Team-BHP > Vintage Cars & Classics in India > Beyond Borders


Reply
  Search this Thread
17,641 views
Old 17th July 2018, 18:38   #1
Distinguished - BHPian
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Delhi
Posts: 8,037
Thanked: 49,774 Times
Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows

Several of our members have been to the Louwman museum in The Hague, the Netherlands. https://www.louwmanmuseum.nl/?sc_lang=en

It is regarded as probably one of the top 3 motoring museums in Europe these days. It has a truly amazing permanent collection. Very welll curated and displayed. All signage in Dutch and English. It’s located in a purpose build museum building the outskirts of the Hague.

Until recently we lived about 6-7 km from the museum. I have visited in the past and wrote about it too. To get an impression on the overall museum and its collection have a look here: https://www.louwmanmuseum.nl/?sc_lang=en

Also, throughout the year they have various special exhibitions. Not to long ago they had a special exhibition about the Dutch Police Porsche Group. Everybody my age in the Netherlands remembers these guys. They patrolled the Dutch motorway in open Porsches!

More recently they announced a special exhibition on the Mercedes Silver Arrows.
See https://www.louwmanmuseum.nl/Nieuws/...the-1950s.aspx

If you want to go and see it, better hurry, as it is on only until 2nd of September 2018!

I am a huge fan of the racing cars of this era, and I just love the Mercedes ones. So obviously I had to go and see it. Went with my old neighbour Harry who is also quite the petrol head.

Photographing cars in museum is always a bit of a pain. Lights are awful, lots of reflections, can’t get near enough etc. It’s a little better here in the Lawman museum. These special exhibitions are always situated in the main entrance hall and that has half decent natural light. You can get up close to the cars, without touching them. And you are allowed to use a tripod. Which in my experience is very rare these days in museums.

In truth I spend more time on my photography than at looking at the car, so I might have got some of the details wrong. But I’m sure there must be other Silver Arrow fans on the forum who will put me right or will be able to provide additional details!

So here goes:

In all they have Six Mercedes on display and one car transporter of the era. More about that last onelater.

Look at this cockpit. I know it is a bit corny, but compare to say a Tesla and you can only wonder what the automative world is coming too. Boring is the word that springs to mind,

Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows-p7156208.jpg

From the front the 300SL, 1952, 170HP, topspeed 230 km/h. This car has chassis number 2 the oldest SL in existence today. Has won countless races. It was called a racing sports car.

Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows-p7156209.jpg

Onwards came a more streamlined racing car W196R On its first race it achieved victory driven by Fangio and Kling. An eight cilinder in line, 2,5L, 256H, maximum speed well over 300 km/h. This was in 1954-1955!

Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows-p7156211.jpg

Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows-p7156212.jpg

This is how many people will remember the Silver Arrows: Fangio won in this car the GP in the Netherlands in 1955 at the circuit of Zandvoort! The circuit is still there, but we havent seen GPs for several decades!

Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows-p7156214.jpg

This is probably the version how many people will remember a Mercedes Gull Wing. Built from 1954 - 1957. This is a very special SLR version. Most expensive inn the world.

Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows-p7156215.jpg

And a somewhat different version, in green rather than silver though:

Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows-p7156216.jpg

Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows-p7156219.jpg

This was probably my favourite display. It is known as the Blue Wonder. It was quite the sensation in its time. Engine from the 300SL and the frame from a 300S. It was capable of speed up to 170 km/h. Look at that curvature at the back of the cabin. Work of art!

Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows-p7156217.jpg

Some close up details, showing the beauty of these cars. Both from an engineering and an aesthetic point of view these cars are in league of their own!

Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows-p7156220.jpg

Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows-p7156230.jpg

Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows-p7156232.jpg

And of course, those Gull Wings door are hugely photogenic!

Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows-p7156224.jpg

Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows-p7156227.jpg

A bit of an impression on how they sat up the exhibition. Essentially all six cars lined up in two groups of three.

Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows-p7156222.jpg

Cant get enough of those Gull Wings!

Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows-p7156235.jpg

Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows-p7156237.jpg

Enjoy and please feel free to fill in on more details on these cars!

Jeroen

Last edited by Jeroen : 17th July 2018 at 18:47.
Jeroen is offline   (42) Thanks
Old 17th July 2018, 18:47   #2
Team-BHP Support
 
Rudra Sen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 11,553
Thanked: 6,477 Times
Re: Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows

Mod note: Thread moved to 'Beyond Borders'. Thanks for sharing.
Rudra Sen is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 18th July 2018, 15:30   #3
GTO
Team-BHP Support
 
GTO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Bombay
Posts: 70,337
Thanked: 298,736 Times
Re: Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows

Gosh, what magnificent cars. Thanks for sharing Jeroen! Amazing pics too .

It's beautiful machines like these that make Mercedes what Mercedes is. It's also this history & heritage that will always keep the three-pointed star above the others. Forget Lexus, even BMW & Audi don't have this kind of pedigree.
GTO is offline   (8) Thanks
Old 18th July 2018, 16:38   #4
Distinguished - BHPian
 
hemanth.anand's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Bengaluru
Posts: 3,272
Thanked: 14,692 Times
Re: Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows

Thanks for sharing Jeroen! Gorgeous machines. The word Sexy must have been invented after these cars were made.
I absolutely love the gull wings. Since I can't own one, so my computer mouse is a Gullwing which I had purchased from the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart.

Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows-20170703_173723.jpg

Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows-20170703_173748.jpg

Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows-20170707_164334.jpg

Last edited by hemanth.anand : 18th July 2018 at 16:41.
hemanth.anand is offline   (19) Thanks
Old 18th July 2018, 22:38   #5
BHPian
 
Locomotive's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 221
Thanked: 108 Times
Re: Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows

What gorgeous cars. Timeless classics.
Locomotive is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 19th July 2018, 02:20   #6
Senior - BHPian
 
sandeepmohan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Wellington
Posts: 3,129
Thanked: 5,426 Times
Re: Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows

Stunning.

I am familiar with the name Silver Arrows as a racing team but did not know it was an all Mercedes 300SL series that lined up the fleet.

Not all of them seem to have adjustable steering racks.

I will gladly trade a Tesla cockpit for an interior like the one seen in these cars. I love lots of analog dials.

Man..300kmph in the 50's. I do not think my brain has the ability to focus fast enough to deal with even 200kmph today.

Last edited by sandeepmohan : 19th July 2018 at 02:22.
sandeepmohan is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 19th July 2018, 08:18   #7
Senior - BHPian
 
tharian's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: SBC
Posts: 3,978
Thanked: 8,005 Times
Re: Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeroen View Post

This was probably my favourite display. It is known as the Blue Wonder. It was quite the sensation in its time. Engine from the 300SL and the frame from a 300S. It was capable of speed up to 170 km/h. Look at that curvature at the back of the cabin. Work of art!

Attachment 1781934
I fell in love with the design when I first saw it on Jay Leno's Garage featuring the Transporter;


Last edited by tharian : 19th July 2018 at 08:46.
tharian is offline   (5) Thanks
Old 20th July 2018, 10:31   #8
BHPian
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Madras
Posts: 200
Thanked: 385 Times
Re: Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows

Whats also interesting is the History behind the name "Silver Arrows"

The cars initially donned German racing white and were created for the 750-kilo formula but in the later stages they realised that the car weighs a kg or so heavier than the threshold. Team Manager Alfred Neubauer and driver Manfred von Brauchitsch devised the simple scheme to strip the car of its paint to squeeze it below weight regulations and thus the car turned silver.

Enter the era of Silver Arrows (Silver - unpainted Aluminum bodies)

Talk about out of box thinking and this is the first thing which comes to my mind.
vaasscit is offline   (4) Thanks
Old 27th July 2018, 19:33   #9
BHPian
 
ashwin489's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Border Town
Posts: 274
Thanked: 446 Times
Re: Unique exhibition: Mercedes Silver Arrows

God dang! If this is not a time machine, I don't know what is.
ashwin489 is offline   (1) Thanks
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks