Iconic Mercedes F1 car from 1950s could be sold for record £41m
A legendary Mercedes F1 car could be sold for over £40 million next month
An iconic Mercedes F1 car could be sold for a world record fee in excess of £41 million.
Auctioneers RM Sotheby’s are responsible for selling the 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R Stromlinienwagen, which was driven by F1 icon Juan Manuel Fangio.
RM Sotheby are taking bids starting at £41 million (50 million euros), which would break the record for an F1 car being sold.
The current record is £19.6 million - held by another Mercedes W196R.
It’s a race-winning F1 car in the hands of Fangio, victorious at the 1955 Buenos Aires Grand Prix.
Sir Stirling Moss drove the same chassis later that season at Monza, picking up the fastest lap.
Fangio would go on to secure his second world title in 1955, with Moss finishing runner-up in the standings.
In 1965, Mercedes donated the car to Indianapolis Motor Speedway museum, where it has remained for 59 years.
It will now be auctioned on February 1, with a record fee expected.
Most expensive F1 cars sold
Topping the list currently is the 1954 Mercedes W196R, which was sold for 19.6m in 2013.
The Silver Arrow was sold at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, with the auction held by Bonhams.
In second-place is Lewis Hamilton’s first race-winning Mercedes from 2013.
That fetched £15.1m in 2023.
Completing the top three is Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari from 2003.
It was sold for £10.7m in 2022 at an auction in Switzerland.
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