1937 Vanderbilt Cup -- Bernd Rosemeyer and Elly on ship to America

The dashing and winning racecar, blond and blue eyed driver, Bernd Rosemeyer and his aviatrix wife, Elly Beinhorn, were perfect tools of the Nazi party and Hitler was quick to present them as the model of Aryan perfection.

Women who went flying were very few and far between, and it was rather frowned upon. It was a man's thing. Elly had done this, and was a huge star in Germany and in other parts of Europe before anyone had heard of Bernd Rosemeyer. So once he got going and his career took off. They were like a magic couple.

In 1937 airfreight wasn't an option so racing in America meant packing the cars and the teams onboard the Bremen and making the trans-Atlantic crossing. Geo-political turmoil of the time was spreading from Europe to America and there is no doubt that nationalistic baggage was also packed in with the teams, their gear and their otherworldly cars as they set sail from Germany.

Both teams, Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union, made the trek, each planning to field two drivers in America, and the roster included Auto Union star Bernd Rosemeyer and Mercedes-Benz top driver Rudolf Caracciola. Travelling with the Auto Union team were also Ferdinand Porsche and his son Ferry, while Rosemeyer's wife and flying star Elly Beinhorn also joined.

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