For £41 million (P3 billion), you could own your own island in the Carribean, a large yacht, and a lifetime’s supply of Happy Meals from McDonald’s. Or, you could swap all those luxurites for a slightly different one: a one-of-four Mercedes-Benz W196R, built with a closed-fender ‘Stromlinierwagen’ body. It’s a tough decision lose call, but let’s see if this car worth your hard earned money.
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
This real-life BMW M3 is based on a legendary virtual race car
Resto Run: Hillbarn cafe and restaurant review
The W196 was built in 1954 to signal a return to racing for Mercedes following a hiatus after the second world war. This very car tasted victory on its debut at the 1955 Buenos Aires Grand Prix. Who was the driver? A little-known Argentine called Juan Manuel Fangio. And his teammate? None other than Sir Stirling Moss, who set the fastest lap at the Monza Grand Prix that year in this same car.
It would eventually secure Fangio his second driver’s championship in 1955 after a four year wait, while Moss would finish second. In total, this chassis contributed to a total of 11 victories from 14 starts for the W196 program, cementing its status as a genuine legend.
So yeah, this is an important car—so important that Mercedes even threw it a retirement ceremony, before it was then given to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum where it has lived ever since.
History lesson over, you probably want to know why it was so dominant on the pitch. It was powered by a 2.5-liter straight-eight ‘M196’ engine (essentially two banks of four cylinders gelled together), and supplemented by proper race componentry, like dry-sump lubrication and high-pressure fuel injection. This made the W196 peak at 290hp.
But more impressive was that it could hit 300kph in 1955. Holy smokes that must’ve been terrifying, even if it had a proper limited-slip differential, double wishbone suspension and massive drum brakes to help it out of sticky situations.
Aside from raw power, the other reason for its unbeatable speed is its torpedo-shaped body and enclosed wheels. Those components helped the W196 cut a finer line through the air than that really fast bird from Looney Tunes.
The single (stitched in plaid colored wool) seater will be auctioned on February 1, 2025, and we won’t be one bit surprised if it goes for over the floor price. Considerably. These old and timeless race cars have a habit of doing that, after all.
NOTE: This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
