1930s Grand Prix - Hitler's Supercars - History Documentary

Explore the intense competition between German car manufacturers Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz during the rise of the Third Reich. Ordered by Hitler to build high-performance vehicles and witness the rivalry that led to Grand Prix victories, international dominance, and speed records. Delve into the world of the 'Silver Arrow' Grand Prix and Speed Record cars of the 1930s as experts narrate the story behind these Nazi-funded machines. From the economic struggles of pre-Nazi Germany to the impact of the Silver Arrows on propaganda, uncover the historical significance of Hitler's Supercars and their drivers risking their lives for speed.
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• 1930s Grand Prix - Hit...
Experience the untold story of Hitler's Supercars in this gripping one-off documentary. As the Third Reich ascended, German car manufacturers received orders to create unparalleled high-performance vehicles. Witness a fierce rivalry that led to Grand Prix triumphs, international dominance, and driver fame. Under the direct command of Hitler, the 'Silver Arrow' Grand Prix and Speed Record cars emerged, setting records that endured for 79 years. Experts James Holland, Richard Williams, Eberhard Reuss, and Chris Routledge unravel the narrative, connecting Nazi-funded Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz 'National Racing Cars' to the propaganda messages they conveyed. Explore the intersection of motorsports, World War II, and the propaganda machine in this riveting historical journey.
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[@brentritchie6199]

What a fantastic documentary on an era of motor racing that really doesn't get a lot of coverage. Well done all and thank you

[@jakobquick6875]

Great content here❤ Terrible title though…to be mass consumed Shud be just… “Hitlers Grand Prix Supercars”

[@ThomasWBaldwin]

the holy cost of lies effects everyone.

[@gabrielv.4358]

YES@

[@johnpudney3550]

Rosemeyer took this thing to a whole new level,so talented. The record of 9minutes 56 seconds around old Nurburgring should be noted,he tamed the beast of Autounion.Thats where the new F1 car of Audi should stand in 2026 for it's opening day in honour of the great man Rosemeyer.

[@dr.wilfriedhitzler1885]

It will.

[@howardking3601]

Very high quality. Fascinating introduction to the speed machines of the pre-war era.

[@jamesburnett7085]

Exception quality throughout this brilliant documentary. Bravo!

[@chrlz904]

Including the misspelling in the title..? Who's Hilter?

[@makschorney2514]

Great new look at the Great Silver Arrows history. This is a story that deserves far more coverage!

[@BobGeogeo]

Many thanks, I wish this was longer. Record breaking was important but GP racing went on until the invasion of Poland.

[@kurtzwar729]

Ferdinand Porsche. Designer of the first Auto Union racing car, Volkswagen bug and Porsche 356 in 1946. All 3 of these German auto makers are in business today. RIP Ferdinand Porsche

[@patrickhackett3878]

I believe that Ferry Porsche designed the 356 while his father, Ferdinand, was in prison after WW2.

[@extramile150]

outstanding...explains the history of the Silver Arrows, F1 and Land Speed Racing better than anything previously presented. Take a bow!

[@joemamajohnsonquietstorm2690]

The superchrger whine from almost 100 years ago is amazing.

[@jonmulack4226]

Commentator mentioned it instilled fear. German Stuka dive bombers also had a shrill/whine to them. Instilled fear also.

[@foo219]

It was really fearsome! What is it that made it make that noise?

[@rtqii]

@@foo219 Turbine howl

[@MikeWoot-ox9xf]

It is a unique universal sound. That’s probably why the Nazi’s put the awesomely intimidating wind drive sirens on their dive bombers🚨

[@gabrielv.4358]

Agreed

[@qwert1111gel]

This was brillaint. Thank you.

[@rsc9520]

EXCELLENT DOCUMENTARY !!! Thanks for posting ...

[@alanjones4622]

It is amazing that with all current day modern technology and design, recent Mercedes Le Mans cars achieved the same level of lift off and flying capability as the prewar German land speed record car would have done. Some things never change, except the driver survived due to current crash protection.

[@brett22bt]

It's the fundamentals of physics. As higher speeds are reached, exponentially increasing amounts of downforce are required to prevent lift. High-tech calculations and experiments can be thrown out with the interference of uncontrollable variables like track debris, elevation changes, or a simple gust of wind.

