Friday 28th January 1938

Mercedes driver Rudolf Caracciola in a W125 Rekordwagen on the Bundesautobahn 5 between the German cities of Frankfurt and Darmstadt, set a new speed record of 432 km/h (268 mph). Bernd Rosemeyer, one of the most prominent drivers of the 1930s and Caracciola’s rival on the Grands Prix scene, was next. And 268 miles per hour remains, to this day, the record for top speed on a public road – nobody has been tempted to try and break it. Ninety minutes after Caracciola set his record, it was time for his archrival to make an attempt. Not only was Bernd Rosemeyer also a successful racing driver, but he was a successful racing driver for Auto Union.O n his third and final attempt the Auto Union V16 Streamliner veered of the road, probably due to a gust of wind, Rosemeyer was thrown out of the cockpit at high speed and killed instantly at the young age of 29. Rosemeyer had been one of the most exceptional racing drivers in German motor racing history. He had almost won his second ever Grand Prix at the daunting Nürburgring, later in 1935 he did win his first Grand Prix at the Brno Masaryk Circuit in Czechoslovakia. Several victories followed in 1936 and 1937, including the Vanderbilt Cup in the USA.