That`s how the victor of the GP of Germany 1931 looked. Rudolf Caracciola and his winning Mercedes-Benz SSKL, also known as the strong “White Elephant”. A perfect alliance of man and machine became a truly “dynamic duo”. CMC has recreated this victorious race car, with starting number 8, true to the original.

 

One manufacturer dominated the racing scene from the mid to the late 1920’s, and even in 1931. That manufacturer was Mercedes-Benz with its legendary supercharged models from the SSK series. The race cars of that period proved their performance in a variety of races. The Mercedes-Benz racers were called the “White Elephants” because of their overwhelming power and great size. 

 

1931 became a very special year for the talented driver Rudolf Caracciola and his SSK. The Mercedes-Benz factory in Untertürkheim only provided limited support because of the worldwide economic crisis. In spite of that, Rudolf Caracciola, with his lightweight SSKL, achieved two sensational victories in 1931. Caracciola’s greatest victory was undoubtedly the Mille Miglia on April 12-13, 1931. Soon after, the public was treated to his next triumph in a Mercedes SSKL. On July 19, Caracciola and his “White Elephant” achieved victory in the Grand Prix of Germany. The race was held at the legendary Nordschleife of the Nürburgring, also called the “Green Hell.” The drivers had to master 22 laps, a challenge of 501.8 km. “Caratsch” and his co-pilot Wilhelm Sebastian covered that distance in only 4 hours, 38 minutes, and 10 seconds, with an average speed of 108.3 km/h.

 

The car just carried one spare wheel in this GP. The driver and his co-pilot had to refuel the car and change the wheels on their own. It took them only 1 minute and 4 seconds to fulfil that task. Not bad at all! Already back then, they removed all parts from that car that they didn`t considered as mandatory. So they removed the lights and as well the fenders.