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By admin, September 21, 2013 11:23 am

我前幾天拜讀完MC論壇Lee兄關於CMC W196R的美文後，才對這個50年代F1的系列有了個大概的了解。另外就是原來最值得收藏的號碼是Fangio的#2、#18，還有就是隊友Moss第一次在本土英國奪冠的#12號。

以下是CMC出過所有的W196車款:

W196 這部車和歷史大家都很了解了，這里更多的是想分享些自己的理解。其中有些觀點和之前的帖子有些出入，希望和大家切磋討論。

1.  首先聊聊車名，我們都習慣于CMC的命名方式。流線型（streamlined）的16,18號叫W196R。其他輪子露在外面（open-wheel）的叫W196。我認為這是不恰當的。我查到主流的兩种說法是：

A. 維基百科：以上兩种車型都叫W196，只是用streamlined和open-wheel加以區分。
B. 奔馳官方和權威書籍：兩种車型都叫W196R，而是用streamlined和monoposto來區分。

我個人認為奔馳官方說法更准确。因此推斷CMC早年將monoposto錯誤的命名為W196，在后來出streamlined的時候注意到了這個問題，于是在W196后面加上了R改正了這個錯誤。因此，根据奔馳官方命名方式，以下我統稱W196R（包括streamlined和monoposto）。

關于W196R的和W196定義的界定，今天終于在《Silver Arrows in Camera 1951-55》得到了准确的答案：1954年Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix賽車的工厂命名是196R（其中R代表Renne），而運動型的版本（常被稱為300SLR）的工厂命名是W196S（其中S代表Sport）。同時，工厂稱流線型、輪子外漏的W196R為monoposto，用以區分首次亮相的W196R的流線型。

2. 接著我們了解一下這兩种車型參加的比賽。我看到不少帖子里說streamlined只參加了55年最后一站的Monza。這個說法是不正确的。事實恰恰相反：streamlined才是W196R最初的設計，并且在54年法國大獎賽的Reims-Gueux高速賽道中第一次露面就拿到了冠亞軍（Fangio 和 Karl Kling）。但同樣的車型在隨后的Silverstone賽道卻大失水准。其原因就是那樣的外形不夠靈活不适合彎道太多的賽道。因此在接下來的Nurburgring，W196R被改造成傳統的open-wheel(monoposto)樣式，Fangio駕駛著它拿到了冠軍。從此奔馳更多是使用monoposto車型參加接下來的比賽，只有54和55年意大利的高速賽道Monza才會用到streamlined（當然monoposto也同場競技）。

3. 以下我們來談談CMC出過的所有W196R的車型及其歷史：

M-019 W196R monoposto #2: 55年阿根廷站Fangio的冠軍車。這場比賽雖然只有一輛W196R拿到了前三。但是其過程及其艱辛，下面會有詳細講解。

M-020 W196R monoposto #6: 55年阿根廷站Moss的車。看到壇子里有朋友有這部車。但很可惜的是它并沒有拿到名次，中途因供油系統故障而退賽。

M-021 W196R monoposto #8: 55年阿根廷站Hans Herrmann的車，在Moss和Karl Kling相繼退賽后，三人共同駕駛拿到了第四名，積分三人平分各得到一分。

M-041 W196R monoposto #10: 55年英國站Fangio的亞軍車。這一場比賽是W196R最輝煌的一場比賽，拿到1－2－3－4。

M-042 W196R monoposto #12: 55年英國站Moss的冠軍車。這是Moss的個人第一個冠軍，也是英國車手第一次在自家門口奪冠。但Moss賽后曾表示，最后和自己几乎同時沖線的Fangio完全是有机會超過他的，Fangio沒有這么做應該是想把這個冠軍讓給他的年輕隊友，不僅因為這站的冠軍對Moss的意義重大，更想因此激勵和鼓舞這個年輕而有天賦的隊友。

M-049 W196R streamlined #18: 大家對這部車都很熟悉了。55年最后一站Monza賽道Fangio駕駛的冠軍車。此后銀箭离開了F1 56年。值得注意的是這輛18號是54年法國站的18號的改進型，外形有所變化。

M-057 W196R streamlined #16: 55年Monza賽道Moss駕駛的車。很遺憾，它也沒能完成比賽，因發動机故障而退賽。

Juan Manuel Fangio Formula 1′s first legend

3 July, 2011

Jul.3 (Mercedes) Juan Manuel Fangio would have turned 100 years old on 24 June 2011. Mercedes pay tribute to one of the greatest Formula 1 race drivers of all time on the advent of this anniversary occasion.

