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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Juan Manuel Fangio’s 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen sold for €51,155,000 at RM Sotheby’s auction in Stuttgart on 1 February 2025. The sale set a record for a Grand Prix racing car sold at auction—but it did not make the car the most expensive automobile ever sold at public auction. That overall record remains with the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé, sold for €135 million in 2022.
How much did Fangio’s Mercedes sell for?
RM Sotheby’s sold the car, chassis 00009/54, for €51,155,000 at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart on 1 February 2025. Mercedes-Benz also published a dollar equivalent of $53,917,370; the euro result is the clearest figure to use because the auction house’s search result showed a different dollar amount.
The seller was the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. It said proceeds would help secure its collection, support acquisitions and fund necessary restoration work. The museum had received the car as a donation from Daimler-Benz in 1965. Mercedes-Benz’s sale announcement and RM Sotheby’s lot record document the result and sale.
Did it become the world’s most expensive car?
No—not by the overall public-auction ranking. The W 196 R became the most valuable Grand Prix racing car sold at auction, while the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé remains the most expensive car in the public-auction comparison cited by RM Sotheby’s. That car sold for €135 million in 2022.
#1 Best Overall
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The distinction matters: “most expensive Grand Prix car at auction” is a narrower claim than “most expensive car ever sold.” The documented figures establish public auction results; they do not provide a universal ranking of private transactions or every vehicle sale worldwide. Auction records can also change when later sales take place. RM Sotheby’s account of the record describes the Grand Prix category and the earlier Uhlenhaut Coupé result.
What makes chassis 00009/54 significant?
The W 196 R was built for the 1954 Grand Prix regulations, which permitted engines of up to 2.5 litres. This example has the streamlined Stromlinienwagen body, intended for high-speed circuits. Its identity as chassis 00009/54 connects the sale to a specific racing car, rather than to the W 196 R model in general.
Rank #2
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Fangio and Moss raced the car
Juan Manuel Fangio drove this Streamliner to victory at the 1955 Buenos Aires Grand Prix. Stirling Moss drove it at the 1955 Italian Grand Prix at Monza. These appearances are part of the car’s individual history, not merely the broader reputation of the W 196 R.
Formula 1 reported before the 2025 auction that the car had not been formally presented for judging or driven in vintage events since it entered museum care. That is a statement from its pre-sale reporting, not a claim about a fresh inspection. Formula 1’s pre-auction report covers the car’s race history and museum-era status.
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Rank #3
- Tamiya America, Inc 1/24 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Sports Car, TAM24338
Why did the Indianapolis museum sell it?
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum said the proceeds would strengthen its collection and support acquisitions and restoration work. In its pre-sale statement, museum president J. Douglas Boles said: “The Mercedes-Benz W 196 R represents a remarkable piece of motorsport history. It has been an honour for us to have this extraordinary vehicle in our collection.” The museum described the sale as a way to secure the collection’s future while funding that work. The museum’s announcement gives its stated purpose for the sale.
Quick Recap
Best Value
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- Package size:7.09*3.43*3.55inch,package weight:0.68prounds,outer packing: exquisite color translucent packaging box.
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