Juan Manuel Fangio’s title-winning Mercedes has broken the F1 record at auction (Image: Getty)
The world record for the most expensive F1 car ever auctioned has been shattered by the 00009/54 chassis of Juan Manuel Fangio’s title-winning W196 machine, which took to the track during the 1954 and 1955 seasons.
’ W196 R Streamliner met its pre-auction estimate of £42.6million (€51.2m), doubling the previous record for the most expensive F1 car ever sold, which was also a chassis of the W196.
The iconic silver design was etched into the history books in 1954, securing two World Championship titles in as many years. It was driven by Argentine legend Fangio and Sir Stirling Moss, widely regarded as one of the best drivers never to win an F1 crown.
Fangio used the car to return to championship-winning form, responding to Alberto Ascari and ’s back-to-back titles by clinching glory in 1954 and 1995. These were his second and third Drivers’ Championship crowns en route to becoming a five-time champion. The W196 won nine of the 12 races it entered during this period.
A W196 chassis was previously sold for £24.2m during an auction at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2013. While classic cars tend to fetch the biggest price tags at auction, modern cars can also go for eye-watering sums.
’s chassis from his first-ever victory at the 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix was put up for auction ahead of the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix in 2023, going under the hammer in an RM Sotheby’s event hosted by James Corden. The machine sold for £15.4m.
Don’t miss…
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
Lewis Hamilton’s 2013 challenger previously fetched over £15m (Image: Getty)
Only four F1 cars have fetched eight-figure sums at auction. Along with the three aforementioned machines, Michael Schumacher’s title-winning F2002-GA once sold for £12.2m.
While some of ’ historic designs are among the most successful cars in the sport’s history, team principal is not expecting guaranteed success from the team’s 2025 challenger.
“It’s also going to be a year where George will settle in as the leading and senior driver, and Kimi is going to learn,” he explained. “Sometimes we will tear our hair out; other times we will see moments of brilliance.
More F1… [EXPLAINED] [COMMENT]
“But it’s also a year of managing expectations for Kimi and preparing our driver lineup for 2026. I think you can see that, at least when you look at the wins in 2024, ’s year has been defined by the victories at the beginning of the year. But you will have those data better.
“If you look from last year, those four teams are pretty close. I think won six, five, us four, and took nine. So, yeah, this is it. We’d love to be in the fight with the other teams. We’d love to compete for victories on merit. But it’s not a given. It’s absolutely something we need to fight for.”