Motor Racing with Mercedes-Benz

The members’ library of the Sporting Car Club of South Australia is a quiet, studious space: Mostly…

Arriving a few Wednesdays ago, I was greeted with both a bellow and a beckon, the waving volunteer informing me that he had a book which was me to a tee: He was spot on.

George Monkhouse (1907-1993), a senior executive with Kodak, was unquestionably one of the world’s finest motor racing photographers. His work spanned two great eras of the sport, and his book Motor Racing with Mercedes-Benz (1938, updated 1948 – this edition) is regarded as one of the principal records of the pre-war age.

In 1937, as a friend of Richard Seaman (who had just been recruited as a factory driver for the Mercedes squad), and following an invitation from Dr Wilhelm Kissel (the future first chairman of Daimler-Benz), Monkhouse found himself firmly within the inner circle of the Silver Arrows. This book, his account of not only the races, but of the preparations and aftermaths, isn’t just a written and photographic record of extraordinary times; it’s a privileged insight into the ways Herren Uhlenhaut (the Rennabteilung’s technical manager/designer) and Neubauer (Mercedes’ Rennleiter) built one of the most formidable teams of cars, racers and technicians ever seen.

When not travelling to the Grands Prix of the time, Monkhouse would resume his day job (later becoming Kodak’s UK chief engineer). His dedication to this role is also evident as pages are turned; not only does he carefully detail every race, test and briefing he attends, but he takes readers to the heart of the action with a collection of his photographs that Motorsport described as “the finest published collection of racing pictures we have ever seen.”  For years, this alone would make the book required reading, but such was his fervour for his art that he also goes to great lengths to explain the kit he equipped himself with, the role each camera body was best suited for, and the positions/techniques/settings employed to achieve the very best results.

The more I delved into this book, the more I understood its importance. There are some truly exceptional motor racing authors and historians producing magnificent volumes about days and nights long passed, but they weren’t there and they didn’t see, feel and smell the glories and tragedies for themselves. Monkhouse, on the other hand, was not only present throughout, his sharp eye witnessed moments that might otherwise have been lost; such as the playful Auto Union driver Bernd Rosemeyer, who, at the trophy presentation for the 1937 German Grand prix, jokingly took a cigarette from his mouth and placed it between the lips of the heavy bronze bust of the Goddess of Speed, presented to race winner Rudi Caracciola by Hitler. There are also careful but pointed descriptions of the increasingly visible presence at races by paramilitary elements of the Nazi state, such as the Kraftfahrt Korps (NSKK), the organisation supposedly dedicated to driver training and vehicle maintenance, being readied for a key logistics role through conflict. But mostly, it’s the way he records even the smallest of details to build a picture that no other reporter could ever paint.

Curating a personal book collection should always be a matter of individual taste and is often influenced by cost. I’ve now ordered my own vintage copy through AbeBooks as a permanent reminder of the dedication needed to truly represent the best of our sport, whether behind the wheel, in the design office, in the garage, or on the sidelines, watching, listening, recording, and reporting.

Front cover illustration by Peter Lowry for “Motor Racing with Mercedes-Benz” by George Monkhouse. Edition published by G.T. Foulis & Co. Reproduced under Fair Dealing for the sole purpose of book review and commentary.

 Photographs and chart by George Monkhouse, from “Motor Racing with Mercedes-Benz” (1948 Edition). Reproduced under Fair Dealing for historical review and critique.