Could the Mercedes T 80 Have Broken the Land Speed Record? New Analysis Revealed
A Silver Arrow holding the land speed record would be a propaganda coup for Hitler. But war came too soon for the Mercedes T 80. New research has found a potentially catastrophic design flaw
The other-worldly shape of the T 80 could well have helped it on to a new land speed record, but a dangerous aerodynamic imbalance could have been disastrous
Taken from Motor Sport Online, July 2020
It was meant to be the pinnacle of Germany’s racing dominance. A Silver Arrow that really was quicker than anything else on the planet.
With an engine from a Messerschmitt, Ferdinand Porsche-designed bodywork honed in a wind tunnel, and Hans Stuck behind its leather steering wheel, the Mercedes T 80 was poised to wrest the land speed record from Britain: the crowning jewel for the Third Reich’s propaganda strategy.