[@HyBr1dRaNg3r]

Because the driver survived, the flipping Benz is probably one of the coolest car videos of all time. It blew my mind when it happened

[@simonkevnorris]

There were two drivers who had three accidents at Le Mans that year where the car went airborne. The other driver was Mark Webber. With Peter Dumbreck having the accident in the race.

[@Mr1963corvette]

Simply amazing that era in the mid and late 30's with these magnificent and iconic racing cars. The technology and designs were scintillating to speed demons. Here in the United States. The elegant Duesenburg SSJs were epic.

[@gregoryworth84]

wonderful documentary !

[@edwardhart7252]

Outstanding work in creating this wonderful documentary. Many thanks.

[@raimunddippon3120]

The T80 is displayed at the Mercedes Benz Museum in Stuttgart. Together with the car Rudolf Caracciola drove in 1938.

[@qwert1111gel]

I work for them... What an amazing model 😍😍 I always gaye at it when I am at work

[@betacam235]

That hysterical banshee shriek of the supercharged Silver Arrows is unforgettable! Thanks for a superb production.

[@anthonynicoli]

Great video. Chilling story

[@adow77]

Excellent video! The cross wind theory of Rosemeyer’s fatal crash has also been complicated suggestions that the bodywork failed due to the extra wind pressure, and then the aero went and that caused the crash, not just the crosswind itself.

[@marcleblanc3602]

More than just PR, they got the Country's Economy back up, and National pride. Can not deny the man had confidence and vision, wasted no time, for a beaten down.

[@Humbertusmarius]

Great documentary, a must-see for any motorsports enthusiast.

[@jonathansquires3114]

Excellent video - I learned a lot!

[@grantovenden2646]

What an amazing production - thank you!

[@brucegoodall3794]

O'l LORD won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz... My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends. R.I.P. Janice

[@peoplehavetherights]

I drive a Jaguar

[@johnnyzippo7109]

268.9 MPH !!!!!! Holy smokes ! That is some stompin donkeys at work !

[@dr.wilfriedhitzler1885]

We were superior in any question. We invented TV, Jets, Rockets....

[@Tonik-13]

@@dr.wilfriedhitzler1885 The obsessive theme of superiority is visiting you again. As for television. For the first time, the Russian scientist Boris did it Rosing, on May 9, 1911, he carried out the transmission of a television image of the figures. And the transmission of a moving image was first realized in 1923 by the American Charles Jenkins, but the transmitted image did not contain semitones. The first system with which moving halftone images could be transmitted appeared in 1926. It was created by the Scottish inventor John Baird. Well, missiles were invented in China, just like gunpowder.

[@flugplatz21]

@@dr.wilfriedhitzler1885 There are so many ways in which "you" weren't superior, even the made up ones you list, that it kind of negates a lot. Genocide, along with starting and losing two world wars will do that to a reputation.

[@wacholder5690]

BTW: for those enabled to read german and "fracture fonts". I have the 1938 book "Mein Mann der Rennfahrer" by Elly Rosemeyer-Beinhorn, which highlights the whole story about her and her husband. It also sheds a - well proprotioned and filtered - look behind the curtains of the racedriver business back then until the fatal accident. For a large part it is nice to read and shows the private side of this racedrivers icon. But: it was a book edited by the Nazis finally and even if the original manuscript *might* have pointed out some miseries and political involvements they had been removed accurately. There was a post-war re-issue however. Search for the title.

[@wernerschneider4460]

I can also recommend the autobiography of the legendary Mercedes-team-manager Alfred Neubauer: Männer, Frauen und Motoren (Men, Women and Engines). Politics of the 1930s is not left out.

[@gabrielv.4358]

Awesome car documentary! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR POSTING! AND THANKS FOR WHOEVER CREATED IT!

[@adoreslaurel]

Power and skinny tyres, you had to have nerves of steel.

[@DakarBlues]

And hard rubber!!!

[@OscarP-t1z]

And germanic BALLS​@@DakarBlues

[@OscarP-t1z]

Thank you guys a d gals for the highlight for best commemt- I just subscribed and gave a thumbs up to channel- Notthing BUT pos vibes AND ❤️

[@josephgorman1275]

If they had better tires they would have gone much faster in the turns and that would have been even more deadly.

[@kurtwomack6473]

Well done! The tires were the limiting factor.

[@gotham61]

The event in May 1932 at the Avus circuit was called the AvusRennen, not the German Grand Prix, which was held in July at the Nurburgring.

[@JohnnyDrizzle]

Can someone make a movie of this please!

