page_title: Mercedes-Benz W154
section_title: Chassis and suspension
hierarchical_section_title: Mercedes-Benz W154 / Chassis and suspension
caption_attribution_description: Hermann Lang 1986 im Mercedes W 154 beim Oldtimer-GP des AVD auf dem Nürburgring, Zielgerade
context_page_description: The Mercedes-Benz W154 was a Grand Prix racing car designed by Rudolf Uhlenhaut. The W154 competed in the 1938 and 1939 Grand Prix seasons and was used by Rudolf Caracciola to win the 1938 European Championship.
  The W154 was created as a result of a rule change by the sports governing body AIACR, which limited supercharged engine capacities to 3000cc. Mercedes' previous car, the supercharged 5700cc W125, was therefore ineligible. The company decided that a new car based on the chassis of the W125 and designed to comply with the new regulations would be preferable to modifying the existing car.
  Although using the same chassis design as the 1938 car, a different body was used for the 1939 season and the M154 engine used during 1938 was replaced by the M163. As a result of the new engine, the 1939 car is often mistakenly referred to as a Mercedes-Benz W163.
context_section_description: The chassis was largely based on that of the preceding W125. The frame was constructed using oval tubes made of nickel-chrome molybdenum to provide stiffness.
  The suspension was also near identical to the W125. The rear consisted of a De Dion tube, designed to keep the rear wheels parallel using a solid tubular beam. It also had hydraulic rear dampers, adjustable from within the cockpit during a race.
  The bodywork of the W125 was aluminium, left unpainted like its predecessors, making it another of Mercedes' famed Silver Arrows.
caption: A 1939-spec. W154 being demonstrated in 1986 by Hermann Lang
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