It is the second most valuable car in the world, surpassed only by the 1955 Mercedes 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe.
An extremely rare 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 R Stromlinienwagen has been sold at auction for €51 million, or around ₹458 crore, making it the most expensive Formula One car ever sold at auction. It is notably one of only four complete examples known to have been fitted with a simple factory-built body. The auction was held at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, by RM Sotheby’s on February 1, 2025. Details of the buyer were not immediately disclosed.Furthermore, it is the world’s second most valuable car after the 1955 Mercedes 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe, which was sold at auction for around Rs 1,266 crore in 2022.Sir Stirling Moss set the fastest lap at the 1955 Italian Grand Prix in the W196 RIt was powered by a 2.5-litre eight-cylinder engine with direct fuel injection, generating up to 290 horsepowerThe W196 R, chassis number 4009 ” , has a significant racing history. It was driven to victory by five-time Formula One world champion Juan Manuel Fangio. at the 1955 Buenos Aires Grand Prix The same classic Mercedes F1 car was also driven by Sir Stirling Moss at the 1955 Italian Grand Prix in Monza, Italy, where he set the fastest lap of the race.After the end of his racing career, Mercedes donated the W196 R to the Indianapolis Museum of Speed in 1965. For almost six decades, the museum He maintained it, occasionally displaying it at major automotive events, including the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, a premier classic car show. TheW196 R played a key role in Mercedes-Benz’s return to Formula 1 in the 1950s. This legendary F1 racing car featured a 2.5-liter 8-cylinder engine with direct fuel injection and overhead valves, which generated up to 290 hp. Its simple body was designed to maximize speed on high-speed circuits such as Monza, making it one of the most advanced F1 cars of its era.
