2023 isn't the first year Mercedes has stripped back paint to save weight, as a closer look at the history of Silver Arrows reveals. F1
Black is back, and in a big way. The coming Formula 1 season is hardly shaping up to be a vintage year for eye-catching liveries. As the name of the MCL60 alludes to, McLaren is celebrating its diamond anniversary this year. But its latest creation doesn’t pay tribute to an illustrious history by wearing a predominantly papaya paintjob. There’s just as much exposed carbon fibre weave as there is bright orange.
As such, Mercedes has ditched its synonymous silver and now returned to the black palette that adorned its cars during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Take a closer look and, although the surfaces above the halo and around the rollover hoop and intake are indeed painted or wrapped, around the sidepods there’s exposed carbon fibre.
However, to take that tale as gospel is a touch too revisionist. For starters, two months after the then-white W25 was presented to the Nazi government but, crucially, three months before its maiden bare metal Eifel outing, Auto Union took the covers off its Type A. Technically, the machine was most notable for its 4.4-litre V16 sitting behind the driver in a mid-engine configuration. But it also ran in exposed aluminium to give it a silver finish first.
The contemporary Mercedes cars were known as ‘White Elephants’ due to the national racing colour and their sheer size to accommodate a supercharged 7000cc six-cylinder motor. But for the rebodied SSKL driven by von Brauchitsch, for its bulky but smooth body, was labelled as the ‘gherkin’ or ‘cucumber’. A looker, it was not. But with a top speed at AVUS of 142mph, it was at least effective as it won the 1932 contest by passing the white Alfa Romeo of Rudolf Caracciola on the final lap.
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