A Mercedes could become the second most expensive car ever sold at auction. A Mercedes W196 belonging to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is being sold at an RM Sotheby auction at Monterey Car Week for a price that is expected to exceed $50 million.
Photo: RM Sotheby/Mercedes-Benz
So far the most expensive car sold at auction was the Mercedes 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe. At RM Sotheby’s 2022 private auction, the Mercedes 300 SLR Unhlenhaut Coupe was sold for $142 million. Second in the ranking of the most expensive cars sold at auction is a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO by Scaglietti which fetched $51,705,000 at an auction also organized by RM Sotheby’s in November 2023. Now that record is about to be broken by a Mercedes W196 in the collection of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum that is being sold at an RM Sotheby’s auction held at Montery Car Week for an estimated price of $50 million to $70 million.
The Indianapolis Museum wants to sell the classic cars it owns that are not related to the famous Indianapolis 500 race. Thus, in addition to this Mercedes W196, the Americans want to sell a Ferrari 250 LM, a Ford GT40 MKII from the 60s, and other racing cars.
The funds from the sale of these iconic models will be used to renovate the museum in Indianapolis. Joe Hale, president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, said that the funds obtained “will help fund a complete redesign of the IMS Museum, from new structural and state-of-the-art technology installations to interactive exhibits and experiences.”
The Mercedes W196 Streamline model has an interesting history. Although it was driven by two of the most famous drivers in history – Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss – it never won a race. Fangio drove the car in a race in Buenos Aires, in 1954, before it was modified and given a streamlined body. Stirling Moss drove it at the 1955 Monza Grand Prix, where he took pole position but did not win the race. Mercedes used this car for testing until 1955 and later donated it in 1965 to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
The Mercedes W196 has a 2.5-liter in-line 8-cylinder engine behind the front axle that developed 257 PS/8,250 rpm and benefited from dual ignition, direct fuel injection, and desmodromic valve control. The car was built according to the transaxle principle, with the 5-speed manual gearbox mounted near the rear axle to achieve a perfect distribution of weight. The suspension had double wishbones at the front axle and a single-joint swing axle at the rear. , the brake system drums were mounted inside the axles rather than outside to reduce rotating masses.
