Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen was introduced in July 1954
Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen recently became the second most expensive car in the world to be sold at an auction. A rare unit with chassis no. 00009/54 was sold for USD 52.7 million (around Rs 882 crore) at an auction conducted by RM Sotheby's. With this, the German automaker has two most expensive auctioned cars with its badge on them, the first one being the Mercedes 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe which was sold for USD 143 million (around Rs 1,266 crore) in 2022.
The Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen attracted the high price tag in the auction because of its iconic status in the automotive world. This is because the car was introduced in July 1954 at the Grand Prix managed to win the first and the second place. At the time, the car was piloted by Fangio and Stirling Moss. It is to be noted that until the auction, the car was in possession of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum since 1965.
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Mercedes commenced testing chassis no. 00009 in December 1954, which had initially been finished in an open-wheel configuration. The vehicle made its competitive debut at a non-Formula 1 event in Argentina in January 1955, driven by Juan Manuel Fangio. For this campaign, the company used the 3.0-liter M196 engine, which Mercedes coupled with a five-speed manual transmission.
The legendary car ended its racing career with the Italian Grand Prix in September 1955 piloted by Sir Stirling Moss. The car performed well in the race. However, Moss retired from the race after 27 laps because of an issue with the number five cylinder.
Mercedes produced the magnesium streamliner bodies in very limited numbersThe manufacturer employed these aerodynamic bodies on high-speed circuits, occasionally using them throughout the 1954 and 1955 racing seasons.
The Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen attracted the high price tag in the auction because of its iconic status in the automotive world. This is because the car was introduced in July 1954 at the Grand Prix managed to win the first and the second place. At the time, the car was piloted by Fangio and Stirling Moss. It is to be noted that until the auction, the car was in possession of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum since 1965.
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Mercedes commenced testing chassis no. 00009 in December 1954, which had initially been finished in an open-wheel configuration. The vehicle made its competitive debut at a non-Formula 1 event in Argentina in January 1955, driven by Juan Manuel Fangio. For this campaign, the company used the 3.0-liter M196 engine, which Mercedes coupled with a five-speed manual transmission.
The legendary car ended its racing career with the Italian Grand Prix in September 1955 piloted by Sir Stirling Moss. The car performed well in the race. However, Moss retired from the race after 27 laps because of an issue with the number five cylinder.
Mercedes produced the magnesium streamliner bodies in very limited numbersThe manufacturer employed these aerodynamic bodies on high-speed circuits, occasionally using them throughout the 1954 and 1955 racing seasons.
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