1954 W196 R Streamliner to be Sold
A ‘holy grail’ Grand Prix Car
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, partnering with RM/Sotheby’s, will offer a gem from their collection on Feb 1: a 1954 Mercedes W196 R Streamliner Grand Prix car. Historically considered to be a car that would never be offered to the public, it will be the second Mercedes-Benz competition based jewel offered at auction in less than 2 years. The Factory’s gorgeous – and deafening – 1955 300SLR ‘Uhlenhaut coupe‘ sold for a jaw dropping 135m Euros on May 5, 2022. It was 1 of 2 examples, the W196 streamliner is 1 of 4 examples.
For the high banks of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza #00009/54 would be fitted with the streamlined coachwork it carries today.
While the 300SLR coupe was clearly Mercedes-Benz’s car, technically, the W196 belongs to the IMS Museum having been donated to the museum by Mercedes in May 1965. We have to presume this gift came with stipulations, one of which certainly required consulting with Mercedes if/when the car was to be offered to the general public.
Another historic racing car, the Le Mans winning 1965 Ferrari 250 LM, is also being deaccessioned by the Museum in February during RM/Sotheby’s Paris auction. These two sales will likely generate upwards of $75m for the Speedway.

Chassis #00009/54 on display at the Mercedes Classic Center’s pavilion in August 2010. It is a fascinating design from essentially any angle. After 60 years under the Indianapolis Speedway’s custodianship, this F1 legend will soon go into private hands.
Otherworldly ‘Stromlinienwagen’
Mercedes’ return to motor racing post WW2 occurred at the fourth Grand Prix of the 1954 season, the French Grand Prix at Reims-Gueux. As highly anticipated as their return to competition was, no one was prepared for the trio of fully enclosed W196 R Streamliners that rolled into the paddock that weekend. The otherworldly W196s with coachwork that seemed to be shaped by the wind dominated qualifying and finished 1-2.
It was not a perfect debut: Hans Hermann retired his W196 but the stage had been set for the Silver Star’s domination of the 1954 season. The Streamliner to be auctioned, #00009/54, had not yet been constructed.
Chassis #00009/54 debuted in 1955 at the non-championship Formula Libre Buenos Aires Grand Prix on 30 January 1955 as a long wheelbase open wheel W196 driven by Juan Fangio. Fangio’s aggregate time from 2nd place finishes in both heats secured the the overall win. For the high banks of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza #00009/54 would be fitted with the streamlined coachwork it carries today. With Stirling Moss aboard and after qualifying 2nd, a damaged piston forced the car’s retirement. The car’s provenance was enhanced, however, with the race’s fastest lap going to Moss.
Retirement
Those of us in North America have unwittingly became acquainted with #0009/54 over the years. The car was occasionally displayed at premier Concours de Elegance events around the country and the Petersen Museum as well as the Speedway’s museum. It anchored the Petersen’s “Andy Warhol: Cars — Works from the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection” from July 2022 – January 2023. It was always the #16 streamliner on display at these events. I feel privileged to have seen the car at the Pebble Beach concours, the Classic Center’s Exhibition, and the Petersen in late 2022.

I visited the Petersen’s Andy Warhol cars and artwork from Mercedes’ Art Collection in October 2022. It must be one of the most compelling mixed media art presentations, and cumulatively the most expensive!
How Much?
It’s difficult to find a comparable sale that would apply to this W196’s value. There are a few possibilities sitting the the breathtaking Bernie Ecclestone F1 car collection recently entrusted to Tom Hartley Jr. to sell. We’ll only know in retrospect whether any of Ecclestone’s cars bring equivalent prices.
It’s tempting to use the 135m Euro sale of the 1955 300SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe sold in 2022 as a potential comparison. Even in this rarified realm, potential buyers will parse the appeal of the streamliner. It’s not particularly useful while a case can be made that the 300SLR was certainly a car that can be driven on the street with room for a passenger, a fixed roof, lights etc. But #00009/54 is a F1 race winner – albeit with open wheel coachwork – and was driven by the 2 legends of that era: Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss. And Moss turned the fastest race lap at Monza in 1955.
The Uhlenhaut Coupe was 1 of 2 and the W196 is 1 of 4, hence slightly less rare than the SLR Coupe. As such it will probably become a glorious if static piece of important motor racing history that might come out of hiding occasionally for brief demonstrations. RM/Sotheby’s estimates a value in excess of 50m Euro. If I had that money sitting idle in my account, I would pick the best example of the 3-4 Ferrari 250GTOs currently but quietly available. All will be revealed on February 1.
roy spencer/editor mercedesheritage.com
images/roy spencer