Mercedes-Benz W196
Karl Kling driving the W196 at the Nürburgring in 1976 | |||||||||||
| Category | Formula One | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | Mercedes | ||||||||||
| Designer(s) | Rudolf Uhlenhaut | ||||||||||
| Successor | Mercedes MGP W01 | ||||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||||
| Engine | Mercedes-Benz M196 2,497 cc (152.4 cu in) I8 naturally aspirated | ||||||||||
| Tyres | Continental | ||||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||||
| Notable entrants | Daimler Benz AG | ||||||||||
| Notable drivers | Juan Manuel Fangio Stirling Moss Hans Herrmann Karl Kling | ||||||||||
| Debut | 1954 French Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| First win | 1954 French Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last win | 1955 Italian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last event | 1955 Italian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
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| Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 2 (1954, 1955) | ||||||||||
The Mercedes-Benz W196 (sometimes written as the Mercedes-Benz W 196 R) was a Formula One racing car produced by Mercedes-Benz for the 1954 and 1955 F1 seasons. Successor to the W194, in the hands of Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss it won 9 of 12 races entered and captured the only two world championships in which it competed.
Firsts included the use of desmodromic valves and Daimler-Benz developed mechanical direct fuel injection adapted from the DB 601 high-performance V12 used on the Messerschmitt Bf 109E fighter during World War II.
The 3-litre 300 SLR was derived from the W196 for the 1955 World Sportscar Championship season. Its crash at Le Mans that year ended not only its own short-lived domination but also spelled the end for the W196. Mercedes pulled out of competitive racing in 1955 and did not return for another three decades.