Formula 1 collectors have a rare opportunity to bid on a historic racecar driven by two of the 20th century’s greatest drivers. RM Sotheby’s accepts registration from parties wishing to bid on the 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen that F1 five-time World Champion Juan Manual Fangio drove to win the 1955 Buenos Aires Grand Prix.
Why the 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen is so special
The W 196 R was the Mercedes-Benz car built for Grand Prix racing when the company returned to racing after World War II. The car’s success in the 1955 season design demonstrated the company’s resources and readiness to dominate. Different bodywork was used in different races. For example, when Fangio drove the car in Buenos Aires, it had an open-wheel body.
In addition to Fangio’s victory in Buenos Aires, this race car, chassis number 00009/54, also set the fastest lap at Monza in the 1955 Italian Grand Prix, driven by Stirling Moss, one of the greatest drivers of all time. For Monza, Mercedes fitted the same chassis with different bodywork, including fenders.
Stromlinienwagen translates from German to streamlined cars. Mercedes-Benz constructed 14 chassis for the 1955 F1 World Championship series, with only 10 cars remaining intact at the end of the season. Of the surviving cars, four had the Streamliner body, including the one that Sotheby is auctioning.
Mercedes retired the W 196 R from racing after the 1955 season. The W 196 R had accomplished its purpose.
After the 1955 F1 season
The W 196 W chassis 00009/54 was kept and cared for as part of the Mercedes in-home collection until 1965 when the company donated it to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. The car has been maintained with its Stromlinienwagen body and livery since the 1955 race in Monza.
RM Sotheby’s expects the winning bid for the 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen will be greater than 50 million euros ($51,369,511).