Racing driver Juan Manuel Fan­gio was the leading figure in Mer­ce­des-Benz’s campaign to win the Formula 1 World Championship in the 1954 and 1955 seasons. Fan­gio formed an almost symbiotic partnership with the W 196 R racing car: “It’s the perfect car. The machine which every driver dreams about their whole life long,” he once said of the Silver Arrow.

Fan­gio drove to a total of five For­mula 1 world titles in vehicles from four different manufacturers. There was something very special about his relationship with Mer­ce­des-Benz though. He had already been working as a dealer for the Stuttgart-based brand in Argen­ti­na since 1951. And following the end of his racing career, he became President of Mer­ce­des-Benz Argentina S.A. in 1974.
He died in Bue­nos Aires on 17 July 1995.

It was at the French Grand Prix on 4 July 1954 that Mer­ce­des-Benz made its first ever appearance with the new Silver Arrows from the W 196 R series. The victor at the Reims circuit was Juan Manuel Fan­gio, who had been world champion in 1951 and finished second in 1950 and 1953. The Argentinean was already aged 43 at the time, making him older than many of the other drivers in the field. He had furthermore suffered a serious accident in the 1952 season.

Yet far from being a fabulous finale to his career, Fangio’s win for Mer­ce­des-Benz at the wheel of the W 196 R marked the start of an extraordinary success story. During 1954 and 1955, Fan­gio lined up on the starting grid for the Mercedes-Benz team for a total of 19 Formula 1 and touring car races, recording ten wins and a number of other impressive results.

Fan­gio was born to Italian immigrants on 24 June 1911 in the small country town of Balcarce in Argen­ti­na – seemingly a very far cry from a future career as a five-time Formula 1 world champion. But the youngster, who did an apprenticeship as a mechanic, was inspired by his fellow countrymen’s passion for motor racing.

He came into contact with the local racing driver scene at an early age, gained some experience at the wheel himself and learned how to rebuild vehicles for racing. In 1932, he opened his own car workshop, and four years later Fan­gio competed in his first race in a converted Ford ta­xi.

After the end of World War II, Fan­gio made the switch from rebuilt standard passenger cars to thoroughbred racing cars, and entered the international racing arena. In 1950, he came second in the World Championship driving for Alfa Romeo, before going on to win his first world title for the Ita­lia­n car maker in 1951. 1951 also marked the start of Fangio’s close ties with Mer­ce­des-Benz, however, as it was the year he opened a sales outlet for the Stuttgart brand’s cars in Bue­nos Aires.

And it was not long before he was sitting behind the wheel of a Silver Arrow for the first time; in Feb­ruary 1951, Mer­ce­des-Benz came over to Argentina, bringing with it three overhauled pre-war W 154 racing cars for a guest race appearance. Fan­gio was on the starting grid for the “Premio Pre­si­dente de la Nación Juan D. Perón”, along with Karl Kling and Her­mann Lang. However, the Silver Arrows were unable to reach their top speed on the modern circuit with its many chicanes, and Fan­gio only managed to finish third.

During the 1952 season, when the World Championship was switched to Formula 2, Fan­gio suffered a serious accident in Monza. He spent the remainder of the year convalescing from his injuries, most notably from one he sustained to his spine. He was already back in the racing seat in 1953 though, when he finished second in the World Championship with Mase­rati.

International motor racing was made all the more spectacular in 1954 by the return of Mer­ce­des-Benz to the grand prix arena. Racing director Alf­red Neu­bauer signed the Argentinean driving ace as the captain of the racing team.

The Stutt­gart­-based outfit had been developing the W 196 R racing car for the new Formula 1 season since 1953. It was powered by a 257 hp (189 kW) inline eight-cylinder engine with a displacement of 2.5 litres, desmodromic valves and direct petrol injection.

Apart from the Streamliner version, a clas­sic For­mula racing car with exposed wheels was also created. The new Silver Arrows were not ready for the start of the season, so Fan­gio still competed in a Mase­ra­ti in the first three races. At that time, the Formula 1 World Championship consisted of just a drivers’ title. The constructors’ championship was only contested from the 1958 season onwards.
On 4 July 1954, Fan­gio lined up for his first ever grand prix in a Mer­ce­des-Benz: exactly 40 years after Mer­ce­des driver Chris­tian Lau­ten­schla­ger drove to victory in Lyon, the Stutt­gar­t team returned to the fray at the French Grand Prix in Reims. Fan­gio took the chequered flag ahead of teammate Karl Kling.

The apparently effortless switch from Mase­rati to the W 196 R once again underlined Fangio’s immense ability to adapt: ever since taking part in the tough endurance races in his home country, he seemed to be able to extract the very best from every vehicle. It was this vir­tu­oso impro­vi­sational skill that led to victory for the Argentinean time and time again.

