1939 Mercedes Benz W154

This is a photograph that I took at the SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in June 2008.

It's a 1939 Mercedes Benz W154 from the Mercedes Benz museum that had been taken to the event to complete a number of demonstration runs in the hands of Tony Dron – here seen getting out of the car after completing one of those runs.

 

The rules governing the running of the European Championship races for 1938 had been changed from a 750kg weight limit with no restriction on engine sizes to a maximum engine capacity of 4½ litres unsupercharged or 3 litres with a supercharger. The W154 was designed by Rudolf Uhlenhaut based on the chassis of the previous year's W125 and used the 2,962cc supercharged V12 M154 engine. Three of the four European Championship races that year were won by three Mercedes Benz drivers, Manfred von Brauchitsch, Richard Seaman and Rudolf Caracciola, with Tazio Nuvolari winning the final race in his Auto Union D-Type. For the 1939 season the engine was modified to use a two-stage supercharger and designated as an M163 - for this reason the 1939 car is sometimes erroneously referred to as a Mercedes Benz W163. The body was also given a sleeker, less bulbous look. Mercedes Benz again won three of the four European Championship races, Hermann Lang winning two and Rudolf Caracciola one. The other race was again won by an Auto Union D-Type, this time driven by Hermann Müller.

1960 Ferrari 246S

This is a photograph I took at Luffield corner during the 1950s Sports Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1998.

It's Tony Dron in Sporting & Historic Cars' 1960 Ferrari 246S which has a 2,417cc V6 engine derived from the one used by Ferrari Formula 1 cars of that period. The car behind the Ferrari appears to be a Lister Knobbly.

Friday's Ferrari

This car took part in two rounds of the Shell Ferrari Historical Challenge series of races at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1997.

It's the 1962 Ferrari 268SP of Bernie Carl and was driven in the races by Gregor Fisken. The car is chassis #0798 and was built in February 1962 as a Ferrari 248SP but by April of that year the engine had been modified to 268SP specifications, which involved increasing the 2,459cc V8 engine to 2,645cc. It was driven in the 1962 Le Mans 24 Hour race by Giancarlo Baghetti and Ludovico Scarfiotti but retired with clutch problems after 18 hours. The number 21 car behind the 268SP is another car that competed in those races. The programme of the event shows it to be a 1954 Ferrari 750 Monza, entered by Paul Osborn and to be driven in the race by Tony Dron. It's got the entrant and driver correct, but it's actually a 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial, chassis number #0468MD. This car has the Aurelio Lampredi designed 4-cylinder inline 1,984cc engine.

1939 Mercedes Benz W154

I photographed this car at Redgate corner at the Vintage Sports Car Club's SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in June 2008.

It's a 1939 Mercedes Benz W154 from the Mercedes Benz museum that had been taken to the event to complete a number of demonstration runs in the hands of Tony Dron. The rules governing the running of the European Championship races for 1938 had been changed from a 750kg weight limit with no restriction on engine sizes to a maximum engine capacity of 4½ litres unsupercharged or 3 litres with a supercharger. The W154 was designed by Rudolf Uhlenhaut based on the chassis of the previous year's W125 and used the 2,962cc supercharged V12 M154 engine. Three of the four European Championship races that year were won by three Mercedes Benz drivers, Manfred von Brauchitsch, Richard Seaman and Rudolf Caracciola, with Tazio Nuvolari winning the final race in his Auto Union D-Type. For the 1939 season the engine was modified to use a two-stage supercharger and designated as an M163 - for this reason the 1939 car is sometimes erroneously referred to as a Mercedes Benz W163. The body was also given a sleeker, less bulbous look. Mercedes Benz again won three of the four European Championship races, Hermann Lang winning two and Rudolf Caracciola one. The other race was again won by an Auto Union D-Type, this time driven by Hermann Müller.

Friday's Ferrari

This car took part in the Coys of Kensington Pre-1964 GT Car Race at the Coys international Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1999.

It's the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO of Harry Leventis, chassis 3505GT, originally built for the British UDT Laystall team, and still bearing their pale green colours, the car was intended to be driven by Stirling Moss, but his career ending accident at Goodwood in April 1962 meant that he never actually got to drive the car in competition. Innes Ireland took his place and won the Tourist Trophy race at Goodwood in August 1992. The car has, of course, the Gioacchino Colombo designed 2,953cc V12 tipo 168 engine. At this Silverstone meeting the driving was shared by Stirling Moss and Tony Dron. 

Mercedes-Benz W125

I've shown photographs a few times previously, most recently on 9 December 2017, of the Mercedes-Benz W125 that was sent to Donington Park from the Mercedes-Benz museum in September 2007 to perform demonstration runs at the VSCC's SeeRed meeting. Here are the few remaining ones that I've not previously shown.

