A short walk from Berlin’s Bradenberg gate, sat a most bizarre and terrifying racing circuit-Avus. In its most extreme form, Avus stretched for twelve miles and consisted of two endless straights. Bookended by a curve at either side, this road going superspeedway lay in the shadows of a city ravaged by political anguish.

Avus became one of the first roads on earth to be surfaced with asphalt and members of the public could take a lap for a modest ten Reichsmarks. Although racing began at the Berlin circuit in 1921, Avus gained its most notorious feature in 1936.

While the circuit hosted the 1936 Berlin Olympics cycle races, the enormous banked North Curve was erected, ready for racing to return in 1937. At a towering 43 degrees, the North Curve banking was soon dubbed ‘The Wall of Death’. Grand prix machines from Mercedes and Auto Union could swoop through the North Curve almost flat out. In 1937, Bernd Rosemeyer lapped the 11.98-mile circuit in his Auto Union at a staggering 171.74 miles per hour. Thirty-one years passed before Graham Hill matched this dizzying speed at the 1968 Indianapolis 500.

Following a World War Two enforced hiatus, racing eventually returned in 1951. At the revival event, 350,000 spectators lined the streets and witnessed East German star Paul Greifzu storm to victory. Throughout the 1950s, racers and spectators flocked to Avus in pursuit of speed and a distraction from the political conflict between East and West.

At the time, the East German communist state (GDR) wished to prove their ideology which furiously opposed the capitalist West. One method of showcasing technical superiority, was via the medium of motorsport. Walter Kaaden’s rasping 2 stroke IFA/MZ motorcycles from Zschopau represented the GDR on two wheels. Eisenacher Motorenwerk (EMW) served the state’s ambitions on four wheels. EMW faced off against rivals from the West, including Porsche.

Despite being an embryonic car manufacturer, Porsche were spurred on by post-war economic recovery in West Germany. By 1956, the Porsche works employed 650 people and had built its 10,000th vehicle. Amongst successes at Le Mans and the Mille Miglia, Porsche also prevailed at Avus.

After setting up the Porsche press department in 1950, Richard von Frankenberg became a Porsche works driver in 1953 and was immediately successful. The Darmstardt native accumulated a multitude of triumphs at Le Mans, the Mille Miglia and countless other major events. von Frankenberg’s exploits at Avus contributed to protecting Porsche’s flourishing domestic reputation.

von Frankenberg and his Porsche colleagues raced in faraway lands such as Sweden, Great Britain and Venezuela, but their East German adversaries at EMW couldn’t dream of such freedom. Controlled by the paranoid powers of the GDR, Edgar Barth and his EMW comrades were rarely allowed to compete in the West. However, the Avus races in Berlin provided a perfect opportunity to take on Porsche.

In 1955, von Frankenberg faced a stern task against the quartet of East German EMWs, led by Edgar Barth. EMW struck a firm blow by defeating Porsche at the Nurburgring in May. Before their Avus duel in September, Porsche had to make improvements to avoid another defeat by their East German rivals.

Porsche squeezed nearly 10% more power out of the 550’s four-cam motor. Coupled with a brand new five speed gearbox, a stiffer chassis and streamlined bodywork, von Frankenberg had the tool to win on the streets of Berlin. Porsche’s PR and racer extraordinaire charged to the 1955 Avus win and the German Championship. On his way to victory, von Frankenberg set a breath-taking average speed of 122.7 miles per hour and was reportedly clocked at 125 miles per hour on the brick surfaced North curve.

A year later, von Frankenberg hit the headlines once again at Avus. Porsche’s engineers tirelessly tinkered with the 550 Spyder recipe in pursuit of performance. Occasionally, this experimentation sent the race cars down an unfavourable path. Unfortunately, Richard von Frankenberg’s steed for the 1956 Avus Races would be one of these rare examples. Known officially as the type 645, von Frankenberg preferred his own nickname – ‘Mickey Mouse’! Built with an incredibly short wheelbase and narrow track, the ‘Mickey Mouse’ proved alarmingly unpredictable compared to the faithful type 550 of the year before.

On Avus’ endless straights, ‘Mickey Mouse’ could be controlled. However, the greasy 43-degree banking of the North Curve, was another matter. During the 1956 Avus race, von Frankenberg risked the perilous North Curve for lap after lap. Eventually, the Porsche star’s luck ran out.

Unable to tame his unruly machine, von Frankenberg skittered up to the top of the North Curve banking and flew over the edge. von Frankenberg vaulted from the Spyder’s cockpit and landed in an acacia bush. ‘Mickey Mouse’ tumbled to ground level and burst into flames. Unperturbed by the poisonous magnesium fumes, bystanders rushed to von Frankenberg’s aid, only to realise he was missing. In fact, the German ace was suspended high above in the bush, but thankfully uninjured. Sadly, ‘Mickey Mouse’ wouldn’t survive ‘The Miracle of Avus’. Wolfgang von Tripps picked up the mantle and sped to a third win in a row for the Zuffenhausen works on the streets of Berlin.

Following the frightening Avus episode, von Frankenberg continued his successful career with Porsche. Both behind the wheel and at the typewriter. Porsche’s competition prowess and reputation owe much to the fastest journalist in history.

Alongside his glittering Porsche career, von Frankenberg held the Nazi’s to account via the written word. Writing under a pseudonym, von Frankenberg co-authored the first biography on Hitler after World War Two. Although only fifteen years old, von Frankenberg had the foresight to bravely photograph the terror of the Nazi’s torching the local synagogue during the Kristallnacht atrocities of 1938.

One cannot ignore the symbolism of the Avus races in Berlin. While Porsche pressed home their advantage gained through financial freedom, EMW comrades struggled during an ever-worsening time for those in East Germany. While the races roared on between the enterprising Porsche works and the communist state’s EMW Rennkollektiv, swarms of East Germans defected to the West in search of a more prosperous life. One of whom would find solace and opportunity with Porsche - former EMW works driver, Edgar Barth.