Lost and now found, Fangio’s 1954 Grand Prix Racer

Bonham’s Press Release
German silver going for gold!

1954 2½-litre Mercedes-Benz W196 Formula 1 Grand-Prix Single-Seater

Bonhams’ annual Sale at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed will feature not only one of the most significant motor cars of the 20th Century but also the most important historic Grand Prix racing car ever offered at public auction.

It is the 1954 2½-liter straight-8 Mercedes-Benz W196 einsitzer– chassis number ’00006/54′ – in which five-times World Champion Driver Juan Manuel Fangio won both the 1954 German and Swiss Grand Prix races. These great victories were the first two to be achieved in succession by the frontier-technology Mercedes-Benz factory Formula 1 Grand Prix team in its postwar racing come-back. Chassis ’00006′ also has special significance as the first open-wheeled slipper-bodied postwar Mercedes-Benz ever to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix race – having made its debut in that German GP.

The car’s innovative W196 design also marked the successful introduction to Formula 1 of the following technologies:

Fuel-injected engine
Mercedes-Benz all-independent suspension
Multi-tubular ‘spaceframe’ lightweight chassis design
All-round inboard-mounted brakes
The in-line or ‘straight-8′ engine ‘lay-down’ configuration to minimize the car’s overall height
Power take-off from the center of the engine’s long 8-cylinder crankshaft to minimize vibration
Desmodromic valve actuation

The FIA governing body of International motor sport launched its first truly postwar set of Grand Prix regulations in 1954, demanding unsupercharged engines of no more than 2½-liters engine capacity. Mercedes-Benz – who had previously dominated Grand Prix racing in 1908, 1914 and 1934-39 –missed the first two 1954 World Championship rounds in Argentina and Belgium. But they then made their shattering debut in the 1954 French Grand Prix at Reims-Gueux. Their all-new W196 cars ran there in enveloping-bodied ‘Stromlinienwagen’ form, instantly setting totally new performance standards as Juan Manuel Fangio and team-mate Karl Kling finished first and second in both qualifying and the race.

National media and the specialist sporting press trumpeted the same simple message: “Mercedes are Back”!

However, the W196 Stromlinienwagen cars with their enclosed wheels proved difficult to place upon the more twisty venue of the following British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Fangio would recall how he requested an open-wheeled, W196 variant for the following German Grand Prix on the twisty 14.2-mile Nurburging road circuit. Mercedes-Benz reacted instantly, tailoring new cars ’00005′ and ’00006′ to Fangio’s recommendation.

And it was in this actual car – chassis ’00006′ – now to be offered by Bonhams at Goodwood – that Fangio immediately won the German Grand Prix. He then repeated the feat in the following Swiss Grand Prix on the daunting Bremgarten forest circuit at Berne – storming round at uncatchable pace in ’00006′ to win by 58.7 seconds from Argentine compatriot Jose Froilan Gonzalez’s out-classed Ferrari. This Swiss victory was Fangio’s third in four Grand Prix races, and assured him of his second Drivers’ World Championship title.

Thus, Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed auction will offer this iconic landmark-technology Mercedes-Benz W196 as the double-Grand Prix-winning car in which Fangio – no less – clinched the second of his long-standing record five Drivers’ World Championship titles. Car 00006/54 is the only surviving W196 to have won not just one World Championship Grand Prix, but two.

This Bonhams sale of the ex-Fangio 1954 German and Swiss GP-winning Mercedes-Benz W196 is – on so many fronts – a classic car auction first.

Robert Brooks, Chairman of Bonhams and handling the sale of the Mercedes-Benz, comments, “My motoring auction career spans five decades and I have been privileged to have handled some of the world’s most desirable and important motor cars. To handle the sale of this legendary W196 Grand Prix Car – the only one out of captivity– could well be the pinnacle. Our Goodwood Festival of Speed auction is shaping up to eclipse even the record breaking Sale of last year.”

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Porsche Factory honors an Original Driver Hans Herrmann

PORSCHE FACTORY PRESS RELEASE
Porsche works driver turns 85
Porsche congratulates Hans Herrmann
Stuttgart. Hans Herrmann, one of the most successful and best known works racing drivers at Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, will celebrate his 85th birthday on 23 February 2013. Born in Stuttgart in 1928, this long-distance specialist was considered one of the most successful and dependable racing drivers of his era. His motorsports career lasted from 1952 to 1970, during which Hans Herrmann won over 80 overall and class victories.

