Mercedes-Benz W154

The Mercedes-Benz W154 was a Grand Prix racing car designed by Rudolf Uhlenhaut that Mercedes-Benz raced in the 1938 and 1939 seasons. It was created after the AIACR limited supercharged engines to 3000 cc, which made the 5700 cc W125 ineligible, and it kept the W125 chassis with its oval nickel-chrome molybdenum tubes, De Dion rear axle and unpainted aluminium body. The 1938 car used the 2,961 cc supercharged V12 M154 engine and a five-speed gearbox, and the 1939 car switched to the M163 engine and a lower front, which led to its being mistakenly called the W163. Rudolf Caracciola won the 1938 European Championship in it, and the car won three of four championship races in each of its two seasons. Surviving cars raced in Argentina in 1951 and made several attempts at the Indianapolis 500.