconstruction of the edifice and its transformation from fortress to regiae aedes, royal residence for summer sojourn (1302-08). The sovereign had eighteen large windows open on to the perimeter walls above the Suevian embrasures as well as a considerable number of portals and gates. Thanks to the modifications executed by the Aragonese king, the castle of Montalbano is one of the most coherent and harmonious of the Sicilian Middle Ages. The most extraordinary element in the entire castle is the royal chapel of the Byzantine era, which according to some scholars preserves the remains of Arnaldo da Villanova, one of the most important personages of his time. Physician, alchemist and religious reformer suspected of heresy, he died in 1310, and his numerous stays in Montalbano with king Frederick are well documented.
Il castello Svevo-Aragonese rappresenta l’elemento architettonico più illustre del luogo. Fulcro del centro storico, domina il suggestivo borgo medioevale, irregolare e tortuoso, che si adatta alla conformazione del promontorio roccioso.
Fu edificato e fortificato dall’Imperatore Federico II di Svevia intorno all’anno 1210 su preesistenti costruzioni bizantine ed arabe, raso al suolo a seguito di una rivolta popolare nel 1233, venne ricostruito tra il 1302 e 1308 dal re Federico II d’Aragona, e trasformato in reggia aedes, residenza reale per i soggiorni estivi, raggiungendo in quel tempo il massimo splendore. Egli trasformò il corpo svevo da fortezza a reggia, donandogli quell’imponenza elegante e composta che ne fanno un unicum nel suo genere, per cui il castello è costituito in alto da una piazzaforte normanno-sveva e in basso dal palatium fortificato svevo-aragonese.Sui lati corti spiccano due torri, una rettangolare, l’altra pentagonale. Nei vasti ambienti definiti da muri incisi da eleganti portali in pietra, si scorgono le zone un tempo adibite alla guardia, ai magazzini, alla rappresentanza, agli alloggi reali.L’elemento più straordinario dell’intero castello è la “cappella reale”, riconoscibile come “tricora” o “cuba” di epoca bizantina, caratterizzata da tre absidi, di cui le due laterali ricavate direttamente nello spessore delle mura e da tracce di affreschi. Qui, secondo il Fazello (1490-1570), sembra abbia avuto sepoltura Arnaldo da Villanova, medico, alchimista e riformatore religioso, morto intorno al 1310 e del quale sono attestate numerose presenze a Montalbano insieme al re Federico.
This is a photograph from the 4th and final round of the 2017 Pat Finnerty Memorial 5KM Road League which was held in Belvedere House and Gardens, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, Ireland on Wednesday 24th May 2017 at 20:00. This is the final round and consequently some of the decisions around the final configuration of the category prizes are still open for resolution. The Road League is promoted and organised by Mulligar Harriers Athletic Club and sponsored by local sponsors including O'Brien's Renault dealership. This is a very well established as an annual event which takes place on every Wednesday night in the month of May. Tonight's weather was absolutely wonderful. Warm summer air filled the Belvedere area as the runners were treated to perfect summer weather. Just under 200 participants took part in the race which runs a traffic free course over a mix of road and hilly forest trail. Congratulations are due to all of the Mullingar Harriers club who put this excellent series together.
Timing and event management was provided by http://www.myrunresults.com/. Their website will contain the results to today's race.
The full set of photographs is available at: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/albums/72157684232399025
Can I use these photographs directly from Flickr on my social media account(s)?
Yes - of course you can! Flickr provides several ways to share this and other photographs in this Flickr set. You can share directly to: email, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Tumblr, LiveJournal, and Wordpress and Blogger blog sites. Your mobile, tablet, or desktop device will also offer you several different options for sharing this photo page on your social media outlets.
BUT..... Wait there a minute....
We take these photographs as a hobby and as a contribution to the running community in Ireland. We do not charge for our photographs. Our only "cost" is that we request that if you are using these images: (1) on social media sites such as Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Twitter,LinkedIn, Google+, VK.com, Vine, Meetup, Tagged, Ask.fm,etc or (2) other websites, blogs, web multimedia, commercial/promotional material that you must provide a link back to our Flickr page to attribute us or acknowledge us as the original photographers.
This also extends to the use of these images for Facebook profile pictures. In these cases please make a separate wall or blog post with a link to our Flickr page. If you do not know how this should be done for Facebook or other social media please email us and we will be happy to help suggest how to link to us.
I want to download these pictures to my computer or device?
You can download this photographic image here directly to your computer or device. This version is the low resolution web-quality image. How to download will vary slight from device to device and from browser to browser. Have a look for a down-arrow symbol or the link to 'View/Download' all sizes. When you click on either of these you will be presented with the option to download the image. Remember just doing a right-click and "save target as" will not work on Flickr.
I want get full resolution, print-quality, copies of these photographs?
