Vintage Mercedes-Benz F1 Race Car Expected to Sell for Over $55 Million

A rare 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen, chassis number 00009/54, is headed for auction and expected to surpass $55,000,000. If the vintage Formula 1 race car hits that mark, it will become the most expensive F1 car to ever be sold at auction, beating out the current record holder, another Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Streamliner, which achieved a hammer price of $32 million in 2013.

The description of the vintage F1 race car includes the following words:

“Rarely has a racing car emanated brilliance on so many levels. Yet, like any great car, the story of chassis number 00009/54 is not just that of a machine but one of men—and a more compelling group of racing luminaries would be nearly impossible to match. A London-born German engineer with a process so uniquely exacting it seems torn from the pages of a novel; an Argentinian racing veteran nearing the peak of his driving supremacy and worldwide celebrity; a young British driver of no less skill who would one day be knighted by the future King of England; and an American businessman raised to sell food who invested in Gasoline Alley and bought a ticket to immortality on the Brickyard.”

This iconic car, offered from the Collection of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, will be the first Streamliner-bodied W 196 R ever made available for private ownership. It originally debuted at the 1954 French Grand Prix and went on to achieve remarkable success. Other notable bullet points from the listing include:

• One of four known complete examples mounted with the exquisite factory-built enclosed-fender Stromlinienwagen coachwork at the conclusion of the 1955 Formula One season
• Driven by future five-time Drivers’ Champion Juan Manuel Fangio to victory at the 1955 Buenos Aires Grand Prix 
• Piloted by celebrated driver Sir Stirling Moss at the 1955 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, achieving the fastest lap; presented today with that streamlined bodywork
• Donated in 1965 by Mercedes-Benz to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) Museum, and now offered from 59 years of fastidious care by the IMS Museum

The car’s purpose-developed M196 engine initially pumped out a robust 257 horsepower, which was gradually increased to 290 horsepower over two seasons. With such powerful mechanical specifications and aerodynamic, lightweight coachwork, the W 196 R could exceed 186 miles-per-hour, making it one of the fastest grand prix cars ever constructed. When it was retired in 1955, just 10 W 196 R models existed.

The sale of the historic vintage racing gem, managed by RM Sotheby’s, is set to take place in February 2025, in Stuttgart, Germany.

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