1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R With Streamlined Body.
Photo: © Mercedes-Benz AG
Auction of the Week: Mercedes Streamliner Sets New Record Selling for $52 Million
The race car was once driven by Formula One legends Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss
Steering wheel of 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R With Streamlined Body Photo: © Mercedes-Benz AG
A Mercedes race car once driven by Formula One legends Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss 70 years ago has become one of the most expensive grand prix car in history when it was sold at RM Sotheby’s this month.
The 1954 Mercedes W196 R, sold on behalf of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, sold for roughly $52 million.
It surpassed the $29.6 million paid in 2013 for a 1954 Mercedes W196 R, which currently holds the record for the most expensive F1 car sold at auction. According to the New York Times, the most expensive car ever sold is a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe, which was sold for $142 million in 2022.
One of four complete models ever made, this particular W196 R has been in the collection of Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum since 1965. When it debuted at the 1954 French Grand Prix, the car is said to have “inspired awe, looking unlike anything anyone had ever seen before in a Formula One race,” Sotheby’s wrote in their catalogue essay.
Back of 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R With Streamlined Body Photo: © Mercedes-Benz AG
Cover: 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R With Streamlined Body.
Photo: © Mercedes-Benz AG
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