Product description

Mercedes-Benz W25, #4 Monaco, Luigi Fagioli, 1935

Following its re-emergence on the Grand Prix racing scene in 1934, Mercedes competed fairly well from the very beginning. To do even better in the 1934 season Mercedes introduced quite a few technical improvements on its W25 and pushed the maximum engine output to 430 hp.

The premiere race of the season was the Monaco GP, which took place on April 22nd, 1935. Mercedes entered three cars for the race, driven by Caracciola, von Brauchitsch, and Luigi Fagioli, an Italian. Among their competitors were racing legends like Nuvolari, von Dreyfus and Chiron (all on Alfa Romeo). Other teams, such as those of Maserati and Bugatti, were no less ambitious to win.  Only Auto Union had decided not to participate in the race.

Racing with starting number 4, Fagioli managed to take the lead right after the take-off. He dominated the race till the very end. In fact, by the time he crossed the finish line he was more than half a lap ahead of the next competitor.

Mercedes-Benz could not have asked for a better start to the 1935 season. They virtually raced at this level all season long. By the end of the season, Mercedes won 9 out of 11 races. Rudolf Caracciola alone had six victories to his credit, which made him the European Champion of the year.

Technical data of the original vehicle:

8-cylinder-compressor-engine, Single wheel suspension of the
front axle, De-Dion rear axle.