90 Years Ago: Mercedes-Benz SSLK Sensational streamline victory in the Avus race

Mercedes-Benz SSKL streamlined racing car. Manfred von Brauchitsch wins the International Avus Race in Berlin with this vehicle 90 years ago on 22 May 1932. Authentic reconstruction from 2019 by Mercedes-Benz Classic. Exterior shot from front right at 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archive: D607970)

Sensational streamline victory in the Avus race

• Manfred von Brauchitsch wins in the aerodynamically optimised Mercedes-Benz SSKL.
• Leading the way for racing car development in the Silver Arrow era
• Painstaking reconstruction by Mercedes-Benz Classic in 2019

What a triumph 90 years ago: Manfred von Brauchitsch wins the International Avus Race on 22 May 1932 in an aerodynamically optimised Mercedes-Benz SSKL against strong competition. Reinhard Freiherr von Koenig-Fachsenfeld develops the innovative streamlined body. The crowd initially scoffs at the unusual shape and calls it “cucumber”. After von Brauchitsch’s sensational victory in front of around 250,000 spectators, the car is celebrated all the more. In his live broadcast, radio reporter Paul Laven coins the term “Silver Arrow” for the racing car with its unpainted body, which is a real game-changer for racing car design. Three years ago, Mercedes-Benz Classic painstakingly reconstructed the unique specimen from 1932. The streamlined racing car makes its renewed driving début again at the 2019 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.