A rare Mercedes W196 called the Streamliner has sold for $53.9 million, making it the most valuable Grand Prix car ever sold. 

This is no ordinary car. It was driven by Juan Manuel Fangio to the chequered flag in the 1955 Buenos Aires Grand Prix. British legend Stirling Moss also scored the fastest lap in the 1955 Italian Grand Prix in it. 

Sotheby's RM sold the Streamliner at the start of this month. The sale was held at Mercedes' museum in Stuttgart. 

The hammer price is a new record for an F1 car, and the second highest price paid for a car at auction. 

The car had been in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, to which it was donated by Daimler-Benz in 1965. 

They are selling some of their collection to fund refurbishment work at the museum. 

Juan Manuel Fangio at the 1957 Argentinian Grand Prix. 

Mercedes are now decisively the most expensive cars in history. 

The record for any car at auction is held by a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe that sold for $135 million in May 2022.

The F1 record was held by a 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 that realised $24.2m at a 2013 auction.

Mercedes-Benz Heritage CEO, Marcus Breitschwerdt, said: “Without a doubt, our Silver Arrows are up there among the most iconic and sought-after vehicles ever built.

“They are the true shining stars in the firmament of motorsport and automotive history.”

A very small number of Streamliners were built, and only 10 survived into retirement. Just four were donated or loaned to museums, and this is the first to ever go into private ownership.