1938 Mercedes-Benz W125 Rekordwagen

Derived from the 1937 Mercedes-Benz W 125 Formel-Renwagen racecar chassis, this radically streamlined vehicle, with its low-mounted, 765 horsepower V12 engine, set a world record in January 1938 when Rudolf Caracciola reached a speed of 432.7 km/h (over 268 mph) on the Autobahn - the fastest speed ever recorded on a public road. To this end, the bodyshell had been designed in wind-tunnel tests to give it a sensational drag coefficient of just 0.17, made possibly by cooling the engine with ice. In order to be able to manage without the conventional cooling air inlet and so to reduce wind resistance, the radiator was mounted in a box filled with around 100 liters of ice and water. This meant that the air inlet could be reduced to the size required by the intake air for the engine. Caracciola's record remained unbeaten all the way until November 2017 - just shy of 80 years later.