Mercedes-Benz W195
Mercedes-Benz W195 was a concept for a 1500cc supercharged V12 Formula One racing car studied by Mercedes-Benz during the and F1 seasons, with the intend to test in and to compete in.
By mid-1951, F1 was in a crisis due to lack of competitive F1 cars, with 1500cc supercharged engines or 4500cc without supercharger, and the 1952 and 1953 World Championships seasons were run under Formula Two regulations, with 2000cc engines and much more competition. When this became known in September 1951, the W195 project was cancelled, and the Mercedes-Benz W196 was built for the new 2500cc rules that came in effect for.
Concurrently to F1 considerations, the Mercedes-Benz W194 300 SL sportscar was developed, to be raced in 1952. It would be sold from 1954 onwards as W198.
Background
In the 1930s, the Silver Arrows of Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union dominated Grand Prix motor racing that from 1934 to 1937 only was limited by a maximum weight of 750 kg, with large supercharged engines producing over 500 hp, and no other country being willing or able to keep up with the German cars. For 1938, engine size was limited to 3000cc supercharged, but new cars like the V12 Mercedes-Benz W154 still produced well over 450 hp and race wins.Most other countries focussed on the smaller Voiturette (F2)-class racing cars that allowed only 1500cc when supercharged. The popular Tripoli Grand Prix was contested in 1939 to Voiturette rules, but the Italian manufactureres Alfa Romeo, Maserati and others were denied a victory as Mercedes had learned about the move in late 1938, had developed the small V8-powered Mercedes-Benz W165, and won the event 1-2. Mercedes had invested in the construction not only for the single race it actually competed it, but in anticipation that the Grand Prix motor racing rules would soon be changed to Voiturette rules. The war prevented this, but it came in effect afterwards.
The 1946 Turin Grand Prix was the first race run to the 1947 Grand Prix Formula technical regulations, which allowed for either 1500cc supercharged engines or 4500cc naturally-aspirated engines. The regulations, while not in force, had been proposed by the Commission Sportive Internationale as late as March 1946 and was approved by the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus on 24 June 1946, in the same meeting that officially changed their name to the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. These regulations would remain unchanged throughout the inaugural season of the Formula One World Championship in 1950.
The Mercedes-Benz W165 was qualified for Formula One, but only one chassis remained, the other was in the US and raced at Indianapolis. In 1950, Mercedes-Benz was in a position to at least contemplate taking part in motor racing again. In November 1950, the engineers started to consider a new F1 car with the code W 195, either a 1.5 Liter V12 with supercharger, or a 4.5 Liter without. There were several surviving Mercedes-Benz W154 which only qualified for Formula Libre races like the series in South America. Mercedes entered the February 1951 Buenos Aires Grand Prix (I) and 1951 Buenos Aires Grand Prix (II), and the three car team lead by veteran manager Alfred Neubauer was beaten by a Ferrari in each race. Juan Manuel Fangio drove one of the Mercedes and set pole positions and fastest lap.
On 15 June 1951, the Mercedes directors approved a budget for five Mercedes-Benz W165 and five engines. Neubauer noted in his diary "Race cars and sports cars will be built!", but after visiting the 29 July 1951 German Grand Prix, stated "Building new W165 makes no sense as it only can achieve parity, not superiority. The budget must be used for a new construction, but due to uncertainty of the future of F1 rules, only design work for the V12 continues. The October session of the FIA will determine whether the car will be built."
Already on 22 September 1951 Fritz Nallinger, leader of the Daimler Benz Research and Development department, stopped all work on the W195 which could run no sooner than summer of 1952, and would be competitive only in 1953, which might be the last season of the 1500cc Formula, thus the effort would not be justified. In fact, Alfa Romeo, which also raced a pre-war design, the Alfa Romeo 158/159 Alfetta, pulled out of F1 racing, leaving only Ferrari as competitive constructor for 1952, thus the Championship was run to Formula 2 rules in 1952 and 1953.
Concurrently to F1 considerations, the Mercedes-Benz W194 300 SL sportscar was developed, to be raced in 1952 with great success. It would be sold from 1954 onwards as W198.
Design work for the new 1954 rules, 2500cc or 750cc supercharged, was done as Mercedes-Benz W196. In the hands of Fangio and Stirling Moss it won 9 of 12 races entered and captured the all world championships in which it competed.