The 1954 season turned into a great tri­umph for Mer­ce­des-Benz and Fan­gio: he followed up his victory in France with further wins in Germany (Nür­burg­ring), Switzerland (Bremgarten) and Ita­ly (Monza). Fan­gio was crowned Formula 1 world champion for the second time, with almost double the points of his nearest rival.

The Argen­ti­nean dominated the 1955 season in similar fashion, winning the grand prix races in Argen­ti­na, Bel­gi­um, the Netherlands and Ita­ly, and finishing second behind teammate Stirling Moss at the British Grand Prix.

Other exceptional performances by Fan­gio during this season included second spot at the Mille Mig­lia, driving solo in a Mer­ce­des-Benz 300 SLR (W 196 S). Winner Stirling Moss, on the other hand, was accompanied by a co-driver, Denis Jenkinson, as was most of the field.

Following Mer­ce­des-Benz’s withdrawal from motor racing at the end of the 1955 season, Fan­gio went on to win two more world championship titles with Fer­rari (1956) and Mase­rati (1957). The following year, the Argentinean called an end to his racing career at the age of 47.

In 1974, he assumed the post of Pre­si­dent of Mer­ce­des-Benz Argen­tina S.A. His five Formula 1 world championship titles remained a record until his death in 1995, which was not surpassed until Michael Schu­ma­cher achieved the feat in 2003.
Today, tributes to Juan Manuel Fan­gio include five identical life-size bronze sculptures depicting the exceptional racing driver together with the W 196 R. They can be found in front of the Mer­ce­des-Benz Museum in Stutt­gart, outside the Mer­ce­des-Benz headquarters in Bue­nos Aires, as well as at the Nür­burg­ring, Monza and Mona­co circuits.

There is also a Fangio Museum in Balcarce that is run by a local association. Featuring numerous vehicles and other exhibits, it is dedicated to the racing driver’s whole life story.

Juan Manuel Fan­gio’s races for Mer­ce­des-Benz

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By admin, September 21, 2013 9:25 am

球星自傳的第一章，通常寫事業光輝一刻的心情，然後以倒序法回顧一生；或者直接一點，順序講從小時候如何發現自己天賦、遇上名師指點平步青雲等等。但阿加斯的《Open》，第一章叫人驚心動魄，因為描寫的是痛：他如何和傷患搏鬥多年，每晚睡到半夜，因為背痛要爬下床，躺在地上，起身一刻亦是煎熬，但為了延續網球生涯，要打類固醇針入脊髓減輕痛楚……因為，全書的主題，圍繞阿加斯如何痛恨網球。

嚴父地獄式催谷　壓力下成長

痛恨的主因，是自小受嚴父地獄式催谷。阿加斯父親是伊朗移民，有點運動細胞，曾是國家拳擊代表，移居美國後，輾轉落腳拉斯維加斯當賭場荷官。他同時是網球拍穿線專家，球星干納斯、波格等到賭城比賽時，必會幫襯他。他早已決定，一家人的出路，是把幾個孩子訓練成職業網球手。為了實現這夢想，他悉心安排，在偏僻的沙漠地方買下房子，為的是後園夠空間建私人網球場，他也改裝了一部網球發球機，孩子們從幾歲開始，每日幾小時對着這「惡龍」練習（阿加斯的成名接發球絕技，大概就是如此練成）。他會叫孩子逃學打波，甚至曾要阿加斯兩兄弟出賽前，服用可疑藥物。

幾個孩子中，阿加斯顯露的天份最高，於是受父親特別「關照」，完全沒有機會做個正常孩子。「用力點！不可落網！反手！練窩利！」阿加斯童年，就是在這幾句訓令中渡過。而且，父親從一開始，就劍指世界第一，贏冠軍是理所當然，輸波就大發雷霆；多年後他贏了溫布頓，父親也沒半句祝賀，劈頭便鬧：「不應該輸掉那第四局！」自小在壓力下成長，面對只有罰沒有賞的教育，阿加斯痛恨網球不難理解。許勝不許敗的負擔，亦漸轉化為怕輸的心理，成為他日後發展重大障礙。

阿加斯13歲那年，《六十分鐘時事雜誌》播出了一間佛羅里達州網球學堂的故事，將之描繪為「網球童工血汗工廠」。父親卻認定，這是阿加斯成材之路的下一站，把他送往寄宿練波，這就是後來鼎鼎大名，訓練出古利亞、莎莉絲、威廉絲姊妹、希姬絲和舒拉寶娃等球星的Bollettieri Academy。主持人Nick Bollettieri也很快看中阿加斯的過人天份，從此他踏上不歸路，16歲便成為職業球手。

