A 1954 Mercedes-Benz race car has sold for a record amount of $30 million at an auction today. The auction happened at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the U.K. and was put on by Bonhams. Â
The Mercedes-Benz W196R was hammered at $26.45 million, bringing the buyer’s premium to $29,6 million. The previous record for a car being sold at an auction was a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa Prototype, which sold for $16.39 million at Goodling & Company’s Pebble Beach Auction in 2011.Â
These are the accolades this car now holds:
- Most valuable motor car ever sold at auction
- Most valuable Formula 1 racing car ever sold
- Most valuable Mercedes-Benz
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.”
This Mercedes was raced in five World Championship-qualifying Grand Prix races before it was retired and placed in the Daimler-Benz Museum in 1955.Â
