The 1932 Mercedes SSKL Racing Car will be at Pebble Beach

On 22 May 1932, Manfred von Brauchitsch won the Avus race in Berlin in a Mercedes-Benz SSKL with streamlined body and thereby set a class world record with an average speed of 194.4 km/h over a distance of 200 kilometres. In 2019, Mercedes-Benz Classic reconstructed the vehicle with a high level of historical authenticity. Photo from Goodwood Festival of Speed 2019

The SSKL, of which only four were built in 1931, was a pure competition vehicle and signalled the crowning end of the development of the Mercedes-Benz S series (W 06) with types S, SS and SSK. Aerodynamics specialist Baron Reinhard von Koenig-Fachsenfeld designed a streamlined body for the SSKL to be driven by racing driver Manfred von Brauchitsch. The body was made of aluminium by Vetter in Cannstatt and mounted on von Brauchitsch’s car. At the Avus race in May 1932, the modification had an overwhelming effect: the streamlined Avus racing car had 25 per cent less drag than an SSKL with the classic body, giving it an increased top speed which was 20 km/h higher than usual. Manfred von Brauchitsch won the race in the futuristic looking car ahead of the previous year’s winner, Rudolf Caracciola. Mercedes-Benz Classic will present an authentic reconstruction of the car, the original of which no longer exists, to the public for the first time in 2019 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz SSKL streamlined racing car 
Period of use: 1932 
Cylinders: 6/in-line 
Displacement: 7,065 cc 
Output: 177 kW (240 hp), with supercharger 221 kW (300 hp) 
Top speed: 235 km/h

The aerodynamics pioneer Reinhard von Koenig-Fachsenfeld (1899 to 1992) designed a trailblazing streamlined body for the powerful Mercedes-Benz SSKL compressor racing car in 1932. On 22 May 1932, Manfred von Brauchitsch entered the important international Avus race in Berlin with this vehicle which was unusual to spectators of the time (the public promptly dubbed it “gherkin”) and won ahead of Rudolf Caracciola in an Alfa Romeo.

Mercedes-Benz Classic has reconstructed the innovative “silver arrow”, as it was described in a radio report at the time, from 1932, with the highest level of authenticity. This includes the lightening holes in the chassis, typical of the SSKL, which were undertaken according to the original drawings. In total, the racing car weighs 125 kilograms less than the Mercedes-Benz SSK, which served as its basis. The complete reconstruction of the streamlined body according to historical documents was particularly laborious. For this purpose, the experts researched the archives of Mercedes-Benz Classic and those at Schloss Fachsenfeld, which the engineer and inventor Reinhard von Koenig-Fachsenfeld transferred to a foundation in 1982.

The victory of the Avus racing car in 1932 is one of the milestones in 125 Years of Motorsport at Mercedes-Benz. It was back then that the aerodynamic optimisation was established in motorsport. The brand is commemorating this at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance with the driving premiere and presentation.