Britain’s Silver Arrow 30 September 1938

ESTABLISHED 1895

LONG BEFORE SIR Lewis Hamilton drove dominant Mercedes grand prix cars to an amazing six world titles in seven years, there was another young Brit starring for Stuttgart.

Richard Seaman, also known as Dick, was arguably our greatest prewar racer. Born into a wellto-do family, he studied at Cambridge but resolved to become a racing driver, his enthusiasm sparked by an event at Shelsley Walsh.

And so in 1933 Seaman began his career with a Bugatti from his parents. Wins soon came, the first in an MG at the 1934 Swiss Grand Prix, followed by an ace 1935 season for ERA.

Seaman’s talent caught the attention of Mercedes motorsport boss Alfred Neubauer, who offered him a test drive after his series of fine wins in 1936.

Thus an aristocratic Englishman joined one of the two all-conquering German grand prix teams, alongside national heroes Rudolf Caracciola and Manfred von Brauchitsch.

Seaman won in just his third grand prix driving the terrifying W154 – at the Nürburgring, no less, beating three team-mates and four Auto Union cars.

The RAC held a dinner to honour this landmark win, which we attended, reporting with pleasure that friendliness was felt between drivers British and German, in spite of the political tensions.

War would be declared a year later – but Seaman never had to settle his divided loyalties (his wife was from Munich, too). Leading the 1939 Belgian Grand Prix in heavy rain, he skidded into a tree and was set ablaze. He made it to a hospital but soon succumbed, aged just 26.