AVUS SSKL and 70 Jahre Mercedes SL

One highlight is the Mercedes-Benz SSKL Avus racing car with streamlined design.

Manfred von Brauchitsch won the international Avus race in 1932 90 years ago with the example of this one-off, which was reconstructed with great authenticity by Mercedes-Benz Classic in 2019.

Victory in the race on May 22, 1932 helped von Brauchitsch achieve a great breakthrough in car racing - and also the aerodynamics in the car automotive engineering.

The "70 Years SL" anniversary provides the framework for a number of the most important vehicles from the unique tradition of these sports cars: from the 190 SL and 300 SL to the 230 SL and the R 107 to the R 129 and its successors. Classic-Gala Schwetzingen is a stylish staging of all kinds of classics through to extraordinary racing cars - all this is part of strolling along the timeline, which is only possible in Schwetzingen.

The victory of the Mercedes-Benz SSKL with its streamlined body at the International Avus Race in Berlin on May 22, 1932 permanently changed the design principles for racing cars. Because this vehicle impressively demonstrates the possibilities of outstanding aerodynamics to the world public. The one-off carries an aerodynamically optimized body on an SSKL chassis, which, including the underbody, covers the entire frame.

SSKL stands for six-cylinder, seven-liter, short-light. The design comes from the aerodynamics specialist Freiherr Reinhard von Koenig-Fachsenfeld and is made of light metal. The 221 kW (300 hp) racing car reaches a top speed of 230 km/h - that is 20 km/h more than a normal SSKL. The spectators in Berlin give the extraordinary racing car the nickname "Gurke". Radio reporter Paul Laven, on the other hand, describes this SSKL as the "silver arrow" at the Avus race.

The 26-year-old Manfred von Brauchitsch relegated the established star driver Rudolf Caracciola (Alfa Romeo) to second place - this enabled the newcomer to switch to the professional camp. Von Brauchitsch became an acclaimed star on the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows. In 2019, in the anniversary year "125 Years of Motorsport", Mercedes-Benz Classic is reconstructing the SSKL streamlined racing car with a high degree of authenticity. Body, chassis, engine: Everything is created within this complex project as close as possible to the original - after all, everyone should know where the term "Silver Arrow" comes from.