1939 Mercedes W 165

1939 Mercedes-Benz W 165 – The Tiny Silver Arrow That Shocked Tripoli

The 1939 Mercedes-Benz W 165 is one of the most fascinating racing cars ever produced by Mercedes-Benz. Built in an astonishingly short period specifically for the 1939 Tripoli Grand Prix, the W 165 was a compact 1.5-litre voiturette racer designed to challenge the dominant Italian manufacturers.

Although it raced only once, the W 165 achieved exactly what Mercedes-Benz wanted. On 7 May 1939, Hermann Lang and Rudolf Caracciola drove their W 165s to a sensational first and second place, giving Mercedes-Benz another famous Silver Arrows victory.

The Birth of the W 165

During the late 1930s, Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union dominated European Grand Prix racing with extremely powerful cars. The situation at the Tripoli Grand Prix was different, however. For 1939, the organisers introduced a 1.5-litre limit designed to give smaller Italian racing cars from manufacturers such as Alfa Romeo and Maserati a better chance of winning.

Mercedes-Benz responded by developing an entirely new voiturette racer.

The W 165 was closely related in concept to the larger Mercedes-Benz W 154 Grand Prix car. Engineers including Albert Heeß, Max Wagner and Rudolf Uhlenhaut worked at remarkable speed to create the new machine. Development began in late 1938, and testing of the first car took place at Hockenheim in April 1939.

The result was effectively a miniature Silver Arrow: lightweight, technologically sophisticated and powered by a highly developed supercharged V8.

A Compact V8 Powerhouse

At the heart of the W 165 was a 1,493–1,495 cc 90-degree V8 engine. The engine featured double overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder, incorporating technology derived from Mercedes-Benz’s larger Grand Prix machinery.

Supercharging allowed the tiny engine to produce approximately 254–256 horsepower, depending on the specification cited. With a five-speed manual transmission and rear-wheel drive, the W 165 possessed remarkable performance for a 1.5-litre racing car.

1939 Mercedes-Benz W 165 Specifications

Sources report slightly different figures for weight and top speed depending on whether the car is described dry, fuelled or in its race configuration. Mercedes-Benz’s own historical material records a fully fuelled weight of approximately 905 kg.

The 1939 Tripoli Grand Prix

The W 165’s entire racing career effectively came down to one extraordinary afternoon.

The 1939 Tripoli Grand Prix was held at the Mellaha circuit in Italian Libya on 7 May. Mercedes-Benz entered two W 165s for its star drivers Hermann Lang and Rudolf Caracciola.

The new Mercedes cars immediately attracted attention. Although Luigi Villoresi set the fastest practice time for Maserati, the Mercedes pair were extremely competitive.

Mercedes-Benz used different race strategies for its two drivers. Lang was instructed to attack at a very high pace, while Caracciola adopted a more conservative approach intended to preserve his tyres.

The strategy worked spectacularly.

Hermann Lang took the chequered flag first, with Rudolf Caracciola finishing second. Emilio Villoresi brought his Alfa Romeo home third, followed by Piero Taruffi in a Maserati.

1939 Tripoli Grand Prix Result

1. Hermann Lang – Mercedes-Benz W 165
2. Rudolf Caracciola – Mercedes-Benz W 165
3. Emilio Villoresi – Alfa Romeo 158
4. Piero Taruffi – Maserati 6CM

The victory was particularly impressive because Mercedes-Benz had created the W 165 specifically to overcome the new regulations. The two Mercedes cars defeated a large field of Italian competitors and produced an emphatic 1–2 finish.

Hermann Lang – The W 165’s Winning Driver

Hermann Lang was one of the outstanding Mercedes-Benz racing drivers of the 1930s. Already a Grand Prix winner, Lang was ideally suited to the high-speed Tripoli circuit.

At Tripoli, his aggressive strategy placed enormous pressure on the opposition. The W 165’s speed and Lang’s driving combined to produce a remarkable debut victory.

The winning car, chassis 449547/2, later became an important part of Mercedes-Benz’s historic racing collection and has occasionally appeared at major historic events including the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Rudolf Caracciola and the Second W 165

Rudolf Caracciola was Mercedes-Benz’s established team leader and one of the greatest Grand Prix drivers of his generation.

Caracciola drove the second W 165 to finish runner-up at Tripoli, completing Mercedes-Benz’s spectacular 1–2 result.

His W 165 has also become an important subject for historic collectors and model manufacturers, particularly because the car represents one of the final great pre-war Mercedes-Benz racing designs.

Why the W 165 Raced Only Once

The W 165’s career was cut short by history.

Mercedes-Benz had intended to continue developing the car. Further development included improved supercharging and streamlined bodywork, with potential plans for record attempts and future racing. One development specification reportedly produced around 278 horsepower.

However, the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 ended international Grand Prix racing in Europe.

The W 165 therefore never had the opportunity to establish a long racing career.

After the war, the 1.5-litre concept would have been relevant to the emerging Grand Prix regulations, but Mercedes-Benz chose not to return to Formula 1 with the W 165.

The W 165 and the Silver Arrows

The W 165 belongs to the golden age of the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows.

Cars such as the W 125, W 154 and W 165 demonstrated Mercedes-Benz’s extraordinary engineering capabilities during the 1930s. While the W 165 was dramatically smaller than its Grand Prix relatives, it carried the same philosophy of advanced engineering, lightweight construction and relentless pursuit of performance.

Its significance comes partly from what it achieved in such a short period. Mercedes-Benz designed a completely new 1.5-litre racing car in only months and then won its first and only race.

Mercedes-Benz W 165 Diecast Models

The W 165 is a particularly appealing subject for diecast model collectors because of its rarity and distinctive pre-war Silver Arrow appearance.

Several specialist manufacturers have produced detailed scale replicas of the car. CMC, for example, has produced a 1:18 Mercedes-Benz W 165 representing Rudolf Caracciola’s No. 24 car from the 1939 Tripoli Grand Prix. The model features hundreds of individual components and details including wire wheels, a textile-covered cockpit seat and a finely reproduced radiator.

Other model makers have produced smaller-scale versions. Spark, for example, has offered a 1:43 representation of Hermann Lang’s 1939 W 165.

For collectors of pre-war racing cars, the W 165 makes an excellent companion to scale models of the Mercedes-Benz W 154 and other Silver Arrows.

A One-Race Legend

The 1939 Mercedes-Benz W 165 may have had one of the shortest racing careers of any major Grand Prix car, but its achievement was extraordinary.

It was conceived as a response to a new set of regulations, engineered in a matter of months and entered into a single major race. On its debut, it delivered a Mercedes-Benz 1–2 victory, with Hermann Lang winning ahead of Rudolf Caracciola.

The Second World War prevented the W 165 from developing into a longer-lived racing programme. Instead, the little Silver Arrow became a fascinating snapshot of Mercedes-Benz engineering at the end of the pre-war Grand Prix era.

Today, the W 165 is remembered not simply as a successful racing car, but as a remarkable example of what Mercedes-Benz engineers could achieve when faced with an unexpected challenge.

One race. One victory. One unforgettable Silver Arrow.

Looking for a scale model of this car? Explore our guide to Mercedes-Benz model cars and discover diecast and collectible versions available from specialist retailers.