Mercedes-Benz
W 165

Why it matters

The W 165 was a 1.5-litre voiturette built specifically for the 1939 Tripoli Grand Prix, which it won. With only four built and a single race win, it is one of the rarest pre-war Mercedes-Benz racing cars.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

Built in 1939, the W 165 used a front-mounted 1,495 cc M165 V8 with two Roots-type superchargers, giving 256 bhp at 8,000 rpm, and a five-speed gearbox. Its steel oval-tube chassis followed big-car practice with double-wishbone front suspension and a De Dion rear axle. Hermann Lang won the 1939 Tripoli Grand Prix in chassis 449547/2.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

The W 165 is the 1.5-litre voiturette built for the 1939 Tripoli Grand Prix and looks like a scaled-down W 154: wheelbase 280 mm shorter, front track 135 mm and rear track 132 mm narrower, an oval-tube ladder frame, and a total fuel capacity of 245 litres in a compact rear end. The V8 engine, with a 90-degree bank angle, is tilted 6 degrees to the longitudinal axis, which moves the steering column and driver to the right and puts the small windscreen to the left of the car's centreline. The engine is the M 165 with 64 x 58 mm bore and stroke, two Roots blowers and two Solex carburettors, and the car weighs around 605 kg. Only two were built, and both are in the company collection.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   Mercedes-Benz W 165 racing car, 1939 (Classic M@RS) Level A Mercedes-Benz Group AG (Classic M@RS, Mercedes-Benz Public Archive)

   • the two W 165s built in 1939
   • two W 165s built in 1939 have been part of the company's vehicle collection
   • V8 engine with a cylinder bank angle of 90 degrees
   • two overhead, spur gear-driven camshafts per cylinder bank
   • the two Roots blowers were each combined with a Solex carburettor
   • fourfold cross-braced oval tube ladder-type frame
   • coil-sprung trapezoidal-link front axle
   • de Dion rear axle equipped with torsion bars
   • weight of the W 165, which at 605 kg
   • tank capacity of the 1.5-litre car, which was only 245 litres

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   1939 Mercedes-Benz W165 Specifications - Ultimatecarpage.com Level C

   • 4 cars built

   Accessed 2026-11-11
3. 3
   Mercedes-Benz W165 Level C Wouter Melissen · Ultimatecarpage.com · 2011-07-07

   • M165 90º V8
   • M165 90º V8, front, longitudinally mounted
   • 1,495 cc
   • 64.0 x 58.0 mm bore and stroke
   • 6.5:1 compression ratio
   • two Roots-type superchargers
   • 256 bhp (191 kW) at 8,000 rpm
   • at 8,000 rpm
   • 5-speed manual gearbox driving the rear wheels
   • 2,450 mm wheelbase
   • 272 km/h (169 mph)

   Accessed 2026-11-12
4. 4
   Mercedes-Benz W165 (Revs Institute Automedia) Level B Revs Institute

   • Mated to a five-speed gearbox
   • Hydraulic brakes ... centrifugally cooled, light-alloy drums

   Accessed 2026-11-12