Christian Lautenschlager

Christian Lautenschlager
  • Surname
    Lautenschlager
  • First name
    Christian
  • Date of birth
    13.04.1877
  • Date of death
    03.01.1954

Born in Magstadt, this Swabian joined Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) as an assembler in 1899, having already worked for various other companies. Six years later, he was transferred to the driving department as a foreman and from 1908 also sat at the wheel of Mercedes racing cars with great success. Lautenschlager's successes resulted from his driving style: clever, cool and deliberate, gentle and yet fast.

He is best known for his two victories in the Grand Prix de l'A.C.F., which was held in the highest esteem in the early days of racing and was tantamount to an automotive world championship. He achieved his first triumph in 1908 in Dieppe on the English Channel coast in the newly designed Mercedes Grand Prix racing car. in 1914, Lautenschlager led the Mercedes team to a legendary triple victory with a tactical and driving masterstroke, the first in motorsport history. He won ahead of his brand colleagues Louis Wagner and Otto Salzer. The Grand Prix cars with 4.5 litre displacement and four-valve technology had been specially designed for this race and produced 115 hp.

Even after the First World War, Lautenschlager was still part of the driving elite of the DMG works team. However, he only competed sporadically in events as diverse as the Targa Florio in Sicily in 1922 and 1924 and Indianapolis in 1923. Lautenschlager remained loyal to his employer until his retirement in 1936 and served as foreman of the driving department.

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