A full twenty years after Mercedes Formula One Championship-winning year in 1934, the German giant returned to the sport with the W196. It was no coincidence that this was the first year of the new 2.5 litre engine regulations meaning that a level playing field prevailed. Mercedes took a surprising and different route in their engine development, opting for a long straight eight configuration. This allowed the much smaller engine to rev higher and, combined with a Bosch-developed fuel injection system, allowed for 257 brake horsepower at the debut of the W196, rising to 290 bhp within a year of on-track development. Two different body styles were developed to maximise varying track types, with the low-drag streamliner body matched to the high-speed circuits. The track debut for the W196 project was at the French Grand Prix in Reims, where the streamliner body was in its element. This is a model of that 1954 French Grand Prix machine, which claimed victory in the legendary hands of Juan Manuel Fangio at its maiden race. As Mercedes state, ‘This silver masterpiece…drove its competitors to despair in the following two years’. This fine 1:8 scale model of the Mercedes-Benz W196 Streamliner has been handcrafted and finished in our workshops with the co-operation and assistance of Mercedes-Benz regarding original finishes, materials, archive imagery and drawings. The use of supremely accurate digital scanning of the original car has allowed us to perfectly recreate every detail at scale. Furthermore, it has undergone detailed scrutiny by both Mercedes-Benz’s engineering and design teams to ensure complete accuracy of representation.