1954 Mercedes W196

1/18th replica by AutoArt
A beautiful racer, so radically different, inside and out.
The W196 was introduced at the 1954 Reims Grand Prix, which it won. The big eight cylinder engine was a marvel of engineering in 1954. The big Mercedes generally bested the competition, which includes names like Ferrai and Jaguar. The 1955 season was the most tragic season in motorsport history as a Mercedes Benz 300SLR flew into the crowd at LeMans, killing 87 people. At the end of the season Mercedes Benz withdrew again from motorsport. Another beautiful race car, the Jaguar 'D' type picked up the top spot which it held for several years.

Burning the Midnight Oil

Call sign 'Tanker five-zero', a DC-6B air tanker contracted to the U.S.F.S. for forest fire suppression duties.

NORTH
Soft tundra, mosquitoes’ waist deep,
a thriving moody beast.
Wind from beating wings, deafening in its silence.
Twilight confusing our mentality.
Sun low on its ride, chased by dark acrid smoke-screeching for the stars,
lightening the birth mother of this flame, crinkling yellow to the Bering Sea.
In awe, running silent we drive our machine, cockpit lights low, simply aghast at the fury.
Thinking as mortals, to trump an angry God. So foolish a thought, we sink into ambiguity.
Alaska does it furiously.
Wild land fire, bears, and things.

A vintage Douglas DC-6 tin toy in Pan American Airline colors. Company call sign 'Clipper'. A sad day when it ceased to be heard in the airways of the world.