[@brett22bt]

That would be something else right there. I'd line up to see that.

[@gazfish]

Too soon?

[@JdWitr]

This mini documentary is of excellent quality ☺️

[@deathwrenchcustom]

The Mercedes boys CLEARLY got inspiration from the Monopoly car.

[@hertzair1186]

Excellent documentary

[@StarJar58]

Maybe the T80 needed an inverted airfoil shape with a center of pressure in the middle of the front and rear wheels. Fantastic documentary.

[@dimitriwolfs9370]

Carricaciola???? I thought he just misspoke the first time but then he goes and says it again !!! Carrie Catchy ola. !!!!😂😂🎉

[@crumblefest]

Super video. Cannot wait for the movie: Rosemeyer! (I am available to play Bernard)(or Rudi Carraciola)

[@acetomatocompany]

Great Documentary!! However, I would have liked a lot more information about Hitler’s Supercars racing in New York’s Vanderbilt Cup Race 1936 & 1937 and their dominance. Rosemeyer’s victory in New York. Was that on May 7,1937 ?

[@MichaelElias-q2z]

In the 1920s, Germany was a country with many car manufacturers that produced and sold very few cars. A poor nation with highly advanced technology. An unusual time in history.

[@soppingclam]

Incredible. Just watched this on Prime and can't believe how beautiful the cars were and insanely fast. What a waste of genetic genius from ww2. They were such an amazing people in which we would be no doubt living like the Jetsons if they had won early or never had ww2

[@MichaelElias-q2z]

Ferdinand porsche steps up to the plate for auto union. The two great companies have always cooperated hand and hand.

[@iamrichrocker]

hese cars were developed in the 30s..that it stunning of itself...amazing documentary of details that few knew of..and now we knwo thx

[@RobertJohnson-gk2gj]

In all my 60 years, I never knew all this, only bits & pieces. What a mind blowing story!

[@peterhallock9486]

Best racing documentary on auto racing Grand Prix's yet, many thanks!!!!

[@jamessharp9790]

Fantastic job on this . Thank you

[@carlsmyth7198]

Well put together, great job.

[@kimwarfield1587]

Well done. I’ve seen literally hundreds of films on racing and this is the first time anyone has covered this angle. Again, well done. Here’s the strange thing, both Porsche and Mercedes both had blow over at LeMans and Benz pulled out each time they were involved in disaster decades later.

[@bowelrupture]

The Porsche blow over was at Road Atlanta.

[@kimwarfield1587]

@@bowelrupture nope, they actually had a blow over before Mercedes, during practice at LeMans. I don't remember who the driver was though. I watched the entire event on Speed TV. Couldn't believe Mark Webber walked away from that crash without a cratch. The car went right between the trees after flipping about three times in the air. It was the only endurance race I watched that year.

[@AaronRhodeen]

This is perfect!

[@StevenChampion-kf1oe]

Thank you for posting. Great documentary

[@Hopscotchlemonadespritz]

Safety receiving seemingly the least emphasis during the 20th century's obsession with power and speed. Incredible achievements, yet almost no protection for these brave drivers.

[@anthonystevens403]

a beautiful story

[@ropi4524]

There is a wonderful Audi Union / Horch Museum in Zwickau/ Germany with some race cars at its original spot of the Audi Union Rennabteilung in the Horch factory. A must see!!!!

[@kevinvilmont6061]

Four minutes in and I learned a new word. Modernity.

[@fooman2108]

Almost EVER fighter picture (footage you use is of POSTWAR, Messersmit fighters (the vast majority, is in fact from 'the battle of Britain' (interestingly most of the 'German' aircraft are powered by BRITISH MERLIN ENGINES) the footage of 109s 'dog fighting IS TAKEN DIRECTLY FROM THAT MOVIE!

[@monikasaringer1152]

They were crazy back then, how they even kept them on the road, no air bags, no chute to slow them down, no roll cages back then, did power steering even exist? What happened to the T80, do any of these still exist? Fantastic engineering.

[@yversenyelrezzifeu2401]

Great content! Thanx for sharing such article.

[@Tonyclifton-q4f]

Brilliant narrators most especially the british man with the pale blue shirt ,what a voice ,number 46 is Rossis GP motorcycle number too ,any coincidence?

[@MrKruger88]

Great doc

[@paulomiranda1717]

You guys didn't mentioned Tazio Nuvolari...

