By Tilman Blasshofer
FELLBACH, Germany (Reuters) – A sleek, long-nosed Mercedes raced by Stirling Moss and five-times Formula One world champion Juan Manuel Fangio in 1955 could become the most expensive grand prix car of all time at an auction in Stuttgart on Saturday.
The W196 R Stromlinienwagen (“Streamline car”), one of only four complete examples in existence, is being sold by RM Sotheby’s on behalf of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) at a target price of more than 50 million euros ($52 million).
If it meets the estimate, it would also be the second costliest car ever sold at auction after a 1955 Mercedes 300SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe sportscar that changed hands for 135 million euros in May 2022.
The most expensive grand prix car sold at auction to date was another ex-Fangio 1954 Mercedes W196 that fetched $29.6 million at Goodwood in 2013.
The IMS car is the first streamline-bodied W196 R to become available for private ownership and, in its open-wheel form, was driven to victory by Fangio at the non-championship Buenos Aires Grand Prix in 1955.
Moss raced it with the streamline body at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, retiring after setting the fastest lap at an average speed of 215.7 kph.
Mercedes withdrew from factory-sponsored motorsport in 1955 after a Le Mans 24 Hours disaster that killed 84 people, returning to Formula One as an engine maker in 1994.
The car is presented in its Monza livery with full documentation.
“Without any doubt, it’s the most beautiful race car in the world and ever. Nothing can compare. It’s simply a masterpiece of style and design,” Marcus Breitschwerdt, head of Mercedes-Benz heritage, told Reuters Television.
“It is very fast. The top speed is actually above and beyond 300 kph.
“I wouldn’t expect that it’s too much of an effort to get it back to driving condition. And we gladly will offer whoever buys the car to do it for them.”
The car, chassis number 00009/54, was donated to the IMS by Mercedes in 1965 and is being sold to raise funds for the museum’s restoration efforts.
The Indianapolis museum, which is aiming to become more U.S.-focused, is selling a total of 11 cars from its collection at three separate auctions this year.
The Mercedes ‘Silver Arrows’ dominated the immediate pre- and post World War Two era of grand prix racing with the W196 R a world-beater in 1954 and 1955.
The streamlined bodywork with enclosed wheels was used at high-speed circuits, with the open-wheeled version favoured for more twisty tracks.
($1 = 0.9598 euros)
(Writing and additional reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Christian Radnedge)
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