In the history of legendary Mercedes, the W196 holds quite a layer. Introduced in 1954, it marked the great return of the star brand to Formula 1. Initially powered by a 2.5-liter straight eight-cylinder engine developing 260 horsepower, it literally dominated the world championship by winning 10 races until the end of the 1955 seasontwice crowning Juan-Manuel Fangio at the wheel.
Built in a total of ten examples, this W196 has only never been sold by Mercedes to private collectors in the past. Four of its examples had been sold to museums (the other six are still in Germany with Mercedes) and it is therefore a great first to see chassis number 00009/54, currently owned by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, offered for resale.
A record value?
Engaged in racing from 1955, it won the Argentine Grand Prix that year with Jean-Manuel Fangio at the wheel and was also driven by Stirling Moss during the same season.
RM Sotheby's, which will sell the car on February 1 in Stuttgart, estimates its value at “more than 50 million euros”. This estimate even seems a little low given the history and pedigree of the car, the only example that it is possible to buy back. Remember that one of the two examples of the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut coupe, mechanically close to the W196, was sold for 135 million euros in 2022. Theoretically, the W196 can beat the 70 million euros of the Ferrari 250 GTO.
