76th, British Elegance at the Nürburgring: Richard Seaman's Victory for Mercedes
‘Heil, Seaman! Heil, Mercedes!’ shouts the innocent headline in Motor Sport. How startling that looks today. Over the page, there’s that photograph of the victorious Richard Seaman, brow furrowed as he raises his arm in a half-hearted Nazi salute...
In the context of 1938, the result was amazing – the first Grand Prix win for a British driver in 15 years. In the context of today, a British aristocrat racing and winning for Mercedes-Benz little more than a year away from a world war is startling. Seaman would make a great subject for a movie…
Ahead of the race, Tazio Nuvolari was the centre of attention, this being the Mantuan’s first race for Auto Union following his sensational defection from Alfa Romeo. Could he defeat the fancied Mercs in a car he barely knew?
The answer came at the end of the first lap: no. He retired with a dented tail, but later took over Hermann Müller’s car to share fourth place.