Classic Mercedes set to sell for £42M: 1954 racer driven by legends Fangio and Moss could become the second most expensive car ever sold at auction

A unique 1950s Mercedes race car piloted by two of Formula One’s greats is set to become one of the priciest vehicles to ever sell at auction.

The 1954 W 196 R Stromlinienwagen is one of just four produced by the German marque in the ‘streamliner’ specification and has been driven by two of F1’s most celebrated greats: five-time world champion Juan Manuel Fangio and British motorsport legend, Sir Stirling Moss.

It is the first of its kind to be offered for private ownership having been made available by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. 

It will go under the hammer in February and is estimated to sell for a staggering €50million, which works to around £42million.

Only one other motors have sold at auction for a higher figure, making this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the most affluent car collectors on the planet.

RM Sotheby’s, the auction house in charge of finding the next owner for this pre-eminent vehicle, describes it as a ‘diamond of extraordinary cut, emitting a brilliance that is almost impossible to fathom’.

Stirling Moss (left) bearing the number 16 following Argentinian team mate Juan Manuel Fangio (18, right) in their Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Steamliners on the famous banked curve of Monza during the Italian Grand Prix on 11 September 1955

The single-lot sale will take place on 1 February at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, on 1 February 2025.

The car is said to have been ‘fastidiously stored and maintained’ for 59 years by the American motor museum, which has owned the racer since 1965 when it Mercedes-Benz donated it for display.

Fangio, who took world titles in 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, and 1957, piloted chassis number 00009/54 to victory at the ’55 Buenos Aires Grand Prix. 

Moss then drove this Mercedes to second position – and clocked the fastest lap of the race – at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza later in the same season, finishing runner-up to Fangio in another Streamliner.

The car will be presented at the auction as it was after Moss crossed the finish line at the Italian circuit some 70 years earlier.  

The 1954 W 196 R Stromlinienwagen is one of just four produced by the German marque in the ‘streamliner’ specification and has been driven by two of F1’s most celebrated greats

Fangio, who took world titles in 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, and 1957, piloted chassis number 00009/54 to victory at the ’55 Buenos Aires Grand Prix

Moss then drove this Mercedes to second position – and clocked the fastest lap of the race – at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza later in the same season (pictured here on race day on 11 September 1955). The Briton finishing runner-up to Fangio in another Streamliner

The car will be presented at the auction as it was after Moss crossed the finish line at the Italian circuit some 70 years earlier. It still bears the ’16’ numberboards

The single-lot sale will take place on 1 February at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, on 1 February 2025

The W 196 R’s pedigree was ‘unimpeachable’, says RM Sotheby’s. 

In the two seasons it competed, the model won three championships in two different racing series. 

In total, the streamliner specifications earned 11 victories out of 14 starts – an immense 78 per cent win record. 

At the time, there was no World Constructors’ Championship as there is in Formula One today – though had there been in 1955, the Mercedes team would have unquestionably taken this crown with Fangio taking the driver’s title and Moss taking second overall.

Such levels of dominance in the primarily racing series is incredibly rare. That said, even the ’55 Mercedes team pales in comparison to the supremacy seen only last season when Red Bull, with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, won 21 out of 22 races to achieve an unmatched 95.5 per cent victory streak. 

Mercedes-Benz donated the W 196 R to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in 1965. It has remained in the American display for 60 years

The stunningly Mercedes race car is powered by a 2.5-litre straight-eight engine producing a claimed 290bhp

The top speed – in 1955 – was reportedly in excess of 186mph, making it one of the fastest Grand Prix cars of its generation

Mercedes-Benz Classic will prepare its detailed report and history catalogue showcasing the car’s authenticity and originality ahead of the sale

The car is said to have been ‘fastidiously stored and maintained’ for 59 years by the American automotive attraction. It is the first of W 196 R Streamliner to be offered for private ownership

The stunningly Mercedes race car is powered by a 2.5-litre straight-eight engine producing a claimed 290bhp.

The top speed – in 1955 – was reportedly in excess of 186mph, making it one of the fastest Grand Prix cars of its generation.

RM Sotheby’s says: ‘The car is one of just 14 chassis built, and it is believed to be one of just 10 known complete examples surviving at the conclusion of the 1955 Formula One season. 

‘Of those, this example was one of only four mounted with the magnificent Streamliner coachwork.’

The world’s biggest car collectors from around the globe will be invited to bid on the spectacular motor, which is not only presented in its ‘proper Monza livery’ from the 1955 Italian Grand Prix but comes fully documented with a trove of period materials.

Mercedes-Benz Classic will prepare its detailed report and history catalogue showcasing the car’s authenticity and originality ahead of the sale.

The car is one of just 14 W 196 R chassis built, and one of 4 Streamliner specifications. It is also believed to be one of just 10 known complete examples surviving at the conclusion of the 1955 Formula One season

The world’s biggest car collectors from around the globe will be invited to bid on the spectacular motor, which is not only presented in its ‘proper Monza livery’ from the 1955 Italian Grand Prix but comes fully documented with a trove of period materials

RM Sotheby’s, the auction house in charge of finding the next owner for this pre-eminent vehicle, describes it as a ‘diamond of extraordinary cut, emitting a brilliance that is almost impossible to fathom’

It is extremely rare that a 70-year-old racer has been preserved in the same condition it last finished a race

Fangio, who took world titles in 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, and 1957, piloted chassis number 00009/54 to victory at the ’55 Buenos Aires Grand Prix

Given the Mercedes was driven by five-time World Champion, Juan Manuel Fangio, and British motorsport legend, Sir Stirling Moss, it will undoubtedly be huge attraction to the wealthiest car collectors on the planet

The €50million guide price – which is $52.3million – would put the W 196 R second in the list of most expensive cars sold at auction.

The top honour is held by another Mercedes from the same period, also sold by RM Sotheby’s two years ago.

A 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe – one of just two the German car firm built – changed hands for a monumental $142,000,000 (£115million) on 5 May 2022.

It was bought by a private collector at a secret, behind-closed-doors, invite-only sale, also hosted at Mercedes’ museum in Germany. 

Only those with pockets deep enough were deemed eligible for an entry ticket.

RM Sotheby’s said the car has ‘always been regarded as one of the great jewels of motoring history’ and its sale is a monumental moment with few ever imagining that it would be offered to a private buyer by the German manufacturer.