Fangio’s F1 car fetches record price

Jul 15, 2013 |

A vintage Formula One car driven by racing legend Juan Fangio has set a new world record after it sold for £19.6 million, becoming the most valuable car ever sold at an auction.

The 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R Formula 1 single-seater also broke the auction world record for the most valuable F1 racing car ever sold and the most valuable Mercedes-Benz.
The car that took five-time champion Juan Manuel Fangio to the second of his Formula 1 world titles achieved a record-breaking figure of £19,601,500 at the Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale in the UK, on Friday.
The car has become the most valuable motor vehicle ever sold at an auction, beating the previous record of £10,086,400 set by a Ferrari in 2011.
“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,” said Robert Brooks, Bonhams chairman in a statement.
The 2.5-litre vehicle — chassis number ‘00006/54’ — was the car in which Fangio won both the 1954 German and Swiss Grand Prix races.
The car’s innovative design also marked the successful introduction to Formula 1 of technologies such as fuel-injected engine, multi-tubular ‘spaceframe’ lightweight chassis design and power take-off from the engine’s long 8-cylinder crankshaft to minimise vibration.

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