A rare Mercedes-Benz W196 R Streamliner, which was driven by legendary drivers Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss, was sold for a record amount of €51,155,000.
This took place at an auction held by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, 50 years after the rare model, marking a successful era for Mercedes-Benz in Formula 1, was donated to the American museum by the German manufacturer itself in 1965.
The model where Fangio and Moss sat thus became the most valuable Formula 1 vehicle ever sold, all for a good cause, as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, in an effort to raise funds for its maintenance and expansion, hired the auction house RM Sotheby’s to sell a series of some of its most desired automobiles from its collection.
Among the models sought after by many collectors was the W 196 R Streamliner, which was sold at a special auction held on the first day of February at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, fetching €51.155 million (approximately US$ 53 million).
The buyer who preferred to remain anonymous takes home one of the four existing examples in the world of the Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Streamliner, also known as the Silver Arrows, from Mercedes-Benz.
The W196 R Streamliner was a Formula 1 model developed by the German brand for the 1954 and 1955 seasons. Its inline 8-cylinder engine produced 257 hp and utilized a direct fuel injection system inspired by aeronautical technology.
Meanwhile, the aluminum tubular chassis and the ultralight body made from a magnesium alloy contributed to its light weight and improved performance.
