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Historic Mercedes W196 R ‘Streamliner’ Fetches €46.5 Million at Auction

Virgilio Machado by Virgilio Machado
February 2, 2025
in Motorsports
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Historic Mercedes W196 R ‘Streamliner’ Fetches €46.5 Million at Auction

The legendary Mercedes-Benz W196 R ‘Streamliner’, famously driven by Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss, has become one of the most expensive Formula 1 cars ever sold, hammering for a staggering €46.5 million ($50 million USD) at RM Sotheby’s auction.

An Icon of Grand Prix History

One of only four complete examples in existence, the sleek Silver Arrow was auctioned at the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, with proceeds benefiting the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) Museum’s restoration projects.

With an initial estimate of over €50 million, the bidding quickly surged to €40 million in increments of €5 million, before slowing to its final price.

This 1955 W196 R ‘Streamliner’ now sits among the most valuable race cars ever sold, just behind the record-shattering 1955 Mercedes 300SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe, which fetched €135 million ($142 million USD) in 2022.

The W196 R’s Racing Legacy

This particular chassis, 00009/54, boasts an incredible Grand Prix history:

🏁 Driven to victory by Fangio at the 1955 Buenos Aires Grand Prix, albeit with an open-wheel body.
🏁 Raced by Stirling Moss at the 1955 Italian Grand Prix at Monza with the full streamlined bodywork, setting the fastest lap at 134 mph (215.7 kph) before retiring.

This was also one of the last cars raced before Mercedes-Benz’s dramatic withdrawal from motorsports in the aftermath of the 1955 Le Mans disaster, where 84 spectators tragically lost their lives.

Why This Sale Matters

The car was originally donated to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) Museum by Mercedes in 1965, remaining a centerpiece exhibit for nearly 60 years. However, the IMS Museum has now chosen to part ways with it to fund future restoration projects with a stronger U.S. motorsports focus.

“It’s a beautiful car, it’s a very historic car, it’s just a little bit outside our scope window,” said IMS Museum curator Jason Vansickle. “With this auction and the proceeds raised, it really will allow us … to be better in the future.”

A Collector’s Dream – But Who Bought It?

The buyer’s identity remains undisclosed, but they now own one of the most sought-after Grand Prix cars ever built. This W196 R represents the pinnacle of 1950s Formula 1 engineering, blending cutting-edge aerodynamics with the raw power of Mercedes’ dominant era.

💭 What do you think—was this a fair price for a piece of motorsport history?

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