Another Mercedes-Benz has just qualified for the stage of the auction car.
A rare 1954 W 196 R Straw Racing car driven by the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss sold for more than $ 52 million at an auction last weekend, Bloomberg reports. That amount, which includes a substantial buyer premium, makes the open-top speed Machine the second most expensive car ever sold at an auction.
More from Robb Report
The W 196 R Straw-or Stroomliner-Werd sold during a special auction of one car in the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, on 1 February. The car, which was part of the collection of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, hammered for € 46,500,000 (rough $ 48.2 million for Saturday's exchange rate), but thanks to a premium of 10 percent buyer, the total selling price rose on € 51,155,000 ($ 53 million).
The gavel price makes the power liner the second most expensive car to ever sell at an auction, behind only the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR “Uhlenhaut Coupe” from 1955 that sold for $ 142 million in the spring of 2022. Auction that was also held in the Museum of the Automaker. The third most expensive car sold at an auction is a Ferrari 330 LM / 250 GTO from 1962 that was sold for $ 51.7 million in the fall of 2023. All three turnover was checked by RM Sotheby's.
The final price of the power liner was in line with the expectations of the auction houses for the vehicle. And it is easy to see why the Single-Seater ordered such a striking sum. The vaulted silver arrow – which RM Sotheby's described as “amazing in all respects” – is one of the only 14 W 196 R cars that were built, of which only ten survived the Formula 1 season 1955. Only four of them retained the streamline configuration, in which the wheels were covered to improve the speed. This example was the first offered for private ownership.
The racing car, which is powered by a 2.5-liter right-old engine that 290 hp, also has a decent pedigree. It was raced by Fangio and Moss, who won a combined 40 Grand Prix during their illustrious career. Fangio even drove this example to victory during an exhibition race in Buenos Aires in 1955.
The power liner was sold in the first of a three -part auction series that will benefit the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A Le Mans-winning Ferrari 250 LM from 1965 that could control no less than $ 30 million will cross the block during the second auction, which will be held on Wednesday at the Retromobile Car Show.
Click here for more photos of the Mercedes-Benz W 196 R from 1954 Straw racer.
Best of Robb Report
Register for the Robbreports newsletter. Follow us for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Click here to read the full article.
