Mercedes-Benz W125

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The Mercedes-Benz W125 was a Grand Prix racing car that was raced until 1937.

The supercharged engine of this Silver Arrow, with 8 cylinders in line and 5600cc, attained an output of 646 horse power (475 kW). In 1938, the engine capacity of supercharged Grand Prix cars was limited to 3000cc, and the W125 was replaced by the Mercedes-Benz W154.

The W125 was considered the most powerful race car ever for about 3 decades, until large capacity US-built V8 engines in CanAm sportcars reached similar power in the mid 1960s. In Formula One racing itself, the figure was not exceeded until the early 1980s, with the appearance of turbo-charged engines in Formula One.

The W125 reached race speeds of well over 300 km/h in 1937, especially on the AVUS in Berlin, equipped with a streamlined body.

In land speed record runs, a Mercedes-Benz W125 Rekordwagen was clocked at 432 km/h over a mile and a kilometer.