Engines > Your Own Design
Mercedes-Benz W165 Grand Prix engine in 1:3 scale
Vixen:
The 1939 Mercedes-Benz W165, 1.5 litre racing engine in 1/3 Scale
Index
Part 1 A short history of the Mercedes-Benz W165, 1.5 litre racing car Reply #1
Part 2 Producing drawings for the W165 Engine Reply #11
Part 3 Supercharger Gearcase Reply #27
Part 4 Supercharger Housing Reply #33
Part 5 Roots Blowers, Synchronising gears and Rotor Lobes Reply #52
Part 6 Inlet Manifold Reply #58
Part 7 Transfer Manifold Reply #70
Part 8 Superchargers Assembled Reply #129
Part 9 Crankcase Reply #137
Part 10 Finishing the Crankcase: starting the Oil Pumps Reply #191
Part 11 Cylinder Blocks Reply #209
Part 11B The Water Jackets Reply #216
Part 11C Cylinder Heads Reply #220
Part 12 Overhead Cam Boxes Reply #265
Part 13 Cam Shafts and Cam Drive Gears Reply #278
Part 14 Line Boring Main Bearing Journals Reply #294
Part 15 Dry Sump Cover (Oil Pan) Reply #334
Part 16 Some more history of the W165 Grand Prix cars Reply #364
Part 17 Oil Pipes Reply #375
Part 18 Cam Shaft Drive Train Reply #396
Part 19 Magneto Drive Reply #454
Part 20 Cam Shaft Drive Housing Reply #511
Part 22 Con-Rods Reply #642
Part 23 Crankshaft Reply #665
Part 24 Crankshaft and Camshaft Gear Train Reply #787
Part 25 Some details about my Schillings style built up Crankshaft Reply #805
Part 26 Soldering the Oil Pump Pipework Reply #817
Part 27 A little more history: the designer of the W165 Reply #832
Part 28 Gear drive to the Oil Pump Assembly Reply #854
Part 29 The Overhead Camshafts and Cams Reply #866
Part 30 Oil Pump pinons Reply #941
Part 31 Supercharger to Engine: Inlet Manifold Reply #988
Part 32 Coolant Pump Reply #1026
Part 33 External Oil Scavenge Pump Reply #1088
Part 34 High Pressure Fuel Pump Reply #1119
Part 35 Pumps and External Pipework Reply #1133
Part 36 Cam Box Covers Reply #1147
Part 37 Magneto's Reply #1181
Part 38 Coolant pipes and Crankcase vent pipes 3DP printed in plastic Reply #1219
Part 39 Flywheel and Clutch Reply #1233
Part 40 Cylinder Liners and Cylinder Blocks Reply #1295
Part 41 Cylinder Lapping Reply #1307
Part 42 Pistons Reply #1318
Part 43 Problems in the Combustion Chamber Reply #1346
Part 44 Making 64 Inlet and Exhaust valves Reply #1370
Part 45 3D printed metal parts for the coolant, crankcase vent and exhaust pipes Reply #1401
Be patient; more to follow
Part 1 A short history of the Mercedes-Benz W165, 1.5 litre racing car
Throughout the 1930’s, the German Mercedes Benz and Auto Union ‘Silver Arrows’ cars were an unbeatable force in Grand Prix racing.
The W165 racing car with it’s 1.5 litre V8 engine was developed by Mercedes-Benz for a single race – the 1939 Tripoli Grand Prix in Mellaha (Libya), then part of Italy. In those days the Tripoli Grand prix was a prestigious event in a prosperous Libya.
The Italian officials issued special regulations for the 1939 race in the Italian colony. The entrants were to be limited to the ‘voiturette formula’ for supercharged 1.5 litre engines. The intention was to sideline the German competitors, because both Mercedes-Benz (Tripoli winners in 1935, 1937 and 1938) and Auto Union (winners in 1936) had powerful 3.0 litre engines and thought not able to present a racing car for this class.
The managing director of Mercedes-Benz, Max Sailor, accepted the challenge and set the factory to work day and night to build two cars. The Untertürkheim plant was off limits to anyone without a special pass. They were left with the impossible task of developing cars in just eight months in time for the Tripoli Grand Prix. What emerged was the type W165, a scaled down version of their highly successful 3.0 litre Grand Prix cars.
In many design details, the W165 was based on the then current V12, 3-litre W154 Grand Prix car. The mechanically supercharged V8 had a displacement of 1,493 cc delivered 187 (254hp) at 8,000 rpm, and reached a top speed of 272km/h (160 mph) powered by a cocktail of alcohol, nitrobenzene, ether and acetone.
The development team under Rudolf Uhlenhaut achieved miracles. Two Mercedes-Benz W165 cars started the race in Tripoli on 7 May 1939, against an overwhelming number of competitors – 28 red-painted Alfa Romeo and Maserati voiturette racing cars. The W165’s achieved a triumphant double victory. Herman Lang won the spectacular, high speed, race for the third time, Rudolf Caracciola finished second, while the fastest Italian car with Emilio Villoresi at the wheel, crossed the finish line a good four minutes later.
It was to be their only victory, indeed their only race. Shortly after, war broke out in Europe, bringing motor racing to a halt for many years. Both cars survived the hostilities in neutral Switzerland and were eventually returned to MB. Motor racing would resume after the end of the war. Grand Prix racing was to run under the new Formula 1 regulations, which permitted either 1.5 litre supercharged or 4.5 litre un-supercharged engines.
After the war, a young British engineer, Cameron Earl, was sent to occupied Germany by the British Intelligence Objectives Sub committee (BIOS) to investigate and report on the development of Grand Prix racing cars before the war. The finished report, BIOS Report 1755, contained many detailed Mercedes-Benz blueprints of the W165 car and it’s 1.5 litre engine. The report was made available to the British motor industry and greatly influenced the design of the BRM V16, 1.5 litre, Grand Prix car.
I have obtained a copy of the British Intelligence report and have used the Mercedes-Benz blueprints as the basis of my CAD drawings for my 1:3 scale models of the W165 engine. Today, more than 85 years after it was designed, the W165 engine is still an exciting engine, a technical masterpiece.
That's my 1/3 scale Supercharger sitting on top of the real thing.
Jo:
We are going to enjoy this :whoohoo:
Mike the forum software doesn't seem to like your first four photos I think it could be because they are BMPs :(
Jo
Jo:
Nice to see you in the photograph with the engine ;)
Jo
Vixen:
The driver in the white helmet with the tartan band is non other than Sir Jackie Stuart. He was the guest driver for the only running W165 at last years Goodwood Festival of Speed. The only other surviving W165 is on permanent display in the MB museum in Stuttgart.
fumopuc:
Hi Mike, thanks for reminding me of the history of this great race car. Waiting for the next steps of your build report.
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