Hans Herrmann started his racing career in early 1952, piloting a privately-owned Porsche 356 1500 in mountain races, rallies, and endurance races. A year later he and Richard von Frankenberg took overall fifth place in the Lyon-Charbonnieres rally. Porsche racing chief Huschke von Hanstein thereupon hired him for the Porsche Works team. Herrmann drove the 550 Spyder at the 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans, and together with Helmut Glöckler came in first in the 1.5 litre displacement category right off the bat.

In 1953, at the age of 26 Herrmann won the title of German Sportscar Champion and got the attention of legendary Mercedes-Benz racing chief Alfred Neubauer, who hired him for his works team. Hans Herrmann piloted the Mercedes W 196 Silver Arrow in the premier category of motorsports, teaming with top drivers like Juan Manuel Fangio and Karl Kling. Parallel to that, in 1954 he continued to drive for Porsche in the smaller displacement categories. In the 550 Spyder he won widely noted class victories in the Mille Miglia and Carrera Panamericana.

When Daimler-Benz pulled out of racing in 1955, Herrmann went on to drive Formula 1 races for Maserati and BRM, as well as other races as a Borgward works driver. In 1957 he became European Vice “Bergmeister” – Mountan Champion – before returning to the Porsche works team in 1959. Together with Joakim Bonnier, in 1960 Herrmann took the overall victory at the Targa Florio in a Porsche 718 RS60 Spyder, and the Formula 2 championship in a Porsche 718/2. He also won the 12 Hours of Sebring with Olivier Gendebien. In 1963 he left Porsche KG and joined Carlo Abarth’s racing team.

In 1966 Herrmann returned to the Porsche works team, not only driving in all the major long-distance races and European Mountain Championship races, but also doing countless test drives in Weissach. With pilots Hans Herrmann, Jo Siffert, Vic Elford and Rolf Stommelen, in 1969 the team took the World Sports Prototype Championship for the first time. In 1970, at his eleventh Le Mans race Herrmann capped off his career with a bang, winning the first overall victory for Zuffenhausen in a Porsche 917 KH. He took this motorsports achievement as a suitable time to retire from active racing, after 42 years on the track. Since then Hans Herrmann has lived with his wife Magdalena near Stuttgart, successfully operating his company “Hans Herrmann Autotechnik.” As a pilot of historic racecars, he also takes part in many vintage car events for the Porsche Museum.
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Communication Porsche AG
Porsche Museum
Astrid Böttinger
Phone: +49 (0) 711 / 911 24026

E-mail: Astrid.Boettinger@porsche.de

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It can now be your’s, Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6×6

Those of us who follow the AMG developments closely have been hoping for this day. In 2011, the Factory began making a military version of the 6X6 for the Austrian army, now they are doing a civilian version, so we should all start saving and talk to your broker. Press release below, also a really bad-ass video.

My question is, is the car on the same platform as the 6X6 Uni-Mog?

VIDEO HERE

Press Release
6×6 Mercedes G63 AMG Confirmed for Production
The Mercedes G63 AMG 6×6 will get a twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V8 with 536 hp with Torque output at 560 lb-ft

There is no better way to start your morning off than by watching a video of the biggest, most extraordianry SUV to ever wear the Mercedes-Benz badge. The colossal 536-hp, six-wheel G63 AMG 6×6 is scheduled to be produced at Magna Steyr’s in Graz, Austria on a limited basis of 20-30 produced per year.

The extreme pickup began it’s career as a six-wheeled military version of the G320 CDI produced for the Australian army and has been in use since 2011.

For us civilians though, the four-seat cabin is covered in plush leather, has six driven wheels, low range gearing, five differential locks and a tire-control system for the 37-inch wheels. Also unlike the military version that was fitted with a Mercedes-Benz 3.0-liter V6 diesel, the civilian G63 AMG 6×6 gets a twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V8 with 536 hp. Torque output is at 560 lb-ft and is crucial in order to provide the push necessary to move the 6×6’s 8,322-pound curb weight.

