The 1954 W196 R Stromlinienwagen, which is the rare and legendary Mercedes-Benz racing car, will be the most expensive Formula One car to have ever gone on sale at auction. This 1955 streamlined machine, which will be going under the hammer in Stuttgart, was raring around the tracks and under the watchful eye of two legends in motorsports, namely Stirling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio. According to the auction house RM Sotheby, its historical importance, rareness, and pedigree of its design are likely to see it go at least at a price of over 50 million euros (52 million US dollars).
The vehicle, of which there are only four comprehensively complete cars that exist, is being sold on behalf of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). In case the estimate is achieved, it will become the second-most expensive car ever sold at auction, after the 1955 Mercedes 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe, which sold in 2022 to the tune of 135 million. It would, though, set a new record among all grand prix sellers-another Fangio-driven Mercedes W196, which fetched 29.6 million in a 2013 auction at Goodwood. Since people love to bet on anything, if you search well, you will probably also find a place where you can win by guessing the amount paid at the auction for W196 R. If you prefer more classic bets, you can find a place for online betting among numerous reputable casinos.
Chassis no. 00009/54 has a special position in the history of racing. What is more, it was campaigned by two of the most famous respected drivers in the sport, and it is also the first streamlined-bodied W196 R to ever come to a privately held acquisition. Most prominently, Juan Manuel Fangio won with it in its open-wheel guise at the non-championship Buenos Aires Grand Prix of 1955. In its lighter, simpler form, it was driven by Stirling Moss on the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, where it recorded the fastest lap at an average speed of 215.7 km/h, albeit after being forced to retire.
The Design That Changed an Era of Motorsports
The W196 R Stromlinienwagen, sometimes called a Silver Arrow, was a technological and visual marvel of its day. With smoothly integrated wheel arches, the aerodynamic shape was designed specifically to work in high-speed circuits like Monza and Reims. In comparison, its open-wheeled alternative was used at more technically challenging circuits. It was an aerodynamic breakthrough in grand prix car technology between the pre-war tradition and the post-war engineering creativity.
Speed was not the only thing that Mercedes-Benz was doing in its design in the 1950s, but also being dominant. The 1954 and 1955 grand prix seasons could be described as the era of the W196 R as it pulverized its opposition and sealed numerous victories for the German brand. Being back in the race became a way in which this company regained its presence in the industry, and the car soon denoted unequal technical perfection and aesthetic beauty.
The sold W196 R is in its Monza paint and has full documentation that proves its authentic status and lineage. It is also among the only handful of its kind that is still in such good shape due to the several decades of its display and care by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
Second Life of a Car and a Mission of a Museum
This specific W196 R was donated to the IMS in 1965 by Mercedes-Benz and, since that date, has been in the permanent collection of the museum. It is currently being put up on sale as part of a bigger mission to gather funds for the restoration and modernization of the museum. Eleven vehicles are being sold in three separate auctions around the year, with all of them being part of the IMS collection, indicating a shift towards a more U.S.-based exhibition method.
The sale of W196 R will be important in that the amount will increase the capability of the museum to maintain other historic artifacts and vehicles. The car is in excellent condition even though it is old and is said to be able to go back to service with minimal restoration. Mercedes-Benz has even gone to the extent of giving support to the person who finally buys the vehicle with the help of restoring the car to its roving ways.
The 1955 Le Mans accident, where 84 spectators died, made Mercedes quit factory-sponsored motorsports, which gave the W196 R a final twist in its active career. That departure signaled the end of an era but the company would later be back in Formula One, but this time as an engine supplier, in 1994 and then fully returning as a constructor in 2000.
W196 R Stromlinienwagen can be quite more than a racing machine with good looks. It is like a tale of durability, development, and pioneering technology, about to be removed off museum walls, possibly to be reunited once more with the world of its private collectors, or even back to the track. It is still a material connection with the glorious days of motorsport. When it exceeds or at least should reach its estimated cost of 50 million Euros, it will further note its position as not only a car but a road-moving monument.
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