RM Sotheby's sold a 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen for $52.6 million, second only to a $142 million car the house sold in 2022.

That number makes it the second most expensive car ever sold at auction, beaten only by another 1950s Mercedes racer sold for an absurd $143 million in 2022. RM Sotheby's, the auction house that hosted this sale,

Today, 71 years later, Mercedes has another 1-2 win, but in a different battle—it can now claim that it has the two most expensive cars to ever sell at auction. A rare Stromlinienwagen, chassis no. 00009/54,

In 2024, the auction house RM Sotheby’s and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum partnered to sell some of the most valuable vehicles in the track’s collection. The models included the 1964 Ferrari 250 LM that won the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans and the magnesium-bodied 1957 Chevrolet Corvette SS Project XP-64.

Collectors are crazy, and when a car pops up that no one else has ever owned in a private collection it attracts the heavy hitters. We’ve already seen it play

It’s not often an auction house will run a standalone event for one car, but the 1954 Mercedes Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen or Silver Arrow is far from just any ride. The classic Formula One racecar is historically super important,