STUTTGART, Germany
A 1955 Mercedes-Benz W196 R called by Formula One greats Stirling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio sold for a record 51.155 million euros ($53.01 million) at an auction on Saturday. The sleek, silver car is one of only four complete examples of the model and was on display at the Mercedes museum in Stuttgart, Germany.
The car, which was sold by RM Sotheby’s on behalf of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), had an estimated price of over 50 million euros. After a bidding war that reached 40 million euros in 5-million-euro increments, the final hammer price was 46.5 million euros, with the buyer’s premium included.
The sale of the W196 R, which was driven by Fangio in the non-championship Buenos Aires Grand Prix in 1955 and by Moss at the season-ending Italian Grand Prix, marks the most expensive grand prix car ever sold at auction. The previous record was held by another W196 from 1954, which sold for $29.6 million in 2013.
The IMS, which received the car as a donation in 1965, is using the proceeds from the sale to fund restoration efforts and acquisitions with a greater focus on the US. The car’s curator, Jason Vansickle, described it as “a beautiful car, it’s a very historic car, it’s just a little bit outside our scope window.”
