Flight of the Silver Arrows

One of the most valuable exhibits of the National Technical Museum in Prague is quite inconspicuous at first glance: a small, slightly battered and a bit dingy silver Mercedes-Benz racing car from the 1930s. But this is a real treasure, one of the legendary „ Silver Arrows“, the best and most famous sports cars of all time. The history of the Mercedes racing department, which is the focus of this book, is as varied as the era in which these cars raced.

The Silver Arrows have been involved in top motorsport three times – and three times they completely dominated it. The first time was in the 1930s, in the period before the Second World War, the second time after the resumption of Formula One racing in the 1950s, and the third time more recently, at the beginning of the 21st century. Behind these achievements is a series of incredible stories that will unfold before the eyes of readers like a thrilling movie: you will read not only about the fate of the most famous racers like Caracciola, Lang, von Brauchitsch, Seaman, Herrmann, Fangio or Moss, but also about the functioning of the team, ruled by the steady hand of Alfred Neubauer, about engineers, about the relationships in the micro world of racing and the influence of world politics on the motoring world.

There is also a description of the dramatic course of the individual seasons and key races, including the greatest tragedy in the history of motorsport, which occurred in 1955 at Le Mans. The book is supplemented by a number of unique period photographs and tables with the positions of Mercedes cars in 20th century races.