By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. The sport of motor racing is filled with memorable races marked by both triumph and tragedy. It's the nature of the sport that these two extremes have left such an indelible impression that they live on for decades, leaving a legacy that is part and parcel of our collective memories. The many heroic individuals - and individual efforts - that have carved out their place in motorsport history are too often luridly offset by gut-wrenching tragedies that have torn us apart along the way. It is an unfortunate consequence of a sport that consumes everything and everyone in its path, a fevered, relentless pursuit marked by unbridled elation and devastating, soul-crushing disappointment. In this series I will try to avoid dwelling on the tragic stories, because as enthusiasts of this sport we are all too familiar with them. If, in the course of talking about a particular race mentioning a tragic event is unavoidable that will have to be, but this series will mainly focus on those glorious moments from those glory days that rivet us to this day.

(Primotipo/Getty Images)
The Avus circuit, in Berlin, was built as a automotive test track in 1921. Racing took place there on and off until 1936, when the German transportation authorities decided to rebuild what was then the fastest circuit in the world into something even more. Much more. A "Nordschleife" was added, which featured a massive 43-degree banked curve made entirely out of hand-laid bricks dubbed "The Wall of Death" for one very obvious reason: There was no retaining wall to keep cars from exiting the speedway!

(Promotipo/Getty Images)
On May, 30, 1937, a non-championship "Formula Libre" F1 race meeting was held, which allowed "special" cars to be entered. And the factory racing teams from Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz pulled out all the stops by bringing purpose-built stromlinien ("streamlined") racers designed for the high banking at Avus that looked more like land speed record cars than their normal Grand Prix machines. 

(Promotipo/Getty Images)
As always with the two German manufacturers - which were financed by the Hitler regime - national pride was on the line, and over 350,000 spectators flocked to Avus to see the magnificent machines and the breathtaking speeds. And they were not disappointed. Bernd Rosemeyer (No. 31 Auto Union Type C V16 stromlinien) turned a lap of 176.7 mph in practice. Think about that for a moment. In 1937, with the tire technology of the day. Simply incredible.

(Promotipo/Getty Images)
Luigi Fagioli (No. 33 Auto Union Type C V16 stromlinien) qualified on the pole for Heat 2 with an average speed of 174 mph. Three heats were run because of worries about the durability of the specially-built racing slicks. (Uh, no kidding.) The first two heats were seven laps each; the final was eight laps. 

(Getty Images)
A fantastic image from that day: Rudolph Caracciola (No. 35 Mercedes-Benz W25 stromlinien) and Bernd Rosemeyer (No. 31 Auto Union Type C V16 stromlinien) duel on the high banks of Avus in 1937. 

(Promotipo/Getty Images)
Bernd Rosemeyer (No. 31 Auto Union Type C V16 stromlinien) blasts past the main grandstand at Avus in 1937. 

(Mercedes-Benz)
The two factory Mercedes-Benz W25 stromlinien driven by Manfred von Brauchitsch (No. 36) and Herman Lang (No. 37) at Avus, 1937.

(Promotipo/Getty Images)
There was no mistaking the graphics on the No. 35 Mercedes-Benz W25 stromlinien driven by Rudolph Caracciola. The Hitler-led German government financially supported both Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union to promote German technical might. 

(Promotipo/Getty Images)
During practice for the Formula Libre race weekend, Herman Lang’s car had full wheel covers fitted for the first practice session. He was doing 390kmh when trapped air under the car lifted the front wheels completely off of the ground. Luckily, Lang kept his cool and managed to bring the wheels back down. Needless to say, the wheel covers were removed for the race!

(Promotip/Getty Images)
Hermann Lang (No. 37 Mercedes-Benz W25 stromlinien) won the final heat with an average speed of 171 mph, which remained the fastest road race in history for almost five decades. Lang's race average speed was not exceeded until the 1986 Indianapolis 500, won by Bobby Rahal.

(Timeline Images)
Avus was used for racing until 1998 when it was absorbed fully into Germany’s road network as autobahn No. 115.

Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG