By J.A. Ackley
Feb 3, 2025
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Mercedes-Benz,
RM Sotheby's
Photography courtesy RM Sotheby's
What’s the most valuable Grand Prix car ever sold? This 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen. The winning bid at the recent RM Sotheby’s auction? €51,155,000.
Why so valuable? Well, it’s the first Streamliner-bodied W 196 R ever offered for private ownership. Only four known examples received the coachwork. Opportunities like this don’t come every day.
Furthermore, the drivers who competed with this Mercedes-Benz certainly didn’t hurt the value. Five-time F1 champ Juan Manuel Fangio drove the it to victory in the 1955 Buenos Aires Grand Prix. Then Sir Stirling Moss steered it to the fastest lap in the 1955 Italian Grand Prix.
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