A 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R grand prix car has become the most valuable car ever sold at auction. The car, which Fangio drove to win the 1954 German and Swiss grands prix, sold for £19,601,500 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on Friday.
Auction house Bonhams, which conducted the sale, said the car is the most valuable motor car ever sold at auction, the most valuable formula 1 racing car ever sold and the most valuable Mercedes-Benz.
The price beat the previous record of £10,086,400 paid for a Ferrari Testa Rossa in 2011.
Chassis number 00006/54 carried a 2.5-litre straight eight fuel injected engine, all-independent suspension, inboard brakes and was constructed around a spaceframe chassis.
The car was built in reply to FIA guidelines limiting capacity to 2.5-litres and banning the use of superchargers. Mercedes missed the first two rounds of the 1954 championship, but dominated on its return in France. In the hands of Fangio, chassis 00006/54 took pole position and the chequered flag at the Nürburgring and the win and fastest lap at the following round at Bremgarten near Bern.
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Price Check
According to an official document from Mercedes-Benz Classic, the car sold for £17.5m (in effect, the bidder paid 20,896,800 GBP including due premiums).
So now then...
assuming - as one can't - that a 250 GTO sells publicly what is the expectation? Forty million? Fifty? More than that? And what about the first Royale to head for China?