Pricing for the 6-wheeler has yet to be announced, but according to the head of G-class development, Axel Harries, he suggests the G63 AMG 6×6 will be the second most expensive Mercedes-Benz model behind the new $457,000 (350,000 euros) SLS Electric Drive. Sales will begin in October of this year.

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A $174,000 mis-shift in a 917

Taken from Yahoo Autos:

By Justin Hyde Motoramic
Writer ordered to pay $174,000 after rare Porsche blows up in test drive

The Porsche 917 Le Mans race cars weren’t just stars on the track, where they led Porsche to its first wins at Le Mans; they also made Steve McQueen’s film of the race a masterpiece. One of the drivers injured in that race let a journalist take his personal 917 back on the track — and then sued him when the car engine failed. The journalist’s new job: Finding a way to pay $174,000 in damages and legal costs.

British journalist Mark Hales arranged with retired racer and collector David Piper to drive his original Porsche 917 around a British race circuit against a similar vintage Ferrari car in April 2009 as part of a magazine photo shoot. Such events happen all the time; the old car’s owner gets publicity for his ride, and the writer or magazine gets exclusive, and sometimes incredible, shots of antique machinery at full wail.

Despite the value of the machinery involved — Piper’s green 917 pictured above was worth $2 million — deals like this one typically go off with nothing more than a handshake. Hales was an experienced race driver himself and familiar with older race cars, and every race of historic machines features pits full of mechanics wrenching away on parts that finally broke after a few decades of wear. He also paid Piper $3,200 for the use of the 917.

But Piper claimed in a British court that Hales had agreed to keep the finicky 12-cylinder boxer engine in the 917 under 7,000 revs, and that instead Hales over-revved the engine to 8,200 rpms, blowing it. Hales argued the gearbox in the 917 had mis-shifted, and that Piper had verbally agreed to cover any damages from the track session.

Last week, the court found for Piper, ordering Hales to pay not just the $74,000 in damages but some $100,000 in costs and fees as well. Hales now says he will probably lose his home and go into bankruptcy if the order stands up. British auto enthusiasts have set up a donation fund for Hales, and pressured Piper to throw the entire affair into reverse.

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Happy Holidays!

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Factory Press Release

Dr. Wolfgang Porsche elected Chairman of the Supervisory Board
Stuttgart. At its inaugural meeting the Supervisory Board of Porsche Holding Stuttgart unanimously elected Dr. Wolfgang Porsche as its Chairman. The grandson of the company’s founder, Prof. Ferdinand Porsche, and son of Ferry Porsche is also Chairman of the Supervisory Boards of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG and Porsche Automobil Holding SE and a Member of the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG.

For almost three and a half decades in a variety of senior positions, Dr. Wolfgang Porsche has played a key role in shaping the fortunes of the Porsche sports car operation. A doctor of trade science, the
69-year-old was elected to the Porsche AG Supervisory Board as the Porsche family representative in 1978 and took over the role of Chairman in 2007. In the same year he was also elected Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the investment company Porsche Automobil Holding SE, which as the key anchor investor today holds the majority shareholding in Volkswagen AG.

As its Deputy Chairman the Porsche Holding Stuttgart Supervisory Board elected Uwe Hück. The 50-year-old employees’ representative is at the same time Chairman of the General Works Council and Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG.
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Communication Porsche AG
Head of Communication Porsche AG
Hans-Gerd Bode
Phone: +49 (0) 711 / 911 27072
E-mail: Hans-Gerd.Bode@porsche.de

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Very Cool Porsche 356 Swedish Race 1954

One thing you don’t get to see a lot of is film of 356′s racing when they were new. In this 8 minute Swedish footage from a 1954 race we get to see nothing but, new or almost new Porsche’s racing nothing but other 356′s. It really gets no cooler.

Here is a link to the whole film.

—Adam

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Massive Fire Destroys Werke Classic Coach

Fire Destroys Classic Car Shop

If you are into classic cars you know that sometimes some of the coolest cars are in places hidden from view. Such was the case with Werke Classic Coach in Charlton, MA. Gary Cove had been down a dead end alley for over 22 years working on and collecting what some might call priceless cars. The shop was in an old 1800s mill, which added ambiance and provenance to the atmosphere, but an old wooden structure does have a downside. On July 26th, 2012 Gary found out the downside of a 19th Century wood building when fire broke out at the other end of the building, not in his shop, but connected to it. The cause of the fire is under investigation but the fingers are being pointed at a chop shop in the front of the building. Apparently the chop shop would bring cars in and cut them up for parts, sending the parts overseas. The wood structure didn’t lend itself well to such an operation. The Coves complained to everyone, the landlord, the authorities, all to no avail. A little legwork on the part of the authorities could have saved not only a historic mill but also lots of classic cars.

