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

The iconic car was piloted by the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio in 1955
The inside of the 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen
The inside of the 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen | Mercedes-Benz

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.

The buyer was not identified.

A Mercedes Grand Prix car sold at auction for a record $53 million
A 1954 Mercedes Grand Prix car sold at auction for a record $53 million | Mercedes-Benz

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.


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Clemente Lisi
CLEMENTE LISI

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