Rare Mercedes F1 Car Sells For Record $53 Million At Auction

A Mercedes raced by Formula 1 legend Juan Manuel Fangio in 1955 set a record for a grand prix car on Saturday, selling at auction for $53 million.
The silver W196 R Stromlinienwagen -- one of only four in existence -- was sold by RM Sotheby's at the Mercedes museum in Stuttgart, Germany, on behalf of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
A piece of motorsport history has just changed hands. The first-ever W 196 R offered to the public, this legendary Silver Arrow is now the most valuable Grand Prix car ever sold and the second most valuable car ever sold. A truly once-in-a-lifetime sale. https://t.co/XjcEJxdRNM pic.twitter.com/fehiaQUvzF
— RM Sotheby's (@rmsothebys) February 1, 2025
The buyer was not identified.

The car was donated to the IMS by Mercedes in 1965 and auctioned to raise money for the museum's restoration efforts and refocus their efforts on U.S. cars.
"It's a beautiful car, it's a very historic car, it's just a little bit outside our scope window," IMS curator Jason Vansickle said.
The vehicle -- known as a "Silver Arrow" -- was piloted by Fangio, a five-time world champion, at the Buenos Aires Grand Prix in 1955.
Fangio's teammate Moss was behind the wheel of the same car at the Italian Grand Prix on the famed track in Monza, retiring after setting the fastest lap at an average speed of 134 mph.
The most expensive Formula One car previously sold at auction was another ex-Fangio Mercedes W196 from 1954 that sold for $29.6 million in 2013.

Clemente Lisi is a writer and editor with nearly three decades of experience. You can follow him at x.com/ClementeLisi.
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