1932 Mercedes-Benz SSKL Avus Race Car

The fourth and final S-Series Mercedes-Benz was this shorter and lighter SSKL (Super-Sport-Kurz-Leicht). The 7.1-liter, 6-cylinder SSKL, unlike the earlier models of the late 1920s, was an outright competition car with its entire frame drilled to reduce weight. Just a few SSKLs were built in 1931, but they were not part of the official Mercedes-Benz catalog. This special-bodied SSKL was designed by aerodynamics expert Baron Koenig-Fachsenfeld, who persuaded racing driver Manfred von Brauchitsch to have his own SSKL fitted with this new streamlined body, built by the Walter Vetter Karosserie in Cannstatt. The aluminum bodywork was finished just in time for von Brauchitsch to drive the car straight to Berlin to practice for the International Avusrennen, the fastest auto race in Europe, held on the famous Avus circuit. Affectionately dubbed 'the Cucumber' by von Brauchitsch, the car raced with an unpainted silver body, which prompted German radio broadcasters to refer to it as a 'Silver Arrow.' Von Brauchitsch went on to win the race largely due to its streamlining that gave the car an extra 12 mph.