1938 Mercedes Grand Prix 1934-1937 Silver Arrows F1 Daimler-Benz Book & Poster

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

1938 Mercedes Grand Prix 1934-1937 Silver Arrows F1 Daimler-Benz Book & Poster:
$1080.66

DAIMLER-BENZ 1938 GRAND PRIX PRESENTATION BOOK & POSTER (NOT FOR SALE)
THIS HALF-LEATHER BOUND BOOK WAS COMMISSIONED AS A SPECIAL PRESENTATION FOR MERCEDES GRAND PRIX DRIVERS, SELECT MERCEDES FACTORY EXECUTIVES & NAZI PARTY MEMBERS.
PREFACE
The subtitleEine Bilanz der Grand-Prix-Formel 1934–1937(A Balance of the Grand Prix Formula 1934-1937), highlights its purpose as a definitive record.
In 1938, prior to the formation of Formula 1, international racing rules had shifted to a new engine capacity, rendering the famous Mercedes-Benz W25 and W125 cars obsolete. This book was a corporate victory lap and political propaganda to codify their historic wins before moving on to the next generation of cars with the MercedesW154.
Please note some of the historic insignia and people pictured in this book has been OBSCURED in order to comply with community standards.
Daimler-Benz AG did not publish this book to sell to the mass-market as a commercial biography. They commissioned it in tiny numbers as a corporate instrument of propaganda.
This premium edition was explicitly meant as an exclusive gift for VIPs, team drivers, board executives and important political figures of the day to showcase the absolute pinnacle of Mercedes-Benz engineering, organization and teamwork (Mannschaft).
LOT DESCRIPTION
A now seldom seen book (not for sale) commissioned by Daimler-Benz AG in 1938.
While Daimler-Benz AG employed tens of thousands of workers across its major hubs at Stuttgart-Untertürkheim, Mannheim and Sindelfingen, the print run of this edition was tiny and tailored to exactly match the number of executives and VIPS eligible to receive the premium version of this book.
FEATURES EXCLUSIVE TO THE PREMIUM EDITION
i)Dark blue half-leather bound spine(Halbleder).
ii) Title typography and classic three-pointed Mercedes star logo block-printed in metallic silver foil.
iii) Official Daimler-Benz AG presentation bookplate facsimile signed by Daimler executives,Wilhelm Kissel (Chairman) andDr. Wilhelm Haspel (Head of Sindelfingen plant & Daimler board member).
iv)In this premium edition the photographs utilize a high-contrast intaglio photogravure printing process giving the historic images of Rudolf Caracciola, Manfred von Brauchitsch and the pit crews an incredibly rich, silver-toned depth.
v) An extra blank matte woven endpaper, front and rear.TABLE OF CONTENTS (INHALTSVERZEICHNIS)
Vom Sportwagen zum RennwagenDie FormelUnd dann — die TatErster Start und erster SiegDeutschlands Kraftfahrsport — ein Wille und ein WegDie «Grandes Épreuves», das Kriterium der FormelDie Großen Preise der Jahre 1934—1935Vom Reißbrett zum RennenDie Großen Preise der Jahre 1936—1937RennstrategieMänner am WerkRudolf CaracciolaManfred von BrauchitschHermann LangLuigi FagioliJohn Richard Beattie SeamanChristian KautzGofreddo ZehenderNeunzehn Starts und zehn Siege in Langstrecken-RennenDas Goldene Buch der «Grandes Épreuves» 1934—1937Ergebnisse der Langstrecken-Rennen 1934—1937,an denen Mercedes-Benz teilgenommen hatÜber allem - das Werk
BIOGRAPHY
Daimler-Benz AG maintained a highly organized internal propaganda and welfare department. For major corporate milestones or state-sanctioned achievements, they commissioned fine bindings from local German bookbinders.
Although specially commissioned this historic books survival rate was incredibly low.
Following Germany's defeat in World War IImassive quantities of corporate publications carrying Third Reich, German Labour Front (DAF) andKraft durch Freude branding were systematically destroyed, spirited away or later burned during the Allied de-Nazification process and surviving unredacted examples with signed bookplates are considered highly uncommon archival pieces.
The bookplate is facsimile signed at the bottom by two highly influential Daimler executives:
Left signature (Wilhelm Kissel): Kissel served as the Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler-Benz from 1926 until his death in 1942. He was the architectural force behind the merger of Daimler and Benz.
Right signature (Dr. Wilhelm Haspel): At the time Haspel was the head of the critical Sindelfingen plant and a member of the Board of Management. He later succeeded Kissel as the CEO of Daimler-Benz from 1942 to 1952.
The book was presented on September 18th 1938 to executiveKarl LudwigofObertürkheim, Uhlbacher Strasse 148.
The address is located in the immediate Eastern suburbs of Stuttgart directly bordering Untertürkheimand today remains the central heart, corporate headquarters and main engine manufacturing facility for Daimler-Benz AG.
Because of the direct proximity, an employee living at Uhlbacher Straße 148 could walk or take a very short commute directly into the Stuttgart-Untertürkheim plant.
In 1930s Germanyeveryday assembly line workers did not typically own or use custom-made personal address stamps to mark their belongings. Possessing a professional name and address stamp strongly points to Karl Ludwigas someone who worked in an administrative or executive capacity, a design office, or held a supervisory/senior role within the factory.
Accompanying the book is a poster featuring the celebrated Mercedes-Benz W125 driven to victory by Manfred von Brauchitsch at the 1937 Monaco Grand Prix, a race widely considered the greatest victory of his career.
Driving the legendary Mercedes-Benz W125, he overcame a fierce internal rivalry and set a performance benchmark that lasted for nearly two decades.
Brauchitsch set a fastest lap time of 1 minute 46.5 seconds, which was 11.9 seconds faster than the previous record.
It was a record that stood for 18 years, only being broken in 1955.
