Mercedes-Benz W125 Rekordwagen

Country Flag

Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Spotted icon

39 Spotted

Garage icon

1 Garage

Watchlist icon

1 Lists

Percentage icon

50% Filled

UploaderEditsEdits

7 Contributors


Car Timeline

Location

Collection

Events

Racing

Museum

Sales

Log in to view

Log in to view

Log in to view

Log in to view

Log in to view

Premium Member only

Information

1937 Mercedes-Benz W125 Rekordwagen.

The original body stays at the museum, when the car goes to events, they place a replica body on this chassis as the original is too valuable and fragile. In order to complete the record, the car needed to be as sleek as possible. Measurements done in the wind tunnel four decades later showed the body had a drag coefficient of only 0.170. Then there was the engine, a 5.576-liter Daimler-Benz V12 DAB supercharged with 765 horsepower (563 kilowatts) in 1938. Thanks to extra carburetors, it packed an additional 29 hp (21 kW) over the original specification of the DAB-engine, which had been used eight weeks earlier in an aborted record attempt. During that period, the engineers also worked on improving reliability and optimizing the fuel/air mixture supply to each of the twelve cylinders. In addition, the body was basically redesigned from the ground up to boost aero and it benefited from the expertise provided by aircraft manufacturers. The engine featured a bespoke ice-cooling system by placing the radiator in a container with 5 kilograms (11 pounds) of ice and 48 liters (12.6 gallons) of water.

Set a world record in January 28, 1938 when Rudolf Caracciola reached a speed of 432.7 km/h (268.9 mph) 1 km flying start and 432.4 km/h (268.7 mph) 1 mile flying start on the Reichautobahn - the fastest speed ever recorded on a public road. Caracciola's record remained unbeaten all the way until November 2017, when Koenigsegg set their record of 277.87MPH with the Agera RS; almost 80 years later.

Modifications

Record Car Body shell installed

Details

Specifics

Model year icon

Model Year

1937

Color icon

Color

Silver Arrow Metallic

Interior icon

Interior

Black Cloth

Spec icon

Original Market Specification

Premium Only

Transmission icon

Transmission

--

Drive icon

Drive

CENTRAL

Plaque Number icon

Plaque Number

Premium Only / 1

VIN icon

VIN

Specialist Only

Chassis icon

Chassis

Premium Only

km/miles icon

Last known km/miles

Premium Only

MSRP icon

MSRP

Premium Only

Status icon

Status

Log in to view

Owner Insta icon

Owner Instagram

Specialist Only

Datasource icon

Datasource

Log in to view

Sale Link icon

Sale Link

Log in to view

Historical Media

Needs information, contribute here

Plates

Log in to view

Contact
Top

By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you consent to the storage of cookies on your device to improve website navigation, analyze website usage and assist in our marketing efforts.

Accept all cookies Privacy preferences

Privacy preferences

Performance

These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so that we can measure and improve the performance of our website. They help us know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the website. All information collected by these cookies is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies, we will not know when you have visited our website.

Ads

These cookies may be set through our website by our advertising partners. They can be used by these companies to build a profile about your interests and show you relevant ads on other websites. They do not directly store personal information, but are based on the unique identification of your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will have less targeted advertising.

Functionality

These cookies allow the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. They can be established by us or by external providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies, some of these features, or even all of them, may not work correctly.

Confirm my choices Accept all cookies