In 1952, Mercedes-Benz returned to motorsport with the newly developed 300 SL (W 194) racing sports car. The streamlined sports car, with its unusual entry through an upward-swinging door that ran from the lower edge of the side window to the middle of the roof, immediately captivated racing enthusiasts.
After a successful debut at the Mille Miglia, the 300SL faced another fight for victory at the international sports car race for the Grand Prix of Bern on 18 May 1952.
Three officially entered 300SL cars, painted in an unusually colourful livery for Mercedes in dark red (Rudolf Caracciola, #16), green (Karl Kling, #18) and blue (Hermann Lang, #20), along with the reserve car in silver driven by Fritz Rieß (#22), took on their rivals from Ferrari, Lancia, Aston Martin and Jaguar. In the end, Mercedes celebrated an impressive one-two-three finish, with Karl Kling as the winner and Hermann Lang and Fritz Rieß taking second and third place. Sadly, the joy of victory was overshadowed by Rudolf Caracciola's tragic accident, when a locked front-wheel brake sent him off the track in the 13th lap and he crashed into a tree. He had to be taken to hospital with a broken thigh bone and further injuries.
His recovery took a long time, and the fracture and a subsequent knee operation left lasting impairment to his right leg, which meant the end of his racing career.
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