Mercedes-Benz created the Mercedes-Benz W196 that Juan Manuel Fangio drove to the 1954 Formula One title.
The W196 debuted at the 1954 French Grand Prix, where Fangio and Karl Kling finished first and second. Its advanced features included a straight-eight engine with desmodromic valve operation and direct fuel injection derived from Mercedes-Benz racing technology.
Fangio won the 1954 championship after joining Mercedes-Benz partway through the season. He won four of the six championship races in which he started, including the opening race for the W196.
The W196 appeared in both streamlined and open-wheel forms. The streamlined body was suited to fast circuits, while the open-wheel version was used where the wheels needed to remain exposed. The car should not be confused with Mercedes-Benz’s later W196 R sports-racing car.