我們普通人往往忽視，職業網球員面對的枯燥和孤獨，大概冠絕運動界。隊際運動員主場和作客出賽各佔一半，就算坐飛機多過坐車，起碼有一半時間是在「家」，而且出外都是在本洲以內、幾小時的航程；網球員則一年到晚，不停穿梭七大洲參加大小比賽，回家的時間絕無僅有。況且，隊際項目無論在場內場外，都有隊友互相支援，但網球員只有自己和隨員。女友和太太或可隨行，但有小朋友後就幾乎不可能。阿加斯和波姬小絲（本身也常為演戲飛來飛去）拍拖和結婚的幾年間，聚少離多，甚至要靠傳真談情（這是未有電郵的年代）。

傷患困擾　排名曾插至141位

痛恨網球，兼要過着這種非人生活，阿加斯何以成為史上其中最傑出（少數贏盡四大滿貫加奧運金牌球手）和最長壽（33歲成為史上年紀最大的世界第一）球手，比同輩頂級球手都「襟捱」？
據他自己說，幾次想過放棄，但整個童年都花在打波，身無其他技能，讀書不成（中三輟學），不打波又可以做甚麼？而更大的驅動力，來自他的好勝性格。他在自傳提及，小時候在一次少年組比賽決賽，遇上杜蘭高（Jeff Tarango，後來成為職業球手但成就平平，最出名鬧球證），決勝分被對手「出術」擊敗。他感到憤怒——不是恨對手，而是怪自己不早早把對手解決，留給他出術機會。他發現已不需父親從旁鞭策，自己的好勝和完美主義，足以驅使自己拼搏。

轉戰職業賽後，阿加斯立刻聲名鵲起，短短兩年便攀上世界第三，並兩度晉身大滿貫四強，前途似是一片光明之際，卻撞上「玻璃天花板」，三次打入大滿貫決賽落敗，包括敗於同期出道、但阿加斯從來看不起的森柏斯和古利亞，張德培也比他早贏大滿貫。他除了在被看淡下勝出1992年溫布頓，成績乏善足陳，後來甚至承認多次在沉重壓力下，萌生「不如輸掉」念頭。

阿加斯和經理人決定換教練以求突破，看上的人選，是球手事業進入暮年、亦沒有教練經驗的基爾拔（Brad Gilbert）。作為球手，基爾拔沒有甚麼殺手鐧，大滿貫最佳成績只是八強，但特色卻是穩定，和擅長打心理戰。他寫過一本分享打網球心得的書，叫《Winning Ugly》，言下之意是只要贏，打得漂亮與否並不重要，正是這本書吸引了阿加斯和經理人。初次見面，基爾拔老實不客氣指出：假如我有你的技術，早就橫掃球壇了！你的弱點是完美主義，每球都想成為精華片段，但博得太盡卻容易犯錯失分；要贏比賽，最重要反而是穩陣，只要減少犯錯，長遠來說必然是技高者勝。正如我在本欄寫過，網球比賽是純技術較量，運氣影響有限，只要每球有52%機會得分，取勝率便高達75%。有基爾拔協助消除心魔，阿加斯果然擺脫水準不穩和逢大賽腳軟毛病，登上世界第一寶座。

但成為一哥後，阿加斯的事業仍不是一帆風順。1997年他受傷患困擾成績下滑，意志消沉、吸毒（事後承認當時有自毀傾向），排名直插至141位，與波姬小絲的婚姻亦亮紅燈。就在全世界都認定他已完蛋之際，他卻突然醒悟重新振作，得到「第二春」，99年拿下法國公開賽冠軍，完成大滿貫，也重登世界第一。

表面不可一世　實際大情大性

阿加斯自傳好看，正是因為他是個有血有肉、大情大性的人，人生充滿矛盾和大起大落。他初出道時形像反叛，常向球證球迷講粗口，也最怕讀書，但之後卻為成立慈善學校，造福清貧家庭深感自豪。他年輕時比賽衣着標奇立異，但原來為了掩飾脫髮，多年戴假髮參賽，更自言為怕假髮走位而分心輸掉人生首個大滿貫決賽。他表面是個不可一世的「串友」，但全書大量篇幅都強調哥哥、健身教練、牧師朋友和太太嘉芙的愛護和支持。阿加斯多次在書中嘲笑宿敵森柏斯，生命中只有網球，是個機械人；的確，阿加斯在球壇成就稍不及森柏斯，但他的自傳《Open》，在阿瑪遜銷售榜排名，比森柏斯的高四萬幾位，更曾被不少雜誌和網站，選為最佳自傳類書籍之一，絕對值得推薦。

- 姚崢嶸