For Sale: $50 million Mercedes, $30 million Ferrari race cars
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. The lots are part of a three-part auction series selling 11 autos owned by the museum.
They are expected to cull at least $100 million in total sales.
On Feb. 1 at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, a 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 R Streamliner worth an estimated $50 million will be offered at a private RM Sotheby’s auction.
Four days later at the Retromobile auto show in Paris, RM Sotheby’s will gavel a 1965 Ferrari 250 LM that’s valued at an estimated $30 million.
If they meet their estimates in February, the cars will exceed the most expensive vehicle sold at auction to date in 2024: a 1963 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder that went for $17.8 million including premiums at Mecum Auctions in January. Each would be a far cry from the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé that sold for a world-record $142 million in 2022, though the Streamliner in particular is nearly as significant and its $50 million value is considered a conservative estimate.
“The 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Streamliner is one of the most important cars in racing history,” Marcus Görig, a car specialist for RM Sotheby’s, said in an email.
