Got £41 million lying around? Here’s a Mercedes W196 R raced by Fangio and Moss

For £41 million, you could own your own Caribbean island, a large yacht and a lifetime’s supply of Happy Meals. Or, you could swap the good life for a slightly different one with this: one of four Mercedes-Benz W196 Rs ever built with a closed-fender ‘Stromlinierwagen’ body. Close call, but let’s chalk up a case for the car.

The W196 was built in 1954 to signal a return to racing for Mercedes following a post-war hiatus, and this very car tasted victory on its debut at the 1955 Buenos Aires Grand Prix. The driver? A little-known Argentine called Juan Manuel Fangio. His teammate? None other than Sir Stirling Moss, who set the fastest lap at the Monza GP that year in this same car.

It would eventually secure Fangio his second driver’s championship in 1955 after a four-year wait, while Moss would finish second. In all, this chassis contributed to a total of 11 victories from 14 starts for the W196 program, sealing its status as a genuine legend.

So yeah, this is… an important car. So important that Mercedes even threw it a retirement rave, before it was then given to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum where it has lived ever since.

History lesson over, you probably want to know why it was so dominant on the pitch. Powered by a 2.5-litre straight-eight ‘M196’ engine - essentially two banks of four cylinders gelled together - and supplemented by proper race componentry like dry sump lubrication and high-pressure fuel injection, the W196 peaked at 290bhp.

But more impressive was that it could hit 186mph… in 1955. Holy smokes that must’ve been terrifying, even if it had a proper limited-slip differential, double wishbone suspension and massive drum brakes to help it out of sticky situations.

Aside from raw grunt, the other reason for its searing pace is its torpedo-shaped body and enclosed wheels, which helped the W196 cut a finer line through the air than that really fast bird from Looney Tunes.

The single (and very tartan-upholstered) seater will be auctioned on 1 February 2025, and we won’t be one bit surprised if it trumps the guide price. Considerably. These old Silver Arrows have a habit of doing that, after all.