A 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 R Streamliner sold for a record $53 million through RM Sotheby’s in Stuttgart, Germany, on Saturday, against a pre-sale estimate in excess of $50 million.
The sale is the priciest in public auction history.
The auction house previously sold the most expensive car in history, a 1955 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe, in a private sale for $143 million in 2022.
Marking the first time a Streamliner-bodied W196 R has ever been sold publicly, it’s one of just four known complete examples.
The car, which holds chassis number 00009/54, is imbued with the history of automobile design, racing glory and feats of engineering.
After the FIA introduced new Formula One regulations for the 1954 season, Mercedes was given around a year to prepare a new car to meet the specifications. Mercedes created a new experimental engineering department, led by engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut. Among the innovations implemented for the W 196 R was its streamlined body, which provided improved aerodynamics. Requiring a specialized alloy to produce the lightweight shell, streamlined bodied cars were produced in limited quantities.
Mercedes introduced the new cars at the French Grand Prix in 1954, racing three vehicles which took the top three sports, while shocking the Formula One world with the innovative design.
Juan Manuel Fangio, one of the greatest drivers in the sports history, was behind the wheel for the first-place finish. Mercedes saw further success on the circuit that year with the Streamliners, during which time chassis 00009/54 was built.
The following year, Fangio was behind the wheel of 00009/54 at the Buenos Aires Grand Prix, securing a victory in the car’s debut. Later that year, Mercedes ran into issues testing a new design ahead of Monza, shipping the 00009/54 to Monza for the race.
It was there the car would add another racing legend to its history, with Stirling Moss taking the wheel. After the 1955 season, 00009/54 was retired along with nine other complete W 196 R working examples, later donated by Mercedes to the “planned new museum on the grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway” in 1964.
It would remain at the museum until this sale, occasionally making appearances at shows such as the 1996 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, the 2003 Canadian International AutoShow and the grand re-opening of the Petersen Automotive Museum in 2015.
In RM Sotheby’s lot essay, it writes “The future caretaker can take pride in ownership of a bona fide competition legend that is one of Formula One’s most successful models ever, bar none,” calling it “absolutely astonishing in every respect” and highlighting the provenance of having been “driven by two of the biggest names in motorsports.”
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.