On February 1, a closed-wheel racing Mercedes-Benz W 196 R was sold at an auction at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.
The lot's price was 51,155,000 euros. This is the most expensive Grand Prix car in history, and as Mercedes-Benz notes, it has become the second-most expensive car in the world.
A Mercedes-Benz statement says this W196R is second only to the civilian Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe, sold at auction in 2022 for an unprecedented $135 million.
The Mercedes-Benz W 196 R was auctioned and produced in 1954. In this car, Juan Manuel Fangio won the Argentine Grand Prix, the first round of the 1955 Formula 1 season.
1965 the car was transferred to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum's collection, where it remained until its recent sale.
