A Mercedes raced by Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss could become the most expensive Grand Prix car in history at an auction this weekend.
The W196 R Stromlinienwagen – the “Streamline car” – will go under the hammer in Stuttgart, Germany, on Saturday at a target price of $52 million (€50 million).
To put the figure into context, that’s almost double the current record for a Formula 1 car, which was set by another Mercedes, the W196 which sold for $29 million over 10 years ago.
The accolade for the highest price ever paid for a sports car also belongs to Mercedes, with a 1955 300SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe sold for $140 million in May 2022.
One of four complete examples in existence, the W196 R will be auctioned off by RM Sotheby’s on behalf of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which has owned the car since 1965.
“Without any doubt, it’s the most beautiful race car in the world and ever,” Marcus Breitschwerdt, head of Mercedes-Benz heritage, told Reuters.
“Nothing can compare. It’s simply a masterpiece of style and design.”
“It is very fast. The top speed is actually above and beyond 300kph.”
“I wouldn’t expect that it’s too much of an effort to get it back to driving condition. And we gladly will offer whoever buys the car to do it for them.”
Mercedes Won Titles With The W196
Like the W196 that was sold in 2013, the W196 R Streamliner was raced by Fangio, a five-time Formula 1 world champion.
The Argentine drove chassis 00009/54, which is up for auction this weekend, when he won the 1955 Argentine Grand Prix, a race that did not count towards the world championship.
Fangio’s teammate Stirling Moss raced the same chassis at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in 1955, where he forced to retire.
The car will be auctioned up in its Monza livery with the “streamliner” bodywork and full documentation.
The W196 made its debut in 1954, as Mercedes returned to Grand Prix racing for the first time after World War II and took part in the Formula 1 world championship for the first time.
Derived by the W194, which had triumphed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1952, the W196 did not take to the track until the French Grand Prix, the fourth race of the 1954 championship.
The wait proved to be worth it as Mercedes secured a 1-2 finish, with Fangio, who had joined the Silver Arrows earlier in the season from Maserati, finishing ahead of teammate Karl Kling.
The “streamliner” bodywork with enclosed wheels proved formidable in Reims, a high-speed track with only three corners.
However, the open-wheeled version was favored on slower circuits and the streamliner bodywork only appeared twice more in the 1954 season – at the British and Italian Grands Prix.
Fangio finished fourth at Silverstone and won at Monza, claiming a third consecutive victory after triumphing in Germany and Switzerland to clinch his second world title.
The W196 remained just as successful the following season, with Fangio winning in Argentina and Belgium, as well as taking the top spot in the Dutch and Italian Grands Prix while Moss triumphed on home soil at the British Grand Prix at Aintree.
The W196 streamliner made its last appearance in Italy when Moss drove the 00009/54 chassis, which was fitted with enclosed wheels bodywork.
How Mercedes Went From Tragedy To Triumph
But after winning nine of 12 Formula 1 world championship races it entered, the W196 was abruptly retired at the end of the 1955 season as Mercedes left motorsport after tragedy struck at Le Mans.
Driving a Mercedes 300 SLR, Pierre Levegh crashed into the crowd, killing himself and 83 spectators in the process.
It’s the most catastrophic crash in motorsport history. The incident led to nationwide bans to motorsports in a number of European countries including France, West Germany and Switzerland.
Mercedes returned to Formula 1 as an engine manufacturer in 1994, winning one constructors’ title and three drivers’ titles as McLaren’s engine supplier.
The Silver Arrows eventually returned to the grid in 2010, when Mercedes’ parent company Daimler bought a 45% stake in Brawn Grand Prix, which had won both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles the previous year.
Since his return, Mercedes has won eight consecutive constructors’ crowns between 2014 and 2021 along with seven drivers’ titles – six with Lewis Hamilton and one with Nico Rosberg.
The W196 streamliner is the first of 11 cars the Indianapolis Museum will sell at three separate auctions this year.
This article was originally published on forbes.com.
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