In addition to being the most valuable Grand Prix car ever, this 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R is also the second-most valuable car ever sold at public auction.

A $2.72 million sticker price puts the Mercedes-AMG One hypercar out of reach of all but the wealthiest car enthusiasts, but one Mercedes collector could have had 20 of them for the money he paid for a classic Benz racer last weekend.

In 2024, the auction house RM Sotheby’s and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum partnered to sell some of the most valuable vehicles in the track’s collection. The models included the 1964 Ferrari 250 LM that won the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans and the magnesium-bodied 1957 Chevrolet Corvette SS Project XP-64.

A Mercedes-Benz W196 piloted by Fangio and Moss just fetched the highest known price paid for a grand prix car at auction.

At a special RM Sotheby’s auction held at the Mercedes Benz museum on Saturday, an incredibly rare W 196 R Stromlinienwagen sold for €51,2 million, which at the time equated t