A sleek, long-nosed Mercedes raced in 1955 by Stirling Moss and five-time Formula One world champion Juan Manuel Fangio could become the most expensive Grand Prix car of all time at an auction in Stuttgart on Saturday.
The W196 R Stromlinienwagen (“Streamline Car”), one of only four complete examples in existence, is being sold by RM Sotheby’s on behalf of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) with a target price of more than 50 million euros ($52 million).
If it does, it would also be the second most expensive car ever sold at auction, after the 1955 Mercedes 300SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe sports car, which sold for €135 million in May 2022.
The most expensive Grand Prix car ever sold at auction was another ex-Fangio 1954 Mercedes W196, which fetched $29.6 million at Goodwood in 2013.
The IMS car was the first formal-bodied W196 R to be available for private ownership, and in its open-wheel form, Fangio drove it to victory at the non-championship Buenos Aires Grand Prix in 1955.
Moss drove it in a formal-bodied car at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, retiring it after setting the fastest lap, averaging 215.7 km/h.
Mercedes withdrew from factory-sponsored motorsport in 1955, which killed 84 people, and returned to Formula One as an engine manufacturer in 1994.
The car is presented in its Monza livery, complete with full documentation.
“Without a doubt, it is the most beautiful racing car in the world and ever. Nothing compares. It is simply a masterpiece of style and design,” Mercedes-Benz heritage chief Markus Breitschwerd told Reuters television.
“It is very fast. The top speed is actually over 300 km/h.
“I don’t expect it to take much effort to get it back into running condition. We would be happy to do that for anyone who buys the car.”
Chassis number 00009/54, donated to IMS by Mercedes in 1965, is being sold to raise funds for the museum’s restoration work.
The Indianapolis museum, which is looking to focus more on the United States, is selling 11 cars from its collection in three auctions this year.
Mercedes’ ‘Silver Arrows’ dominated Grand Prix racing before and after World War II, winning the world championship with the W196 R in 1954 and 1955.
The simple bodywork with closed wheels was used on high-speed circuits, while the open-wheeled version was preferred for more twisty tracks.