An extremely rare 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 R Stromlinienwagen was sold at auction for 51 million euros, or roughly Rs 458 crore, making it the most expensive Formula One car ever auctioned. Notably, it is one of only four known complete examples equipped with factory-built streamlined bodywork. The bidding took place at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart (in Germany) by RM Sotheby’s on February 1, 2025. Details about the buyer were not immediately revealed.
Furthermore, it is the world’s second most valuable car, following the 1955 Mercedes 300 SLR Uhlenhaut coupe, which sold for approximately Rs 1,266 crore in 2022.
- Sir Stirling Moss set the quickest lap in the 1955 Italian Grand Prix with the W196 R.
- It featured a 2.5-liter straight-eight engine with direct fuel injection, producing up to 290 horsepower.
The W196 R, chassis number ‘00009/54’, had an extensive racing career. Juan Manuel Fangio, five-time Formula One World Champion, drove it to victory at the 1955 Buenos Aires Grand Prix. Sir Stirling Moss drove the same historic Mercedes F1 car during the 1955 Italian Grand Prix in Monza (Italy), where it set the race’s best lap.
Mercedes gave the W196 R to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in 1965, after its race career had ended. The museum has cared for it for nearly six decades, and it is periodically presented at important automotive events such as the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, a top historic automobile show.
The W196 R was a critical component in Mercedes-Benz’s triumphant return to Formula One in the 1950s. This classic F1 race car had a 2.5-litre straight-eight engine with direct fuel injection and valve actuation, producing up to 290 horsepower. Its streamlined bodywork was intended to maximize speed on high-speed tracks such as Monza, making it one of the most sophisticated F1 cars of its era.
