The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is auctioning off a 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 Streamliner. Experts are expecting it to fetch up to $70 million. This legendary car was driven by famous racing drivers including Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss.
The 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 Streamliner is one of the most desirable cars in the world. Fangio was the first to drive it in a race in Buenos Aires in Argentina. A year later, Moss recorded the fastest lap of the Grand Prix in the same car. Italian in 1955 at the Monza track.
Another historic vehicle up for auction is a 1964 Ferrari 250LM, which competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times, winning in 1965. Also going under the hammer are a 1957 Chevrolet Corvette SS Project XP64, which has a magnesium body, and a 1966 Ford GT40 MkII.
Mercedes-Benz W196 Streamliner (top) and Ferrari 250LMSotheby's
A unique auction
“These are some of the most important cars in the world ever offered for sale,” Gord Duff, global head of auctions at RM Sotheby's, said in a statement. “There's almost nothing else to compare them to, and to know they're being sold for such a worthy cause is a wonderful feeling.”
Proceeds from the sale will go to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
Another car is the Sonic I, in which Craig Breedlove set the world speed record five times. Breedlove's wife, Lee, also set the women's speed record in the Sonic I.
The cars will be sold at various events later this year and in 2025.
Record amounts for vintage cars
Vintage cars have been reaching astronomical prices in recent years.
In 2022, a nearly unavailable 1955 Mercedes-Benz SLR coupe was sold to a private buyer for €135 million, making it the most expensive car ever sold.
The previous record was held by noted car collector David MacNeil, founder and CEO of WeatherTech, a manufacturer of automotive floor mats. In 2018, he purchased a Ferrari 250 GTO 4153 GT for $70 million, the most expensive Ferrari ever sold at auction.
Main image source: Sotheby's