Do you have way too much money and a strong desire to impress your friends? If the answer is yes, then boy have I got the car for you. And no, we aren’t talking about those piddly little hypercars that anyone can buy with a few phone calls and a handshake. Those things are comparatively cheap and not even all that rare. Instead, you should bid on this 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R, a car RM Sotheby’s claims is “the first Streamliner-bodied W 196 R ever offered for private ownership.”
Winning the auction, though, won’t be cheap. The auction house estimates the car will go for more than €50 million which at current exchange rates works out to about $52 million. That’s technically private jet money, although you and I both know your friends wouldn’t be impressed with such a cheap jet. On the other hand, no one else would have this Mercedes, and you really can’t put a price on exclusivity.
In return for your modest upfront investment, you’ll receive a race car that is a lot more than just rare and gorgeous. It also has a serious racing pedigree. Ever heard of five-time Drivers’ Champion Juan Manuel Fangio? He won the 1955 Buenos Aires Grand Prix in this car. Stirling Moss? Set the fastest lap time in the same car at the 1955 Italian Grand Prix. In 1965, Mercedes donated it to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum where it’s been cared for ever since.
The downside is, of course, that we know of three other complete examples that were given the Stromlinienwagen bodywork, so it’s entirely possible one of those could come up for sale in the future and hurt your car’s value. So you’ll want to keep your ear to the ground and make sure you buy any other examples before they make it to auction. That shouldn’t be a big deal, right?