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Automakers had few design restraints in the early years of Formula One, long before stringent regulations turned the cars into thinly veiled copies of each other. Mercedes-Benz took that opportunity in the mid-1950s to create the W 196 R, an open-seat race car that could wear streamlined bodywork. It was called the Stromlinienwagen, and RM Sotheby’s is selling one with an incredible pedigree.
The car made its racing debut at the Buenos Aires Grand Prix in January 1955 with Juan Manuel Fangio piloting the No. 9 chassis to a 1-2 victory. The car would conclude its racing career with another 1-2 win with Sir Stirling Moss at the wheel, earning the fastest lap at the 1955 Italian Grand Prix.
Photo by: RM Sotheby’s
Photo by: RM Sotheby’s
Mercedes initially retained all 10 remaining W 196 examples after their campaigns, and kept them in running order. However, it’d eventually donate four of the cars, including chassis No. 9. The car found a new home at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation, where it has been ever since, undergoing two refinishes throughout its life.
According to RM Sotheby’s, this is the only Stromlinienwagen ever offered for sale to a private customer, and it’s one of four known W 196 Rs to have the streamlined bodywork at the end of the 1955 F1 season. RM pegs its value “In excess of $55,000,000.”
The auction comes just two years after a Mercedes 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe—one of just two in existence—sold for a staggering $143 million, making it the most expensive vehicle on the planet. While this W 196 isn’t as rare, its history in the racing space is unmatched. We don’t doubt that value estimate in the slightest.
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