19 years after its first European Grand Prix Championship victory in 1935, the German giant returned to the sport in 1954 with the W196. It was no coincidence that this was the first year of the new 2.5-litre engine regulations, which called for competitive parity. In developing their engine, Mercedes took a surprising, new approach, opting for a straight-eight configuration. This allowed the much smaller engine to run at a higher rev range. Combined with a fuel-injection system developed by Bosch, the W196 produced 257 bhp on its debut. Through further development, this output rose to 290 bhp within a year. For the 1954 Formula 1 season, the Mercedes works team, which had signed Juan Manuel Fangio, the best driver of the era, was looking for a young driver to complete the line-up. Hans Herrmann was invited to a driver test at the Nürburgring in autumn 1953 and set the best times there among five candidates. In 1954, Mercedes-Benz won the Constructors' Championship. For the 1955 season, alongside Juan Manuel Fangio, Karl Kling and Hans Herrmann, the team brought in a new driver: the young Stirling Moss. Once again, Mercedes was remarkably dominant. During final practice for the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix, Hans Herrmann suffered serious injuries and was no longer able to race for Mercedes. After winning both the 1954 and 1955 World Championships, Mercedes withdrew from motorsport at the end of the season. Team manager Alfred Neubauer retired.
The model on display at the ZÜRIRING Motodrom is the car with which Stirling Moss won the British Grand Prix at Aintree in July 1955. He led a group of four W196 monopostos that took first, second, third and fourth place at this new British Grand Prix event. It was Moss's first Grand Prix victory.
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