A streamlined Mercedes raced by Formula One greats Stirling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio in 1955 set a record for a grand prix car on Saturday, selling at auction for more than €51 million (R987.17 million). The sleek, silver W196 R Stromlinienwagen, one of only four complete examples in existence, was sold by RM Sotheby’s at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, on behalf of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS).
The car had a price estimate of more than €50 million, and the bidding rapidly reached €40 million in €5 million increments. It eventually eased off before reaching a final hammer price of €46.5 million (R900.1 million). This final figure includes the buyer’s premium, though the identity of the buyer has not yet been disclosed.
Interestingly, the costliest car ever sold at auction remains the 1955 Mercedes 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe sports car, which fetched €135 million (R2.61 billion) in May 2022. The previous highest price for a grand prix car was held by another ex-Fangio Mercedes W196 from 1954, which sold for $29.6 million (approximately R573 million) at Goodwood, England, back in 2013.
The IMS car, now available for private ownership with its streamlined body configured, was previously piloted to victory by five-time world champion Fangio at the Buenos Aires Grand Prix, where he employed its conventional cigar-shaped body on the same chassis. Teammate Stirling Moss would later race with the wider, streamlined body at the season-ending Italian Grand Prix at Monza, where he retired after setting the fastest lap, reaching speeds of 215.7 km/h.
This historic race also marked the conclusion of the Mercedes stable's “Silver Arrows” era, as the manufacturer withdrew from factory-sponsored motorsport after the infamous 1955 Le Mans disaster, which tragically claimed 84 lives.
Mercedes made its return to Formula One as an engine provider starting in 1994 and launched its own works team from 2010. The auctioned car, identified by chassis number 00009/54, was originally donated to the IMS by Mercedes itself back in 1965. The auction sought not just to capitalize on the car’s historical significance but also to generate funds for the museum’s restoration activities and pursue acquisitions more focused on the US racing scene.
Reflecting on this momentous sale, Jason Vansickle, curator of the museum, commented, "It’s a beautiful car, it’s a very historic car, it’s just a little bit outside our scope window. We’ve been fortunate to be stewards of this vehicle for nearly 60 years, and it has been a great piece of the museum; but with this auction and the proceeds raised, it really will allow us to improve and evolve for the future."