‘Exploded F1 car’ model at Mercedes-Benz World
Guest articles
Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands
F1 Fanatic guest writer Kevin Parrott headed to Mercedes-Benz World at Brooklands to check out their collection of F1 and other classic cars.
Have a look at his pictures from the museum below including a fascinating, life-size model of an ‘exploded’ Formula 1 car.
‘Mercedes World’ was built in 2006 inside the ring of the famous Brooklands track, the first purpose-built racing circuit in the world.
It’s a car showroom with the added benefit of having an off-road course, for four-wheel-drive experiences, handling track with and skid pan, on-site hotel, cafe, shop, museum and occasional rock concert venue.
The first thing I notice is an immaculate convertible Mercedes 190 SL from 1955. A close relative of one of my favourite cars of all time – the famous 300 SL – they share many beautiful lines.
Moving on further, the next thing to catch my eye is another familiar sight even closer to my heart. The 2008 to 2009 Formula One safety car. Branded, flashing lights and all.
I start at the top and work my way down. At the top floor I am greeted by a 300SL, one of the most beautiful cars to turn a wheel, which briefly distracts me from my task of finding F1 machinery.
Hakkinen and Hamilton’s cars
Winding down the curved staircase I am so glad to be met by ‘an old friend’: the McLaren MP4-14 of Mika Hakkinen.
This 1999 car was from right about when I really started to love Formula One so, an important car for me. It was the car which Hakkinen used to defend his 1998 title against rivals Ferrari.
Suspended above is a 2006-spec F1 engine 2.4L V8. Up close you can really appreciate just how intricate it is!
Near to it is one of the cars that was powered by a Mercedes V8 – Lewis Hamilton‘s 2007 MP4-22.
This car was fielded by McLaren on the tenth anniversary of their partnership with Mercedes and took Hamilton to within a single point of winning the title at his first attempt.
Amusingly, the official FIA barcode sticker on the tyre of Hamilton’s car reads: ‘Not for highway use’ (see picture below). Some things are so obvious they just shouldn’t need stating!
Other F1 cars sit alongside the McLarens. A 2009-spec Force India VJM02 – the first of their cars to use Mercedes power.
There’s another car painted in the 2010 Petronas Mercedes F1 team livery but it’s made up of bodywork I do not recognise.
‘Exploded F1 car’
But the most impressive sight is still to come – a Formula 1 car caught in what seems to be mid-explosion! Thousands upon thousands of individual F1 components are suspended from the ceiling on wires. The components form the shape of a life-size exploded diagram like something out of a Haynes manual.
The piece is actually an art installation by Dutch artist Paul Veroude called ‘View Suspended II’. It consists of over 3,200 real individual F1 components.
To see with your own eyes is certainly impressive – not just to understand how all of this intricate detail fits together to form a Formula One car but the sheer logistics of making and assembling the artwork you are looking at boggles the mind.
From tiny screws, gear ratios, clutch plates, and exhaust manifolds, right up to large bodywork pieces, it’s all there in glorious 3D.
Aside from the F1 cars, there are some beautiful examples of old Mercedes there, including a replica of ‘the worlds first automobile’ from 1886 contrasted against the very latest in luxury super cars.
As I head out I could hear the deep roar of a powerful engine splitting the air.
A fresh batch of lucky power sliders were on the skid pan. Fighting with the wheel of an SLS looks like a lot of fun. I must go back soon and try it out!
Kevin’s pictures from Mercedes World
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- Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands
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- Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands
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- Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands
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- Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands
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- Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands
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- Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands
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- Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands
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- Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands
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- Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands
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- Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands
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- Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands
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- Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands
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- Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands
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- Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands
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- Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands
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- Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands
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- Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands
This is a guest article by Kevin Parrott. If you want to write a guest article for F1 Fanatic you can find all the information you need here.
Guest articles
- Open season in prospect for GP2 in 2013
- Will F1′s UK audience recover from its 2012 slump?