[@davidstobie2751]

great stuff

[@drbichat5229]

Those first AutoUnions must have looked like from another planet. Only problem with the documentary is at 24:34 shows the Spanish made version of the Bf 109

[@dipling.pitzler7650]

I think this was a clip from a modern day movie transformed into B/W showing the Buchon a post war version of the BF 109.

[@SuperPanzergrenadier]

Awesome car documentary!

[@billiebleach7889]

45:03 Remember those Mercedes racing cars suddenly going up in the air about a decade ago? (Was it in Le Mans?)

[@AtZero138]

Yes... Also Porsche.. At Le Man..

[@marinedrive5484]

The Auto Union V16 was difficult to handle because of its extreme power-to-weight ratio. It could be induced to wheelspin at over 100 mph. The unequal weight distribution also made it prone to oversteer. Still a brilliant car tho'.

[@cobra3289]

Great documentary, very interesting story.

[@loki7641]

Please next Documentary - Churchill s Supercars ... UK - Warmonger !

[@jeffking4176]

EXCELLENT‼️ 🚗🙂

[@gibbogle]

Hilter, that famous racing driver that I'd never heard of.

[@chriskappert1365]

Not Hitlers , Ferdinand Porsches !

[@robdion9568]

They were both NAZIS.

[@andrewrose8344]

Nicely done

[@prash99]

What Tires were they using back then?!? Tire technology was not great back then.

[@samsquid65]

Wooden Dutch Bicycle tyres. Ik wil mijn fiets terug!

[@markus1642]

Black round pirelli.

[@johnpudney3550]

Continental

[@jerrywatt6813]

MAYPOPS 😊

[@vladimirludvik84]

"In the Czechoslovakian area.." Hmmm interesting phrasing.

[@garneauweld1100]

What a journey!

[@aussiedrifter]

This is without question the best Silver Arrows Documentary I have watched & covers some new little known bits that the other ones do not.

[@kl0wnkiller912]

Those "Bf-109s" that are being shown are not Messerschmitt 109s... Those are CASAs... Licensed built 109s using non-German engines. You can tell by the nose... big intakes under the chin to cover the Rolls-Royce engines. I drove the autobahn at speed when i was stationed in Germany in the US Army in the 1980s. Drove a motorcycle to 140 MPH on it. What a rush...

[@ThomasShelby-uq8cz]

🏎️They say they don't have tires to go 300 in miles an hour nowadays but they could do 260 mph in the 1930s on those tires?? 🤔

[@stejer211]

Maybe the width of the tires has something to do with it? Maybe the difference between 260mph and 300mph is important?

[@malcolmwhite6588]

No much simpler is my understanding: They didn’t know and they didn’t care! Where is today. they know the limits in cars tyres and get rated according to rpm and GeForce loadings on the materials and of course relative longevity and resistance to catastrophic failure

[@stejer211]

@@malcolmwhite6588 So, as long as you don't care, you can go as fast as you like? That doesn't sound very scientific...

[@malcolmwhite3567]

@@stejer211 I know - that was the 30’s: no seatbelt either!

[@doczooc]

The trouble today is just building street legal tyres that can do 300mph and still fulfill all the regulations that keep you from killing yourself. In the 30s, you would die from any number of reasons anyway, so people did not care...

[@BrilliantDesignOnline]

The fastest I have gone on my ZX1100-C Ninja is over 170 mph, and after watching James May go a mental over 250 mph in a modern Bugatti, imagining these guys going over 250 mph in these caveman technology vehicles is mind blowing. My uncle is Ernst von Delius who raced the Auto Union Type C in the mid1930's for Dr. Porsche.

[@MrJohnnyDistortion]

And on old school tire technology.

[@BrilliantDesignOnline]

@@MrJohnnyDistortion Absolutely, I cannot imagine old school tires even going up to 200 mph.

[@ramsnover3599]

Only hints of what Dr. Porsche did in Autounion, he is seen at 45:28.

[@Bozar069]

I always loved the story of the little Alfa that could.

[@arkangelnorthman]

BRAVO!!!

[@threynolds2]

In 1928 there were, on average, 1312 employees per factory. In 1932 there were 1346 employees per factory.

[@jonmulack4226]

Did these cars survive the war? Beautiful machines!

[@MichaelElias-q2z]

Yes, the machines were so advanced. They raced in the 50s and won.

