Rare Mercedes Silver Arrow headed for Lime Rock

Labor Day may seem like a long way off but if you're interested in rare cars, you might want to mark this on your calender ...

One of the world’s great racing cars, a 1939 Mercedes-Benz W 154 Silver Arrow, will be specially featured at Lime Rock Park’s Vintage Festival September 4-7, 2009.

A stellar attraction of the legendary period from 1934 to 1939, the W 154 represents the apogee of the supercharger era of Mercedes-Benz's racing vehicles. Rudolf Carraciola drove a Silver Arrow to the Grand Prix world title in 1938. The car dominated again in 1939, piloted by Hermann Lang.

Germany's Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union GP motor racing vehicles between 1934 and 1939 were dubbed “Silver Arrows” by the press, applying later to Mercedes-Benz F1 and sports cars from 1954 onward.

Very few of these cars were built and many were broken up or simply disappeared during the war era 1939-45 war. Audi has commissioned several replicas of their Auto Union ancestors which appear at important vintage events.

But the W 154 Mercedes coming to Lime Rock is the real thing, campaigned by the likes of Lang, Carraciola and England’s Dick Seaman, who won the 1938 German Grand Prix.

The Mercedes will join several other exceptionally rare Grand Prix cars at the Festival. "The Festival this year will have some of the greatest racing cars of all time, both on display and competing," said Skip Barber. "I can't wait to see them on our newly resurfaced track.”

Lime Rock Park is located just over the Dutchess County border in Lakeville, in northwest Connecticut.