If you just need these photographs for online usage then they can be used directly once you respect their Creative Commons license and provide a link back to our Flickr set if you use them. For offline usage and printing all of the photographs posted here on this Flickr set are available free, at no cost, at full image resolution.
Please email petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com with the links to the photographs you would like to obtain a full resolution copy of. We also ask race organisers, media, etc to ask for permission before use of our images for flyers, posters, etc. We reserve the right to refuse a request.
In summary please remember when requesting photographs from us - If you are using the photographs online all we ask is for you to provide a link back to our Flickr set or Flickr pages. You will find the link above clearly outlined in the description text which accompanies this photograph. Taking these photographs and preparing them for online posting takes a significant effort and time. We are not posting photographs to Flickr for commercial reasons. If you really like what we do please spread the link around your social media, send us an email, leave a comment beside the photographs, send us a Flickr email, etc. If you are using the photographs in newspapers or magazines we ask that you mention where the original photograph came from.
I would like to contribute something for your photograph(s)?
Many people offer payment for our photographs. As stated above we do not charge for these photographs. We take these photographs as our contribution to the running community in Ireland. If you feel that the photograph(s) you request are good enough that you would consider paying for their purchase from other photographic providers or in other circumstances we would suggest that you can provide a donation to any of the great charities in Ireland who do work for Cancer Care or Cancer Research in Ireland.
Let's get a bit technical: We use Creative Commons Licensing for these photographs
We use the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License for all our photographs here in this photograph set. What does this mean in reality?
The explaination is very simple.
Attribution- anyone using our photographs gives us an appropriate credit for it. This ensures that people aren't taking our photographs and passing them off as their own. This usually just mean putting a link to our photographs somewhere on your website, blog, or Facebook where other people can see it.
ShareAlike – anyone can use these photographs, and make changes if they like, or incorporate them into a bigger project, but they must make those changes available back to the community under the same terms.
Above all what Creative Commons aims to do is to encourage creative sharing. See some examples of Creative Commons photographs on Flickr: www.flickr.com/creativecommons/
I ran in the race - but my photograph doesn't appear here in your Flickr set! What gives?
As mentioned above we take these photographs as a hobby and as a voluntary contribution to the running community in Ireland. Very often we have actually ran in the same race and then switched to photographer mode after we finished the race. Consequently, we feel that we have no obligations to capture a photograph of every participant in the race. However, we do try our very best to capture as many participants as possible. But this is sometimes not possible for a variety of reasons:
►You were hidden behind another participant as you passed our camera
►Weather or lighting conditions meant that we had some photographs with blurry content which we did not upload to our Flickr set
►There were too many people - some races attract thousands of participants and as amateur photographs we cannot hope to capture photographs of everyone
►We simply missed you - sorry about that - we did our best!
You can email us petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com to enquire if we have a photograph of you which didn't make the final Flickr selection for the race. But we cannot promise that there will be photograph there. As alternatives we advise you to contact the race organisers to enquire if there were (1) other photographs taking photographs at the race event or if (2) there were professional commercial sports photographers taking photographs which might have some photographs of you available for purchase. You might find some links for further information above.
Don't like your photograph here?
That's OK! We understand!
If, for any reason, you are not happy or comfortable with your picture appearing here in this photoset on Flickr then please email us at petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com and we will remove it as soon as possible. We give careful consideration to each photograph before uploading.
I want to tell people about these great photographs!
Great! Thank you! The best link to spread the word around is probably http://www.flickr.com/peterm7/sets
Elaboration on a technique of Ramin Razani to form 180 degree objects.
Collapsable with the removal of four glue dots.
Kiosque d’exposition élégant et à faibles coûts d’opération
Paradigm Learning, créateur de programmes de formation et de communications innovateurs, voulait un stand en îlot simple et élégant qui répond à un design paradoxale: intimité pour démontrer leurs produits et ouverture pour attirer les visiteurs.
« Le design pur et élégant de notre kiosque d’exposition nous procure un excellent environnement pour parler avec des clients et des clients potentiels et pour montrer nos produits et services » nous disait Gretchen Covine, stratège marketing chez Paradigm Learning
Même si le kiosque d’exposition modulaire de Skyline couvre le même espace d’exposition qu’un kiosque d’exposition sur mesure, il pèse la moitié moins qu’un stand en îlot sur mesure et prend le tiers d’espace cubique – réduisant ainsi les coûts d’opération.
La compagnie reconfigure également ce kiosque d’exposition tout au long de l’année pour de plus petits évènements, chose qu’il ne pouvait pas faire dans le passé avec un stand en îlot sur mesure. « Notre nouveau kiosque d’exposition offre beaucoup plus de flexibilité pour de petits et gros salons commerciaux » nous confiait Covine.
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Elegant Exhibit Reduces Operating Costs
Paradigm Learning, a creator of innovative training and communications programs, wanted a simple and elegant exhibit that solved a design paradox: they wanted privacy to show products and openness to attract people.