Luckily, Gary’s son Brandon Cove was working late when the fire broke out and had about an hour to watch the fire spread. It turned out to be the Golden Hour, Brandon’s quick thinking saved a Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster and a real Shelby Cobra. Brandon remembers the fire moving like this,
“A little under an hour, it just kept getting bigger and worked its way down.”
If you were on-site you would have been re-assured, there are two fire hydrants in front of the building.
“None of the hydrants were working,” Brandon sadly recalls. “We were always told to keep them open, because they worked.”
When asked why they weren’t working Brandon had this to say,
“I’ve heard a bunch of speculation, they didn’t touch them during the fire. The town had opted to not make some sort of repair, the army core of engineers said it needed a $15,000 repair.”
So the town’s decision to not repair the water flow to these hydrants had resulted in hundreds of thousands lost in classic cars and parts.
Many of the cars were un-recognizable, ruined were the following:
1964 Porsche 356 SC
1966 Porsche 911
1970 Porsche 911E
1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SL
1969 Jaguar XKE
1973 Jaguar XKE V12
1933 Rolls-Royce 20/25
1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SL
1971 Porsche 911 RS Clone
We can thank Brandon’s quick thinking for the saving of the following cars:
Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster
1964 Alfa Romeo Sprint Speciale
AC Shelby Cobra Race Car
Even though the cars that were saved made it out, not all their parts did.
“The 300SL wasn’t that bad. The only scary thing about the SL was all the door handles, bumpers, grill, windshield frame were all gone, thank God the engine was in it.”
I asked if he thinks any of the parts may be salvaged. Brandon was optimistic but also realistic.
“We’ll see when we dig up the rubble, if we find a quarter of the trinkets we’ll be happy.”
The SL was not the only priceless car saved. Brandon explains,
“There was a Shelby Cobra saved, a real one, an AC 289 Factory Race Car. I rolled it out, by myself, the adrenaline, and got an Alfa Romeo out.”
While there were other people on the scene, Brandon was on his own to save what he could. The fire fighters did have him sign a waiver of some sort.
“They made me sign some paper real quick, they didn’t even want me to go in. My thoughts were, if something happens and this wall comes down, between the 300SL and the Cobra, that’s probably 1.5 million worth of cars. I got those two cars out and those two cars probably represented more that everything that’s in there now.”
While a few of the most desirable cars were saved many that were destroyed were Gary’s personal cars, his collection from 40 years of cool cars passing through his place. While he will probably get insurance money on some of them how do you replace a 1970 Porsche 911E with 48K original miles? Or a 1966 Porsche 911 in a super rare color?
Gary must have brought Brandon up right, in terms of the customer is always right, because he saved their cars while the Cove cars perished in the fire. That’s something you don’t see often these days, integrity in business, luckily for the owners of the cars saved Brandon thought of them first.
While the old shop is a total loss, the Cove Family has plans to move to a new shop and get up and running again soon. The good news is they have a solid team in place and will survive and probably flourish again in the new spot. We wish the best for them.

—Adam Wright

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Porsche brings back Martini Livery

Porsche has made the very cool move of bringing back Martini Livery for the new 918 Spyder. I love it when they do something to remind me why I love Porsches.

Factory Press Release

31/07/2012

New edition of a successful partnership

918 Spyder prototype in attractive Martini Racing design

Stuttgart. Driving trials of the Porsche 918 Spyder are entering the next phase. A permanent fixture of the test programme for the 918 Spyder – and in the tuning process for all Porsche vehicles – is the 20.8 km long challenging Nürburgring-Nordschleife race circuit. After all, a lap time of less than seven minutes and 22 seconds is one of the development goals of the innovative super sports car with a plug-in hybrid drive.

