The 24 Hours of Le Mans held in 1952 was the 20th Grand Prix of Endurance, taking place on June 14th and 15th. After more than 22 years away from the track due to war, Mercedes-Benz returned to Le Mans at Circuit de la Sarthe in triumph, scoring a 1–2 victory with their new gull-wing coupe Mercedes-Benz W194 which was equipped with a 3.0L S6 engine that had less power than the road car sold two years later.
This was the first win at Le Mans for Mercedes or any other German manufacturer and also a first for a closed-body car. It was a grueling race with a record 40 retirements from the 57 starters, an astonishing statistic and testament to those who endured. Finishing first for the three pointed star was the number 21 car driven by Hermann Lang and Fritz Riess. Coming in second was the number 20 car driven by Theo Helfrich and Helmut Niedermayr.
COPY The racers jumped into the vehicles and started. In the foreground the No. 21 victorious Mercedes SL with drivers Lang and Riess. END COPY A testament to the class of the German drivers and the backing of their engineers and teams, of the 17 cars that finished the race out of 57 who started it, the two in the lead at the end were both the same, W194 Mercedes.
COPY Mercedes-Benz could book a major success in France with their new racing sports cars. Here you can see the two winning Mercedes cars of pilots Hermann Lang and Theo Helfrich in a curve. The drivers of car 21, Lang-Riess, were able to cover 3733 km in their Mercedes within 24 hours at Le Mans in 1952. END COPY Top image proves this was no feat of one or two men, only through rigorous planning and teamwork was such a victory possible.
COPY Mercedes drivers Lang-Riess won this epic race. Here Riess is driving at full throttle on one of the straights. The headlight protection cages are quite apparent in this photo. END COPY Photos by Kurt Worner
Theo Helfrich driving the 1952 Le Mans 2nd place finishing Mercedes. As captured in these original photos taken by Corrado Millanta, and artistically gifted photographer of the time. At bottom right, driver Helfrich of Mannheim enjoying a moment of relaxation prior to the start of the race.
COPY The eventual winner of this magnificent race, Hermann Lang for Mercedes-Benz, drove up to the pits to do tire changes and refueling. Again, the “German-friendly” French sports commissioner is already wrong. However, the watchful eye of the Mercedes racing manager made sure that they could not be hurt here. END COPY
Finishing in the first and second position at such a significant race is nothing uncommon for Mercedes in history, with the success of the w194 race cars at Le Mans in 1952 replicated in history over and over by the German outfit. Most notably it achieved at an unbelievable rate the 1934-39 “Silver Arrows” and again after 1952 by the SLR’s of 1955. Later in the 1952 season, Mercedes-Benz would go on to win and cement the w194 legacy at the Nürburgring and further with a 1-2-3 domination of the Carrera Panamericana. Photos taken by Kurt Worner.
Not only at the start, but also at every refueling, the fuel tank was freshly sealed by French sports commissioners. Here is a Mercedes SL’s turn. While considerably more “Wild West” than todays more strictly governed events, racing in the 1950’s was just as deadly serious for the competitors involved. Interesting Side Note: This race was most notably importantly for Mercedes’ return to prominence in racing, but as well due to details surrounding another legend of Mercedes racing lore. Pierre Levegh (Pierre Bouillin) attempted to drive the entire 24 Hours by himself – and almost won. Exhausted in the 24th hour, Levegh missed a downshift in his Talbot-Lago and over-revved the engine, breaking a connecting rod. This unfortunate event at Le Mans in 1952 for Levegh would prove but a footnote by comparison as he would later be involved in perhaps the most famous and tragic crash in racing history just 3 years later in the magnesium bodied SLR.
A matter of intimidation – While the documentation of the attempt by Mercedes to add a “wind brake” has been chronicled in the literature, what is less known about this particular innovation is the affect it may have had on Mercedes’ competitors. Something so different was almost certainly unexpected when it turned up at the track for trials/practice in 1952 at Le Mans…and it’s appearance must certainly have led to some confusion and a sense of “what are we missing” from the other racing teams who were relegated to uninformed onlookers.
At Top: Karl Kling, famous driver and manager for Mercedes-Benz, hovers over one of the competition cars at Le Mans in 1952. Bottom left: the 3.0L S6 engine is profiled. Bottom right: A photo of the interior of of one of the cars participating in the race, with particular interest in the new doors for this experimental 300SL. Photos taken by Corrado Millanta.
Le Mans Winner! – The number 21 W194 Mercedes that endured the best, driven by Hermann Lang and Fritz Riess. Photos taken by Corrado Millanta at the Paris Salon in 1952.
