History will be made on February 1, 2025, when one of the world’s most significant racing cars will be offered for sale. For the second time, Mercedes-Benz Heritage and RM Sotheby’s will be joining in a closed auction to be held within the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.
The car in question is the 1954 W196 R Stromlinienrennwagen (‘streamlined racing car’), chassis no. 00009/54, unique in that it was raced by both Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss, and also the first W 196 R with a streamlined body ever to be offered for private ownership. It has belonged to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in the US since 1965, when it was presented by Mercedes-Benz in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Ralph DePalma’s victory there in the 1915 Indy 500, driving a 1914 Mercedes Grand Prix car.
The W196 R made its debut in 1954, featuring a highly advanced, fuel-injected 2.5-litre straight-eight. It marked Mercedes-Benz’s return to Grand Prix racing, with three streamliners entered for that year’s French GP. Juan Manuel Fangio, Karl Kling and Hans Herrmann finished first, second and seventh, with Herrmann scoring fastest lap. Fangio went on to win the 1954 Formula 1 World Championship.
RM Sotheby’s suggests that the sale ‘represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire one of the rarest and most special Mercedes-Benz racers to ever come to market’
For the following season, Mercedes-Benz engineers developed the W196 R, increasing power output with a new manifold (which necessitated a characteristic bonnet-intake vent, offset to one side), plus a 70kg weight reduction. The team also recruited Stirling Moss.
Chassis 00009/54 was completed towards the end of 1954 and entered in the Formula Libre Buenos Aires Grand Prix on January 30, 1955, where it would be driven by Fangio. Importantly, it was also fitted with an open-wheel body, which Mercedes-Benz deemed to be an improvement on tighter circuits where high top speeds were less important than agility and the ability to see the extremities of the car. Fangio earned pole position and finished second in both heats, enough for him to claim overall victory in this car.
Obviously, 1955 was the year of Moss’s historic victory on the Mille Miglia in the W196 S 300 SLR, but he also drove chassis 00009/54. Fitted with streamliner bodywork, the car was entered for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Fangio secured pole in a similar machine, with Moss second on the grid; Stirling took over the lead on the ninth lap, but ultimately finished seventh after mechanical difficulties. Nevertheless, in this car, he achieved the fastest lap of the race, clocking a time of 2:46.900 at an average speed of 215.7km/h.
At the end of the season, Fangio took his second Formula 1 World Championship in a row, with Moss finishing second. In two seasons, the W196 R had won nine of its 12 races.
This car has remained in the care of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation since being donated on May 30, 1965. It has been seen at major events during the ensuing six decades, not least the 1996 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, the 2003 Canadian International Auto Show and the re-opening of the redesigned Petersen Automotive Museum in December 2015. Most recently it was part of the Mercedes-Benz display at the 2024 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where news of its potential sale was first publicised.
Since then, it has been taken back to Stuttgart, for verification by Mercedes-Benz’s own technicians and archivists. It is presented in its Monza livery from the 1955 Italian Grand Prix, as one of four known complete W196 R chassis fitted with the factory-built streamlined coachwork at the conclusion of the 1955 season.
RM Sotheby’s suggests that the sale “represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire one of the rarest and most special Mercedes-Benz racers to ever come to market”. It also suggests an estimate “in excess of €50,000,000”. Proceeds from the sale will go to benefit the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum collection and restoration efforts.
A further ten cars are being offered at auction by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, all being sold by RM Sotheby’s to benefit the museum’s collection and restoration efforts. Those cars are:
1964 Ferrari 250 LM, chassis no. 5893. Paris, February 4-5. Est: €25,000,000-plus.
1966 Ford GT40 MkII, chassis no. P/1032. Miami, February 27-28. Est: $8,000,000-11,000,000.
1957 Chevrolet Corvette SS Project XP-64, chassis no. MVIN215923IND. Miami, February 27-28. Est: $5,000,000-7,000,000.
1991 Benetton B191 Formula 1, chassis no. B191-08. Miami, February 27-28. Est: $600,000-800,000.
1930 Bugatti Type 35B Grand Prix, chassis no. 694, engine no. 201T. Miami, February 27-28. Est: $1,000,000-1,800,000.
1965 Spirit of America Sonic I, ex-Craig Breedlove record-breaker. Miami, February 27-28. Est: $500,000-1,000,000.
1908 Mercedes 17.3-Litre 150 HP ‘Brookland’ Semmering Rennwagen, chassis no. 874, engine no. 820. Miami, February 27-28. Est: $7,000,000-9,000,000.
1907 Itala 120 HP Works Racing Car, engine no. 20, gearbox no. 1260. Miami, February 27-28. Est: $2,000,000-3,000,000.
1911 Laurin & Klement Type S2 Sportswagen, serial no. 1622. Miami, February 27-28. Est: $100,000-150,000.
1911 Mercedes 22/40 HP ‘Colonial’ Double Phaeton, chassis no. 10797, engine no. 13609. Miami, February 27-28. Est: $150,000-250,000.