The 918 Spyder combines a high-performance internal combustion engine with electric drives at the rear and front axles to achieve extraordinary driving performance and excellent efficiency. The system power of all three drives together is 770 hp. The car’s NEDC fuel consumption is forecast to be only around three litres per 100 km, which is equivalent to CO2 emissions of about 70 g/km. The monocoque, consisting of carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP), reduces the car’s weight and delivers remarkable rigidity and precision. Other highlights are the car’s fully variable aerodynamics, adaptive rear axle steering and “top pipes” exhaust system which routes the pipes upwards. All of this makes the Porsche 918 Spyder a super sports car for the future, even though the styling of the prototypes is reminiscent of historical models.

The latest test vehicle is now turning laps in the legendary Martini® Racing look of many historic Porsche race cars, particularly from the 1970s. More than nearly any other race car design, the Martini® Racing look quickly attained cult status in those times and is still in vogue today. Martini® was already the official partner of the Porsche factory team between 1973 and 1978. Back then, the attractively designed “Martini® Porsche” race cars with their numerous victories were a centre of conversation. These victories included finishing first overall at Targa-Florio in 1973, winning the Sports Car World Championship in 1976 and overall victories at the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1976 and 1977. As early as 1971, a Porsche 917 finished first in the legendary endurance race in Le Mans with the support of Martini®. Whether a Porsche 908, 917, 935 or 936 or one of various 911 RS or RSR models, common to all of these race cars was the memorable Martini® Racing design implemented in a wide variety of forms.

Now, a new edition of this successful partnership is making the Martini® Racing design exclusively available to the innovative 918 Spyder. Porsche AG and the Martini® brand, represented by Bacardi & Company Limited of Switzerland, have once again signed a partnership agreement to make this possible.

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Communication Porsche AG
Technology Communication
Hermann-Josef Stappen
Phone: +49 (0) 711 / 911 25231
E-Mail: Hermann-Josef.Stappen@porsche.de

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Risky Business Porsche 928 To Be Auctioned

If you have ever wanted to be a U-Boat Commander, here is your chance.

Taken from the auction catalog.
TOM CRUISE “JOEL GOODSEN” SCREEN-USED 1979 PORSCHE 928 FROM RISKY BUSINESS. (Warner Bros., 1983) This 1979 Porsche 928 VIN: 9289201213 features a 5-speed manual transmission, 16-inch offset 5-hole aluminum alloy wheels, a three-spoke steering wheel and a cork on cork leather interior. The car’s exterior was originally painted green when it arrived to the set and was then painted gold by the production and pressed into use. In making A-rated films of this caliber, the production company always has more than one car on hand to ensure no time is wasted should one of the vehicles break down, become damaged, etc. There were three driving cars used in the making of the film (plus a gutted “dump car” that plunged into Lake Michigan): 1) a 1981 automatic transmission car fitted with 15-inch “flat-face” 5-hole wheels, cork and brown interior and 4-spoke steering wheel; 2) a 1978 5-speed, with cork, brown and crème interior, rented only for one interior shot when the car was knocked out of gear by Rebecca DeMornay’s character (VIN of this vehicle is unknown); 3) the 1979 5-speed car being offered which enjoyed considerably more screen time than the 1981 automatic. This 5-speed was shot primarily in driving scenes with wide shots where the whole car was in view, as well as in some of the chase scene with Guido the pimp. The VIN of this 1979 5-speed being offered appears on the production records for the film and, according to a recent in depth documentary on the subject entitled “The Quest for RB928,” producer of Risky Business, Jon Avnet, goes on record to state that the young Tom Cruise learned how to drive a stick (manual transmission) with this very car. In addition, there are production photos obtained from Avnet showing this car on set with camera rigging as well as images of it being painted and prepped for filming. Following production the car returned to California and was repainted white before being discovered by the producer of “The Quest for RB928” and since returned to its original screen appearance. Risky Business went on to become one of the biggest cult classics of the 1980s and helped launch the career of superstar Tom Cruise. In addition, the film exposed the Porsche brand to a whole new generation of future buy- ers. The lesser-used 1981 with the automatic was shipped to Europe following production and its whereabouts are unknown. This 1979 5-speed remains as the only known surviving documentable car which also happens to have the most screen time in this modern classic film. The car’s odometer reads 102,755 miles and it is in operating condition. This car was on exhibit at the Forney Museum of Transportation in Denver in 2009 and many Porsche enthusiasts have called this the most famous Porsche 928 in the world. $40,000 – $60,000″

—Adam Wright

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