The car was designed by Rudolf Uhlenhaut for the 1937 racing season, which was the last year of the 750kg weight limit formula with unlimited engine size. The following season engines were limited to 4½ litres unsupercharged or 3 litres if they had superchargers. The Mercedes-Benz W125 had a 5,663cc straight-8 engine which produced 575bhp.

Rudolf Caracciola, Manfred von Brauchitsch and Hermann Lang were the team's drivers in 1937, finishing in that order in the first three places in the European Championship. There were only five races in the Championship, Caracciola winning three and von Brauchitsch one, with a solitary victory for the Auto Union C-Type of Rudolf Hasse.

These last three photographs show Tony Dron at Redgate Corner during one of the demonstration runs.

Mercedes-Benz W154

I photographed this car at the VSCC's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Donington Park in June 2008.

It's a 1939 Mercedes-Benz W154 from the Mercedes-Benz museum that had been taken to the event to complete a number of demonstration runs in the hands of Tony Dron.

The rules governing the running of the European Championship races for 1938 had been changed from a 750kg weight limit with no restriction on engine sizes to a maximum engine capacity of 4½ litres unsupercharged or 3 litres with a supercharger. The W154 was designed by Rudolf Uhlenhaut based on the chassis of the previous year's W125 and used the 2,962cc supercharged V12 M154 engine. Three of the four European Championship races that year were won by three Mercedes-Benz drivers, Manfred von Brauchitsch, Richard Seaman and Rudolf Caracciola, with Tazio Nuvolari winning the final race in his Auto Union D-Type.

For the 1939 season the engine was modified to use a two-stage supercharger and designated as an M163 - for this reason the 1939 car is sometimes erroneously referred to as a Mercedes-Benz W163. The body was also given a sleeker, less bulbous look. Mercedes-Benz again won three of the four European Championship races, Hermann Lang winning two and Rudolf Caracciola one. The other race was again won by an Auto Union D-Type, this time driven by Hermann Müller.

Mercedes Benz W154

Twice previously, on 13 October 2015 and 16 August 2017 I've shown photographs of the Mercedes Benz W154 that Tony Dron demonstrated at the Richard Seaman Memorial Trophy meeting at Donington Park in June 2008. Here are three more photographs I took of the car that day.

Here's the car in the pit garage.....

.....and later being prepared for one of its demonstration runs.

Here's Tony Dron at Redgate Corner during one of the demonstration runs.

Mercedes Benz W125

On 22 March 2015 and 2 May 2016 I showed photographs of the 1937 Mercedes Benz W125 that was taken from the Mercedes Benz museum to the VSCC's SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2007. Here are some more photographs of the car I took that day, both in the paddock and during demonstration runs round the circuit driven by Tony Dron.

This photograph was taken at McLeans Corner

These two photographs were taken at Redgate

Friday's Ferrari

This car took part in the Coys of Kensington Pre-1964 GT Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1999.

It's the 1963 Ferrari 250GT Lusso of Paul Osborn, chassis #5031GT, with the 3 litre V12 engine used by all the Ferrari 250 range. The programme of the event lists the drivers of this car as Tony Dron and Paul Osborn, but the barchetta.cc record says the driver was Terry Hoyle.

On 22 November 2013 I showed a photograph of this car at the 1996 Coys meeting at Silverstone.

Friday's Ferrari

This is a photograph taken inside one of the pit garages at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1997.

The nearest car is a 3 litre V12 1967 Ferrari 312, chassis number 003 67, driven by Chris Amon that season. It's not listed in the programme of the event as having taken part in any of the races at this meeting. The other three cars here all competed in the Shell Ferrari Historical Challenge race. Car number 51 on the right of the 312 is Terry Jones' 2.4 litre V6 1959 Ferrari 246S, chassis 0778, number 21 is Paul Osborn's 2 litre 4 in-line 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial, chassis 0468MD, driven in the race by Tony Dron, and number 52 is Bernie Carl's 2.5 litre V8 1962 Ferrari 268SP, chassis 0798, driven by Gregor Fisken.

Friday's Ferrari

This car was driven by Tony Dron in the 1950s Sports Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1998.

It's the Fantuzzi-bodied 1959 Ferrari Dino 246 S of Harry Leventis, chassis #0784, with a 2,417cc V6 engine. The car originally had a body resembling the 3 litre V12 engined Ferrari 250 TR, but at the end of the 1960 season when the car was sold to Luigi Chinetti he had the body replaced with this one.

On 7 July 2017 I showed a photograph of this car at Donington Park in 2003.

Mercedes-Benz W154

I recently showed a photograph of a 1939 Mercedes-Benz W154 in the museum at Donington Park where it was on display for a while after being restored in Tom Wheatcroft's workshops there for the National Technical Museum of Prague. On 13 October 2015 I showed photographs of another of these cars that Mercedes-Benz had taken to Donington Park in 2008 to make some demonstration runs during the Richard Seaman Memorial Trophy meeting. Here are three more photographs of the car I took at that meeting.