- Why You Should Watch… NASCAR
- Why Hamilton and Mercedes could surprise in 2013
- The search for Formula One’s next Asian driver
- Watching Brazil’s spellbinding F1 season finale
- Your 2012 F1 season predictions revisited
- Top ten: Schumacher comeback moments
- 2012 Indian Grand Prix in Tweets
- Top ten greatest Formula 1 designers (Part two)
Image © Kevin Parrott
Rob G (@rob-g) said on 3rd March 2011, 17:15
Really good article, does anyone recognise what car that Mercedes is? (the one with the livery) Obviously it’s been mixed and matched but I don’t recognise any of the pieces hardly.
Eggry (@eggry) said on 3rd March 2011, 17:43
There’re same(likely) two cars behind it but it seems like they’re Force India and Mclaren livery.
The Genuine Jim said on 3rd March 2011, 18:00
is it not Honda’s old hybrid-rules test mule from post-season testing ’08? It has been used in merc promo stuff before.
BasCB (@bascb) said on 3rd March 2011, 18:25
I thought about that as well, here is a picture of them testing the 2009 spec wings.
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/delarosa_digrassi_2009testing_470150.jpg
BasCB (@bascb) said on 3rd March 2011, 18:27
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/lucasdigrassi_honda_2009testing-8.jpg
is the right picture.
But that is not the car, as it has different suspension and sidepods, the nose looks pretty close.
Actually, is it possibly an older Sauber from the time when they had Mercedes power? Or just an older BAR?
Grace said on 3rd March 2011, 19:03
I name that car in 1 :)
http://stadium.weblogsinc.com/autoblog/videos/HiRezPics/VX3M2888-.jpg
Scribe (@scribe) said on 3rd March 2011, 23:34
Good spot. Bit silly to change the livery though huh? Somewhat childish even.
matt90 (@matt90) said on 4th March 2011, 8:52
Yeah I was about to mention this. Saw it at the British motor show several years ago. Also, changing the front wing makes it look ridiculous.
matt90 (@matt90) said on 4th March 2011, 8:53
The front wing I’m talking about is on the complete car pictured below the exploded one.
SteveMovieVoice (@welshf1) said on 3rd March 2011, 17:18
Ive never seen those merc liveried cars before. The only team I could place it with is BAR/Honda, afterall, Mercedes does have its roots with those teams.
SteveMovieVoice (@welshf1) said on 3rd March 2011, 17:22
Infact the first pic looks a little like the 2008 Honda, a little bit. The rest might just be random show cars.
The exploded car is a piece of art though.
Feynman said on 3rd March 2011, 17:38
The exploded car is a Honda, painted silver.
The display car is BAR-003, painted silver.
What kind of museum resprays history and tries to trick its vistors?
Ned Flanders (@ned-flanders) said on 3rd March 2011, 17:47
I don’t think it’s the BAR 003. Or it doesn’t look like it anyway:
http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/BAR/bar_003_honda_manu-01_07.jpg
Feynman said on 3rd March 2011, 17:56
They crudely nailed on a fake, more contemporary looking front wing, and some other odds and end, but the car is a BAR-003.
Compare -
Faux-Merc:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v721/minardifans/merc.jpg
BAR_003:
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5209/5309586051_7f82e258a1_z.jpg
BasCB (@bascb) said on 3rd March 2011, 18:34
They have done pretty much then. A fake nose, a different rear wing, taken off the extra flaps in front of the rear wing, etc.
And look at the cockpit, that car has the higher sides so it is a bit newer car than the BAR. When were those hightened for the first time?
BasCB (@bascb) said on 3rd March 2011, 18:51
Actually I think it is rather a BAR 005 from 2003, here with Button in it:
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/butt_bar_nurb_2003-470×314.jpg
and from the presentation http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/bar_2003_launch_6-208×117.jpg
If that’s it, they still had to do the wings and rear bodywork, but the airbox and cockpit are right and the nose has the same rather prolongued and sharp lines.
Jimbo said on 3rd March 2011, 20:03
I’ve been to Mercedes-Benz World recently and have photos of all the cars pictured here (minus the exploded car) and can tell you that “BAR-003″ is nothing but a plastic fake thing. It just about holds together. It’s a mish-mash of random copied parts and the sidepods are just oddly shaped square things with painted on holes. It looks like it is made of cardboard in the flesh. Especially compared with the Force-India and McLaren they have sitting next to it.
