Mercedes reveals one-off German GP celebratory livery

After teasing its special "125 years in motorsport" livery earlier this week, Mercedes has unveiled the commemorative white motif that will adorn its cars this weekend at Hockenheim.

The German Grand Prix will mark the team's 200th start in F1, but Mercedes is also celebrating the very first motorsport event which took place 125 years ago.

The event was a Paris to Rouen race held on France's open roads which was won by a Peugeot powered by a 3.5 bhp engine designed by Daimler.

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The milestone is an opportunity for Mercedes - the title sponsor of this weekend's German Grand Prix - to pay tribute to it past by running a matte white livery that harks back to the manufacturer's pre-war days in Grand Prix racing.

"The Eifelrennen, held on 3 June 1934 at the Nürburgring, was the first race in which the Mercedes-Benz W25 competed," explains the manufacturer.

"The car was a newly designed race car for the 1934 Grand Prix season, which saw the introduction of a new set of regulations that limited the total weight of the car to 750 kilograms without fuel, oil, coolant, and tyres.

"It was a mighty race car, but according to Silver Arrows legend there was one small issue with it: when the W25 was weighed the day before its first race, it was slightly above the weight limit of 750 kg.

"Allegedly, the team was able to bring the weight down to within regulatory limits by scraping off its white paint.

"Without the white paint, the metal bodywork of the car was exposed, giving it a silver look: the first Silver Arrow was born."

The white paint is back for this weekend, but its doubtful the mighty Merc will weigh in significantly above the regulation's minimum weight!

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