ALFRED NEUBAUER

Alfred Neubauer was born on 29 March, 1891 in Neutitschein (near Moravska Ostrava in the present day Czech Republic). His career started in the rank of an Officer of Automobiles in the Austrian Army. Following he began his work at the Daimler plants in Vienna as a manager of the Automobile Test Department. Neubauer was making some important experience as a motor racing driver for Austro Daimler in the year 1919. Original text from DAIMLER.

Together with Ferdinand Porsche he went in 1923 to the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft where he led the new Local Test Center.

Neubauer was keen to proof himself as a racing driver. But now he was under no illusion that there were far more talented drivers than him around and he realized that his true ability lay in smoothing their path to success. He was aware of the loneliness the driver suffered out on the racetrack. This was what inspired him to devise a system involving flags and signal boards to transmit the tactical information to the drivers. At the "Solitude Racing" in 1927 he invented the position of the Racing Team Manager for the first time.

From 1934 to 1939 Alfred Neubauer led the Mercedes Silver Arrows for a numerous grand prix victories and speed records.

The last race in 1939 took place in Tripolis. This was no doubt the most surprising success Daimler-Benz and Neubauer achieved with a very new Mercedes-Benz W 165, in a new capacity class (1,5-litre) and against an astonished competition (Maserati and Alfa Romeo) on their home ground. The W 165 Silver Arrows of Mercedes-Benz won the race (first and second place) in an impressive way. This was totally unexpected, and Neubauer – stood by smiling.

The second world war imposed a brake on racing activities of Daimler-Benz. In April 1946 Neubauer was recalled by managing director William Haspel to a job in workshop organization at the parent plant in Untertürkheim. One day in 1950 Haspel came to see Neubauer with a proposal: “Would you be interested in setting up a new Race Department?!!”

It was the beginning of the return of Mercedes-Benz to motor racing. In 1952 the legendary Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (gullwing) became the most successful sports car in the three-litre class. A short time later, Mercedes-Benz staged a successful comeback in formula racing too and in 1954 and 1955 the racing team of Daimler-Benz won the World Racing Championships.

The disaster at Le Mans in 1955 put an end to motor sport activities of Daimler-Benz and this also was an end of Alfred Neubauer’s successful mission.

With numerous publications he devoted himself to the racing history and served the marque another seven years, maintaining and promoting it's tradition. Alfred Neubauer, the legendary motor race organizer of Daimler-Benz died on 21 August 1980

En detalle, la calidad de la figura se hace patente; y aunque el parecido se haya buscado más con el cuerpo que con la expresión, es, en la distancia, fiel reflejo del hombre.

Con su sombrero, sus clásicos dos cronómetros en las manos, pantalón subido, corbata y chaqueta es como Le Mans Miniatures presenta al Gran Hombre de Mercedes en competición.

 

 

Una figura que podremos utilizar en nuestras vitrinas, para completar dioramas...

O para dar vida en nuestros circutios a un pedacito de hstoria, junto a otras Leyendas del automovilismo...

Una de esas piezas "imprescindibles" en cualquier colección de aotomóviles clásicos. Fabricada por Le Mans Miniatures. La adquirí a través de la página web de CRIC CRAC..., el hombre que devolvía a Mercedes el "Orgullo".

Salud