Earphones in, volume up: enjoy the sound of @jochenmass putting our 1939 Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix car through its gears at Lime Rock in 2015. From 1934-39, Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union dominated Grand Prix racing. Sleek aluminum bodies, unstoppable performance: these cars were true “Silver Arrows”.
This 1939 W154 was the last Silver Arrow raced before WWII and its M163 engine represented the apex of German engineering. The 3-Liter V-12 gets extra boost from a two-stage supercharger, producing 483 horsepower at an earsplitting 7,800 rpm. The result: a car that could clock over 190 mph.
This amazing engine requires a lengthy and complicated starting procedure: it takes several highly trained mechanics nearly half an hour to get it done! First, the spark plugs are removed and the engine cranked over for pre-lubrication. 12 ‘hot’ spark plugs are installed only for the for initial startup, then a quick syringe of fuel primes the supercharger. Once the engine is started (with its separate large electric starter and battery unit), we run it for 10-15 minutes to nearly 180f. Then our team quickly swaps to a ‘cool’ set of spark plugs and gets the car on the track before the engine cools too much... or we have to start over!
Now that you’ve heard the M163 engine, come see it in person at Revs Institute! (Link in bio for ticket purchases.)
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