The 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 was the race car driven by five-time F1 world champion Juan Manuel Fangio when he clinched his second title in 1954.
The Argentine drove the 2.5-litre car to victories in the 1954 German and Swiss Grand Prix races, the first successive triumphs achieved by the factory Mercedes-Benz team in its post-war comeback.
The Mercedes W196 driven by Juan Manuel Fangio has sold for £19.6million at the Goodwood Festival of Speed
The unrestored Formula 1 car is 'a piece of mechanical jewellery' according to one motoring historian
The car was raced to victory by Fangio, pictured
at Monza, during the 1954 Formula 1 season, where he claimed his second
world title
The 'patina' - character - of the car only made it more attractive to potential buyers
The race-winning Mercedes languished in a warehouse for decades before today's auction
Fangio, who died in 1995 and won five world championships, is considered to be the first superstar F1 driver
The previous world record for the most expensive car sold at public auction was a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa which went for more than £10million (16 million US dollars) in California in 2011.
Bonhams chairman Robert Brooks is seen peering under the bonnet of the 2.5litre car before the auction
The £19.6million total smashed the previous £10.8million record set by a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa Prototype in 2011
No comments:
Post a Comment