Greatest Racecar? Tim Parnell’s Mercedes W196

Unquestionably, one of the most dominating racing cars was the Mercedes W196, particularly with drivers such as Fangio and Moss at the wheel. I remember seeing the 1955 British Grand Prix at Aintree, the track just outside Liverpool, England, the first time the Grand Prix had been held at a venue other than Silverstone since 1948. Moss was on pole and led Fangio into the first corner; Fangio took the lead soon after. Behra in a Maserati, who was their only threat, unfortunately retired on the 10th lap leaving the pair half a minute in front of the third Mercedes driven by Karl Kling. The race became a masterful demonstration of German technology, eventually ending, in some controversy, with Moss taking the flag from Fangio.

As a spectator I think Moss drove the race superbly, however, I tend to think that Fangio let him win the race. I don’t want to detract from Stirling’s accomplishments or abilities, but Fangio was such a gentleman. I knew him quite well; my father (Reg Parnell) was his teammate at Alfa Romeo and, to a certain extent, BRM. It was very hard to believe that underneath this very polite, humble, and gracious man was a tough and ruthless racer; quite amazing. The only other driver I knew with those similar attributes was Jo Siffert; his whole character changed ”Jekyll and Hyde”–like when he got into the cockpit of a racing car.