Pre-war grand prix legend Hans Stuck died on this day in 1978. Ferdinand Porsche's radical V16 engine, which Stuck drove, was the perfect fit for grand prix racing's new pre-war formula. In the hands of Auto Union's drivers, the V16 brought German dominance to circuits across Europe
In 1933, a German car won only one major international race; the Finnish Grand Prix where local driver Karl Ebb took victory in a Mercedes-Benz SSK. Alfa Romeo and Maserati were the dominant forces of the day, with drivers such as Tazio Nuvolari and Luigi Fagioli sweeping all before them. Just three years later, the Italians barely got a look in as the European Championship was steamrollered by Auto Union three to one against Mercedes.
The march of the pre-war German racing machines was inexorably linked to Adolf Hitler's rise to power, after the Fascist leader became the country's chancellor in January 1933. Like many before and since, international sporting success was seen as a means to assert Germany's status on the international stage and what better tool for the job than motorsport, representing as it does both the heroism of drivers and technological prowess?
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