# The Legend of the Silver Arrows



## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

75 years ago, one of the most dramatic chapters in the whole of motor sport history began. On May 27, 1934 the German racing cars that were soon to acquire the nickname “Silver Arrow” were entered for their first race, on the Avus racetrack in Berlin. Although neither Auto Union, the company from which Audi in its present-day form developed later, nor Mercedes Benz won that event, it was not long before these two manufacturers began to dominate international Grand Prix racing, a situation that prevailed until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. It seems almost incredible today, but by 1936 the Auto Union racing cars were reaching speeds of up to 380 kilometres an hour on the long straights of the Avus circuit – truly, the birth of a legend.
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## JettaSTR4 (Jan 7, 2003)

*Re: The Legend of the Silver Arrows ([email protected])*

380kmh? is that right?


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## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

*Re: The Legend of the Silver Arrows (JettaSTR4)*

Yes, that's correct. It also indicates just how ahead of their time these cars were. Crazy too when you think about it because they had fuel tanks surrounding them, a canvas helmet that was essentially just a cap, no fireproof suits and no harness.
There's a really good book called 'Driving Forces' by Bentley Publishers that is written more like a historical novel. One of the things it explores is the political attitude of star drivers like Rosemeyer and Carracciola who reportedly shunned the German Nazi regime. This was a tough situation for Hitler because they, especially Rosemeyer, were a celebrity of the highest caliber in German society. Hitler's M.O. was ruling through fear, but it's hard to make guys afraid when they could die in a fireball on any given race weekend. The death rate was quite high.
So one theory by this book was that the party pushed for the winter (very inopportune timing when you think of winds) speed trials knowing the danger would be high. The theory continues that the party's thinking was that Rosemeyer was more valuable to them a martyr than a rebellious celebrity. 
I've not read another book yet to make this argument, but it's certainly an interesting theory.


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