[@sikais17]

@@MichaelElias-q2zno they didn’t participate Mercedes where lost and Auto unions where taken to Soviet union as war trophies. Only original auto union was saved by Viktors Kulbergs in 1970or 80 and taken to Riga from Russia. After that’s Audi made trade with Viktors and Orginal did go to Germany but Audi made patented replica witch now is in Riga motor museum

[@bjs2022]

Shame on the video editor who is guilty of committing the video atrocity of BBC (Blow-up, Blur, Crop) 4:3 aspect ratio films and video (or 4:3 films transferred to video) to fill the 16:9 frame. Doing "click to fill" may look OK on a computer screen (other than the unnaturally overly large images) but on a TV the loss of resolution results in a terrible blurry mush. You are taking standard definition video and degrading it to substandard definition video. You are also altering/censoring the carefully composed and framed 4:3 aspect ratio images by the historical cinematographers and photographers. Leave 4:3 alone!

[@MatthewWilson-vl7qc]

Finally , Done Right ! been watching pieces ,and parts , (And books ) of This for 50 years : This video puts it together , Mercedes W 125 ! YEAH.

[@touraneindanke]

The autobahns first built were from north to south NOT from east to west . The rail roads were built from east to west and were the main way of transport. Millions can unfortunately no longer testify to this but it’s common knowledge!

[@NLynchOEcake]

Gran Turismo does a great job of showing how dramatically ahead of it's time that car was. Early in the game for a fraction of the price of any other supercar, you can get a Streamliner. Just max out the toe on the rear wheels to create a natural self-stability and it will proceed to beat the pants off every race until you start competing against actual supercars. Absolutely horrible handling overall but the brutal amount of torque and power that thing produces at just 3000rpm puts it in a different league. You can really see how deadly of a vehicle it is during top speed runs, no amount of tweaking or adjustment will save it from the dreaded 400kph fishtail

[@robwalker4548]

I have no clue what some talking heads are watching when they speak about what they are suppose to be watching. All those in the race are mostly streamlined and act like Germany had the only one that was.

[@PuncakeLena]

Have to blow up the hype around these things to make people watch and think positively about the documentary I'd rather have had more accurate coverage, agreed

[@justinfuller8803]

Great documentary, but shame about the subtitles which I presume are being dynamically translated.

[@bobyokey]

"Experience the untold story" - really? Nobody knew any of this before? I was interested, though, in the title of the video "1930s Grand Prix - Hilter's Supercars - History Documentary". I would like to know more about this Hilter chap.

[@jstdrv]

He was a family man, a painter and a dog lover, prefering german sheperds.

[@kiwitrainguy]

Also a vegetarian, tea-totaller and a decorated war hero.@@jstdrv

[@ThomasMaddock]

Anybody know whose picture is autographed, hanging on the wall at the beginning in dudes office?

[@DaddyRobotX15]

it looked like Douglas Bader

[@simonkevnorris]

Turin (Torino) is not the capital of Italy. It is the home of FIAT though.

[@stephaniem3580]

Visual flow totally ruined by talking heads. Ken Burns has a lot to answer for!

[@RVail623]

What effect did these automobile engineering advances in 1930's Europe have on U.S.-based auto racing at the same time, such as at the Indianapolis 500? And in later decades with competitions for "land speed record" attempts at the Bonneville Salt Flats in the U.S. State of Utah? Thanks.

[@Project2013B]

45:30 How are the engineers any different from the ones that work today for the US, Russia, and China?

[@sikais17]

No difference this cars was backed by state and that’s says a lot

[@richarddietzen3137]

“At some speed it’s going to lift up.” But after 1944, it would have been driven mostly in reverse.

[@syahidatthararrahman9612]

so, this is the history of Mercedes Benz F1 team SILVER ARROW 👍👍👍😊

[@samsquid65]

Yeah. I thought that too. Along with Hugo Boss. Porsche, VW etc. etc🤔🤫

[@markus1642]

Yess. Exellent products.

[@mshef140]

37:02 DALE #3 🙏👑🙏

[@annawhitis4251]

Excellent German engineering !!!!! 😊

[@clutchkicker392ison5]

WoW, where would we be now.?

[@galier2]

Funny, all the fighter planes they showed in the documentary in the purpose of suggesting the use Daimler-Benz engines were in reality Ha-1112 equipped with Rolls-Royce Merlin engines.

[@HerrStaale]

TV-Serie material?

[@sikais17]

Movie material but this movie should be made by Germans. Only problem Germans now are even afraid of their shadow when you even stretch your right hand.