Despite Caracciola being the dominant Rainmaster and starting from pole position, Brauchitsch engaged him in a relentless duel and Caracciola eventually yielded the lead after a pit stop, allowing Brauchitsch to finish more than a minute ahead of his legendary teammate.
The W125 produced nearly 600 hp - power that would not be exceeded until the turbo era of the 1980s.
Maneuvering such a high-powered car through Monaco's tight street circuit required exceptional bravery, physical control and strength.
As mentioned in the accompanying video his win led a 1-2-3 podium clean sweep for Mercedes-Benz, with teammates Rudolf Caracciola and Christian Kautz finishing second and third.
Only weeks before the race Mercedes-Benz had pulled off another political coup by signing Britain’s foremost Grand Prix racing driver Richard “Dick” Seaman in a deal that saw the Englishman sign a contract worth £3000 per year plus a share of the German team’s winnings.
Seamen is also pictured in the book.
On the9th May 1937, Seaman made his debut for Mercedes-Benz at the Mellaha Circuit in Tripoli driving the powerful W125 Grand Prix car, where he played the role of a loyal Mercedes-Benz teammate, maintaining a steady distance behind the leader while still managing to set the fastest lap of the race. He is pictured on the podium being encouraged to salute by team handler Adolf Hühnlein.
As the Korpsführer (Corps Leader) of the National Socialist Motor Corps (NSKK), Hühnlein acted as the motoring impresario for the Third Reich.
Dick Seaman would soon move into a new home in Germany found for him thirty minutes from Munich and would go on to win the prestigious 1938 German Grand Prix, announcing his arrival on the world stage and claiming the prestigious Gold Star award from the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) for his feat.
Motor racing became a showcase of the states incredible power by proxy in the shape of the Silver Arrows - being Auto Union (soon to be Audi) and Mercedes-Benz - whose factories were already subsidized by Hitler with an annual stipend of two hundred and fifty thousand Reichsmark granted to each.
The 1937 season would feature the most powerful Grand Prix cars of the pre-war era; the Mercedes-Benz W125 producing power the likes of which would not be seen again in Grand Prix racing until the turbo-charged era of the 1980s.
THE GERMAN IMPERIAL EAGLE TROPHY AVUS-RENNEN 1937
The highly unusual and detailed bronze sculpture of a German Imperial Eagle with its wings spread wide in a dominant pose perched atop a globe adorned with oak leaves, rests on a square pedestal crafted from heavily veined, dark-colored marble.
A small white identification tag hangs from the lower corner of the statue's base. The German text printed underneath the image reads:
Honor Prize of the Corps Leader Hühnlein, which Hermann Lang was presented with following his victory in the Avus Rennen 1937.
The 1937 AVUS-Rennen held on May 30th 1937remains one of the most famous and dangerous races in automotive history.
The AVUS circuit featured the notorious North Curve - a terrifyingly 43-degree steep brick-lined banking with no safety barriers at the top, nicknamed the "Wall of Death.
Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union designed extreme, ultra-streamlined cars specifically for this high-speed event.
Hermann Lang won the main event in his streamlined Mercedes-Benz W125, averaging an astonishing 162.24 mph (261.1 km/h) over the entire race- a speed record that was not beaten at a major international race track until decades later.
DIMENSIONS
BOOK
119 pages sized approximately 24 cm x 22 cm weighing approximately 570 grams prior to packaging.
POSTER
Sized approximately 50 cm x 40 cm including border.
Weight approximately 45 grams prior to packaging.
HISTORY
LOT previously the property and sold by Antiquariat Kunsthaus-Adlerstrasse, 70188 Stuttgart. Trading since 1984.
CONDITION
Published almost ninety years ago, this book remains in very good condition. Official Daimler-Benz AG bookplate with Daimler employee/owners signature, and remnants of that signature on the flyleaf. Owners name/address stamp on front pastedown.
Please refer to the many large photographs provided which are of the actual book and poster you are buying to reassure yourself of the condition.
Poster generally in good condition but with PLENTY OFVISIBLE WEAR AND TEAR including some creasing, discoloration and foxing to front and rear hence SOLD AS SEEN.
PAYMENT, SHIPPING & INSURANCE
Buy It Now payment at checkout.
Securely consigned fully insured through Buyer Protection, PACKAGEDFLATBETWEEN POLYSTYRENE BOARDS WITH DOUBLE SKIN CORRUGATED CARDBOARD & AN ADDITIONAL WATERPROOF OUTERshipped with tracked international postal service.
Please note any import duty or VAT is the buyers responsibility.
Please note that UK sellers do not control shipping costs which are set, managed and administered by .
My previous five UPS deliveries to my US based customers arrived door to door in 4 days.
QUESTIONS - GET TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE BUYING
Please take a moment to ask any questions you might have prior to purchase.
If you purchase promotional items, drafts, hand made preparatory work or "not for sale" editions frequently these objects are very different in quality and presentation to later factory made or mass produced retail editions - so please ask questions if you are uncertain before you commit to buying.
Take a moment to understand exactly what you are buying, ask questions and reassure yourself of condition by referring to the video and the many large photographs which accompany the listing and which are of the actual item you are buying.
response
According to , statistically 60-80% of users do not leave response so happy to reciprocate with response if or when I receive yours.