Trivia: The 1921 Coppa Florio
After World War I, life in Germany was grim. Defeat loomed over the nation. Acute shortages in nearly all resources brought the country to the brink of revolution. This certainly affected the German auto industry. They were down, but not completely out of the fight. Do you know what it took to win motor-races after WWI?
Strikes were frequent at auto factories in the 1920’s. Business was tough going because of extreme rationing. Gasoline was extremely rare to come by in Germany and most times it was given to travelers with foreign currency as hyper-inflation made state currency worthless. Rubber was even rarer. So much so that manufacturers sold cars without tires, leaving the buyer the job of finding rubber for all four corners.
The fact that motorsport took place is surprising. What it took Mercedes-Benz to win a race was extraordinary. In 1921, they did just that at the Coppa Florio in Sicily.
The car was the 1921 28/95PS supercharged, driven by Max Sailer. Three things stand out about the car itself. The roots type supercharger was driven by the cam shaft, operating at 8,000 to 10,000rpm. The supercharger itself was not continuously operating; instead it had to be switched on by Sailer. And finally the system set up pumped air directly into the carburetor as opposed to the more common placement between the carburetor and engine. It made for a more efficient machine for a time when gas was scarce.
Sailer’s itinerary looked like this: drive from Stuttgart to Sicily. Then the race distance of 268 miles. Then back home, Sicily to Stuttgart.
The journey and race had to be done on one set of tires.
The combined resources of Mercedes and Continental tire company couldn’t provide Sailer with more than one set of tires.
Amazing to me today that against all odds Mercedes-Benz just found a way to win. Even more so, when compared to today’s racing filled with constant complaints about tire wear.
I couldn’t find an old timey video for the race in 1921, but I did find one for 1924. Enjoy.