Jimbo said on 3rd March 2011, 20:13
Here is a photo of it from the side
Jimbo said on 3rd March 2011, 20:22
On second thought, it might be made of cardboard, but that main body does look like the BAR-003.
verstappen said on 4th March 2011, 12:27
Strange to do this. I mean, they have powered first McLaren and later on Force India and BrawnGP.
Their engine won championships, gave FI their first pole etc.
Should be something to be proud of in itself, right?
And anything which slightly resembles, or looks like it has something to do with the earthdreams era, should be hidden from the public forever!
verstappen said on 4th March 2011, 12:28
Oh and I forgot: to repaint a work of art because it fits your history better. Disgusting!
Dipak T said on 3rd March 2011, 17:40
Is that a permanent exhibit. I must go see this!
BasCB (@bascb) said on 3rd March 2011, 18:52
Great article, sounds like Mercedes built a really nice facility there!
Andy C said on 3rd March 2011, 19:59
They might want to do that to the 2011 car, and bring the old Brawn out of retirement, get rid of the double diffuser and use that.
On current form, I doubt that would be any worse than the current one.
I’d really like for Merc to get the car right, as I think it would be interesting for F1 to have rosberg and Schumacher fighting in the podiums too.
Paulio said on 3rd March 2011, 20:04
The best article I’ve read in a while! More from this writer please!
Butler258 said on 3rd March 2011, 20:57
If anyone ever has the chance i would highly recommend going to the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart, its amazing. It sounds similar to that one in Brooklands but its much bigger.
They have an exploded F1 car, there, but its no where near as impressive as the one in the post if im honest.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner) said on 3rd March 2011, 20:59
That looks like a fantastic trip out. I must go some time and some time soon! My kind of museum :D
Fantastic images.
Bionicman said on 3rd March 2011, 21:11
Even the McLaren is a trick; look inside the cockpit and you’ll see a sticker saying it’s an MP4-20 from the 2005 season – ex-Raikkonen/Montoya car. Aerodynamics match the chassis and it is only painted to look like Hamilton’s 2007 car.
Otherwise a fantastic day out, combine it with a trip to Brooklands Museum.
Feynman said on 3rd March 2011, 21:52
Here’s how an MP4-20 is actually supposed to look.
http://wakahakkinen.web.infoseek.co.jp/menu/minicar/F1/kimi/special/10-06-7b.jpg
Is any car safe from these Mercedes airbrush vandals, is there nothing they won’t respray and try to fob-off on an unsuspecting public?
Pretty tawdry behaviour, dressing them up in other car’s clothes, snapping bits off, gluing bits on … how about a bit of respect for these cars and their own individual respective historical legacies?
f1yankee said on 3rd March 2011, 22:31
not when there’s money to be made. this is phase 2 of the cars’ careers.
Calum said on 4th March 2011, 16:31
Oh no! I was driving home in my S Class, and a gust of wind ripped the top coat of paint off – and revealed that my Mercedes is actually a 4 year old Honda Prius – slow and unreliable in the same vein those Honda F1 cars were…
Swampie said on 23rd March 2011, 11:40
Hey, glad I wasn’t the only one to notice that. Went there this weekend, saw the MP4-20 chassis sticker inside the cockpit and wondered how they could paint it with Hamilton’s name and say it’s the MP4-22.
I also noticed there that the exploded F1 car has V10 exhausts and a V8 engine… admittedly, the description next to it says that it’s made up from various parts, and isn’t a single car.
f1yankee said on 3rd March 2011, 22:33
thanks, kevin. are there any more pics of the safety car? it’s my favorite :D
RadioMan said on 4th March 2011, 1:52
Exploded car = BAR005 ran in 2003
Parked car(wt Macca Livery) = BAR004 from 2002 + New front wing & etc.
wasiF1 (@wasif1) said on 4th March 2011, 1:58
I get jealous when I see some people writing ‘guest article’ about something related to F1 as they visit somewhere which I couldn’t.That exploded’ Formula 1 car is great,good work by Paul Veroude.
matt90 (@matt90) said on 4th March 2011, 9:00
Best car there has to be the W196 streamliner at the end. The most beautiful F1 car ever.