"Our new exhibit's clean and elegant design provides an excellent environment for talking with prospects and clients and showcasing our products and services," said Gretchen Covine, a marketing strategist with Paradigm Learning.
While the Skyline exhibit filled the same booth space needs as the custom exhibit did before, the Skyline exhibit weighed half as much and took up a third the cargo space - reducing costs.
The company is also taking smaller configurations of that exhibit to several more shows this year - something it didn't do in the past. "Our new exhibit has much more flexibility for both larger and smaller shows," said Covine.
For more info: www.tradeshowexhibitsmontreal.com/Success-Stories/paradigm/
2 Kinects and a Mac Mini mounted in a drop ceiling. Output from Mac to a video splitter and off to 2 pairs of video goggles and two video monitors.
SoulRider.222 © 2025
Locomotive type: EMD GP7 diesel-electric locomotives.
Engine: EMD 567 two-stroke diesel engine.
Configuration: A GP7 is placed at both the front and back of the train, as the route does not allow for turning the train around.
Wallowa Union Railroad and the Joseph Branch
The Joseph Branch is a 63-mile long railroad that links the communities of Elgin, Wallowa, Enterprise and Joseph in Northeast Oregon with the Union Pacific railroad in La Grande.
In 1993, Union Pacific sold the Joseph Branch to Idaho Northern & Pacific as part of a package of rail lines in the area. Passenger service was prevented because the UP maintained the ownership of the right-of-way between La Grande and Elgin. By 1996, freight service to Joseph stopped. Abandonment of the line beyond Elgin was approved by the Surface Transportaiton Board in April, 1997. See History for more information about the Joseph Branch.
WURA Formed: After several years of debate on how and whether to rescue the line before it was to be dismantled, an intergovernmental partnership between Union and Wallowa Counties was formed. The Oregon Legislature contributed $2 million toward purchasing the line and limited rolling stock, to start its rehabilitation. The two counties secured a loan from the Oregon Economic & Community Development Department for the balance of the purchase price. On March 31, 2002, the purchase of the line between Elgin and Joseph was achieved. The Wallowa Union Railroad Authority was formed to operate the line and their crews started doing the work in December 2003. Freight service and an excursion train shared the track and crew in the first few years. From 2009 to 2011, a portion of the line not in use by the excursion train was leased to Union Pacific Railroad for the storage of excess lumber cars during the recession. This produced enough revenue for the WURA to retire their loan.
Excursions: The scenic train business was established as the Eagle Cap Excursion Train. The first full season of operation for the excursion train was 2004. The excursion train continues to provide scenic train rides on Mother's Day and selected Saturdays, from late May through October on the roadless section of track between Elgin and Minam. The train operates from the Elgin Depot, 300 Depot Street, in Elgin, Oregon.
Equipment: During the days of steam engines, the Joseph Branch was limited to consolidation-type locomotives. As diesel-electric locomotives took over, early GP-type locomotives generally handled the trains. WURR has two such engines from the 1950s serving the line. Our Dining Car was built in 1947 for Great Northern as a coach car. It was sold to New Jersey Transit and was converted to a table car used by Cotton Belt. The Budd Car was built in 1938 for Santa Fe Railroad. It was sold to New Jersey Transit and then to the Cotton Belt. The Pullman Coach Car was built in 1947 for Illinois Central. The Baggage Car was built in 1962 for Southern Pacific. It carries the generator and offers open air seats. All of these cars were eventually owned by Robert McClanahan, former Cotton Belt/Southern Pacific Superintendent. The cars were operated by the Cotton Belt and were also leased out to various tourist operators. The cars were sold to Idaho Northern & Pacific Railroad in 1998 for use in Idaho and were sold to the Wallowa Union Railroad in 2003. All the cars have since received some level of refurbishment and their exteriors were painted in fall 2014. The cars were subsequently named for area rivers. The three passenger cars are enclosed and equipped with air conditioning and heat, making operating across seasons comfortable.
BOKA Powell is focused on the documentation of the concepts of a full team of consultants including programming specialists, architectural and interior designers, and mep engineers. Our challenge has been to translate the extraordinarily large floor plates of a retail mall into a seriously capable work environment to support a fun team attitude. Utilizing raised floors with power, data and hvac distribution below allows unlimited space flexibility for Rackers to build their teams around their talent. Amenities such as a full-service cafeteria, fitness center, fueling stations and open escalators for vertical transportation and communication allow different configurations of physical space to be immediately responsive to changes in organizational structure.
Fanatical Support is Rackspace’s terminology for legendary customer support of IT Hosting – meeting and exceeding every customer’s needs and expectations. This high-technology firm has directed the conversion of an entire existing shopping mall into office space to integrate the best technologies and practices in the most collaborative, flexible, high-energy work environment possible.