The Most Valuable Grand Prix Car

The Mercedes-Benz W196 R 'Stromlinienwagen' (Streamliner) has set a new record as the most valuable Grand Prix racing car ever sold at auction, fetching €51.155 million ($53.9 million/£42.8 million). This iconic Silver Arrow was piloted to victory by Juan Manuel Fangio at the 1955 Buenos Aires Grand Prix and achieved the fastest lap at that year's Italian Grand Prix with Stirling Moss behind the wheel.

Chassis number 00009/54 is one of only four ever produced and the first to enter private ownership. Prior to its sale by RM Sotheby's at the Mercedes museum in Stuttgart, the car was part of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum's collection, having been donated by Daimler-Benz AG in 1965.

This sale makes it the second-most valuable car ever auctioned, following the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe, which sold for €135 million in May 2022. The previous record for a Grand Prix car was held by another of Fangio's Mercedes-Benz W196 models, which sold for €23.65 million in 2013.

Marcus Breitschwerdt, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Heritage GmbH, remarked, "Without a doubt, our Silver Arrows are up there among the most iconic and sought-after vehicles ever built. They are the true shining stars in the firmament of motorsport and automotive history."