Fangio's 1954 Mercedes F1 Car Auctioned For $30Mil

According to Bonhams, Fangio's 1954 W196 R F1 car set a record for being the most valuable motor car ever sold at auction, the most valuable Formula 1 racing car ever sold and the most valuable Mercedes-Benz.

This 2.5 litre straight-8 W196 bears the chassis number '00006' and the very car in which Fangio won both the 1954 German Grand Prix on the 22.85 km long Nurburgring road circuit and the Swiss Grand Prix.

The W196 also happens to be the "first open-wheeled 'slipper'-bodied post-war Mercedes-Benz to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix race."

Naturally, being an F1 car it received the best and the latest technology available at its time. These inlude,
Fuel-injected engine,
Mercedes-Benz all-independent suspension,
Multi-tubular 'spaceframe' lightweight chassis design,
All-round inboard-mounted brakes,
The in-line or 'straight-8' engine 'lay-down' configuration to minimise the car's overall height and
Power take-off from the centre of the engine's long 8-cylinder crankshaft to minimise vibration.

The previous record was held by a Ferrari that was sold for £10,086,400 at an auction in 2011. However, the highest price ever fetched by any car was $35 million for the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO driven by Stirling Moss, at a private sale.

Robert Brooks, Bonhams Chairman, said: "I have handled some of the world's most desirable and important motor cars during a motoring auction career spanning five decades, but I have reached a peak today with this legendary Grand Prix car. It was a personal privilege to preside over the sale of this vehicle, which is not only one of the most significant motor cars of the 20th century, but also the most important historic Grand Prix racing car ever offered for sale."