The photographs above and below were taken in the pit garage where the car was being prepared for the demonstration runs.

Here's Tony Dron at Redgate corner during one of the demonstration runs.

Friday's Ferrari

I photographed this car in the paddock at Donington Park at the VSCC's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting in June 2003.

It's not listed in the programme of the event and I don't recall whether or not it took part in any of the races, but it's the 1959 Ferrari Dino 246 S of Harry Leventis, chassis #0784. The car has a 2,417cc V6 engine and the body was fashioned by Carrozzeria Fantuzzi. The barchetta.cc record doesn't show this car as appearing at this Donington Park meeting, but in April of 2003 Tony Dron drove the car in a Ferrari Maserati Challenge race at Spa where it had the race number 71. Harry Leventis drove his 1964 Ferrari Dino 206 SP in the Shell Historic Ferrari Maserati Challenge race at Donington, so it's possible that Tony Dron also drove the 246 S here.

Friday's Ferrari

This car competed in the Shell Ferrari Historical Challenge race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1997.

The programme of the event shows it to be a 1954 Ferrari 750 Monza, entered by Paul Osborn and to be driven in the race by Tony Dron. It's got the entrant and driver correct, but it's actually a 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial, chassis number 0468MD.

Mercedes Benz W125

On 22 March 2015 I showed some photographs of the 1937 Mercedes Benz W125 that was sent from the Mercedes Benz museum to the SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2007 to give demonstration runs in the hands of Tony Dron. The W125 had taken part in a Grand Prix race at Donington Park in 1937. Here are some more photographs I took of the car at that SeeRed meeting.

There was no motor racing World Championship in 1937, but Rudolf Caracciola became European Champion by winning 3 of the 5 races in the series.

The 1937 race at Donington Park was a non-Championship race and was won by Berndt Rosemeyer in an Auto Union C type.

That 1937 race was known as the Donington Grand Prix as the RAC would not let the organisers call it the British Grand Prix.

Here's Tony Dron at McLean's Corner in one of his demonstration runs......

......and here he is at Redgate corner on a later run.

Friday's Ferrari

On 16 October 2015 I showed a couple of photographs of a Ferrari that took part in the Historic Car Championship Race at the Aston Martin Owners Club Autumn Historic Car Races at Oulton Park in September 1992. Here's two more photographs of the same car at that meeting.

It's Robert Brooks' 1954 Ferrari 750 Monza, the winner of the 1954 Tourist Trophy race at Dundrod, and was driven at this meeting by Tony Dron.

Its serial number is 0440MD

Friday's Ferrari

This is one of two Ferrari 750 Monzas that competed in the Historic Car Championship Race at the Aston Martin Owners Club Autumn Historic Car Races at Oulton Park in September 1992.

This car is serial number 0440MD and is the first Ferrari 750 Monza to be built. It was raced by Scuderia Ferrari in 1954 and is the car with which Mike Hawthorn and Maurice Trintignant won the 1954 Tourist Trophy race at Dundrod in Northern Ireland.

It was entered in the Oulton Park race by Robert Brooks and driven by Tony Dron.

I showed some photographs of the other Ferrari 750 Monza that took part in this race on 20 March 2015.

Mercedes Benz W154

On 3 April 2012 I showed a photograph of a 1939 Mercedes Benz W154 which gave demonstration runs at the Richard Seaman Memorial Trophy meeting at Donington Park in June 2008. Here are some photographs taken in the pit lane and pit garage of Tony Dron getting used to the car during the practice sessions on the morning of the meeting.

The photographs above and below show Tony Dron in the pit lane getting ready to take the car out onto the circuit..........

..........and here he is returning to the pits after his run..........

..........and getting out of the car in the pit garage.

I remember when I was young this car was always known as a W163, but it is now generally referred to as a W154. The 1938 car was designated the W154 and had an M154 engine, and the 1939 car is the 1938 car fitted with an M163 engine and a sleeker and more compact bodywork. The most obvious difference in the appearance of the 1939 car was that the nose was less bulbous than the previous year's model,

Mercedes Benz W125

Following my recent post about the Mercedes Benz W125 replica in the Donington Collection here are some photographs of the W125 that Mercedes Benz sent from their museum in 2007 to give demonstration runs round Donington Park at the Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting that year. I showed one photograph of the car there in a post about Mercedes Benz on 3 April 2012.

Used during the 1937 season, the car won 4 out of the 5 Grands Prix in the European Championship series (the German, Monaco, Swiss & Italian races) losing out only at the Belgian Grand Prix to the Auto Union C-types.

Three of the four races were won by Rudolf Caracciola, the Monaco Grand Prix being won by Manfred von Brauchitsch.

The car has a 5.6 litre supercharged straight-8 engine

Tony Dron rounding McLeans Corner during a demonstration run