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Le Mans 1952 - The victory of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL at Le Mans

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Created on May 13, 2012

Text:

Balz Schreier

Photos:

Daimler AG

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Archiv

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Daimler AG

9

Archiv

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Le Mans 1952 - On the way to the first Mercedes-Benz one-two victory

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Le Mans 1952 - Winner Hermann Lang and Fritz Riess in Mercedes-Benz racing sports car type 300 SL with starting number 21

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Jaguar C Type (1952) - the thermally unconvincing car for Le Mans 1952

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Jaguar C Type (1952) - for Le Mans 1952, the vehicles were aerodynamically adapted to withstand the expected pressure from Mercedes

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (1952) - Le Mans 1952 - aerodynamic experiments with an air brake

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (1952) - Le Mans 1952 - Gullwing doors

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Le Mans 1952 - In the foreground, the double winners with Mercedes-Benz 300 SL. Second place with starting number 20 (Theo Helfrich + Helmut Niedermayr), starting number 21 (winner Hermann Lang + Fritz Riess

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Jowett (1952) - Le Mans 1952 - Driver Becquart

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Le Mans 1952 - Theo Helfrich and Helmut Niedermayr took 2nd place at Le Mans 1952 with the Mercedes-Benz Type 300 SL racing sports car

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Le Mans 1952 - Karl Kling and Hans Klenk in the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL racing sports car with starting number 22 - retired early

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Le Mans 1952 poster

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Le Mans 1952 - Double victory at Le Mans - Artist Hans Liska has translated the racing successes of the 300 SL (W 194) in 1952 into fascinating racing posters with a dynamic aura

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Poster of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL sports car successes 1952

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Transparent drawing of the Mercedes-Benz Type 300 SL (W 194) racing sports car

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Transparent drawing of the Mercedes-Benz Type 300 SL (W 194) racing sports car

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Summary

The 1952 24 Hours of Le Mans went down in the history of motorsport because of two events. For the first time, a closed car won the race and a driver who had been driving alone the whole time almost won. Only an engine failure prevented this spectacular success. The 300 SL from Mercedes-Benz benefited, celebrating a one-two victory 22 years after its last participation in Le Mans. This report describes the dramatic results and shows historical footage from that time.

This article contains the following chapters

Ferrari debut at Le Mans
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL with advance praise
Jaguar, Aston Martin, Cunningham and Talbots
Ferrari in the lead at the first start
Almost a victory for the solo driver Levegh
Victory for Mercedes-Benz
Consolation prize for Mr. and Mrs. Levegh
First victory for a closed car
Overall classification
Movie recommendation / Further information

Estimated reading time: 4min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Preparations were underway for the fourth running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans since the Second World War. At the same time, 1952 was the 20th edition since 1923 and, for the first time, the organizer A.C.O. knew that there would once again be many and, above all, important vehicles at the start. This also increased media interest. And this in turn increased the tension for the registered works and private teams. Ferrari debut at Le Mans Scuderia Ferrari entered Le Mans for the first time in 1952, registering two 250S Berlinetta cars. The O.S.C.A. brand also made its debut. However, the appearance of Mercedes-Benz, which was competing at Le Mans for the first time in 22 years and entered three new 300 SLs, was awaited with considerably more excitement, particularly in Germany. These cars of the type W194, whose designation "SL" stood for "Sport Leicht", were closed coupés, an innovation for Le Mans.

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