Mercedes Mille Mystery (1952)

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With the Mille Miglia finishing this weekend, these are some very appropriate photographs. At first, they might not be quite consistent with the definition of "mystery", clearly showing the three Mercedes 300 SL (W194) race cars that competed during the 1952 Mille Miglia - the first international race after the war in which Daimler-Benz participated, as far as we are aware.  

The first two photos show the car driven by Karl Kling (co-driver: Hans Klenk) immediately before the start in Brescia. They finished the race in second place behind the Ferrari 250 S driven by Giovanni Bracco. The third photo is a particularly nice one, in our opinion, showing the Mercedes drivers Rudolf Caracciola (winner of the 1931 MM), newcomer Karl Kling and prewar-ace Hermann Lang (from left to right) in a rather relaxed pose. Rudolf Caracciola came in fourth, by the way - a superb performance, given his age of 51 years! 1952 Was the last year of his brilliant career as a race driver. Hermann Lang had to abandon the race due to a damaged axle. He continued racing until 1954.

What we could not figure out is whether these three high quality photos have ever been published before. The original prints belong to a fellow enthusiast who received them as a gift many years ago.  It's likely that they were shot by a professional photographer but never made it into the public for some reason. If someone recognizes these beautiful shots, however, it would be nice to know where they have been published before. Any comment on the photos - and even on tiny details - are highly welcome. 

Words and archive photographs: Michael Schlenger

Originally published on May 20, 2017

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