Mercedes 'streamliner' fetches record 51 million euros at auction

STUTTGART, Germany : A streamlined Mercedes raced by Formula One greats Stirling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio in 1955 set a record for a grand prix car on Saturday, selling at auction for 51.155 million euros ($53.01 million).

The sleek, silver W196 R Stromlinienwagen, one of only four complete examples in existence, was sold by RM Sotheby's at the Mercedes museum in Stuttgart, Germany, on behalf of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS).

The car had a price estimate of more than 50 million euros and, while the bidding rapidly reached 40 million in 5-million-euro increments, it eased off before a final hammer figure of 46.5 million.

The final price includes the buyers' premium. The buyer was not immediately named.

The costliest car ever sold at auction was a 1955 Mercedes 300SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe sportscar that changed hands for 135 million euros in May 2022.

The most expensive grand prix car previously sold at auction was another ex-Fangio Mercedes W196 from 1954 that fetched $29.6 million at Goodwood, England, in 2013.

The IMS car is the first W196 R to become available for private ownership with the streamlined body fitted.

The car was driven to victory by five times world champion Fangio at the non-championship Buenos Aires Grand Prix in 1955, but with a more conventional cigar-shaped body on the same chassis, and fully open wheels.

Teammate Moss then raced it with the wider, streamlined body extending over the wheels at the season-ending Italian Grand Prix at Monza, retiring after setting the fastest lap at an average speed of 215.7 kph (134.0 mph).

That grand prix marked the end of an era for the Mercedes stable's 'Silver Arrows' as the firm withdrew from factory-sponsored motorsport in 1955 after a Le Mans 24 Hours disaster that killed 84 people.

Mercedes returned to Formula One as an engine provider in 1994 and with its own works team from 2010. 

The car sold on Saturday, chassis number 00009/54, was donated to the IMS by Mercedes in 1965 and was auctioned to raise funds for the museum's restoration efforts and acquisitions with more U.S. focus.

"It's a beautiful car, it's a very historic car, it's just a little bit outside our scope window," said curator Jason Vansickle.

"We've been fortunate to be stewards of this vehicle for nearly 60 years and it has been a great piece in the museum but with this auction and the proceeds raised, it really will allow us ... to be better in the future."

($1 = 0.9651 euros)

(Writing by Alan Baldwin in London; Editing by Kevin Liffey)