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Rare Mercedes streamliner grand prix car driven by Stirling Moss sells for £43 million to become second most expensive car ever sold

By Tim Pollard
Updated: 02 February 2025

► Rare Mercedes sells for €51 million
► The first Streamliner-bodied W196
► Plus the most expensive cars sold at auction

A rare 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 R Stromlinienwagen has sold at auction for €51 million (£42.5m) to become the second most expensive car ever sold.

It’s the first Streamliner-bodied W196 R ever offered for private ownership, after Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum put it up for sale after 59 years in its collection. It was auctioned by RM Sotheby’s at a private sale in Stuttgart, where it sold for €51,155,000.

That makes it comfortably the most expensive Grand Prix ever sold – and no wonder, when you consider its provenance. It was driven by Juan Manuel Fangio to victory at the 1955 Buenos Aires Grand Prix and also by Sir Stirling Moss at the 1955 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, where he recorded the fastest lap.

What’s the most expensive car ever sold at auction?

That’ll be the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe (below), which leapfrogged a string of Ferraris at the top of the world’s most valuable cars when it sold in 2022.

Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe sold for €135 million (£115m)

The 1955 gullwing was sold by Mercedes at an RM Sotheby’s auction for €135 million (£115m at the time) to a private collector. Monies raised were used to establish a Mercedes-Benz fund to provide education and research into environmental science and decarbonisation projects for young people, Stuttgart said at the time.

The sky-high price can be accounted for by the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe’s rarity: it is one of just two prototypes made and was named after its chief engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut. It was released from the Mercedes-Benz Classic Collection.

The 300 SLR was based around the W196 R Grand Prix car which won two world championships in the hands of Juan Manuel Fangio. It was capable of 180mph, making it one of the fastest cars available in period.

See our list of the most expensive cars sold at auction

Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe sold for €135 million

What are the world’s most valuable cars?

The delectable 300 SLR overtook the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, which sold in 2018 for a record $48m at the prestigious RM Sotheby’s sale at Monterey Car Week. That record stood for four years until the May 2022 Uhlenhaut sale.

Tellingly, 16 of the top 27 most expensive cars ever sold at auction were Ferraris (see our list below). Rare Aston Martins, Jaguars, Alfa Romeos, a McLaren and even a Ford GT40 are peppered throughout the most valuable cars.

The most expensive cars ever sold at auction

We’ve worked with our classic car sister titles and auctions experts to compile this list of the most expensive cars:

  1. 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe €135,000,000 (RM Sotheby’s 2022)
  2. 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen €51,155,000 (RM Sotheby’s 2025)
  3. 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO $48,405,000 (RM Sotheby’s 2018)
  4. 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Berlinetta $38,115,000 (Bonhams Quail Lodge Auction 2014)
  5. 1957 Ferrari 335 Sport Scaglietti $35,700,000 (Artcurial Paris 2016)
  6. 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 $29,605,000 (Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed 2013)
  7. 1956 Ferrari 290 MM $28,050,000 (RM Sotheby’s, New York City 2015)
  8. 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 NART Spider $27,500,000 (RM Auctions, Monterey 2013)
  9. 1964 Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciale by Scaglietti $26,400,000 (RM Sotheby’s, Monterey 2014
  10. 1956 Aston Martin DBR1 $22,550,000 (RM Sotheby’s, Monterey 2017)
  11. 1955 Jaguar D-type $21,780,000 (RM Sotheby’s, Monterey 2016)
  12. 1939 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider by Touring $19,800,000 (RM Sotheby’s, Monterey 2016)
  13. 1994 McLaren F1 LM spec $19,800,000 (RM Sotheby’s, Monterey 2019)
  14. 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider $18,500,000 (Arcturial, Paris 2015)
  15. 1954 Ferrari 375-Plus Spider Competizione $18,400,177 (Bonhams, Goodwood Festival of Speed 2014)
  16. 1964 Ferrari 250 LM $17,600,000 (RM Sotheby’s, Monterey 2015)
  17. 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider $16,830,000 (Gooding & Co, Pebble Beach 2015)
  18. 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Speciale $16,500,000 (Gooding & Co, Pebble Beach 2015)
  19. 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa prototype $16,390,000 (Gooding and co, Pebble Beach 2013)
  20. 1995 McLaren F1 $15,620,000 (Bonhams, Quail 2017)
  21. 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider $15,180,000 (Gooding & Co, Pebble Beach 2014)
  22. 1964 Ferrari 250 LM $14,300,000 (RM Sotheby’s, New York 2013)
  23. 1962 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato $14,300,000 (RM Sotheby’s, New York 2015)
  24. 1953 Ferrari 340/375 MM Berlinetta Competizione $12,745,500  (RM Auctions, Italy 2013)
  25. 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa $12,402,500 (RM Auctions, Maranello 2009)
  26. 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster $11,770,000 (Gooding and co, Pebble Beach 2012)
  27. 1960 250 GT LWB California Spider Competizione $11,275,000 (Gooding and co, Pebble Beach 2012)
  28. 1968 Ford GT40 Gulf $11,000,000 (RM Auctions, Monterey 2012)
  29. 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider $10,894,000 (RM Auctions, Maranello 2008)

Classic car values boom – or bust?

Values of significant cars continue to rise and signs are that speculators are viewing rare and exalted cars as an investment vehicle. Could the boom years be back? And is it sustainable?

Be sure to sound off in our comments below!

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By Tim Pollard

Director of Content – Digital, car news magnet, crafter of words

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